After the infantry arrived, Emperor Chongzhen did not go to kill the locusts with his own hands, otherwise, what should Zheng Chongjian, the old governor of the three sides, do, he also had to kill the locusts, and he would not be tired to death! But if you don't go to the culling, the emperor is culling, and you are embarrassed to stand and watch as a courtier?

Clapping his hands and wiping a handful of sweat, Emperor Chongzhen said to Zheng Chongjian with a smile: "When they are all killed, they will eat this locust, which is rich in protein and can supplement nutrition!" ”

After finishing speaking, seeing Zheng Chongjian's somewhat stunned look, he remembered the word "protein", which he couldn't understand, so he quickly changed his words and said: "Although ants are small, they are also meat, no matter what, this locust is more than ants, isn't it!" ”

Hearing this, Zheng Chongjian finally understood, and said with a reluctant smile: "Your Majesty is right, eating this locust is better than eating grass roots and Guanyin soil!" ”

After this locust plague, because of the timely culling, at least other places can be spared locust plagues, but at least this Jingyang has a very great impact on the harvest. Even if there are locusts to eat, you can't eat for a few days.

As soon as he talked about this matter, Emperor Chongzhen's expression became serious. He raised his head and looked around the mountains, everywhere there were Ming soldiers and people in Jingyang culling locusts, and said a little seriously: "Here in Jingyang, the disaster must be relieved, if the other places can't allocate food in time, temporary control will be implemented, all the squire's food must be taken out, and the Jingyang rations will be controlled, and no one will starve to death." For those enlightened squires, the government can give rewards, and the food they contribute will be replenished back when the time comes. But if someone doesn't have a long eye and hides the grain and refuses to take it out, you can catch the model and deal with him ruthlessly. Do you understand? ”

"Weichen understands that when it is extraordinary, it is necessary to do extraordinary things!" Zheng Chongjian listened, and hurriedly nodded in agreement.

If people are to starve to death, it will give the thieves a basis for rebellion. No matter from that point of view, if you can not starve to death, you must naturally try not to starve to death. As for whether those squires have an opinion or not, it doesn't matter. The emperor spoke, could it be that the power of these squires could be greater than that of the emperor?

While they were talking, a fast horse suddenly rode over, Zheng Chongjian turned his head to look, and said to Emperor Chongzhen: "It should be a messenger from Xi'an." ”

Sure enough, it was a messenger sent by the prefect of Xi'an, who came to report the two situations.

The first situation is that the auxiliary minister Zhang Guowei rushed from Beijing and had just arrived in Xi'an.

Emperor Chongzhen was very relieved to hear the news. Calculating the time, it should be that after Zhang Guowei received the order, he did not delay at all, and hurried all the way.

The great drought and locust plague must be dealt with in a timely manner, otherwise, the thief rebellion that has been finally put down in Shaanxi is likely to recur. Only by letting the people have something to eat, and this is still a place where the border army is heavily assembled, will there be no more chaos.

Therefore, Emperor Chongzhen sent a decree to Zhang Guowei, asking him to investigate the disaster situation in Shaanxi as soon as possible after resting, and then vigorously build water conservancy, which can also allow the victims, such as the people of Jingyang, to work for relief, which can be regarded as killing two birds with one stone.

The messenger told him that the second information was about the thief Li Zicheng's department. said that Li Zicheng shouted "Juntian is exempt from endowment", and also opened a warehouse to release grain, which was very much to buy the hearts of the people, and his power developed rapidly. The people near Shangluo Mountain are all interested in thieves, although Li Zicheng's department has jumped into Henan, but this small part of Shaanxi can be left behind, and now it has the trend of development and growth. If it is not eradicated in time, I am afraid that the thief rebellion will intensify and affect other places.

This is the terrible thing about Li Zicheng's department! Emperor Chongzhen thought in his heart, but fortunately, Li Zicheng had just jumped out of Shangluo Mountain, if he was two years late and allowed to develop, it would be really difficult to deal with!

