After receiving the news that Ma Qiang was allowed to accept Liu Yu's mediation, Kou Xian released the family of Gongsun Zhanjun in Changping County, and returned the original Gongsun Zhan's money, grain, and baggage by the way.

Seeing that the money and grain were being transported away by the sergeants sent by Gongsun Zhan, Xian Yufuxin, who was standing next to Kou Xian, was dripping blood.

Cang Tian testified that he was not happy at all in Shanggu, and it was all up to Ma Qiang's wool business to contain the various ministries.

This time, Xian Yufu brought so many Wuhuan cavalry to participate in the battle, and fought with Bai Ma Yicong, and the loss was not small, and he didn't know where to find the pensions of these sergeants. If you don't have money for those Wuhuan adults, don't say if you can recruit people next time, in a few days, the armed salary team will come to besiege the city Believe it or not!

"I said Yunzhong, just release people, these money and food... Isn't it a shame? ”

Hearing Xian Yufu's words, Kou Xian shook his head and said, "The one who can't eat enough is the dog, once it's full, the dog can also become a wolf, if Gongsun Chan has no money and food, it may not be a good thing for us." ”

Saying that, Kou Xian smiled and said, "Captain Xianyu, I heard that the grassland is not peaceful recently." ”

Speaking of grassland, Xian Yufu only felt that his head was getting bigger.

Things on the grassland don't make sense, and many times, knives and guns are much easier to use than reason.

"The Wuhuan people are not bad, the worst thing is the Xianbei people, Kebi can move a lot recently, if it goes on like this, it will not take five or six years, and the central Xianbei will probably be unified, that is more than 100,000 cavalry.

And Budugen is not weak, since the Xiongnu went south, the strength of Xianbei in the west is also increasing.

If our Central Plains continues to be chaotic like this, when the world is peaceful, our north will also have another sandalwood locust. ”

Kou Xian smiled and said, "Ming Gong will not allow it, if it weren't for the chaos in the imperial court, Ming Gong would probably take us out of the fortress, I have a hunch that the Xianbei people on the grassland in the future will only become more and more hospitable."

Without further ado, let's go to the Red Star Camp to celebrate! ”

Speaking of going to the Red Star Camp, Xian Yufu was also happy, and said with a smile, "Let's go, it's true that I haven't been back for a long time, and I don't know if the taste of the second pot has changed." ”

Not to mention the liveliness of the Red Star Camp, Gongsun Zhan over there looked at the money and food of the family members who came back, and took the initiative to go to a carriage and asked, "Madam, are you okay?" ”

A woman lifted the curtain, saw Gongsun Zhan, and cried, "General! ”

Gongsun Chan hurriedly helped the woman out of the carriage and asked, "Then Kou Xian is rude to you?" ”

The woman shook her head and said, "Kou Jun treats me very well, but when I heard that the general was defeated, I was anxious, and the concubine was worried about the general and the continuation!" ”

Gongsun Chan sighed: "It makes Madame sad." ”

This lady is not an outsider, but Mrs. Hou, the wife of Gongsun Zhan, and Mrs. Hou's father is Gongsun Zhan's former boss Hou Taishou, and it is also because of marrying Mrs. Hou that Gongsun Chan was able to start a family.

Because of this, Gongsun Chan is both respectful and awe-inspiring to this Mrs. Hou, and treats her completely differently from other concubines.

"General! Kou Junshou said that Ma Qingzhou and you have no grudges, can you be kind? ”

Gongsun Chan hesitated, he was actually very confused at this time, and he didn't know where to go in the future.

Just then, a sergeant came up and reported "General! There were three people who claimed to be the general's brothers and came to visit on purpose. ”

"My brother? Let them in! ”

Gongsun Zhan, like Liu Bei, also befriended some people in the market when he was young, and they were brothers to each other.

After a while, three people walked over, one dressed as a Taoist priest and two dressed as a businessman.

"Brother! Long time no see! The Taoist priest took the lead in saying hello, and Gongsun Zhan looked at it and said with great joy, "Three brothers, it's really you!" ”

These three people are Liu Weitai, Li Yizi, and Le Hedang, among which Liu Weitai is a Taoist priest who lives by telling fortunes and divination on weekdays. The other two are both businessmen, and they can be regarded as wealthy people.

"I have long known that my brother has become a general, and we are worried about other people's gossip, so we dare not come to vote, but today I learned that my brother is in trouble, so I came to help!"

