Standalone Northern and Southern Dynasties

Chapter 309 Locusts

Su Ze naturally didn't believe in the astrology, but Su Xiang (the boastful astronomy student) was really good at it. His weather forecasts were quite accurate. Su Ze immediately said:

"Speak properly! What disaster is it? How did you predict it?"

Su Xiang was scolded by Su Ze, and finally put away his pretense of mystery and said honestly:

"General, last summer and autumn were dry, but this winter is warm. This is a sign of a locust plague."

Su Ze was suddenly shocked. How could he forget this!
The ancients did not understand the reasons behind the locust plague and believed it was a punishment from the gods.

But Su Ze knew that locust plagues were often accompanied by droughts.

A dry environment is more conducive to the reproduction of locusts. In dry years, river water levels drop, the soil becomes firm, and the ground vegetation becomes sparse, making it easier for locusts to lay eggs.

The warm winter and the lack of heavy snow that kills the locust eggs in the soil create perfect conditions for locust reproduction.

A large number of locusts gather together and eat up all the food in one place. Then they mutate to develop the ability to fly long distances and begin to migrate continuously to eat up all the food along the way!

Su Xiang was afraid that Su Ze would not believe him, so he quickly said:

"My lord, I have concluded from the local chronicles that nine out of ten droughts will be accompanied by locust plagues, and warm winters are even worse!"

Su Ze waved his hand and said:

"No need to say, I believe it."

"Go and ask Su Changshi and all the chief officers of the general's shogunate to come here."

After everyone gathered, Su Ze simply repeated what Su Xiang had said.

"Su Xiang observed the celestial phenomena and warned that there would be a locust plague this year."

The situation was urgent, so Su Ze could only use the theory that the astronomical phenomenon was a warning to others to gain consensus.

Everyone looked at Su Xiang. Since Su Xiang had successfully predicted the weather several times, and this guy was really talented in astronomy, everyone believed in his abilities.

There is no way around it. The Han Confucian theory of the correspondence between heaven and man has influenced Confucian scholars in the Northern Dynasties to this day. Coupled with the trend of discussing metaphysics since the Jin Dynasty and the prosperity of Buddhism and Taoism during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the entire society has been filled with a superstitious atmosphere.

The idea of ​​astronomical warning was more effective than any analysis or inference, and it immediately made everyone in the Shogun's office take the matter seriously.

Locust plague was the most despairing disaster in ancient times.

It can even be said that it was the long-term drought and locust plagues from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Western Jin Dynasty that led to the destruction of the northern grassland ecology, and the nomadic peoples finally chose to move south, resulting in the situation of the Five Barbarians Invading China.

The locust plague during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties was also a hidden factor in the turbulent political situation.

Xu Guangqi of the Ming Dynasty once evaluated the three major "disasters" and listed locust plague as the first of the three disasters. It was the disaster that the ancient empire feared the most.

"There are three causes of famine: floods, droughts, and locusts. The land is high and low, and rain falls on different levels. When there are floods and droughts, there are still many places that are lucky enough to escape. But when there is extreme drought and locusts, all the grass and trees in a thousand miles will be destroyed, or even the hair and flags of cattle and horses will be destroyed. The damage is even more tragic than floods and droughts."

What is even more frightening is that after the locusts pass through, they will lay eggs in the soil, which will cause the same locust plague the following year. Therefore, locust plagues in history have often been continuous and occurred for several years in a row.

Su Chuo thought for a moment and said:
"I learned from the records of various prefectures that between the sixth and eighth years of Taihe, a great locust plague struck the seven prefectures of Guandong. Xiazhou was only affected, but swarms of locusts flew up and filled the sky and fields, making a sound like wind and rain. Countless livestock were killed or injured throughout Xiazhou for three years, and tens of thousands of households were displaced."

Hearing this, everyone's faces became even uglier.

