The first wind and rain drifted away

"Folks, I am Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty!"

Walking to the middle of the dry field, Emperor Chongzhen shouted.

Some of the people were still hesitant, waiting to hear the nearby Jinyi guard who was hunting locusts shouting, "Don't you kneel yet?" ”

After that, they did not hesitate any longer and fell to their knees.

Many people buried their faces in the loess and wept with joy!

There is salvation!

At this time, the emperor came here, and fools know why?

Except for the private visit of Weifu to disaster relief and rescue, there is nothing else!

"Folks, heaven is not benevolent, and locust plagues are in Bazhou.

Everyone worked hard for a year, but there was no harvest and hunger. When I heard this, I couldn't sleep all night, why did my people suffer like this?

But don't be alarmed, the imperial court has allocated food to save Bazhou, and canceled all taxes this year, so that not a single one of my people will starve to death. ”

"The emperor is merciful!"

"The Emperor's grace is immense!"

"Grass people, thank God!"

……

As soon as Emperor Chongzhen's words fell, the people around him bowed their heads and bowed non-stop, tears washed their muddy faces, and they sobbed softly.

harvested a wave of popular hearts, but Emperor Chongzhen was not happy.

In the fields, the people were all ragged, barefoot, and had no flesh left over their faces.

Personally helped an old man next to him, and Emperor Chongzhen commanded the people who didn't dare to raise their heads, "You all get up and answer!" ”

In the trembling, people got up one after another, bowed their heads and stood in place.

"Folks, in order to prevent the locust plague from recurring in the coming year, I ask you to work with the government to exterminate the locusts.

Considering that this will delay your farming time, I have decided to allocate two taels of silver from the treasury to purchase the locusts that you have exterminated, one ......."

Looking up at the locusts that covered the sky, Emperor Chongzhen swallowed the words that came to his mouth.

I almost made a big deal!

Originally, he wanted to say that a locust is a penny, but looking at this density, there are at least tens of millions!

Moreover, there is more than one locust plague, how huge is that?

As soon as this golden mouth comes out, it can't be recovered.

Silently calculating the numbers, Emperor Chongzhen looked around and said:

"I have decided that five locusts can be exchanged for one penny, regardless of the number of men, women, and children, and they can go to the county government office on the same day to settle the settlement."

"Five locusts for a penny? 500 ......"

The old man beside Emperor Chongzhen looked at the seemingly endless locusts between heaven and earth, muttering and calculating in his mouth, leaving tears of excitement in his eyes.

Even if he is old and old, he can use a basket to cover the ground, and it is estimated that he will have a hundred dollars in his hand.

So how many baskets can he cover in a day?

The locust plague has turned into a windfall!

The Son of Heaven said that there is no need to doubt the authenticity.

Your Majesty, this is mercy to all sentient beings, and to give grace to the people of Bazhou!

"The emperor is merciful!"

"The emperor is merciful!"

……

As the old man bowed his head again, the surrounding people also knelt down to thank him.

At this moment, do they still have locust gods in their hearts?

What doesn't exist, no one cares.

Besides, what if there is a locust god?

Desperately farming for a year, how much is left in addition to the taxes and rents paid?

Don't plant here!

The proceeds from the killing of locusts are enough to last for a few years!

Some people with a large population are already summing up, and the whole family is going into battle together, so how can they earn dozens or hundreds of taels of silver, which will be used slowly in the future.

Some people with a small population use their brains to use what tools can be used to efficiently hunt and kill locusts, what a rare opportunity!

Seeing that the people's hearts were rising, and no one mentioned anything about the locust gods, Emperor Chongzhen was a little relieved in his heart.

Money can't solve all problems, but it can solve most problems.

If the administrative order is used, Emperor Chongzhen can imagine that the people will resist on the one hand, and on the other hand, they will passively sabotage, and in the end, the effect of exterminating locusts will be limited.

Stimulating them with money now is undoubtedly a win-win-win situation.

The benefit of the people is one of them; The eradication of locusts is the second; The re-filling of my inner library is the third.

Emperor Chongzhen is not going to allocate all the silver for killing locusts from the inner treasury, and he wants to hand it over to Lao Wang's factory guards to raise it.

As for who they will use to attack, Emperor Chongzhen will just listen to the report when he arrives.

"Folks, let's go to Bazhou County together."

At this time, Jinyiwei borrowed the people's baskets and killed three loads of locusts, and Emperor Chongzhen saw that the sun was still high, and waved his hand to everyone.

Under the leadership of the people, the group rushed towards Bazhou County.