Thinking of this, suddenly Li Ruolian, the commander of the Jinyi Guard, hurriedly came over and said: "Your Majesty, the last general has checked, and it is indeed rumored that it will be useful to worship the locust god, saying that the locust god is placed in many places, and the locust flies away. In addition, some people say that there are magistrates in other places who organized the culling of locusts, but they were impeached by the imperial history, and then lost their official positions and were convicted! ”

As he spoke, he spoke with a hint of disdain. Because he knew that there was no magistrate who organized the culling of locusts and was convicted, this is simply a rumor! After finishing speaking, he added: "Your Majesty only needs to give the last general a little time, and the last general will definitely find out the people who spread the rumors!" ”

Hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen's eyes suddenly lit up. Do you still need to dig it out? What to do with so much effort, you don't need to dig it out.

Therefore, he directly explained to Li Ruolian: "Time is pressing, there is no need to investigate this matter again, you go to the Jingyang County Commander and ask him to issue a notice, just say that this is a rumor spread by thieves, I am here, no official has been punished for this at all, but the kind of inaction and letting the locusts become a plague is the object of my punishment!" Hehe, the so-called worship of the locust god, by the time they all finished worshipping, the locusts had already eaten everything, and of course they flew away. All this is a lie, let the people know the true face of the thief, don't believe it! ”

When Li Ruolian heard this, she was slightly taken aback. He thought that the emperor had obtained the news through that elusive source. Therefore, without the slightest doubt, he immediately complied with the order.

In fact, of course, Emperor Chongzhen didn't know what the truth was, it was possible that it was a good thing, or a rumor spread by someone with ill intentions, or it could really be a message spread by some of the thieves.

None of this matters to him. It is important to let the people know how to deal with the locust plague correctly, and not to believe the rumors, by the way, knowing that the thieves will not look down on them, and wish they had nothing to eat, so they will be forced to join the ranks of the thieves to make trouble!

Zheng Chongjian listened to these conversations on the side, and couldn't help but be surprised. He thought about it a little bit, and because of this, he admired the emperor even more, but he didn't expect the emperor to deal with the thieves so quickly. The quickness of this mind and the cleverness of the means are not comparable to many previous Ming emperors.

After this incident, the emperor's personal participation in the culling of locusts will spread from the people of Jingyang. With such a stark contrast, the people naturally know that the emperor is the best for them. And those thieves, who were originally a scourge, are now a scourge as well!

He was thinking about it, but he saw Emperor Chongzhen turn his head again and said to him: "I remember that there is a record of the methods of preventing and exterminating locusts in the "Complete Book of Agricultural Administration". You don't have to dig into it, but at least you have to know what is written in the book! ”

Speaking of this, Emperor Chongzhen sighed again: "If this is really done, these things that worship the locust god or something will not happen!" ”

When Zheng Chongjian heard this, he nodded again and again. Before, he heard that the emperor had set up a new agricultural department because of the "Complete Book of Agricultural Administration", so he asked someone to buy a set out of curiosity. Therefore, he knew that what the emperor said was true.

In any case, all dynasties and dynasties have been based on farming, and books on agriculture have not been unprecedented. For example, "Qi Min's Technique", as well as the "Book of Agriculture" of the previous dynasty, are all, but these books are basically specific details of farming. However, this "Complete Book of Agricultural Administration" is not all. It is mainly divided into two parts, one is the elaboration of agricultural policy thought, and the other part is the specific details of farming.

If it is said that the officials are going to understand books such as "Qi Min's Technique" and "Agricultural Book", it is a bit of a fuss. However, this "Complete Book of Agricultural Administration" is very suitable for officials on the ruling side to read. For example, there are as many as 18 volumes of the book on famine administration in the "Complete Book of Agricultural Administration", which summarizes the discussions and policies of preparing for famine in the past dynasties, makes statistics on floods, droughts and insect disasters, analyzes disaster relief measures and their advantages and disadvantages, and finally has 414 kinds of plants with herbs, trees and wild vegetables that can be used to satisfy hunger.

