As time comes to late October, the temperature in Guanzhong becomes colder and colder. .

Even though the sun has risen now, the frost on the dead grass on the roadside still exists.

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

Sumai, which was replanted in summer, is growing well now.

The lush and green wheat seedlings are not affected by the severe cold temperature at all, and stand 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 beginning of winter..." Zhao Guo said excitedly: "This is really a good strategy! Since the beginning of winter, the phenomenon of dead seedlings in the wheat fields in the county has almost disappeared!"

This is indeed a miracle!

This summer, the drought and the continuous scorching heat have evaporated a lot of water in the land.

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

After using Zhang Yue's strategy, these wheat seedlings magically survived successfully.

Zhang Yue listened and asked: "Zhao Lingli, don't be proud. It's not yet the harsh winter, so it is still unknown whether these wheat seedlings can survive this year's winter snow!"

The climate today is different from that in later generations.

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

In the past century, the global average temperature has dropped at least twice!

The most direct evidence is that a hundred years ago, the Zhuanxu calendar was still universal and useful.

But now, the old Zhuanxu calendar is no longer usable, so the country has to compile the Taichu calendar.

And Taichu calendar has only been used for only a hundred years, and it is too useable!

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

Now in Guanzhong, the highest temperature is probably only twice.

At night, the minimum temperature may fall below minus ten degrees Celsius.

It's really a sniff of air!

This is a serious challenge for Xinfeng’s replanting Sumai!

So, Zhang Yue and Liu Jin went back to Xinfeng yesterday, and today I couldn't wait to come out to inspect the wheat fields.

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

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

However, you still cannot be careless, and you must not be careless!

Zhang Yue squatted down, broke off a piece of soil from the wheat field, crushed it slightly, felt the moisture content and humidity in the soil, and instructed him: "Please order the officials to inform the county's officials and people to pay attention to the soil hardening of the wheat field at all times, and organize the people to grind wheat at any time, so as not to make the land too rough!"

"promise!"

Zhang Yue opened his hand and carefully observed the soil in his hand. Then he gently pinched a small yellow insect egg, and his eyes suddenly showed a look of fear, and he could not speak for a long time.

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

"This is 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 down.

"Locust eggs?!" Liu Jin was also shocked when he heard this.

The Wusun Xiao Kunmo, who was following the two, was even more shocked.

locust!

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

Ni Mi has seen the tragic locust plague on the grassland.

The overwhelming locusts ate everything within a few days, within hundreds of miles of radius.

Whether it was the shaman or the cavalry of Wusun, they had no choice but to pray to the god of wolf and the god of crow in amid wailing and despair.

but……

Aren’t locusts the devil’s minions?

What's going on with this locust egg?

Just as he was puzzled, he heard His Highness Changsun of the Han Dynasty ask, "My dear, are you sure?"

"I'm sure!" Zhang Yue said softly, pinching the insect egg. The information he traced back was filled with pictures of various locust eggs.

He has compared it with the backtracking data repeatedly.

He knew that the inconspicuous insect egg in his hand was the locust egg that had changed color to the whole of China!

"My dear... I heard that locusts are transformed by fish and shrimps, so how can they lay eggs in the soil?" Liu Jin asked in confusion.

Ni Mi listened and said in unskilled Chinese: "In Wusun, the shamans said that locusts were transformed from lice on the wolf god's body, and it was the punishment of the wolf god to disrespect those!"

"Since they are lice on the wolf god's body, how can they lay eggs in the soil?"

I have to say that this little Kunmo is very talented in language. He can communicate easily in just ten days, understand most of the ordinary Chinese, and even learn Chinese characters!

Zhang Yue listened, laughed, and explained to the two: "The old man saw locusts flying into the lake and sea, thinking that they were transformed from fish and shrimps, and I also thought that they were..."

"But..." Zhang Yue raised his head and said, "I was so playful when I was young. In Taishizhong, locusts entered Nanling in Guanzhong, and countless fertile fields suddenly turned into nothingness. I hated them very much and once killed locusts in my neighborhood!"

Liu Jin nodded and said, "I have heard of this. In the second year of Taishi, there were locusts in Guanzhong. Li Shaoqing once wrote a letter to the emperor's grandfather, asking the six lieutenants to hunt and kill locusts..."

For the Han people who were influenced by the ram idea, locusts, which eat their crops, except for the foolish women and men in a few places, most of the scholars and nobles in the places only have one attitude to kill them!

