Zhang Xi had long been angry with Ma Liang and Guan Yu about severely punishing Fu Shi. This time, not only did Guan Yu side with Zhang Xi, but even Ma Liang didn't say anything.
Ma Liang is very aware of the style of the family, and also knows that if Zhang Xi gives in again this time, it may involve the loss of Liu Bei Group's interests.
And Ma Liang also felt that if this matter was a test promoted by the aristocratic family behind the scenes, it would be a bit too unconscionable.
Therefore, Ma Liang took the initiative to find people from the four major aristocratic families to help Zhang Xi clear the situation on both sides, while emphasizing the dangers of locusts.
When the four major aristocratic families heard that there might be a locust plague, they were also anxious.
Locusts don't care about whose food they eat. They not only eat the common people's food, but also eat the food of aristocratic families.
Once the migratory locusts become rampant, the family will also suffer great losses.
The four major aristocratic families have no objection to testing Zhang Xi on other matters, but they cannot joke about such things.
The four major aristocratic families asked each other who was the unscrupulous person who came up with such a bad idea. As a result, the four major families said they had nothing to do with it.
Oh, it has nothing to do with anyone. Then let that idiot die.
So, when Zhang Xi dealt with this matter of making history, not to mention encountering any obstacles, he didn't even have anyone to plead for mercy.
As soon as this secretary died, the governors and county magistrates stationed in Nanjun counties did not dare to neglect and reported the true situation in their counties one after another.
In fact, there is a locust plague this time, but it is much smaller than Zhang Xi thought.
There is indeed a tendency for locust plagues, but they are mainly concentrated on the west side of Jiangling City.
For example, some signs of migratory locusts have been found in Zhijiang County, Jiling County and other places, and the number is not large.
It is actually not difficult to extinguish the locust plague in these two places. The only difficulty is that the people are unwilling to cull it.
Therefore, Zhang Xi allowed the two counties to use corvees and force the people to cull the locusts, otherwise they would be exiled.
The magistrate of Chiling County was still hesitant and dared not take action, but the magistrate of Zhijiang County, despite the curses of the people, forced corvees to exterminate the locusts.
I have to say that anyone who dares to do this is really a ruthless person. Zhang Xi quickly asked Zhao Lei who the county magistrate was.
After all, Zhao Lei was once the magistrate of Zhijiang County, and the county magistrate was his deputy.
Zhao Lei told Zhang Xi that the county magistrate's name was Zhou Tai. He was a native of Jingzhou and came from a poor family. The two of them usually chatted easily.
At first, Zhang Xi just thought that this name was good, with a similar pronunciation to the name of Jiangdong general Zhou Tai. Then he realized that this person didn't seem to be a fuel-efficient person.
It seems that he is from Cao Wei's side, a figure who played an outstanding role in the three rebellions in Huainan. But how did he become the county magistrate in Jingzhou? !
But now I don't have the intention to pursue these matters. If Zhou Tai can handle the locust plague this time, he will naturally join Zhang Xi's talent recruitment in the future.
There is such a ruthless person in Zhijiang County who doesn't take his reputation seriously. There is a high probability that he will not make any mistakes again. However, Zhang Xi in Xiaoling County gave the second official document.
This is the second chance. If the magistrate of Chiling County still hesitates, then the third letter will be the order to remove him from office.
The county magistrate of Jiling gritted his teeth and launched the corvee, but he was not responsible at all. He directly showed Zhang Xi's official document and said that this was the intention of the above and had nothing to do with him as the county magistrate.
Really, just because of this attitude of the county magistrate, he will only be a county magistrate until he dies in this life.
But Zhang Xi doesn't care. He really doesn't care about his reputation. As long as he can keep food, Zhang Xi can accept whatever he says.
The remaining Wulin and Ying counties also sent official documents, stating that although there were sporadic locust plagues in the territory, government officials and people had been organized to fight them, and there was no serious problem.
Zhang Xi finally felt relieved about this.
Then, the locust plague broke out.
This time it is really not Zhang Xi's fault, nor is it even the fault of Nan County officials. Everyone is working really hard to control the locust plague. It can be said that even if the locust plague breaks out, it will only be a small-scale loss.
But Zhang Xi forgot one thing, locusts have wings.
Since the pre-Qin period, most of the locust plagues in the Middle Earth have been Asian migratory locusts, which can fly.
The locust plague broke out this time in Changsha County.
Jiangdong has tasted the benefits of newly opened farmland in Baqiu and other places, and is working hard to cultivate the fertile fields near Baqiu. It has had bumper harvests almost every year in the past two years.
In addition, on the south side of Changsha County, when Zhangxi converted swamps into fertile farmland, Pan Jun took over for another two years and created a large area of arable land.
