Promotion and fortune in Song Dynasty

Lu Ci jokingly called the ducks Habayashi Guards in his heart, and there was some truth in that.

After all, in the next few days, they showed a certain degree of discipline.

They eat at least twice a day, and each time they have to peck at more than 100 birds before they can temporarily retreat with satisfaction.

They don't need to be led at all, they will automatically and consciously retreat with a full stomach, find a source of water to drink, and after a short rest, they will enter the battlefield again.

What's even more amazing is that although they came from various households, they quickly separated into several columns tacitly, each led by a majestic and strong duck.

In the queue, one followed the other closely, and even when they charged forward, they were extremely methodical.

It's like a well-trained army.

The people in Fenzhou, who were still terrified by the menacing migratory locusts at the beginning, lost their nervousness after watching them. Instead, they became more and more interesting and gave pointers with relish.

If the performance is particularly heroic and outstanding on the battlefield, some people will start scrambling to claim it.

"I'm afraid it's not my duck?"

"Fart your mother! It's clearly from my family!"

"Why do you say it belongs to your family? It is a duckling I bought with my own hands, and I fed it for two months!"

"What's the fuss about this? Don't you know when you return to your nest after catching the locusts?"

"Aren't they going to chase the locust swarm all the way?"

"It's hard to say."

"My boy, if it weren't for Lu Gongzu's love of food, we wouldn't have raised so many ducks. Now they have become the heroes of locust control?"

This remark provoked a burst of laughter.

"That's not true, they are much more capable as masters than us."

Aren't the flock of ducks fighting bravely just the heroic soldiers who resisted locusts and rescued disasters?

The flying speed of locusts may be considered fast in human eyes, but in front of the ducks, their natural enemies who are almost huge compared with them, they are so slow that they can be ignored.

This group of gray and white ducks, who are accustomed to being wild, yelled "quack" aggressively and vigorously, and at the same time, in accordance with the order of formation, they fiercely attacked the formation of migratory locusts.

After several sprints, the swarm of locusts was quickly smashed into pieces and broke into an army.

In the first few times, the migratory locusts were able to gather again, intending to make a comeback, trying to break through this barrier.

But the prestige of more than 3 ducks is much more powerful than them.

After fighting for half an hour, the ducks were half full, while the migratory locusts suffered heavy casualties and could no longer be integrated.

And when the migratory locusts gradually fled in all directions, the fat duck, which is usually lazy, is now as agile as two ducks: the soles of its feet slapped on the ground, and it jumped into the air. It can be ejected quickly back and forth, and it can accurately catch a migratory locust.

Next, just close the flat beak, and the locust, which was still trying to struggle, was smashed into pieces with a 'snap'.

If you tilt your neck happily and shake your head happily, it becomes a delicacy for your stomach.

"Quack quack quack—!"

Every time they swallowed one, they flapped their wings with joy, squawked for a while, and continued to catch another delicious food.

When they were feasting on them, the whole city people almost put aside what they were doing, and watched those vigorous figures with great interest, and they never got tired of it for a while.

Lu Ci is no exception.

——It is duck feathers and locusts flying together, and the green field is yellow and white.

He was watching with a smile when he suddenly realized something.

When the ducks were chasing and chasing the fleeing locusts, it was a coincidence that they all drove them towards the border.

If this momentum continues and we continue to drive away, those who can escape the encirclement and suppression will cross the border and harm the fields of the Xixia people.

The corner of Lu Ci's mouth twitched.

... As expected of a big song duck with a strong root, you can see that they are all active patriots after chasing locusts.

The lethality of the duck army to the migratory locusts far exceeded Lu Ci's expectations.

He prepared in advance to sprinkle straw ash and lime on the crops to avoid locusts, but now they are useless.

Because the migratory locust swarm ended up with very few left, they could not touch the crops at all, so the bean seedlings that he deliberately led the farmers to plant, which locusts dislike, had no chance to play a role.

The ducks feasted on the migratory locusts for several days, and they were not interested in touching the bean sprouts until they were called back to their respective homes.

At the end of the count, there were no more than three hundred ducks lost, and the rest obediently went back to the owner's house, burrowed into their nests, and slept comfortably in a ball.

After a few more busy sessions, Lu Ci's mood improved.

Using natural enemies to fight locusts is much better than using drugs to fight locusts and species.