If the Jingyang County Commander had read the "Complete Book of Agricultural Administration", he would at least know how to remedy the locust plague and how to keep the people alive.

Thinking of this, Zheng Chongjian's face became serious, and he replied seriously: "Weichen thinks that what His Majesty said is extremely true, this set of "Agricultural Administration" should indeed be known to the officials close to the people!" ”

Hearing Zheng Chongjian say the same, Emperor Chongzhen thought for a while, and then made a decision, and immediately asked people to draw up a decree, for the current Ming officials in charge of the whole world, that is, county orders, prefects, governors, etc., must be familiar with a set of people. In addition, on the side of the ministry, whenever there is a new local official released, it must be assessed first, and the content is the knowledge in this "Complete Book of Agricultural Administration". If they fail to pass the assessment, they must not be released to the local administrative officials.

Although this matter seems to be a bit of a fuss, after all, even if the release officials fail the exam, they can know that there is this book, and it is okay to check it when they use it later. However, Emperor Chongzhen is to do this, that is, to let those officials close to the people know that he attaches great importance to this "Complete Book of Agricultural Administration", and it is his basic requirement to be familiar with this book!

After dealing with this government affairs, it was already evening. The sky in the west is fiery red, which means that tomorrow will definitely be another sunny day.

With a large army joining in the culling of locusts, by the time this evening, it was basically all culled. Although there must be some slips in the fields, it will not take much time to complete it only by relying on the people of Jingyang.

After this "side by side battle", the people of Jingyang and the Ming soldiers could be seen laughing and talking everywhere. The dialects of various places may not be very well understood, so they use both hands and feet to explain. At first glance, the relationship between the military and the people is like a brotherhood.

Zheng Chongjian secretly glanced at all this, and his heart was full of relief. As the governor of the three sides, he naturally knew how bad the relationship between the military and the people was at the beginning of this thief trouble. But what he saw now made him believe that at least the people of Jingyang would basically have no objection and would firmly stand on the side of the officials and soldiers.

It was also at this time that the Jingyang County Commander hurriedly came to the royal car with the Jingyang squire, with a sweat on his face and official uniforms on his body, and invited the emperor and the Son of Heaven to enter the city to rest.

Seeing the appearance of Jingyang County Commander, I knew that he was also tired from a day's work, and I felt a lot less angry at him. In addition, he could just use the previous events to hedge the influence of Li Zicheng's department, so he said lightly: "There is no need to enter the city, the people are tired for a day, so go back and rest." I and my soldiers camped outside the city. ”

To be honest, for the emperor to enter the city to rest, these Jingyang people are actually very welcome. However, they still had a headache for so many troops entering the city. Xiaoxiaojingyang, so many troops, how to arrange it? It's not always good to sleep on the street, sleeping in a private house? But even if all the people vacate their houses, I'm afraid it won't be enough, right? Just so many war horses, I don't know how to arrange them!

At this time, after listening to the emperor's words, these Jingyang squires couldn't help but be a little more moved by the emperor's understanding of the people of Jingyang. In addition, the emperor even personally killed locusts for Jingyang before, and their gratitude to the emperor was even more overflowing.

When they were about to say something, Emperor Chongzhen had already spoken first, warning the Jingyang County Commander that for this locust plague, the aftermath must be dealt with well, otherwise he will not be spared.

Jingyang County Ling knew that the emperor would not punish him again, and at the same time, he couldn't help but feel comforted in his heart, and hurriedly promised that he would do his duty in the future and be a good parent official.

After chatting about this serious topic, Emperor Chongzhen showed a smile and said, "I led the army south to quell the thieves, and I can't stay for long. In this way, how about exchanging the military rations carried by the army and the people of Jingyang for the locusts that were culled? ”

As soon as they heard this, Jingyang County Ling and those squires were immediately overjoyed. You know, when they were culled just now, many locusts were dug in pits, swept in, and buried alive to dispose of. But now, if you can exchange food, you can at least recover a lot of losses.

Therefore, the Jingyang County Commander hurriedly agreed, and then together with those squires, hurried back to announce the news.

