Chapter 116: Extinguishing the Locust Plague

In the nineteenth year of Hongwu, Li Shucheng and Jiang Mingyue went south to reach Hebei, walked for a few days, and on this day they walked on the road and found that there were many locusts in the fields beside the road eating the crops.

"There are a lot of locusts in the field, and a locust plague is about to break out. Li Shucheng said.

Coming to a nearby village, the villagers are asking for someone to do it. I saw that on the wide barren slope outside the village, there was a suggested wooden platform on the high place, and a Taoist priest was doing it.

I saw that he was chanting words in his mouth, sometimes running around the altar, sometimes stopping, waving the peach wood sword in his hand, with that Taoist robe and a beard several inches long, he looked good. No wonder the villagers invited him to come, even if it was to fool people, he had practiced, and it was like dancing after a trick, which was really pleasing to the eye. The people surrounding below followed and kowtowed, and they were very pious. However, it made Li Shucheng very angry. If you play this trick, you can get rid of the locust plague? Then why did Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty eat locusts raw? Why did Yao Chong advocate exterminating locusts?

After doing this, Li Shucheng shook his head and said to the people next to him who had just kowtowed: "Can't you catch locusts by yourself? ”

"The locusts were sent from heaven, so how can they be caught? The villagers said, "We ask the Taoist priests to communicate with the gods in the sky, and as long as the gods in the sky sense our piety, they will take back the locusts." ”

"Hehehe...... Excuse me, in the history of a locust plague, when a god came to help? Anyway, I haven't seen it in the history books. Li Shucheng said with a smile, "I only know that during the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, there was a great drought in Guanzhong, and locusts were rampant, and Emperor Taizong ate locusts raw and called for the extermination of locusts." ”

"Locusts, like all other bugs, are just bugs. Li Shucheng said, "As the old saying goes: there will be locusts after a long drought." The abundance of locusts is related to the climate, not to some gods. You've seen toads lay eggs, and a toad can lay many eggs. Locusts, like toads, lay a lot of eggs. In normal years, there is a lot of rain and humidity, and a large number of locust eggs are rotted, so there will not be a large number of locusts. The arid climate is suitable for locust hatching, which is why locusts appear in large numbers. ”

"Do not catch locusts, or they will anger the gods in the sky. The Taoist priest who was packing up the ritual after finishing the ritual heard Li Shucheng's words and immediately said.

"Boy, you eat things together, but don't hurt anyone. How can you say that these villagers have also given you money, do you want them to starve to death without a little harvest this year? Then your sin will be great. Li Shucheng looked at the Taoist priest and said, "If you dare to talk nonsense, believe it or not, I will screw off the guy you are eating?"

The Taoist priest still wanted to return his mouth, but suddenly found that he couldn't open his mouth, and his whole body couldn't move, and then he woke up, isn't the guy who eats just the head?

Knowing that he had met a master, the Taoist priest immediately became honest.

Then Li Shucheng asked the villagers to exterminate the locusts, but the villagers didn't dare, and they couldn't live or die.

Jiang Mingyue had an idea and quietly encouraged the child to catch locusts.

"It's a good idea, I'll go to the city to get some copper coins, and let the children catch locusts in exchange for money, so that they can have energy. Li Shucheng said.

The silver and gold that were placed in the secret room back then had already been transferred to the space by him, and now that he wants to collect locusts, he naturally has to exchange them for copper coins to find them.

After speaking, Li Shucheng said to the Taoist priest: "Fake Taoist priest, come here." ”

"I ...... I am a real Taoist priest, and I have a degree. The Taoist priest said cautiously.

"Even if you have a degree, you see that you are cheating money in this way, and you are also a fake Taoist. Li Shucheng said, "Now is the time for you to make meritorious service and atone for your sins, and you go to the locust plague villages to publicize the extermination of locusts." ”

"Shall I go?" said the Taoist priest, "but the people...... What did you give me to eat?"

"It's nothing, it's just a heart-breaking pill, and it's a little sweet. Li Shucheng said, "There are some heartworm eggs in it, which will hatch after eating and grow into worms, and the worms will slowly swim around in the body, eating intestines and eating heart and liver, so it is called Broken Intestine Heart Pill." As long as you do it well, I will detoxify you. Of course, you can also go to someone else to detoxify and see if they don't have the ability. As far as I know, up to now, no one in the rivers and lakes has been able to cure the poison of my Heart-Breaking Pill. ”

"You...... You...... Belch...... Uh......" The Taoist priest hurriedly picked his tongue.

"Don't pick it, it's already melted, and you can't vomit it. Li Shucheng said with a smile, "Let's go and do things with peace of mind." ”

"I ...... I'm going to do it well. The Taoist priest retched for a while, didn't spit out anything, couldn't resist at all, and said dejectedly.

"If you do a good job, you really destroy the locusts and save the people, not only can you detoxify, maybe these people will also set up a shrine for you. Li Shucheng said with a smile, "Then you are a world-famous Taoist priest, and you are respected wherever you go." ”

Money can make ghosts grind, this is true. Even children know the use of money, and one by one they go to the fields to catch locusts for money, and even the adults can't stand the temptation, so they gradually follow the children to the fields to catch locusts.

