100 Historical Stories That Unlock Teenage Wisdom

Chapter 26 4 Yao Chongzhi locust

Chapter 34 Yao Chongzhi Locust
——Being sober outside the mainstream is something to be in awe of, being bound by secular ideas at a critical moment may have disastrous consequences.After Tang Xuanzong Li Longji came to the throne, he appointed Yao Chong as prime minister to rectify the government, reversed the chaos in the Zhongzong period, and the Tang Dynasty reappeared a prosperous scene.

When Cheng Xuanzong was working hard to govern, a huge locust plague occurred in Henan.On the vast land of the Central Plains, swarms of migratory locusts appeared everywhere.When the locust swarm flew by, it was so dark that even the sun was covered.Wherever the locust swarms landed, the crops were all eaten up.

At that time, people had no relevant scientific knowledge and believed that the locust plague was a disaster from heaven to mankind.In addition, some people deliberately engage in superstitious propaganda, so all places burn incense and pray for gods in order to eliminate disasters and save good fortune.Seeing that the crops were ruined by the locusts, people had nothing to do with it.

The disaster has become more and more serious, and the affected area has also expanded.Local officials had to complain to the imperial court.

Yao Chong wrote a memorial to Xuanzong, thinking that locusts are just a kind of pests, and there is no reason why they cannot be cured.As long as the officials and people from all over the country work together to repel the locusts, the plague of locusts can be extinguished.

Tang Xuanzong trusted Yao Chong very much and immediately approved Yao Chong's memorial.Yao Chong issued an order to the people to light a fire on the ground at night.When the migratory locusts saw the flames flying down, they would massacre them; at the same time, they dug a big hole at the edge of the field and burned them while beating them.

As soon as this order was issued, Ni Ruoshui, the governor of Bianzhou (now Kaifeng, Henan), refused to execute it.He also wrote a memorial, saying that locusts are natural disasters, and manpower is irresistible. To eliminate the plague of locusts, the only way is to cultivate virtue.

Yao Chong was very annoyed when he saw Ni Ruoshui's memorial. He sent a letter specifically to blame Ni Ruoshui, and sternly warned him that if he saw the locust plague was prevalent and did not take measures to rescue and eradicate the locusts, he would be responsible for famine in the future.

Ni Ruoshui saw that the Prime Minister's words were very strong, so he dared not disobey.He mobilized the officials and people of the prefecture to exterminate the locusts with the method prescribed by Yao Chong, and it was really effective.In Bianzhou alone, 14 tons of locusts were exterminated.The disaster eased.

Ni Ruoshui conceded defeat in the face of the facts, but there are still a group of officials in the Chang'an court who think that Yao Chong's method of exterminating locusts has never been done before.

Tang Xuanzong was also a little shaken when he heard that there were many people who opposed it.He asked Yao Chong again, and Yao Chong replied calmly: "As long as you do things in a reasonable way, you can't follow the old rules. Besides, in the years of the big locust plagues in history, they were all caused by serious famines because they were not well extinguished. Now Henan and Hebei, the accumulated grain Not much, if there is no harvest this year because of the locust plague, the people will have no food to eat in the future and will be displaced, and the country will be in danger."

When Tang Xuanzong heard that the locust plague was not eliminated and threatened national security, he also became afraid and said, "In your opinion, what should we do?"

Yao Chong said: "The ministers said that my method is not good, and His Majesty also has concerns. I don't think His Majesty will care about this matter, and I will handle it. If something goes wrong, I am willing to be dismissed."

Tang Xuanzong nodded in agreement.

When Yao Chong was leaving the palace, an eunuch quietly grabbed his sleeve and said, "To kill too many insects, it always hurts peace. I hope my husband will think about it."

Yao Chong said: "This matter is settled like this. Please don't say any more. If you don't kill the locusts, there will be wasteland everywhere. The people in Henan will all starve to death. Isn't this hurting peace?"

Because Yao Chong considered the safety of the country and the lives of the people, and disregarded the opposition of many people, he resolutely exterminated the locusts, and the plague of locusts in various places finally subsided.

Yao Chong is famous for his ability in handling affairs.Once there was a funeral at Yao Chong's family, and he took ten days off, and there was a huge backlog of court affairs.The other prime minister, Lu Huaishen, didn't know what to do and was in a hurry.Ten days later, Yao Chong returned to court, and within a short period of time, he finished processing the outstanding documents on the desk.The officials next to him looked at it, and none of them did not admire him.Yao Chong himself was a little proud, and asked an official, "As a prime minister, can I compare with anyone in ancient times? Can I compare with Guan Zhong and Yan Ying?"

The official said: "It doesn't seem to be comparable to Guan Zhong and Yan Ying, but it can also be called a 'prime minister who saves time'."

Wisdom Interpretation:

In addition to being restricted by objective conditions, we are also restricted by subjective concepts.Many times we can objectively do a good job, but subjective secular concepts restrict us from taking action.Just like in this story, locusts could have been cured, because people's secular concepts and superstitions caused many unnecessary losses.

Therefore, we must have the spirit of not being superstitious, even if we stand outside the mainstream, we should also leave a sobriety in our hearts.

(End of this chapter)