Wentang

Chapter 479

"Locust plague? You said there will be a locust plague in Yongzhou this year?" Li Shimin's expression changed drastically.

"It's [-]% possible that there will be a locust plague. I'm not the only one who knows about this, but most of the people already know about it." Yue Shan said affirmatively.

"Didn't you...see the locust plague? What's going on?" Li Shimin frowned slightly.

Yue Shan smiled wryly in his heart, it turned out that Li Shimin thought that he predicted that there would be a plague of locusts, and this was the sequelae of the magic stick.

"The active season of locusts is from June to September, and it's only April now, but the fields are already full of locusts, and the number is three to five times that of previous years..."

"The most frightening thing is that locusts only need one month's growth period to lay eggs, and hatch in 30 to [-] days. Now this batch of locusts will lay eggs soon, and they can hatch in May and June..."

"At that time, the number of locusts will increase by dozens or hundreds of times. If measures are not taken in time, I am afraid that it will turn into a catastrophe..."

From the beginning of the founding of the Tang Dynasty to the present, locust plagues have often occurred. Not to mention the small ones, there have been several major locust plagues, and each time there were starvation and death everywhere.

There was also a plague of locusts in Chang'an City, and the persecuting emperor had to lead his ministers to Luoyang and other places to eat.It is said to be eating, but in fact Chang'an's food is not enough, and in order to relieve the pressure, he had to go to other places to beg for food.

Even if the emperors and generals are like this, the life of ordinary people can be imagined.

Having experienced so many locust plagues, Li Shimin still has some understanding of locusts, and he can understand that what Yue Shan said is right.Therefore, his face became even more ugly, and he said: "Why did no one report such a big matter to the court? What do local officials do for food?"

"Local officials have their concerns." Yue Shan explained how he would be held accountable if the locust plague did not happen.

"It's unreasonable, a group of selfish people, how can they do this to the court and their own conscience." Li Shimin said angrily.

Yue Shan bowed his head and didn't answer this question. People don't want to punish heaven and earth for themselves.How many officials have been able to plead for the people from ancient times to the present?Very rare.

But on the other hand, who has no selfishness?We praise those honest officials who care about the common people in the world, but we can't be too demanding on ordinary officials.

Li Shimin obviously understood this truth, so after getting angry for a while, he began to think of a targeted solution: "I will order that in the future, if there is such a thing, it can be reported to the court in advance. Even if there is no locust plague in the end, you can be exonerated..."

"No." Yue Shan stopped immediately.

"What's wrong?" Li Shimin asked displeased.

"Sage, your intentions are good, but can thousands of officials in the world be worthy of your trust? I dare say that as long as this order is issued, there will be locust plagues in more than [-] states in the world, and the court will be exhausted by then." But it won't have any effect." Yue Shan said solemnly:
"It will even be used by people with ulterior motives."

At this time Li Shimin also calmed down, knowing that his order was wrong, so he said: "This is not okay, and that is not okay, what do you think?"

"We can't put all our hopes on the officials of the prefectures and counties. We can set up another agency to patrol the world and observe the disaster situation." Yue Shan said the method he thought of all night:
"This central organization has no other powers, only one task, to explore the terrain, mountains, rivers, and mineral branches of various places to provide data support for the imperial court to develop places. By the way, it also observes local diseases and insect pests..."

"This organization is also set up as a three-level system of counties, states, and roads...the county level reports to the state level, and the state level reports the information to the road level after summarizing."

"Some important information is verified at the fastest speed at the first level. Once verified, it will be reported to the imperial court immediately, and the imperial court is taking targeted measures."

"I'll talk about this matter later, let's solve the current problem first. Do you have any good ways to control the locusts?" Li Shimin did not directly agree to this proposal, but asked.

Yue Shan was not disappointed either. Establishing a new department was not that simple, and just as Li Shimin's most important thing right now was how to deal with the locust plague.

"There is nothing to do but let people catch them. Now every locust killed can reduce hundreds of eggs, and after two months, dozens of locusts will be saved." Yue Shan shook his head.

"How long will locusts fly and be caught by hand?" Li Shimin asked anxiously.

"It can't be said that there is no way at all, but it requires the cooperation of the saint and the empress." Yue Shan said at this time.

"What can you do quickly?" Li Shimin asked.

"The locust plague is terrible and even more terrifying is the human heart. The sage will come forward to break everyone's fear of locusts. Empress's Royal Commercial Bank collects a large number of dried locusts, as much as a catty and a penny." Yue Shan said.

"You want to use money to motivate the people to catch locusts?" Li Shimin immediately thought of his intention.

"Yes, and locusts are also a kind of medicine. Locust powder can cure night blindness and strengthen the body, and it can also treat coughs... that's right."

At this time, Yue Shan suddenly remembered a very important message, and said with a happy face: "The locust powder can also treat cough and asthma. Both the empress and the little lady can take it for a long time."

"Can locusts cure diseases?" Li Shimin asked in surprise.

If this had been said by someone else, he would have killed that person as a liar.But from Yue Shan's mouth, he had to believe it.

"Yes, why didn't I think of it before." Yue Shan also regretted it but said excitedly: "Locusts are treasures, and if they are used well, they can benefit all people."

Li Shimin's face turned black, locusts are treasures?Your mind is filled with water, right?When you said this, did you ask the ancestors who suffered from the plague of locusts?

But... what if what he said was true?That... I can't even imagine it.It is very likely that another epoch-making event will happen in his Zhenguan Dynasty.

There is a saying in later generations, what should we do when there are too many species?Don't worry, find a few chefs to come over and study the right way to eat, and it will soon become a rare species.

Or find a few doctors to come over and work out a prescription for nourishing yin and strengthening yang. It is estimated that national legislation will be needed for protection within a few days.

Locusts have both.

It can be made into a dish, and it can also be used as medicine.Good protein is good for health if you eat it regularly.

What is the most lacking in ancient times?Meat.If we get rid of people's fear of locusts and develop some simple eating methods, I am afraid that our descendants will only be able to see the appearance of locusts in history books and museums.

Well, although it is an exaggeration to say so, if you think about it carefully, if everyone in the world regards locusts as treasures, they will catch them.Does the locust still have a chance to flood a large area?

Once the locust plague rises, there is really no good way to deal with it, but it can be prevented.

(End of this chapter)