As the time comes to the end of winter and October, the temperature in Guanzhong becomes colder and colder.

Even now that the sun has risen, the frost on the dead grass on the roadside is still there.

Zhang Yue walked on the road in the field, observing the endless wheat fields in front of him.

The wheat that was replanted in the summer is now growing well.

The lush green wheat seedlings were not affected by the cold temperature in the slightest, and stood in the cold wind.

"Mingfu, according to your instructions before leaving the county, all the wheat fields in Xinfeng have been watered with frozen ......water before the winter," Zhao Guo said with excitement on his face: "This policy is really a good policy!" Since the beginning of winter, the phenomenon of dead seedlings in the county's wheat fields is almost none! ”

It's a miracle indeed!

This summer's drought and persistent heat have evaporated a lot of water from the land.

Originally, according to the general situation, based on Zhao Guo's many years of experience in Qishanyuan, the summer was too dry, and the planted wheat would die in winter due to lack of water, resulting in the hardening of the land!

After using Zhang Yue's strategy, these wheat seedlings were miraculously survived.

Zhang Yue listened and asked: "Zhao Ling, don't be proud, it's not yet a harsh winter, and it's still unknown whether these wheat seedlings can survive this year's winter snow!" ”

Today's climate is different from that of later generations.

Generally speaking, the earth's climate is in a gradual decline.

In the past 100 years, the average global temperature has dropped by at least two degrees!

The most direct evidence is that a hundred years ago, the calendar could still be used and used.

Now, however, the old calendar is no longer usable, so the state has to compile the first calendar.

And the Taichu calendar, which has only been used for a hundred years, is unbearable to use!

Therefore, the temperature in Guanzhong today is much colder than in later generations!

Now in the daytime in Guanzhong, the maximum temperature is probably only two degrees.

At night, the minimum temperature can drop below -10 degrees.

It's really puffed into ice!

This is a serious challenge to the replanted wheat in Xinfeng!

Therefore, Zhang Yue and Liu Jin went back to Xinfeng yesterday, and they couldn't wait to come out to inspect the wheat field today.

Fortunately, the wheat seeds cultivated in these spaces are very powerful!

The water storage capacity of its rhizomes is even close to the water storage and drought resistance of some hybrid wheat varieties in later generations.

It's just that you still can't be careless, and you can't take it lightly!

Zhang Yue squatted down, broke off a piece of soil from the wheat field, crushed it slightly, felt the moisture content and moisture content in the soil, and then instructed: "Please tell the county agricultural officials and the people that you must always pay attention to the soil hardening of the wheat field, and organize the people to carry out wheat milling operations at all times when necessary, so as not to make the land too dirty!" ”

"No!"

Zhang Yue opened his hand and carefully observed the soil in his hand, and then he gently pinched a small yellow insect egg, and his eyes suddenly showed a look of jealousy, and he couldn't speak for a long time.

"Zhang Qing, what's wrong?" Liu Jin, who had been listening and studying carefully beside him, and even wanted to take a small notebook to write down the key points, looked at Zhang Yue's appearance and asked softly.

"It's a locust egg!" Zhang Yue said in a deep voice.

He let go of his hand, and in the soil, more than a dozen similar insect eggs fell.

"Locust eggs?!" When Liu Jin heard this, he was also shocked and inexplicable.

And Wusun Xiao Kunmo, who was following the two, was even more stunned.

Locust!

Whether it is in the Central Plains or in the grassland, it is an irresistible natural disaster!

Nimi has seen the locust plague on the grassland.

The overwhelming locusts ate everything within a radius of hundreds of miles in a matter of days.

Both the shamans and the cavalry of Wusun had no choice but to pray to the gods of wolves and crows in their wails and despair.

But......

Aren't locusts the devil's minions?

What's the matter with this locust egg?

Just when he was puzzled, he listened to His Royal Highness, the eldest grandson of the Han Dynasty, asking, "Aiqing, are you sure?" ”

"Sure!" Zhang Yue pinched the eggs and said softly, there were pictures of various locust eggs in the information he traced.

He had repeatedly compared it with the backtracked material.

He knew that the inconspicuous insect egg in his hand was the locust egg that had made the whole of China smell and change color!

"Aiqing...... Lone heard that locusts are made of fish and shrimp, so how can they lay eggs in the soil? Liu Jin asked suspiciously.

Nimi listened, and also said in a not very proficient Chinese: "In Wusun, the shamans say that the locusts are transformed by the lice on the wolf god, and that the wolf god punishes the disrespectful!" ”

"If it is a louse on the wolf god, how can it lay eggs in the soil?"

I have to say that this little Kunmo has a great talent in language, but he can already communicate simply in ten days, can understand most ordinary Chinese, and is even learning Chinese characters!

Zhang Yue listened, laughed, and explained to the two: "The ancestors of the old man saw the locusts flying into the lake and sea, thinking that it was the transformation of fish and shrimp, and the minister also thought it was ......."

"But ......" Zhang Yue raised his head and said: "The minister was greedy for fun when he was young, in the middle of the Taishi, there were locusts in the pass into Nanling, and countless fertile fields suddenly turned into nothingness, and the ministers hated it very much, tasted it in the neighborhood, and killed the locusts with nets!" ”

Liu Jin nodded when he heard this, and said: "Lone has heard about this, in the second year of Taishi, the locusts flew in Guanzhong, and Li Shaoqing once wrote to the emperor's grandfather, please send the sixth lieutenant to catch and kill the locusts that kill people......"