Just like Lu Zhizhou, the only people who can still be in a good mood at this moment are the people who are also in Fenzhou.

The governors of the prefectures north of the Yangtze River are already frowning, feeling that disaster is imminent.

Lu Ci's guess was right: since the migratory locusts from other roads could fly all the way to Fenzhou unimpeded, at least the prefectural supervising army along the way would have suffered.

Of course, the part blocked by Fenzhou is equivalent to sharing some pressure for other places.

Moreover, ducks, the main force against locusts, are not ashes that are afraid of rain and wind, or bean sprouts that need to be replanted a few months in advance, but a steady stream of new forces.

As long as the water source can be guaranteed, they can continue to move forward energetically, chasing locust swarms in other places.

Lu Ci recorded what happened these days completely in the memorial, and asked the postmaster to send it on a fast horse.

When it comes to water sources, the Yangtze River naturally comes to mind.

Now the roads centered on Bianjing have been affected by the locust infestation, but in the final analysis, the scope is still limited to the north of the Yangtze River.

If we can't come up with a way to clear up the locust swarms in time, and let them cross the Yangtze River and attack the defenseless Liangzhe area, and affect the main areas where we plant and provide food, that will be a disaster.

Even if the ducks are placed elsewhere, the number may not be enough, but they can be used anyway, which is far better than sitting idly by.

The urgent letter sent by Lu Ci soon arrived on the desk of the Ministry of Education, and Wang Dan immediately opened it.

As the magistrate of the prefecture who issued an early warning several months before the locust plague occurred, Lu Ci's status is not what it used to be, and every sentence he said has received much greater attention than before.

But after reading this letter, Wang Dan, who was originally worried, couldn't help showing a look of surprise, and repeated in a low voice: "Duck?"

Where did so many ducks suddenly appear in Fenzhou?

In other state capitals, of course, no one raises poultry, especially where there are more water sources, more people raise ducks.

But as many as tens of thousands of locusts, even the locusts that make people helpless, can forcefully repel them and become an out-and-out army of ducks. I am afraid that only Fenzhou has it.

Although Wang Dan found it unbelievable, he didn't doubt Lu Ci's words at all.

He also immediately agreed to Lu Ci's proposal to buy all the Fenzhou ducks in the name of the government, and then transport them to the banks of the Yangtze River to ensure that the locusts could not cross the river.

Fenzhou is the only place that can remain almost intact under the locust plague. This alone has proved everything.

Moreover, it was an extremely urgent moment, so there was nothing he dared to use.

No matter how bad the result is, it can't be worse than letting the migratory locusts eat the crops in the clean land.

As the first good news received in these days, Wang Dan couldn't help reading it several times even though he gave the instructions.

Since that day, the officials have been distraught and unwilling to be a director, and entrusted all the locust control to Wang Dan, and went back to the bedroom to cultivate immortals.

Now that there is such precious good news, even if Wang Dan can make the overall decisions by himself, after making a decision, he simply went to the palace and told the sullen officials to know.

Zhao Heng really felt joyful after a short disbelief.

"Lu Ci, it's Lu Ci again." Zhao Heng stroked his palm happily, but couldn't restrain the joy in his heart, walked around the hall for several times, then excitedly clenched his fists, and said affectionately, "Why is it always that little glutton? "

Wang Dan said calmly: "Thanks to him reporting to the police in advance, and taking timely measures to prevent locusts in Fenzhou. No matter what, the safety of Fenzhou is completely preserved."

"It's not just Fenzhou!" Zhao Heng was still muttering, wondering, "Where did he get so many duck soldiers?"

Wang Dan smiled: "That's a long story."

He also had this doubt, and probed a little bit.

Because the smoked dried duck from Fenzhou has been sent to Bianjing with business travelers, some officials know the origin of this new specialty.

In just a moment, Wang Dan got an answer that made him dumbfounded.

——The reason why every household raises ducks is nothing else but because Lu Zhizhou, who is generous and close to the people, is very good at eating ducks.

After Wang Dan finished speaking with a smile, even though his tone was calm, he couldn't hide the funnyness of the content.

Zhao Heng was stunned.

"Hahahaha!"

When he came back to his senses, he laughed so hard that he almost fell over.

The servants were taken aback, and hurried forward, helping those who helped, helping those who patted their backs.

