Chapter 40: The Great Locust Plague
“There will be a locust plague next year?”
Lao Cheng grabbed Yun Ye’s shoulder and looked out of the tent at the bright sunshine. It was unbelievable. Who could predict the future? Although Yun Ye’s behavior was no different from that of a fairy, Lao Cheng still doubted the authenticity of this statement.
It’s not that he doesn’t believe what Yun Ye said, but this matter is very important. If something unexpected happens, he will be labeled a heretic. Especially now, when the people of the country are unstable, it is necessary to be cautious. If you ignore it, of course, this is the safest way. No one will know, and there will be no trouble. But when I think of the terrible disaster described by Yun Ye, thousands of miles of red earth, eating children to survive, even a ruthless killer like Lao Cheng shivered.
It’s a dead end. If it were just me, I might not be so troubled. Now that Yun Ye has just found his family, the Yun family is expected to prosper. It would be a shame if this kid were to be lost in the locust plague.
“Uncle, you don’t need to be difficult. My teacher is already a godlike figure. Although I personally burned his remains and scattered them into the Yellow River, I am still not sure if he is dead. I am afraid that this trick of forcing me to enter the world is not a trick to escape from the Muslims who are chasing after me.
“Since he said there would be a locust plague next year, there will definitely be a locust plague, and there is no mistake.” Old Cheng was speechless. The body of the maggot could still come back to life. This was ridiculous. If it weren’t for the serious look on Yun Ye’s face, he might have kicked him. Old Cheng was about to speak, but Yun Ye stopped him.
“Uncle’s concerns are well known to me. Since I have entered the world and received an official position from His Majesty, it is the truth of the world that one must accept the calamity of others in exchange for money. I believe in my teacher, and it is my responsibility as a disciple to bet my life on the correctness of my teacher’s words. I have decided to submit a report alone, so Uncle Cheng should not get involved in this mess.”
This was the first time Yun Ye had decided to do something, and he had already thought of a plan on the way. He recalled seeing the Great Famine in Africa on the computer in later generations, the dying doll with a bald eagle staring at it, and the tragic sight of a girl who should have been curvy lying on a pile of grass like a skeleton. Yun Ye’s scalp went numb. If he didn’t warn Li Er and his ministers, once the locusts attacked, the entire Guanzhong would become a living hell.
The history books record that locusts covered the land, eating all the crops and grass, so much so that the sun was obscured, blocking the way for people and horses, and filling the ditches and trenches. This must be the scale that can only be formed by hundreds of millions of locusts. These locusts are not eating grass, but people. Yun Ye will never stand by and watch it happen.
Lao Cheng was a little surprised. Was this the same boy who used to be so happy-go-lucky? Was this the same boy who used to be kicked around by him? When Yun Ye said just now that he could not stand idly by and do nothing when a natural disaster occurred, Lao Cheng felt that something was different. This boy had grown up and taken on responsibilities. Whether or not there would be a locust plague next year, Yun Ye’s courage and kindness were incomparable to those who were only concerned with their own interests.
He turned around and took out a black glazed jar from under the rubble, blew off the dust, knocked off the mud seal, took a big drink, handed it to Yun Ye, and Yun Ye also lifted the jar without saying a word and took a big drink, and then returned the jar to Cheng Yaojin with both hands. Lao Cheng and Yun Ye looked at each other and then laughed.
Lao Cheng laughed, saying that another talented person had grown up in the Tang Dynasty. Yun Ye laughed, saying that he had finally broken his principle of being cautious and safe in life, and a strong desire to fight had ignited in his heart. No wonder someone on a later-era website was shouting: “I’d rather be a hero for a few minutes than live a life of confusion and inaction.” It felt good to be a hero, at least he had tricked Lao Cheng into opening the wine that had been hidden for many years.
When he was about to take a second sip, he heard Laocheng say that he should listen to the old man’s plan and not make his own decisions, and was kicked out of the tent by Laocheng.
What is a hero? These days, people who kill enemies and capture flags are not heroes. I’ve seen it all before, especially since the generals of the Zuowei have never killed a single enemy general. If you can single-handedly knock down a bull with one hand and then stab it in the heart, so that not a drop of its blood falls into the basin, then you are a true hero. Now Cheng Chumo is doing just that, winning a round of applause.
The guy had a bloody military dagger in his mouth and hung the cow on the horizontal bar with a single arm. A butcher immediately opened the cow’s belly. The entire barracks became a slaughterhouse.
The general ordered all the cattle and sheep that could not be taken to be slaughtered and made into jerky. Yun Ye made the entrails into sausages, smoked them, and then dried and stored them. Zuowei was frantically stockpiling food. The soldiers did not understand why, thinking that they were going to fight, and they were all extremely excited.
The general has not smiled in more than ten days, nor has the crown prince. The vice-commander of the army, who has just returned, has red eyes like he wants to eat people. Lord Changsun Wuji has come again, and he has left in a hurry. Lord Yun Ye, who has just been appointed the marquis of Lantian County by His Majesty, has not smiled in a few days either. Something big has happened. Could it be that the Turks have entered the border?
“Is there really going to be a locust plague?” This is the fifth or sixth time in the past ten days that Niu Jinda has asked Yun Ye.
Since Cheng Yaojin told the prince about this, and the prince passed it on to the empress in the form of a letter, Lao Cheng began a frantic grain hoarding operation, buying up all the surplus grain in the Longyou region. Taking advantage of the fact that the cattle and sheep were fat in late autumn, he began slaughtering them in large numbers. He also sent hunting teams to the mountains of Longyou to hunt wild game.
Cheng Yaojin’s actions naturally alarmed Zhangsun Wuji, who, after asking about the reason, also began to hoard grain, causing grain prices in Longyou to rise sharply.
Liu Fulu sent 5,000 strings of copper coins to Yun Ye at the first opportunity, and never mentioned the idea of paying off the debt with grain again. A steady stream of grain was transported to the camp, and every time 10,000 shik were gathered, a hundred soldiers led by the crown prince would escort the grain to Chang’an. The auxiliary soldiers of Longyou were responsible for transportation.
Chang Sun Wuji was even more cunning. He traded salt for Toguhun cattle, sheep and horses, and then traded the cattle, sheep and horses for grain. He began to plunder Tufan, which had very little grain, in a clever way. On the one hand, he was raising grain, and on the other hand, he was also trying to reduce the ability of the two countries to wage war.
Niu Jinda returned happily and read out the edict of Emperor Li Er promoting Yun Ye to the rank of Marquis of Lantian County. Cheng Yaojin was also promoted to the rank of General of the Imperial Army for his meritorious service. Niu Jinda became the General of Huaihua, a rank of the third class, and Cheng Chumo was promoted to the rank of General of the Imperial Army, a rank of the fifth class. Even Zhang Cheng, who was the first person to meet Yun Ye, became the General of the Imperial Army, a rank of the ninth class.
Niu Jinda said that in the Taiji Palace, in front of the officials, the emperor smashed the big pot himself, dug up the soil, and harvested seven potatoes, weighing six jin and four taels. The courtiers almost went crazy, some wept, some beat their chests, and some cried out to the sky. The emperor was even more joyful, tears streaming down his face, and he didn’t look like a wise and powerful emperor. In front of the entire court, the emperor bestowed the title of Marquis of Lantian on Yun Ye. This was the first time since the founding of the dynasty that a marquis had been bestowed as a reward, and it was a great honor. As he spoke, he saw the prince, Lao Cheng, and Yun Ye, all of whom had no smiles on their faces. After finding out the reason, he smashed the case with a punch, and there was no trace of joy.