The Northwest had just accepted 100,000 remnants of the Six Garrisons, and had already used up all of the Shogun's grain reserves from this year's autumn harvest. If a locust plague really broke out, the Shogun's government would simply not be able to provide money or grain for disaster relief.

Su Liang stood up and said:
"General, don't worry. The locust plague in our country mainly affected the Guandong region, especially Xiang, Yan, Ji, Ping, Yu, Ji, Ding, and Ying. The disaster was relatively serious. Guanzhong was slightly less affected because of the mountains."

Su Ze nodded slightly. Locusts have to fly and migrate. Guanzhong is blocked by mountains, so the Central Plains region with its flat land has the disaster prevention advantage in resisting locust plagues.

However, if a locust plague really breaks out this year, the remnants of the six prefectures who have just been resettled by the imperial court in three states will have to rebel even if they don't want to.

Su Ze couldn't help but sigh. The national destiny is something illusory, but it is true that when a country is founded, "good luck comes and everyone is on the same side", but at the end of the dynasty, "when luck is gone, even heroes are not free."

The Northern Wei court relied on paperhangers like Li Chongyuanshen, but could not hold on in the face of successive natural and man-made disasters.

However, no one knows how large the scope of this locust plague is. Su Ze still said:

"Issued an order from the General's Office to promulgate the Locust Catching Law, calling on the people to catch and kill locusts!"

"only!"

The administrative machinery of the Shogun's office quickly began to operate, and Su Ze sent cavalry north to inquire about the locust plague on the grassland.

At the same time, Su Ze personally compiled the "Locust Catching Method" and printed a propaganda booklet on woodblock printing, teaching local officials and guiding the people on how to kill locusts, and asked Su Chao to send officials to inspect and evaluate officials who were incompetent in locust control.
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After entering Guanzhong, Li Daoyuan did not go directly to Xiao Baoyin's camp, but visited between prefectures and counties.

In fact, after visiting many places, Li Daoyuan had a certain understanding of the conflict between Xiao Baoyin and the Guanxi gentry.

Xiao Baoyin employed scholars from Guandong and suppressed the Guanxi gentry. Several major defeats from Cui Yanbo to Liu Kai reduced his credibility in the hearts of the Guanxi gentry to the freezing point, so the Guanxi gentry impeached Xiao Baoyin for disloyalty.

In Li Daoyuan's opinion, Xiao Baoyin may not really have the courage to rebel. However, although Xiao Baoyin did not have the courage to rebel, he was guilty of exaggerating the results of the war by reporting a happy event after a funeral.

Li Daoyuan recorded all of this and attached his experiences in Guanzhong to the memorial, preparing to send his trusted confidant to Luoyang.

But as soon as they left the inn where they were staying today, Li Daoyuan's guards noticed something was wrong.

The leader of the guards said, "Mr. Li, we are being watched."

Li Daoyuan was also a man who traveled the world with a sword in his youth. He asked calmly:

"Are they bandits?"

The guard leader said:

"The horses' hooves are heavy and neat. Lord Li, I'm afraid they are bandits. Should we turn back to the post station?"

Li Daoyuan instantly understood what the guards meant. If they were bandits, it would be good enough to have a few horses. It would be impossible for the horses' hooves to sound in unison. Bandits also could not be wearing armor, so the sound of their horses' hooves would be lighter.

Such a team suddenly appeared in the wilderness nearby and followed me. I was afraid they had bad intentions.

Li Daoyuan looked at the trend of the mountains and rivers, pointed in a direction and said:
"The mountains here are gentle, so there must be a mountain path. The enemy has horses, and we can't get rid of them on the main road. We can only get rid of them by taking the mountain path."

The guards followed Li Daoyuan's instructions and turned from the main road into the mountain road.

Sure enough, the pursuers behind them saw Li Daoyuan and his group turning into the mountain road, and immediately rode their horses to catch up with them.