For the first time in so many days, His Majesty laughed so happily...

"This little glutton, it's delicious." After he took a breather, Zhao Heng still had a smile on his face: "If it weren't for Lu Ci's delicious food, he would have suffered a great disaster. landed.

First, countless priceless ancient books were rescued from the fire in King Rong's Mansion, and the locust plague was warned in advance. Now, because of the "delicious duck" incident, the whole prefecture has been raising poultry. Neutrality has made a great contribution.

"In that case, it's because of your insistence on sending him somewhere." Zhao Heng sighed, "He's really my lucky star."

As he spoke, Zhao Heng couldn't help laughing again: "Who would have thought that the greatest hero against locusts would be a flock of ducks?"

Wang Dan agreed with a smile on his face, but in his heart, he didn't think it was a coincidence at all.

Looking at Lu Ci's past performance, it is not an exaggeration to comment on a "make a decision before acting".

Even if you eat a lot, it doesn't hurt, and you never go too far.

It is absolutely impossible for him to be the absurd Zhizhou who would mobilize others to raise ducks for his own appetite.

Having said that, Wang Dan did not intend to clarify this point.

——If you are full of losses, you will benefit from modesty.

It may be safer to let others think that Lu Ci is just pure luck than making people think that he is smart.

After careful consideration, Wang Dan finally chose to remain silent.

Anyway, after the locust plague is over, when it comes to rewarding meritorious deeds, there will be no difference whether Lu Ci planned it intentionally or planted willows unintentionally.

Following the order of the imperial court, all the duck army in Fenzhou was 'requisitioned' away, and it was time to open up another battlefield to fight against the locust swarms elsewhere.

The owner's family received a very generous amount of money as compensation, and there were also 1 wishes.Many people even exchanged all the money for ducklings on the same day because they tasted the sweetness, thinking about feeding them a little bit bigger, they sent them to the army again.

I don't know if there will be so many locusts as free feed for the growing duck army to eat by then.

Judging from the results, it can be said that everyone is happy.

Before the ducks were transferred away by the imperial court, the locust plague warning near Fenzhou was lifted.

After Lu Ci was sure that he had kept his precious one-acre three-point land, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, feeling very happy.

After dealing with the completed affairs, Lu Ci took advantage of the rest day and decided to go to the government school.

The purpose of this trip, of course, is to reward him well. The opportunity of catching wild ducks allowed him to follow the vines and discover Di Xiaofuxing, who was the locust eggs.

The author has something to say: Notes:

The relevant information about ducks killing locusts comes from the new (old) news of "Xinjiang: 2000 Ducks Killing Locusts" published by People's Daily Online in 10.

The excerpt is as follows

The shepherd Ma Yonggang took his 5000 ducks to the 2-mu grassland in Lucaogou Township, Dongshan District, Urumqi, advancing at a rate of 200 mu per day.Now 1.5 mu of grassland has been rescued and regained its vitality. Before the arrival of ducks, there were more than 400 locusts per square meter of grassland here.

On the grassland, where the duck's paws stepped, the locusts jumped up one after another, and the duck used its spring-like flexible neck to peck in the air, like searching for something.Ma Yonggang said: "A duck can eat more than 100 locusts at a time." "Ducks eat twice a day. At four or five o'clock in the morning, just after dawn, the ducks go out to eat locusts by themselves. After eight or nine o'clock, I went to the nearby small river ditch to drink water and rest. I went out again at [-] o’clock in the afternoon, and came back to camp when the sun went down at [-] o’clock.” Ma Yonggang, who used to herd sheep, herded ducks on the grassland for the first time. “Ducks are too self-conscious. You don’t have to worry about it. They are divided into four to five columns when they go out and come back. In each team, the ducks follow one after another. It’s really like a well-trained army. My job is to use a tractor to transport them to a distant place. , open up a new battlefield."

Dong Wensheng, head of the agricultural technology station here, said: "The village gave up the original method of using chemical sprays to kill locusts, because it would pollute the grassland ecology. Ducks digest quickly, and while eliminating locusts, they fertilized the grassland again. "

Ma Yonggang also achieved two things with one stone. He not only helped eliminate the locusts, but also "saved the feed money for feeding the ducks." 10 yuan is not a problem," Ma Yonggang said.