Emperor Chongzhen watched them leave, smiled and turned his head to Zheng Chongjian and Li Ruolian, as well as He Renlong and Wu Sangui, who had already returned to him, and said, "Tonight, I will invite you Aiqing to have a locust feast!" Believe me, it tastes absolutely good! ”

In later times, locust delicacies were found in many places. Emperor Chongzhen once ate once when he was traveling.

The Ming soldiers began to camp, and these did not have to worry about Emperor Chongzhen, sacks of locusts were carried to the barracks to exchange for food, and Emperor Chongzhen did not have to worry about them. At this time, he asked people to select some locusts and started the locust feast.

One method is: pour the locusts into the boiling water, buckle the lid of the pot, increase the fire, and after the grasshoppers turn from greenish yellow to brown, they are fished out to dry, and the wings and stinging feet are removed. Under the limited time, it is naturally not dried, but dried, and then fried, the fragrance, so that the waiting civil officials and military generals, and even Emperor Chongzhen himself, can't help but want to taste it immediately.

Another method is to remove the wings and legs of the locusts, and slowly roast them on the skewers with charcoal, and brush the locusts with cooking oil when roasting, so as to ensure that the roasted locusts are charred on the outside and tender on the inside. Then sprinkle with a little cumin powder, salt and other condiments. The aroma is even more mouth-watering than the previous frying.

……

Of course, these things were not done by Emperor Chongzhen himself, but after he told it, he had his own veterans in the army to operate them, and he watched from the sidelines like everyone else.

The night is getting darker, and the stars are dazzling in the night sky. The aroma of the royal car wafted around, so that all the soldiers couldn't help but yearn for it, the emperor's locust feast seemed to be very delicious!

Of course, the handling of locusts on the side of the soldiers is not so particular.

When it was almost done, Emperor Chongzhen even sent a message to Jingyang County Order, as well as a few squires who were actively doing things, and asked them to eat this locust feast together.

Of course, Emperor Chongzhen moved his chopsticks first, tasted a bite of each, and ate one of them, he showed that he was enjoying it very much, and he was delicious.

His words immediately attracted a lot of "grunting" sounds. But it was the civil and military generals present here, who had been busy all day, and their stomachs were already rumbling with hunger. It's a little impatient to be so tempted by the emperor.

After the emperor let them taste it, they couldn't wait to eat it one by one. The civil officials are a little better, and they pay attention to their appearance. The generals, such as He Renlong and others, can't look at the appearance. But even while eating, he still praised repeatedly: "It's delicious, it's delicious!" ”

In fact, at this time, even if it is unpalatable, they will feel fragrant!

After that, many people present recalled the food of this night, and they all missed it very much. They also went to the same locust feast again without permission, but they no longer had the delicacy they remembered. Of course, they attributed this distinction to the emperor's good craftsmanship.

After this matter spread, it can be said that everyone followed suit. The locust feast that the emperor eats, and so many people praise the deliciousness of the locust feast, if you don't eat it yourself, taste the taste of the locust feast, it will be too regrettable!

In this way, with the emperor's demonstration effect, the locust plague in the territory of the Ming Dynasty will no longer have such a great impact as in history.

In addition to the fact that locust plagues rarely occur again due to proper prevention, there are many wealthy families who, upon hearing of the appearance of locust swarms, will immediately offer a reward for the purchase of locusts and a long-awaited locust feast.

In fact, Emperor Chongzhen had expected this a long time ago, so he invited the Jingyang County Commander and the squire to eat a locust banquet at that time, just to make the news spread faster.

However, there is one thing that Emperor Chongzhen did not expect.

After he left, in order to commemorate the emperor's visit to Jingyang, the people of Jingyang set up a monument to commemorate the place where he killed locusts and the place where he ate locust feast. As a result, it also drove the literati and writers of the Ming Dynasty, as long as there was a way nearby, they would come to take a look, commemorate the emperor's past here, and often write a few poems. Eventually, it became a tourist attraction in Jingyang!