The Prodigal Son of Zhenguan

"My dear, what are we going to do?" Bai Yunquan wondered, why did he rush to the field with tools? Is my dear going to farm?

"Do you know about locusts?" Li Fu asked as he walked.

Bai Yunquan nodded.

"Of course I know."

"Go to the field and take a look. There has not been a drop of rain since the New Year." Li Fu said.

"Ah? What does this have to do with locusts?" Bai Yunquan asked.

"I'm worried that if it doesn't rain, the rivers and ditches in the fields will dry up, and there will be drought, and locusts will appear when the drought is extreme." Li Fu said, "Go to the field and take a look. If there are signs, early detection and early prevention."

Li Fu said this, Qu Yanghe felt a little panic.

What my dear husband said must not be true.

Drought, locust plague, last year's flood, does God still give people a way to live?

As he walked, Li Fu remembered that he asked Shitou to find Yuan Shoucheng. The old man was so mysterious and had something on him. Therefore, Li Fu had never dared to have much contact with him even though he knew that the old man was in Chang'an City.

The main reason was that when they first met, the old man acted like he had memorized his lines. It was too scary.

Fortunately, the drought and the subsequent locust plague were clearly recorded in history books.

Moreover, I learned from Yan Lide that the people of the Imperial Observatory had also calculated that there would be little rain this spring.

I guess the people of the Imperial Observatory picked something nice to say that people could accept.

Little rain? More than little.

Arriving at the field, Li Fu took the tools from Qu Yanghe and started digging in the field.

I had done multiple-choice questions in school before. The ideal place for locusts to lay eggs is wasteland with dry soil.

Locust eggs can usually be found in the soil or on the surface of plants. The color and shape of the eggs may vary depending on the type of locust. Common colors include white, yellow, brown, etc. The size of the eggs is about 1-2 mm. If there are many of them, they can be seen with the naked eye.

To find locust eggs, you should also choose a sunny, dry and open place, especially a place with sparse vegetation.......

Thinking of this, Li Fu was digging and dreaming of biology class.

Sure enough, in the soil at the edge of the field, locust eggs as small as millet grains were found.

Now, Li Fu's hanging heart finally died.

He looked confused for a moment.

It's over. If such a dense locust egg hatches, it can be imagined that it will cover the sky and the sun, a large area, and it will eat all the green vegetation on this land in an instant, and then flap its wings and fly to the next area.

"Quyang River, there is a big problem." Li Fu murmured.

"My dear, what's wrong with you?" Qu Yanghe stepped forward in a hurry. Seeing his dear husband's shaky appearance, he had to step forward to protect him and prevent him from falling into the ground.

"It's not me, it's this large piece of land, the whole village, and even not just the whole village, including other places around." Li Fu said, "There is a big problem, look down."

Qu Yanghe looked down at the land under his feet after hearing this.

It's nothing.

It's just a little dry.

Wait a minute!

Drought...

It can't be?

Qu Yanghe widened his eyes, not daring to believe what he thought, nor dare to think about what his dear husband said just now.

Li Fu ran to several places with tools to check whether there were locust eggs in the soil.

The result is predictable...

"Quick, find a bag, I'll shovel some soil, and ask Shitou to rush to the palace and tell His Majesty that the soil is dry and open, and locust eggs can be seen everywhere. If it doesn't rain for a long time, there will be a locust plague." Li Fu said.

Qu Yanghe's face also became serious. He nodded vigorously and took out the cloth bag he brought before going out. Li Fu filled a lot of soil with locust eggs, tied the mouth tightly, and the two hurried back.

The reason why spring rain is important for preventing locust plagues is that after the rain, it nourishes all things, and when all things revive, the conditions for locusts to lay eggs are not met.

For example, locusts like to lay eggs in dry and exposed plots. Intensify the efforts of afforestation, increase the number of plants, and the plant coverage reaches more than 70%, so that the plot is not suitable for locusts to lay eggs.

Secondly, after the rain, water will accumulate in low-lying areas. The ponds are full of water, with fish, shrimps, and groups of frogs. This greatly reduces the habitat of locusts and can better prevent and control locusts.

Nowadays, there is no rain in spring, and there are no such conditions. The only thing left is biological control, which uses the natural enemies of locusts to control locusts.With Zhuangzi as the center, the chickens, ducks and geese raised in the villages around ten miles away, including those in places further away, have already reached a certain scale. This also made Li Fu feel a little relieved. Although he didn't know how much effect it would have at that time, he could reduce some losses.

The natural enemies of locusts are not just chickens, ducks and geese, but also frogs, lizards, birds and so on.

But where would the frogs come from if it didn't rain.

Seeing that the canal had been dry for so long, when it came to spring plowing, the water in the river was not enough to irrigate the farmland.

Li Fu didn't want to make trouble before Li Erfeng's plowing ceremony, but that's how it was, it just happened.

He put a brick in front of the wheel of history in advance. Whether the wheel could stop turning or change direction would depend on the future.

Li Fu and Quyanghe walked further away, to the canal and the river.

Unfortunately, Jiang Que was not encountered. It was estimated that Jiang Que went to a farther river.

After confirming this matter, Li Fu did not dare to delay and hurried back to the house with Qu Yanghe.

Li Fu immediately asked Lao Zhou to call Shitou and prepared a fast horse for Shitou, asking him to take the sampled soil to Chang'an.

Before leaving, Li Fu repeatedly told Shitou that this matter was of vital importance, concerning large crops and the lives of the people, and asked him to explain the pros and cons to His Majesty after entering the palace.

Shitou nodded solemnly and hung the cloth bag he received from Qu Yanghe solemnly around his waist.

Then, Shitou rode a fast horse to Chang'an City.

At noon, Li Chengqian and his friends returned to the house to eat. After eating, they were supposed to rest for a while, but Li Fu asked them not to sleep first and led them to find Lu Deming and Xiao Yu.

Regarding such an important matter as the locust plague, these were all the things Li Fu could think of on his own. He also needed someone of weight to speak in the court after he returned to Chang'an in the future.