For the Han people under the influence of the ram ideology, locusts, pests that eat their own crops, except for the foolish women and fools in a few places, the scholars and nobles in most places have only one attitude - kill!

Hunt and kill by any means!

After all, the idea of great revenge, but even Xingtian is admired, and Du Bo is even thought to be a ghost and god by people, and is widely worshipped!

Xingtian Dance is a relative, and the Emperor of Heaven will also pull off the horse.

Du Bo died unjustly, turned into a ghost, and even Zhou Tianzi had to be taken away!

Locusts are such devastating pests, don't expect anyone to succumb to them!

This is also the reason why, although the historical records record that the Western Han Dynasty must have a locust plague every eight years, there are few records of locust plagues causing devastating losses.

When the government and scholars encountered the locust plague, they did not tie their hands and capture it, but actively resisted and hunted and killed, and made every effort to minimize the impact and losses of the locust plague.

Pity......

Human beings are extremely vulnerable to this force of nature.

In this era of no chemical pesticides, people have not killed as many locusts as they reproduce.

It's muddy, listening to the conversation between Zhang Yue and Liu Jin, I'm scared!

The people of the Han Dynasty dared to kill locusts?

A messenger of calamity who dares to kill the wolf god?

Don't you die, right? Could it be that the people of the Han Dynasty were not afraid of the wrath of the gods?

I listened to Zhang Yue and said: "At that time, the minister was on the beach of a river, and found a group of locusts that were gnawing on the grass, and caught them with a net......"

"The ministers hate it deeply, and want to burn it with fire......"

"So I took it home with a net......

"However......" Zhang Yue looked at Liu Jin and said slowly: "When the minister went home, took out the locusts in the net pocket and threw them into the stove at home, the minister accidentally found dozens of similar insect eggs in the soil left by the net pocket......"

"Your Highness, you know, the minister has always been curious...... and stored it in a clay pot...... He then forgot about it, but in the summer of the following year, while playing in the courtyard, he noticed that an insect crawled out of the clay pot, ate on the grass in the courtyard, and flew away as a locust......"

Since then, he has been paying attention to this, and for several years, he has been finding similar eggs in the soil...... The results all prove that these eggs are locust eggs! ”

"If Your Highness doesn't believe it, you can raise these eggs in a crockpot, and you will see them in the spring and summer of next year!"

For Zhang Yue, Liu Jin naturally believed it very much, and said: "Since it is Qing's words, there is no doubt about it!" ”

He looked at those locust eggs, his expression couldn't help but be fierce, and scolded: "Go to its moths, and its thieves, harmless to my Tian Zhi, Tian Zu has a god, and he is in flames!" ”

"Lonely hatred can't burn all the locusts in the world with a fire!"

"Your Highness trusts, and the minister can't repay it!" Zhang Yue looked at Liu Jin and said movingly: "The same is true of the ministers, if Emperor Yan has a spirit, I am afraid that he will also be burned by heavenly fire!" ”

"But...... The minister knows a method that can effectively kill locusts......"

"What's the method?" Liu Jin hurriedly asked.

"Raise more ducks and geese!" Zhang Yue said softly: "Ducks, geese, and birds and poultry are all natural enemies of locusts, and they feed on locusts, and they can eat dozens of locusts a day!" ”

"In particular, the ministers have observed locusts for several years, know their habits, and like to move in columns, so they will avoid each other when food is abundant, so that locust plagues will not form...... When food was scarce, they gathered together and formed a locust plague ......"

"That's why every locust plague occurs after a great drought!"

"And if ducks and geese are driven to prey when they hatch, their numbers will be greatly reduced, and even if there is a drought, the locust plague can be reduced or even cut off!"

Raising ducks, geese and other poultry is indeed the only way to avoid locust plagues.

Of course, all kinds of birds and birds are also important natural enemies of locusts!

Zhang Yue looked at Liu Jin and said, "So Your Highness, the minister wants to ask His Highness to write to the Son of Heaven, and ask Your Majesty to order Guan Zhongsi to lend five chickens, ducks, and geese to the people, and repay the loan in winter and summer, with an interest of 11 ...... It can not only prevent locust plagues, but also increase the income of the people...... Kill two birds with one stone! ”

Even if no locust eggs were found, Zhang Yue would also start to implement poultry microloans in Xinfeng.

All kinds of poultry are bought by the government and loaned to the people, don't underestimate chickens, ducks and geese!

In fact, Zhang Yue's research in Xinfeng found that among the sideline income of yeoman farmers and tenant farmers, women's weaving and silkworm raising are the number one source.

In second place is the raising of poultry.

As long as you are industrious and thrifty enough, it is not a problem for a family to raise seven or eight chickens, five or six ducks and geese.

The eggs laid by chickens, ducks and geese can be used in exchange for cash in the market and as a protein supplement for the family.

In Linwei Township, there is a family of women who, after the death of their husbands, relied on raising silkworms, chickens and ducks to support and raise their four children, and they all married daughters-in-law/married out.

It's nothing short of a miracle!

When Zhang Yue found out, he immediately ordered that the woman be given ten pieces of cloth and a plaque, and that she was exempted from forced labor and taxes for three years, and that she was appointed as a local agricultural officer!

Now, under the guidance of this woman, the women of Linwei Township have planted mulberry trees in the wasteland and raised poultry at home.