"Oh? No wonder I sent someone to look for a few brothers that day and couldn't find them, hurry up and get inside, we have to have a drink today! ”

The three of them glanced at each other, smiled, and Liu Weitai said, "Brother is on top, Wute said that a group of wild people from the mountains and forests in the northeast will come to vote, although there are not many people, there are hundreds, I hope to help my brother!" ”

Li Yizi and Le Hedang said in unison, "We are incompetent, so we can only offer money, food, ordnance, and war horses. I hope to help my brother! ”

Gongsun Zhan looked at the gifts brought by the three brothers, those wild people, they are all natives in the white mountains and black waters, they are not afraid of cold and hardship, they are strong, and they only have a small handful of hair that is braided into a small braid at the end, all of them are fierce, and they are brave warriors at a glance.

Besides, although the money and food are not much, they are enough to support the army for several months, and they can also recruit troops and horses to replenish their vitality.

Gongsun Chan received the financial support of his three brothers, and immediately re-erected the banner, recruited talents, built ordnance, trained soldiers and horses, and waited for the day when he would make a comeback.

As the biting cold wind blowing in Youzhou is getting stronger and stronger, the first year of the first peace of the heroes is finally passing.

- Qingzhou

"The lifters have already arrived in various states and counties, and as soon as the New Year passes, they will begin to clear the fields!"

Ma Qiang listened to Jia Xu's report and nodded, in his hand was the roster of officials from various counties and counties in Qingzhou.

In this roster, there is not only simple information such as names, but also elements such as origin and family background, which is very convenient to consult.

"Qingtian is the top priority of our work this year, we can't relax, let Shen Ping's inspection team go down to the counties to inspect in time, by the way, how are the farm tools prepared?" Ma Qiang put down the report and looked at Yue Yang, who was in charge of industry.

Yue Yang's figure doesn't know if it's because of the recent work pressure, not only did he not lose weight, but he also gained some weight, which was completely different from his previous wish.

"Ming Gong rest assured, our agricultural machinery workshop has turned to the creation of farm tools, and we will definitely not miss the spring planting!"

"I'm not worried about spring planting, I'm worried about locusts!"

Ma Qiang said what he was most worried about.

Due to the alliance with Xuzhou, there is a slight shortage of grain this year, and Ma Qiang is not worried, but if the locusts are together, it will not be a shortage, but there may be no harvest.

"I've already started preparations for farming in various places, so I guess the eggs will be frozen to death!"

"No way! First let all the localities burn the fields, and then collect the chickens and ducks of the Plains Country and other counties, these domestic animals are much more powerful than us in looking for locusts, and we must organize an army of poultry to go through the whole Qingzhou before the locusts are completely formed. Ma Qiang knocked on the table and said, "I repeat, this year, everything is not as big as food!"

The people of Qingzhou carried us into the Thorn Shi Mansion, and if we couldn't feed them, they could carry us out!

Make it clear to the officials of the counties and counties that if you do not act according to the instructions of the state government and cause a locust plague, there is no need to hang a seal, and give me a head! "Reed bamboo forest

"No!"

Listening to the neat sound of praise, Ma Qiang returned to the backyard, but he was still relieved, walking back and forth in the yard with his hands behind his back.

"Brother Pony, what's wrong with you?"

Ma Qiang looked up and saw that it was lime.

Lime was holding a stack of books and didn't know what to do.

Ma Qiang smiled bitterly, "It's Sister Lime, it's not for the locusts, I'm afraid that the locusts will rise again next year, we are now the six counties of Qingzhou, these three or four million mouths, locusts together, where can I find food." ”

Lime put the book aside and asked, "Isn't there anything that kills locusts?" ”

"It's not for nothing..."

Ma Qiang's mind flashed through countless pesticides in later generations.

But the problem is that those pesticides in later generations can't be made at all with the Qingzhou industry, which can't even build a fertilizer factory, or rather, can't be made on a large scale.

After all, what you want to kill is not a locust in a room, but the entire Qingzhou, which is not at all something that can be solved by the capacity of the laboratory.

"You still have to rely on biological control..."Ma Qiang said with a wry smile, "There is no time for large-scale production of pesticides, by the way, Sister Lime, when you were in Dasong Village, if you want to catch locusts for money, why don't you do it?" ”

"How much does it cost?"

"For example, what about five dollars a pound?"

"Of course, I won't do it!" Lime shook his head and said, "It's not easy to catch a pound of locusts, and when you catch a pound, you will be hungry, and you will eat more when the time comes!" ”

Ma Qiang nodded, also felt reasonable, and said, "In this way, we have to increase the purchase price." ”

"What? Brother Pony want to buy locusts? ”

"Yes, otherwise the people are unwilling to catch locusts, and next year there will be another disaster!"