It's just in the suburbs of Bazhou, just passing by the old man's home.

In fact, it may not be suitable to say that the home is a small shack built temporarily.

It was dirty inside, and the old and the young were huddled together waiting to die.

The old man's son had a bony leg full of carrion, and it was predictable that even if he was cured, the leg would be useless.

There is not a single house, there is not a single ridge of land, it is they who are speaking.

"Take their family back to the capital, ask the imperial doctor for treatment, and arrange a good livelihood for them."

Witnessing such a tragic scene, Emperor Chongzhen, who originally wanted to make the Bazhou County Government arrange, change his mind and ordered the old king.

A blessing in disguise!

The old man trembled and pulled the two ignorant grandsons, and kept kowtowing to the back of Emperor Chongzhen, who had gone away, to thank him.

His son Li Erniu, a man who looked very strong, also prostrated on the bed and kowtowed, "The emperor's grace is mighty, the emperor's grace is mighty......"

Then he raised his head and burst into tears, laughing and roaring while crying, "Zhao Zhiheng, Master Zhao, you also have today." It's true that there is reincarnation in the way of heaven, who does the heavens forgive? ”

Emperor Chongzhen, who had already arrived at Bazhou County, naturally didn't know the reaction of the old man's family, and he was preparing for the locust extermination conference.

In the square of the Bazhou County Ya, on the temporary high platform, several temporarily recruited cooks were preparing to cook locusts.

Below, there are more than 2,000 people in Bazhou, who are temporarily organized, kneeling on the ground, listening to the will of Emperor Chongzhen.

And the accompanying brocade guards and officials maintained order among them, and by the way, they served as microphones.

"My people, if anyone fears that this locust plague will be punished by heaven, and rashly exterminate the locusts, he will suffer the revenge of the locust god.

I hereby make it clear that this locust plague is by no means a punishment from heaven.

The people of Bazhou are kind and simple, and they have not done anything that hurts heaven and reason, so it is impossible for God to punish Bazhou.

Even though this locust plague was the work of the locust gods, I would like to pray to the Nine Heavenly Gods and Buddhas here, and the killing of locusts is my strong advocacy, just to save my people from their hardship.

If there is dissatisfaction from heaven, punish me, and I will bear it on my shoulders, and do not hurt my people! ”

After Emperor Chongzhen finished speaking, he said that he was superstitious, and his feelings of concern for the people were overflowing.

Under the transmission of Jinyiwei, the people of Bazhou, under the organized leadership, cheered in unison, "The emperor's grace is mighty, God bless the Ming!" ”

At this time, the locusts were also scorched, and Wu Chengfeng, the new governor of the county, put it in a small dish and respectfully handed it to Emperor Chongzhen.

while others were carried by a dozen large dustpans, carried by the officials to the people.

"The people of Bazhou, raise your head and see that I am tasting this delicious food with everyone today, and he will definitely sing it to the world one day."

After speaking, the locusts that picked up the small dish squeaked and chewed so much that their mouths were full of fragrant.

Incense, is really incense, with a faint scent of grass.

Locusts are actually grasshoppers, rich in protein, amino acids, etc., Emperor Chongzhen has eaten many times in later generations, and is not unfamiliar.

In later generations, he could call out more than a dozen ways to eat, what is Lushang drunken grasshopper, dry-fried grasshopper, fried flying shrimp, golden sand flying geese, and fried locusts......

Emperor Chongzhen didn't believe it, the advantage of the Ming population, the attributes of foodies, doomed the Great Heavenly Empire to have no animals flooded, even locusts?

Especially in times of food scarcity, this is a rare delicacy.

In an era when even soil can be eaten, how can anyone refuse such a delicacy?

Under the high stage, led by Jinyiwei, he caught the locusts in the big dustpan, stuffed them into his mouth and chewed them, and gradually ate the taste.

"Good, it's delicious!"

After speaking, he grabbed a handful of dustpans and ate them with relish.

The power of example is endless, and the people of Bazhou, who were originally a little hesitant, waited for the official to come over with a dustpan, and also threw away the hesitation in their hearts and tried to eat.

There is no reluctance to dare to eat, and those who dare to eat say that it is delicious, but when someone is eager to try, it is gone.

After all, there are more monks and less meat, and there are no more.

Emperor Chongzhen on the high platform saw it clearly, smiling complacently, he knew that the locust plague that plagued the Ming Dynasty might disappear forever!

It is even possible that, as in later generations, locusts had to be artificially bred to meet the needs of foodies.