This group of pursuers were sent by Xiao Baoyin, and the leader of them was Xiao Qi, the envoy sent by Xiao Baoyin to Luoyang, whom Li Daoyuan met at the post station at that time.

When Xiao Baoyin heard Xiao Qi rushing back to report that the imperial court-arranged ambassador Li Daoyuan and Qiao Zhuang had entered the pass, he felt extremely uneasy.

As Xiao Baoyin led troops abroad for a long time, the distrust between him and the Northern Wei court intensified.

Ever since the death of Song King Liu Hui, Xiao Baoyin began to be suspicious. Now that he, the son-in-law of the emperor, is in charge of the Guanxi army, it is bound to arouse the jealousy of many powerful officials in the court.

In the past, Xiao Baoyin could rely on bribing Yuan Yi to ensure his safety. Now that Yuan Yi has fallen, Empress Dowager Hu has completed the purge of Yuan Yi's followers in the court. Next, it is the turn of generals like Xiao Baoyin who lead troops outside.

But Xiao Baoyin was also very clear that he had no capital to rebel now.

The Guanxi nobles hated him, and when Li Daoyuan entered Guanzhong through Qiaozhuang, he must have collected a lot of words that were unfavorable to him.

The envoy Xiao Qi who met Li Daoyuan at the post station immediately said:
"My lord, if Li Daoyuan reports the situation in Guanzhong to the court, the court will listen to the words of those flatterers and dismiss you, so we should strike first."

Xiao Qi continued:

"Li Daoyuan is traveling incognito. Guanzhong is in turmoil now. If he encounters bandits, it is not the lord's responsibility."

Xiao Baoyin shuddered and instantly understood what Xiao Qi meant.

After much thought, he decided to send Xiao Qi, with his personal soldiers whom he had hired at great expense, to attack and kill Li Daoyuan.

This is how this scene on the mountain road came about.

Li Daoyuan led the imperial guards and indeed found a mountain road. This mountain road should have been a shortcut for merchants to cross the mountain. However, Guanzhong is now desolate, the caravans have been cut off, and the mountain road is covered with thorns.

The escorting imperial guards could only dismount and cut through the thorns with their swords before they could move forward, which naturally greatly slowed down their advance.

Xiao Qi, leading Xiao Baoyin's personal guards, finally caught up with Li Daoyuan.

When he saw Li Daoyuan's troops, his eyes lit up. However, when he saw the imperial guards holding weapons on both sides, Xiao Qi still rode forward and said:
"Lord Li, I am the household officer of Duke Danyang, and I am here to escort you to the Western Expedition Camp on the orders of Duke Danyang."

Li Daoyuan had been in the officialdom for many years. He knew there was no point in talking to such a villain, so he simply raised his sword and pointed it at Xiao Qi.

Xiao Qi smiled grimly, waved his hand and ordered his men to step forward, saying:

"Leave no one alive!"

The imperial guards guarding Li Daoyuan all showed expressions of despair. The enemies outnumbered them and had more advanced weapons, and their way forward was cut off. They were afraid that they would die here.

At this moment, several crossbow arrows suddenly shot out from the dense forest behind. These crossbow arrows seemed to have eyes and hit Xiao Baoyin's personal guards.

Those who were hit by arrows in vital parts fell down immediately, and those who were not hit in vital parts also staggered and soon fell off their horses.

"The crossbow arrows are poisonous!"

Xiao Qi shouted hurriedly. He now only regretted not having his personal guards wear armor in order to catch up with Li Daoyuan!
But it was no use regretting. The sound of a machine gun loading a bolt came from the dense forest. Another round of crossbow arrows was fired, and more riders fell to the ground. Xiao Qi dodged an arrow by hiding in the horse's belly, but his mount had been hit by an arrow and its four hooves were unstable. It soon fell to its knees.

Xiao Qi was thrown to the ground by his mount, and the third round of arrow rain had arrived!

(End of this chapter)