When many people saw the locust plague in later generations, they liked to ask why the locals did not eat locusts.

In fact, this is a math problem, not to talk about the toxin of the locust swarm, the question of who has the highest energy consumed and the energy absorbed by eating locusts.

Don't think that the locust plague is a piece of locusts pressed by the black pressure on the ground, in fact, when there is a locust plague, there are not many locusts, and you have to work hard to catch a plate of locusts.

What's more important is that the locusts will run, and after eating you, you will fly away, you originally planted food that was going to be eaten for a year, but now the locusts are coming, and you catch the locusts that can be eaten for three days, and the locusts fly away, and after you eat the locusts for three days, you have nothing to eat, and the ground has been scourged.

Therefore, it is bound to be too late to wait for the locusts to rise before catching them.

Trying to solve the problem of agricultural shortage by eating locusts is even more ridiculous.

The only chance to control locusts is to eradicate locusts before they are fully metamorphosed, that is, when they are eggs or larvae.

From the perspective of the four seasons of the year, that is, in winter and spring.

So, don't think that you are much smarter than the ancients, there is a reason why the ancients didn't do many things, just because you haven't experienced it and can't imagine it.

"It's not just about adults and larvae, it's about eggs!"

Ma Qiang gritted his teeth and said, "Come on, pass on my state order!" ”

Soon, a knife and pen official came to Ma Qiang, prepared a pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and waited for Ma Qiang's order.

"The country is people-oriented, and the people are food-oriented! The locust plague is not eliminated, the people have no food, and Qingzhou is restless.

It was ordered that all counties and counties that had chickens, ducks, geese and other domestic animals should be collected in the county government, and the county government would mobilize them to sweep all over the country to eat insects, and the government would bear the money and grain.

In addition, collect eggs, larvae, and adults, pay three times the grain by the catty, double the larvae, and double the eggs!

Anyone who can collect a bucket will be exempted from one year of hard labor, and will be exempted from the bucket according to the bucket, and there will be no cap! ”

After Ma Qiang finished speaking, he looked at it, pressed his personal mark, and then said, "That's it, immediately pass on to the counties!" ”

As soon as Ma Qiang's state order arrived, the reactions of counties and counties in various places were different, and most of the county officials in Pingyuan and other places were students of Ma Qiang's Plains College, or celebrities, so they naturally reacted positively, but Beihai and Donglai responded mediocrely.

Don't talk about Beihai and Donglai, just say that in this Jinan country, there is a family of people, who are also poor, the head of the family is surnamed Qin, only the old mother and a Qin Dalang, guarding only two acres of land, although they are hungry and do not die, but they are also determined to be unable to eat.

"Bell, bell! The village elders are all coming out soon, and the horse envoy has an order!! ”

Qin Dalang heard the shout and said to the old mother who was weaving the mat, "Mother, there is something in the village, I'll go there." ”

The old mother was actually in her fifties, and she said, "Then you go quickly, and you will come back and take this mat to Zhang's house and sell it!" The movements in his hands did not stop at all.

Qin Dalang answered and came to the big tree in the middle of the village, where many villagers had already gathered.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's all arrive, this time is a good thing, so that you can understand everyone, so that everyone can take out chickens, ducks and geese, not forcibly, but rent, all give money, and return it to you when the time comes!

If you don't have poultry, you can make money, you can go to the field to find out if there are any locust larvae or eggs, this thing, by the pound, one catty, give you three catties of grain, larvae give six catties, eggs are also counted! Give twelve pounds! ”

Everyone couldn't help but look at each other, who didn't know who, they were all poor jingles, where would there be any poultry, at most they would think about locust larvae and eggs.

"What are these locust eggs?" Qin Dalang asked loudly.

"How do I know, you can find it yourself, anyway, it's just worm eggs, and the old man won't pick it!"

The official said it thoroughly, and everyone understood it when they heard it, and they all thought about where to find eggs in exchange for money.

As for where there are insect eggs, everyone has lived in the village all their lives, so they naturally know.

"Okay, that's all for this reward, the king still has an order to burn the field and get rid of insects! You are all going to prepare, tomorrow to burn the field, I want to come and see, if the burning is not good, your village will wait for this year's conscription! The official said viciously, and the people below couldn't help but bow their heads.

There are also those who are hard and idle, and those who are idle only need to go to the county or the county to beat drums and move things, and they don't know if they can come back alive.

Therefore, these local officials who have the right to distribute conscription are extremely prestigious in each village, and no one is offended.

Since ancient times, Hades has been easy to see, but the little ghosts are difficult,