I used the Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) to fight the Japanese.

After the Battle of Seoul, the Japanese sent over a thousand men to wipe out the Mo Dao Regiment. Just as Tatsuo Shida arrived in Maojian County, Li Dadi and his group received a note at the restaurant! The information on the note was exactly the same as the note in front of them, and the handwriting was equally vigorous and powerful, clearly from the same hand!

Fang Danian smiled and nodded: "After the Yudu Morning Post was gone, I returned to the countryside of Maojian County, intending to farm and grow flowers to live out my remaining years. But when the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact? Maojian County was also ravaged by the Japanese and was so devastated that there was no land to cultivate. Even my ancestral home was occupied by traitors, leaving no place for me to live!"

"So I took my family and found an empty courtyard in the county town to settle down temporarily. The tree may wish to be still, but the wind will not cease. The things the Japanese did in Maojian County were outrageous, and the people of the county town were living in a state of utter chaos and could not extricate themselves!"

"So I returned to my old ways, collecting information on the crimes of the Japanese invaders, compiling it into news articles, and sending them to colleagues in areas not occupied by the Japanese to publish, in exchange for a small fee to support my family. The news articles were published in the 'Louis Daily' and the 'Shangyang Evening News'."

"I only learned about the heroic deeds of the Mo Dao Regiment through the book 'Base Area.' When thousands of Japanese soldiers arrived in Maojian County, I rushed over to deliver the message. I originally wanted to ask about your location, but I didn't expect to find a decent restaurant still open, with two men and four women leisurely eating and chatting inside."

"This doesn't seem like much now, but it was quite strange in the declining county town at the time! I suspected that it was your advance station! So I went in and ordered some food to test the staff. Sure enough, they were very alert, and even the women had calluses on the tiger's mouth of their hands! I was pretty sure of my guess, so I left a note and left!"

Man Cang was sweating profusely. As expected of someone who works in journalism, this level of sensitivity is something that ordinary soldiers don't possess! It's fortunate that it was Fang Danian; if the Japanese had discovered that place, who knows what kind of trouble they might have caused!

"You're really amazing! You must make time to teach our staff and pass on your keen insight to everyone!" Mancang sincerely invited.

No wonder so many intelligence agents are former journalists; they're professionals at gathering information!

"Don't rush into class! I have something more important to discuss with the regimental commander," Fang Danian said solemnly.

"Oh? Please tell me, sir!" Mancang was full of doubt. What could be more important than gathering intelligence?

"In the months since the beginning of the year, not a drop of rain has fallen in the entire Central Plains. As the old saying goes, a long drought will surely bring locusts. We must prepare early!" Fang Danian said with great concern.

"Oh? Yes, yes!" How could Mancang forget that disaster!

In my previous life, a historically unprecedented drought struck the Central Plains in that year. Afterward, locusts swept across the land, resulting in a complete crop failure. Coupled with ongoing war and the Nationalist army's massive requisition of grain, more than three million people starved to death! People fled their homes and fled westward along the railway lines. The corpses of those who had starved or frozen to death piled up like mountains by the roadside, and many villages were almost completely deserted...

The nickname "Henan Shoulder" originated from this, referring to people carrying bedding rolls on one end and children on the other as they fled famine. In modern society, many surrounding provinces have villages settled by people from Henan, known as "Little Henan," which were established by people who fled there during that era.

It was a natural disaster, but even more so, a man-made one! Now that I've traveled through time, I can't let history repeat itself!

"Does the old gentleman have any brilliant ideas?" It's easier said than done. Even in modern society, people don't have any particularly effective methods to deal with locust plagues. Spraying pesticides and raising more poultry such as chickens, ducks, and geese are just a drop in the ocean and hardly form an effective defense.

"Wood ash! There have been many locust plagues in history. I don't remember which ancient book I read about, but after a disaster, people found that crops were still alive in places where wood ash had been scattered. Although they were still affected, it was much better than other places where nothing grew! After a rain, the crops recovered and grew vigorously again!"

"The drought has already taken hold, but the locusts haven't yet emerged. This is the perfect time to take preventative measures. If we wait any longer, it might be too late!" Fang Danian said earnestly.

"Wood ash!?...Yes, yes!" Locusts lay their eggs in the soil, and the drier the weather, the higher the survival rate. Wood ash is alkaline and has a certain killing effect on insect eggs. Spreading a thick layer of wood ash in the fields can significantly inhibit locust reproduction!

“Good! What you say is absolutely right, sir! I will go and make arrangements right away. Not only should we defend the farmland, but we should also defend the barren beaches and mountains nearby! Whether we can get through this depends entirely on these wood ashes!” Mancang decided immediately.

"Good! Good! If we can prevent the locust plague, there is still hope for the people. But if disasters spread, who knows how many people will starve or freeze to death... The people are suffering!"

So that afternoon, under the call and organization of the Chamber of Commerce and the militia, every household in the county began to spread wood ash. The stoves of every household were cleaned up, and the wastelands and hills around the farmland were set on fire. In order to save the crops, no one cared about anything else. They just waited for a rain so that the crops might grow even better!

Furthermore, the "Base Area" newspaper also published a method for preventing locust plagues using wood ash, hoping to have some impact. After all, in recent years, "Base Area" had reached many surrounding counties, and many people had likely seen it. Whether they would actually follow the advice was another matter entirely!

Sure enough, the locust plague arrived as predicted half a month later! Swarms of locusts swarmed everywhere, turning green meadows into barren wastelands, and stripping trees bare of leaves, leaving only twigs to flutter in the wind. The crops were even more devastating; wheat, millet, sweet potatoes, and sorghum were all ravaged, leaving the land barren and desolate! People could trample countless locusts on the roads, and their shoes were covered in a thick layer of dead locusts when they returned home! The villagers sat on the ground, weeping bitterly, their hearts breaking with grief!

The situation in Guya County was much better; with the protection of wood ash, the farmland remained lush and green. However, preventative measures could not be relaxed. Organized by the militia, people stood guard day and night, using torches to scare away wild animals, releasing poultry to peck at the food, and employing every conceivable method to prevent fires from spreading. As long as the crops could be saved, everything was worthwhile!

The locust swarms lasted for more than three months before gradually decreasing. However, while the locusts were gone, the disaster had only just begun! People who had no harvest lost all hope and began digging for wild vegetables. However, the locusts left nothing but barren land, and the wild vegetables that could be found were far from enough to meet people's needs. Under the guidance of some elders, they then set their sights on tree bark!