Catch and kill without hesitation!

After all, even Xing Tian praised the idea of ​​great revenge, and Du Bo was even considered a ghost and god and was widely worshipped!

Xing Tianwu Ganqi, and Emperor Tian also wants to take down the horse.

Du Bo died unjustly and turned into a demon, and even the Emperor Zhou was taken away!

For devastating pests like locusts, don’t expect anyone to surrender in front of them!

This is also why although historical records show that locust plagues must occur every eight years in the Western Han Dynasty, there are very few records of devastating losses caused by locust plagues.

When officials and scholars and officials encountered locust plagues, they did not surrender, but actively resisted and hunted, and made every effort to minimize the impact and losses of locust plagues.

pity……

Human power appears extremely fragile in the face of this power of nature.

In this era without chemical insecticides, people killed more locusts than they reproduced.

It was Ni Mi, listening to the conversation between Zhang Yue and Liu Jin, he was so scared that he stood upside down!

How dare the Han Dynasty kill locusts?

The messenger who dares to kill the wolf god?

Don’t you want to die? Are you not afraid of the wrath of the gods?

I just listened to Zhang Yue and said, "I found a group of locusts gnawing on the grass by the river beach and caught them with a net bag..."

"I hate it deeply and want to burn it with fire..."

"So I took it home with my net bag..."

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

"Your Highness, you know, I have always been curious... so I kept it in a clay pot... and then I forgot about this. But in the summer of the following year, while playing in the yard, I found an insect crawling out of the clay pot, eating the grass in the yard, and then turning into locusts and flying away..."

"Since then, I have been paying attention to this. Over the years, I have been constantly finding similar insect eggs from the soil... The results have proved that these insect eggs are locust eggs!"

"If Your Highness doesn't believe it, you can raise these insect eggs in the clay pot. The insects will be visible next spring and summer!"

Liu Jin naturally believed Zhang Yue very much and said, "Since it is your words, I have no doubts!"

He looked at the locust eggs and looked fierce, cursing: "Get rid of the moth and the thief, it will be harmless to me, Tian Zhi, Tian Zu has a god, and I will give it to the fire!"

"I wish I could not use a fire to burn all the locusts in the world!"

"Your Highness trusts you, I cannot repay you!" Zhang Yue looked at Liu Jin and said in a state of emotion: "The same is true for me. If Emperor Yan has a spirit, he may be burned with heavenly fire!"

"But... I know a way to effectively kill locusts..."

"What method?" Liu Jin asked hurriedly.

" Raise more ducks, geese!" Zhang Yue whispered: "Ducks, geese, and birds and poultry are all natural enemies of locusts. They feed on locusts and can eat dozens of them a day!"

"In particular, I have observed locusts for several years, knowing the habits of locusts and enjoying activities. When they are rich in food, they will avoid each other, so they will not form locust plagues... Only when they are short of food, they gather together to form locust plagues..."

"This is why every locust plague occurs after a severe drought!"

"And if it is driven to hunt ducks and geese when it hatchs, its number will be greatly reduced. Even if it is 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, I want to ask Your Highness to write to the Emperor, asking Your Majesty to order the Guanzhong Department to lend five chickens, ducks, and geese to the people, and repay them in winter and summer, and interest them at eleven... It can prevent locust plagues and increase the people's income... and kill two birds with one stone!"

Even if locust eggs were not found, Zhang Yue would start to promote micro-loans in Xinfeng.

The government buys all kinds of poultry and lends it to the people. Don’t underestimate chickens, ducks and geese!

In fact, Zhang Yue found in Xinfeng that among the sideline income of self-cultivated farmers and tenant farmers, women weaving cloth and silkworm breeding are the number one source.

The second-ranked one is raising poultry.

As long as you are hardworking and frugal enough, a family can raise seven or eight chickens, five or six ducks and geese, which is no problem.

The eggs produced by chickens, ducks and geese can be used to exchange them for cash and can also be used as a supplement to family members' protein.

In Linwei Township, there is a woman in a household who relied on raising silkworms, chickens and ducks after her husband died, raised four children, and even married them.

This is simply a miracle!

When Zhang Yue found out, he immediately ordered to send ten pieces of cloth and a plaque to the woman, and also exempted her from her three years of corvee and taxes, and even appointed her as a local official of the Governor of the Mid!
Chapter completed!