The Red Mansion En Xiaohou

Chapter 35 The locust plague shows its signs
Jia Shan frowned. In the original work, Jia Jing died because of swallowing pills.

"Rong'er, do you know the details of Immortal Master Zhengyang?"

"I'm not sure, many honorable families in the capital are looking for the Zhengyang Immortal Master to make alchemy and get medicine."

"A lot of people?"

Jia Shan was shocked. Wu Shi Powder was a drug banned by the imperial court. Where did he get so much Wu Shi Powder and refine it into pills.

"Keep an eye on your grandpa."

Jia Shan told Jia Rong that according to Jia Jing's level of addiction, he would never be able to bear without Wushi San.

Jia Shan went directly back to Rongguo Mansion and talked to Jia Amnesty about it.

Jia She frowned and ran out in a hurry.

Not long after, Immortal Master Zhengyang was arrested.

Jia Jing began to quit taking medicine and recommended a Taoist priest who was proficient in medicine to Jia Shan.

Time passed quickly, the weather gradually became hotter, and locusts emerged from the ground menacingly.

As a precaution, the imperial court has begun to prepare food for disaster relief and set up porridge sheds outside Kyoto.

County governments around the country have also begun to organize people to catch locusts, but the number of locust nymphs in the ground has not been reduced, and they keep coming out.

Locusts in the nymph stage mostly feed on the leaves and roots of plants.

The food intake is small, and when they grow into adults, most of the food for the people will also be basically mature.

The adult locusts with increased appetite began to feed on the people's food.

“Jashan, will you donate money?”

Zhang Zhengyang is holding a box.

The Primary School Affiliated to the Imperial College has its own porridge shed outside the city. It is now raising money from the students to buy food and keep it until the locust plague occurs.

Jia Shan took out the 100 taels of silver notes she had prepared from her bookcase and stuffed them into the donation box.

Ma Sanyuan, adjutant of the Pesticide Department, suddenly came to Jia Shan.

Jia Shan was in class, and the master and Meng Tong in the room looked outside the door.

"Sir Admiral, His Majesty's decree has arrived."

Ma Sanyuan held the door and gasped for air.

Jia Shan looked at the teacher who was lecturing.

The master nodded to Jia Shan.

Jia Shan didn't pack her things, got into the carriage and went straight to the pesticide department.

At this time, the emperor's eunuch Wang Deming was waiting in the Pesticide Department.

The old men and women in the department stood with the honored ones and prepared to receive the order.

Jashan got out of the carriage.

The eunuch Wang Deming looked at Jia Shan with a smile.

"Admiral Jia, please accept the order."

"Yes!"

Jia Shan saluted the eunuch Wang Deming.

Wang Deming began to read the imperial edict.

"It is destined by heaven, the emperor decreed.

Nowadays, locusts appear frequently. The Department of Pesticides was renamed as the Department of Agriculture, and was promoted to the seventh rank. He was in charge of agricultural development and developed locust control drugs. Admiral Jia Shan was promoted to the seventh rank.

Admiral Jia, take it. "

Jia Shan took the imperial edict from Wang Deming.

Wang Deming looked at Jia Shan with a smile.

"Admiral Jia, Your Majesty has promoted you and asked us to ask you how your pesticide development is going."

Jia Shan made a gesture of invitation and welcomed Wang Deming into the research site of the Pesticide Department.

Jia Shan picked up a small bottle of the newly developed pesticide and handed it to Wang Deming.

Wang Deming opened the lid and took a sniff.

The bitter, astringent and spicy taste irritated Wang Deming's nose.

Wang Deming couldn't help frowning and put down the pesticide.

"Admiral Jia, can this thing really kill locusts?"

"can!"

Jashan brought a bottle of water and poured the extracted insecticide into the water.

Sprayed into a translucent jar full of locusts.

The locusts were stimulated by the pesticides and jumped around like crazy.

"Dead, dead." After a while, all the locusts in the jar were dead on the spot.

Wang Deming looked at this scene in shock, pinched his orchid fingers, and shouted excitedly.

Jashan smiled.

"It's dead."

"Admiral Jia, if the crops are spilled with this thing, people will die if they eat it."

Wang Deming calmed down and looked at Jia Shan and asked the questions in his heart.

Jashan shook her head.

"No, these are developed for locusts. People are basically fine if they eat them."

"Basically okay?"

Wang Deming's inner vigilance was instantly raised. There must be no problems with the things used by the people.

He understands this. Isn't it possible that Jia Shan doesn't understand this?

Wang Deming frowned.

Jashan opened her mouth to explain.

"Pesticides are also poisons. They are toxic things. If they are ingested for a long time, they will definitely accumulate toxins in the body."

"but."

Wang Deming's heart suddenly lifted.

Jia Shan smiled lightly at Wang Deming.

"Pesticides can be washed away with water. Just rinse them before cooking and you'll be fine."

"Admiral Jia really made a U-turn when he spoke."

A smile instantly appeared on the eunuch's face.

"Row!"

"Our family has to return to the palace to recover, so we won't talk to you anymore, Admiral Jia."

When he reached the door, Wang Deming suddenly stopped, glanced around, and whispered to Jia Shan: "Your Majesty will summon you tomorrow, so be prepared, Admiral Jia."

Jia Shan nodded towards the eunuch and watched the eunuch leave.

"Congratulations, Admiral, I will be promoted to an official title soon."

Ma Sanyuan surrounded Jia Shan and flattered her.

Jia Shan glanced at Ma Sanyuan and kicked Ma Sanyuan in the leg.

"Don't flatter me here. The Taizu established a rule in the early years that you must win a title if you fight. Now our Pesticide Department has changed its name to the Agriculture Department, and the rank has been raised. We must be more careful in doing things."

"The subordinate understands!"

Ma Sanyuan smiled and saluted Jia Shan.

Jason nodded.

"How have you been studying recently? Don't go out and you can't tell the difference between leeks and spinach."

Ma Sanyuan scratched his head, with a look of embarrassment on his face.

"is acceptable."

morning,

All the ministers were very worried because of the locust matter.

In a month or two, the locusts will completely transform into adults.

Migratory locusts in June are the adults of locusts.

Now the imperial court has organized people to go to the ground to catch locusts, but the locusts are still coming out, and there is a vague tendency to catch them all.

In this way, we can only pin our hopes on Jashan’s pesticides.

Jia Shan was called to the court wearing official uniform and carrying pesticides.

Jia Shan announced the results of the development of pesticides in front of all the ministers.

And displayed it in front of all the ministers.

The ministers stared intently at the locusts in the jar, and soon they were all dead.

Ministers have called for the promotion of pesticides.

But the most important raw materials for pesticides are still far away in Tianzhu. How to promote them?

The ministers were quarreling so much that the emperor had a headache.

"Jashan, is there any medicine in Daqian that can replace these neem leaves?"

Chili peppers are fine.

Chili peppers contain capsaicin, which can kill locusts very well. Chili pepper trees are planted in many places such as South America. The leaves and poles of the pepper trees are dried and powdered to drive away locusts, termites and other borers.

The growth cycle of peppers is short, and the stems and leaves can be seen in one month.

It just so happens that the nymph stage of locusts is also 25 to 30 days, and it will still be possible to speed up the transportation by then.

However, pepper was introduced in the late Ming Dynasty and was widely cultivated in Sichuan and other places in China.

Daqian benchmarks the middle of the Ming Dynasty in history. Is it possible now?

As far as he knew, spicy food at this time still refers to dogwood.

Rong Guofu also uses dogwood in Sichuan cuisine, and Jia Shan is not sure that it is available now.

　One more chapter!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)