A man in his twenties came to sell a bucket of locusts, and when he saw a few stoves under the straw hut. The water was boiling in the cauldron, and a man was pouring locusts into it, and the locusts fell into the boiling water, and after a few flutters, they did not move, and after stirring a few times, after all the locusts were dead, they took them out and dried them on the ground.

"What's the use of this locust?" the man asked.

Li Shucheng said: "There are many uses. For example, feeding chickens and pigs can grow much faster than feeding grass. In addition, it is cleaned up and can be eaten by people. ”

"Can anyone eat this?" exclaimed the man, surprised. Looking at such a disgusting thing, who would dare to eat it?

"Of course!" Li Shucheng said, "not only is it delicious, but it can also cure the blindfold of birds." ”

"Can eating this cure the blindfold?" the man asked.

"The average finch is blindfolded, just eat it for a while. Li Shucheng said, "If it is serious, it will not be done, it can only be alleviated." ”

"Then I'll go back and try. The man said. Even the locusts are no longer sold, and they plan to take them back and eat them themselves. He is blindfolded, and he can't see clearly at night, and now that he has a cure, he has to try even if he is nauseous.

Li Shucheng looked at the man who was far away and said, "I haven't finished speaking, so I'll leave." Treating finches blindfolded and eating pork liver and carrots can be. "In this era, because meat is hard to come by, many people are blindfolded, but they can't figure out the cause and can't treat it. For ordinary people, it is only a little inconvenient, but for the army, it is serious, especially when fighting at night, and they can't even see clearly, how can the battle be fought? This is the main reason why the ancient army rarely fought at night and was easy to bomb the camp when attacked.

The locust plague is about to form, and of course the government has noticed it, but what can they do? In addition to reporting, they are asking Taoist priests and monks to do the same thing, just like the common people. The sudden appearance of a person who collects locusts naturally attracted their attention and sent someone to investigate. What they are afraid of is that some people will use the locust plague to buy people's hearts and conspire against them. The White Lotus Sect often bribes people's hearts to rebel, and for the sake of official hats, they have to pay attention to it.

The person who appeared in front of Li Shucheng was sent by the government, although Li Shucheng saw it, he still pretended not to know, and said: "It's not profitable, it's not early." Don't look at the fact that I spend a lot of money collecting locusts, but these locusts I use to feed pigs and chickens are very cost-effective, at least I can earn two or three times, and such a good opportunity is not easy to encounter. However, the people have also learned well, and know that I collect locusts to feed pigs and chickens, so they rarely sell them, and I have received fewer and fewer locusts these days. ”

Several spies sent by the government inquired and went back to report, and they all said that the people caught locusts, this one said that the people who sold a lot of locusts got a few dollars, the other said that locusts can feed pigs and chickens, and some people said that they saw the people eating locusts, and said that they were very delicious, anyway, in the village where the locusts were found, the locusts in the field were almost finished.

In fact, it is also early, only a few locusts grow into adults, if they can fly, then it will be much more troublesome to catch locusts. The locusts that have not yet grown up can only jump, how can they escape the catch?

"Can the locusts feed the pigs, and can they still eat?" the magistrate asked.

"Yu Xianzun, the small one has eaten, and it can indeed be eaten. One of them said quickly.

Seeing that several other people were looking at him, he said, "The little one heard that eating locusts can cure the blindfolded birds, so he ate them." ”

"Can that be cured?" didn't need to know the county to speak, someone asked.

"I've only been eating it for two days, how can I see the effect so quickly. The catcher said, "I heard that it will have an effect after eating it for ten days, and someone in Zhangjiazhuang has eaten it for ten days and has been cured." The man used to be unable to see clearly at night, but now he can catch locusts with a torch. ”

"Try it if you are blindfolded, and if it really works, it will cure you. The magistrate said. The most important thing is that if it is really possible, it is a great credit for him to report it.

If he hadn't maintained the majesty of his superiors in front of his subordinates, he would have laughed out loud. Heaven was too good for him! Originally, a large number of locusts appeared under his rule, and when he saw that a locust plague was about to occur, he could not cope with it at all, and even if he was not dismissed, he would be reprimanded at the very least, and his lifelong career would be over. Who knew that suddenly someone would collect locusts, and the people would start to catch locusts, and the locust plague would be extinguished before it could take shape. If the method of extinguishing the locust plague is reported, a great achievement will not be able to run, and if there is a method to treat the blindfolded birds, not only will it not be dismissed, but it will soon be promoted!

"False Taoist priest...... Well, I can't call you a fake Taoist priest now, you did a good job this time, and you are an excellent Taoist priest. Li Shucheng said with a smile, "During this time, you have made great efforts to mobilize the people to scramble to catch locusts." ”

The Taoist priest was full of spring breeze, and during this time, he really did his best, in order to encourage the people to exterminate the locusts, he even did not hesitate to deceive, and started to invite the gods to come up. However, his acting skills are good, which makes the people believe it.

"That...... Hero, can the poison on my body be cured?" the Taoist priest asked.

"Oh, you said that pill? Look, I was so busy that I almost forgot about it. Li Shucheng smiled, "It's not a poison, it's just an insect pill that drives out roundworms in your body." "Because there are many roundworms in diet, hygiene, etc., and there is no specific medicine, a large number of people have roundworm parasitism in their bodies at this time. Think about when the Taoist priest went to the toilet and found that the worms were pulled out, he must have been frightened at that time.