Datang: Starting from a fortune-telling stall, Wu Zetian was suddenly abducted

Chapter 52 Can the Descendants of the Locust God Eat?

The eldest grandson blinked mischievously.

"Second brother, do you mean that I have a bad temper?"

Li Shimin waved his hands repeatedly and said:

"Why is it bad? Without you by my side, I, Li Shimin, wouldn't be where I am today."

"Perhaps you are right. The country has been conquered and the country needs to recuperate. It indeed needs a generous and benevolent monarch to slowly govern."

Grandson smiled and said:

"Second brother, it's because you have too high hopes for Chengqian Repayment."

"Just for daring to challenge the Locust God this time, do you think Cheng Qian is really not brave enough?"

"If you ask me, this kid looks like me on the surface, but he's more like you in his heart."

After hearing this, Li Shimin felt somewhat proud.

"He is indeed a little too gentle with his subordinates."

"But for the Locust God, it can really be considered a thunderbolt method."

"I have also asked places across the country that have encountered locust plagues to deal with them according to Cheng Qian's method. I think this year's locust plague will not cause a climate change."

As soon as he said this, a eunuch suddenly came to report: There is an urgent report from Shangshu Province eight hundred miles away.

After hearing this, Li Shimin looked at his eldest grandson apologetically.

Changsun naturally understood and patted Li Shimin's palm gently.
"Second brother, go and deal with business. I'm just a little tired."

Li Shimin then strode out of the palace gate, only to see Wan Cong waiting there, with a look of anxiety on his face.

After seeing Li Shimin, he quickly bowed and saluted.

"Your Majesty, this is a disaster."

"Henan Road, Hedong Road, and Longyou Road all sent urgent reports, saying that locusts have overrun their territory."

what?
Li Shimin's face suddenly darkened,

"Where is the memorial?"

Wan Cong quickly replied:
"It's all placed in the Zichen Palace."

"The Prime Minister, Prime Minister Du, and three messengers are waiting for Your Majesty there."

After a while, Li Shimin arrived at Zichen Hall.

When the emperor and ministers saw the ceremony, Li Shimin picked up the memorial and read it carefully, and found that the three situations were very close.

The locust plague has spread, making it difficult for people to live a sustainable life.

They also have already opened warehouses to release grain, but there are so many victims, they can only report to the imperial court and ask the imperial court to allocate grain support.

After reading the memorial, he turned to look at the three messengers,

"I'm here to ask you, didn't you follow my instructions to kill the locusts in advance?"

The three messengers had heard the displeasure in Li Shimin's words, and immediately fell to their knees and told the reason.

It turns out that after Li Shimin's order to exterminate locusts went down, the governors in various places did not dare to neglect it and took active actions.

But the resistance is also very great, and it is generally divided into three parts:
1. Officials from various places are afraid of the revenge of the locust god, so they dare not get rid of the locusts.

2. Some officials don’t care about the locust god, but the people dare not get rid of the locusts.

3. In some places, because their own interests are involved, the squires only care about their own one-third of an acre of land, so they work in a shady manner and do not work hard, which ultimately leads to the formation of the locust plague.

After Li Shimin heard this, he let out a long sigh and asked the three of them to go down.Then he asked Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui for their opinions.

Fang Xuanling proposed that disaster relief should be the main task first, with locust extermination as a supplement.

The imperial court sent officials to supervise, and those who were unfavorable in disaster relief or extermination would be dealt with in accordance with the law.

Du Ruhui also expressed his opinion.

But at this time, Li Shimin put forward specific details, how should the locusts be exterminated?Du Ruhui said:

"Your Majesty, the area affected by the disaster in the twenty counties around Chang'an is very small. The reason is that the prince took precautions before it happened. Why not let him come to discuss it."

After hearing this, Li Shimin nodded repeatedly and asked someone to tell Li Chengqian to come.

After an hour, Li Chengqian, who was as sun-drenched as black charcoal, arrived belatedly.

When Li Shimin saw his son like this, he knew that he must be on the front line of exterminating locusts, and he suddenly felt a burst of fatherly pride in his heart.

He told Li Chengqian the situation and asked him how to deal with it.

Unexpectedly, Li Chengqian put forward different opinions.

What he meant was mainly to kill locusts, supplemented by disaster relief.

Because locusts are mobile, their trajectory is from north to south.

After they finish eating the crops they are in, their instinct will be to continue flying south and continue to wreak havoc.

If only one or two counties were affected by the disaster, the court would naturally allocate food support, but if locusts spread across the country, the court would not have enough food to save them.

After hearing this, Fang Xuanling took a breath,
"Your Highness, you mean that you have captured the movements of the locusts?"

Li Chengqian shook his head,
"Fang Xiang. I didn't discover this. It was inferred by the people."

"Many people in the surrounding counties around us migrated from Longzhou during the previous dynasty. This is also their inferred suggestion."

Fang Xuanling hesitated and asked again:

"Your Highness, is country slang really trustworthy?"

Li Chengqian went on to say:

"What the people say is based on personal experience, so it is naturally credible."

"And I also sought verification from many sources and checked relevant historical records."

“From the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period to the previous dynasty, every locust plague started in Longzhou.”

After hearing this, Li Shimin nodded repeatedly and explained to the two of them:
"These days, Cheng Qian is staying with the people. It is normal to understand these situations."

Du Ruhui said:

"What His Highness said about locusts is indeed true. I have also read the relevant records. It is indeed true."

"In the face of the locust plague, disaster relief has always been the main focus in all dynasties."

"And now the people are displaced and have nothing to eat. If we don't focus on disaster relief, I'm afraid there will be chaos."

Li Chengqian said to Du Ruhui:
"What Du Xiang said is not unreasonable. I also thought the same way a few days ago. But after I visited the Taoist priest at Beiming Mountain in Huayin County yesterday, I had a different idea."

Li Shimin said:

"But that Taoist priest that Li Chunfeng and Yuan Tiangang admired?"

Li Chengqian said:

"It is this man."

"The locust plague around Chang'an is indeed under control, but if locusts from other places come over, how should we deal with it? I also want to go to the Taoist Priest for help."

"He invited me to have lunch, and the food was very sweet and delicious. Out of curiosity, I inquired and learned that all the raw materials for his food were locusts."

what?
After Li Chengqian said this, all three people exclaimed in surprise.

"Locusts are so ugly, how can they get into their mouths?" Li Shimin asked.

"Locusts are descendants of the Locust God. How can they be eaten without fear of divine punishment?" Fang Xuanling asked.

"The locusts have taken away the rations of the people of the Tang Dynasty. Just get rid of them. If they are eaten, how is it different from killing gods?" This is what Du Ruhui asked.

Li Chengqian smacked his lips, as if he was savoring the taste of locusts.

(End of this chapter)