Dad, don't be greedy! My brother climbed into the emperor's bed, and I became famous overn

The registration process lasted for an hour.

Six long lines formed in front of the six long tables.

The accountant's pen was sore from being dipped in ink, and his red clay handprints filled several booklets.

Zhao Pucheng stood by, holding a gong to direct the order, his voice almost hoarse from shouting.

By the end of Chenshi (7-9 AM), all forty-two villages from Anyang County that had come today had signed contracts.

More than 3,000 households, with black and white writing and bright red handprints.

Zhao Pucheng pointed to the direction of the army to the north.

"Alright! Village leaders who have signed the contract, take your men and go to the military flag area over there to collect your ducks!"

The people surged forward in a flash.

However, when they arrived at the duck-separating point, everyone was dumbfounded.

No one held the ducks for them.

The Northern Army soldiers standing in front of the duck army held up a row of red triangular command flags.

Each flag is about the size of a palm and is tied to a bamboo pole, making it light and easy to handle.

"Sir! Where are the ducks? Why are you giving me a flag?"

The villagers of Liushu Village, who were at the very front of the line, were completely bewildered.

Dozens of villagers behind him craned their necks to look ahead.

Without a word, the Northern Army soldiers shoved a red flag into the hands of the officer in charge.

"Don't rush. Learn the commands first."

"Password? What password?"

The soldier turned and pointed towards the flock of ducks.

Four soldiers immediately used long bamboo poles to make a square frame and placed it inside the flock of ducks.

A flock of ducks was then circled out.

The 30,000 white ducks in the circle immediately squatted down in a proper and orderly group.

It was quiet and peaceful, a stark contrast to the noisy rabble outside just moments before.

The soldier raised the red flag in his hand and waved it forward.

Thirty thousand ducks stood up in unison and marched forward in neat rows.

"quack--"

The village head stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

The soldier pressed the flag down.

Thirty thousand ducks stopped at the same time.

The soldier then held the flag level and drew a circle.

The ducks turned left in a group.

The surrounding people were all stunned.

"My God..."

The dark-skinned, thin old man rubbed his eyes, afraid that he was seeing things.

"Has this duck come to life?"

Someone next to me pinched their thigh.

"Village head! This duck is actually following orders!"

The soldier, expressionless, taught the commands one by one.

"Wave the flag forward, the ducks move forward. Press the flag down, the ducks stop. Draw a circle with the flag, they turn. Hold the flag upright and shake it three times, they eat insects..."

"Just some simple instructions and actions. Easy, right?"

Simple my ass!

The village head was completely confused.

When will ducks be able to understand flag signals?

He has lived for over fifty years and has only ever seen ducks poop and lay eggs.

I've never seen ducks marching in formation before!

"Don't just stand there! Come on, try them one by one."

The soldier handed the red flag to the officer.

The village headman trembled as he took the flag.

"Oh, I can't quite remember."

"If you can't remember, hand the flag over to someone who can to command."

"Village head, let me do it, I'll remember this."

A young man next to him took the flagpole from the village head's hands.

He mimicked the soldier's posture and swung forward.

The movements were crooked and not up to standard.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the flock of ducks, as if afraid they wouldn't understand.

But the flock of ducks actually moved!

Thirty thousand ducks marched forward in perfect unison.

The villagers were all amazed.

"hiss-"

"This...this is so obedient!"

Several staff members from Pujitang, who were responsible for providing guidance, stood in front of the crowd and explained the locust eradication process to the various villages.

"Listen carefully! Once you're inside, follow the areas we've designated. Each village is responsible for one square."

"People hold hands and form a fence on both sides and behind the ducks. The ducks eat insects in front, and you slowly follow behind."

"The flag in front is responsible for directing the ducks' direction and speed. Remember, don't run! The ducks walk fast, but you have to control the pace and make sure they don't get separated."

"And one more thing! Most importantly: No stealing ducks to take home!"

"After work each day, the village head is responsible for arranging for the village's ducks to be stored together."

"Each duck has a number on it! Losing one means one less, and Pujitang will be counting them after the locust eradication is over!"

The people nodded repeatedly.

Who would dare steal them? They're ducks sent by the imperial court; stealing them would be suicide.

Besides, they'll give you two for free after the job is done. Why take the risk?

The village head of Liutiao Village was thrilled after hearing the rules.

"Hurry! Hurry up and go to the fields in our village to eat locusts!"

"Okay, okay, okay!"

The people of Liutiao Village happily drove their flocks of ducks away.

Seeing this, people from the neighboring village swarmed forward.

"Sir, sir! Where are the soldiers from our village? Please teach us quickly!"

"Don't push! Line up! One village at a time!"

On the earthen slope not far away, Jia Zhengjing could no longer smile.

He stood there, his face frozen into a lump of dough, the mockery on his face long since solidified.

Watching the ducks, under the command of the flag, neatly divide into square formations.

Then I watched as the villagers, organized by village, enthusiastically practiced flag signals to lead their flocks of ducks.

Cui Zhe squeezed next to him, his face grim.

"What the hell! ...Why are these ducks being trained like an army?"

Jia Zhengjing grabbed Cui Zhe's sleeve and dragged him away.

"Are you sure there are only a few thousand ducks?"

He lowered his voice and pointed into the distance with his fat hand.

At the end of the official road, a third convoy of ducks appeared.

Cui Zhe's heart skipped a beat, and his brows furrowed tightly.

End of Chen Shi (7-9 AM).

In the severely affected area, ten miles outside Anyang City, the first batch of ducks officially went to the ground.

The village head of Liushu Village led the way, holding a red flag.

Behind them, more than thirty young and middle-aged villagers joined hands to form a human wall.

Thirty thousand white ducks were surrounded in the field in front of the human wall.

This is the time when locusts are most active.

The sun heated the ground, and swarms of locusts sprang up from the crop stalks, densely swarming in all directions.

The village head took a deep breath.

He held the red flag upright and shook it three times towards the sky.

Thirty thousand white ducks raised their heads in unison.

Its tiny, black bean-like eyes locked onto the locusts hopping around in the field.

Then, it exploded.

Thirty thousand ducks were launched at the same time.

Each duck was incredibly fast.

Having been starving for three days, they went crazy at the sight of delicious food.

They were afraid that if they ate too slowly, they wouldn't get any.

The duck's flat beak opens and closes, catching and devouring each duck with precision and speed.

The locust had just jumped up and hadn't even flown half a foot high when it was precisely intercepted by a duck's beak.

Swallow it, toss your head, and move on to the next one.

The whole process was clean and efficient, without any unnecessary delays.

The village head and the villagers were all dumbfounded.

"This...this..."

The villager in charge of directing the operation was stunned, and almost dropped the red flag in his hand.

His family used to raise ducks, and they would walk very slowly.

What breed of ducks are these?

It runs as fast as the wind, and its insect-catching is more like a hunting dog than a duck!

In just a quarter of an hour, the dense swarms of locusts visibly thinned out wherever the 30,000 ducks went.

A middle-aged woman squatted on the edge of the field to inspect it.

After the ducks passed by, the locusts that had been lying on the stubble were all swept away.

Her eyes welled up with tears, and she wiped her face with her sleeve.

"It really works...it really works..."

The man next to him slapped his thigh hard.

"Where did these ducks come from? Our village should raise a whole flock of them someday!"

"This isn't an ordinary duck!"

The village head finally came to his senses and rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"These are free-range ducks raised at Pujitang! They eat insects!"

"Great! Our land is saved!"