Later, the two families demarcated and Changsha returned to Jiangdong. These fields made Jiangdong people realize that the original swamps near Changsha could also be transformed into fertile farmland. Therefore, investment in Changsha County was increased, and Jiangdong families paid money to join Join the ranks of Changsha's great development.
In this way, Changsha County slowly connected the rice fields distributed in Xila to the city.
Then, last year’s mild winter and this year’s locust plague came.
The migratory locusts in Changsha first ate up the rice crops in Changsha, and then flew to Wuling County and Lingling County.
Wuling County has many mountains and little cultivated land, which is relatively good.
Lingling County was in bad luck. Pan Jun had been building swamp improvement fields and mountain terraces in Lingling County in recent years. As a result, he attracted a large number of locusts and caused heavy losses.
The locusts, who did not find much food in Wuling County, flew together again and split into two routes, one way to Yuzhang County, and the other flew across the Yangtze River to Wulin and Ying counties in Nan County.
The two counties that originally thought it was no big deal were suddenly hit by a locust plague.
Fortunately, Zhang Xi continued to persist and did not evacuate the remaining secretaries after the locust plague in Xiaoling and Zhijiang was calmed down. Therefore, these secretaries could report to Jiangling as soon as possible, and Zhang Xi could get the news as soon as possible.
After Zhang Xi learned of the situation, he withstood the pressure from all parties and immediately launched corvee labor, forcing the people to exterminate the locusts, regardless of the rumors at this time.
Zhang Xi doesn't believe in any kind of divine inspiration, but he can't stand the fact that many people in this era believe in this. From the heads of aristocratic families to the common people, some things are deeply ingrained and you can't change them in a short time.
Before, Zhang Xi forced corvees to exterminate locusts. Although the locust plague in Nanjun did not rise, the locusts from Changsha flew over.
This gave some people an explanation, saying that Zhang Xi's approach of culling locusts was against nature, and now he is being punished.
Originally, these locusts from Changsha would not come to Nanjun, but now because Zhang Xi exterminated God's messenger, God asked the Locust God to attract locusts from other places to take revenge on Zhang Xi.
Zhang Xi didn't take it seriously at first, but there were too many people who couldn't stand it. Even Ma Liang and Zhao Lei came to persuade Zhang Xi. For the sake of reputation, let's put on a show and shut up those people.
But Zhang Xi really ignored it and couldn't.
What can be done? !
After building a sacrificial platform and putting on a show, the children of the aristocratic families were satisfied. Should they kill this locust? !
You confessed your mistake and continued to kill locusts. Not to mention what the aristocratic family thought, the common people did not listen to you.
The best way to break the situation at this time is of course to learn from Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and eat a locust alive to win people's hearts. But Liu Bei can do this, but Zhang Xiqian can't.
We must clearly distinguish between who belongs to the king and his ministers, and where people's hearts go.
Therefore, Zhang Xi's approach was to insist on culling locusts, and then proposed a series of measures to appease the people.
In fact, Zhang Xi learned from the locust eradication measures during Song Renzong's period, encouraged people to cull locusts, exchange locusts for food, and subsidize the loss of grain seedlings.
The people don't want to offend God. After all, farming these days depends on God's food. Good weather means a good harvest, and a strong wind or hailstorm means a bad year.
But now, the locust plague has arrived, and this year's harvest is destined to be bad. If there is no food, we will not survive this winter. There is no time to think about what next year will be like.
So, gritting their teeth, the people planned to exchange locusts for food in order to survive this year.
After all, you can only consider what God thinks if you are alive, but you will have nothing if you die.
In this way, the enthusiasm of the people was finally mobilized temporarily. As for the aristocratic families, let them be.
Don't think that Zhang Xi doesn't know that these guys who just talk to you about telepathy when they have nothing to do, often ask their tenant farmers to cull locusts in private. Some things are just nonsense on the table. You really want to do it for them. They wouldn't do it if they suffered a loss.
In this way, after paying the price of destroying about half of the grain seedlings, the people of Nanjun finally sent away the locust army and saved the remaining half of the grain seedlings.
In this era, it is impossible to completely eliminate the locust plague. We can only kill some of them and then wait for the locust army to cross the border and go to the next place.
Or, just wait for the weather to cool down and the locust activity period to end.
Nanjun has both. The weather has turned cooler and the locusts have flown away, finally saving half of the food supply.
The people were somewhat thankful, and those who were happier cheered and celebrated.
But Zhang Xi's side started to get busy again.
Every county has suffered losses, some have small losses, and some have major losses. Each county has to report its own losses, and then Zhang Xi has to dispatch grain to various places to deal with this disaster.
The losses in Nanjun were acceptable, but the losses in Jingnan and Nanjun were huge. It could almost be said that there was no gain. Now Ma Liang was so anxious that his cheeks were swollen.
Really, if such a comparison is made, everyone can find that although Zhang Xi was cursed by the common people and aristocratic families during the entire locust plague, in fact, Nanjun suffered the smallest loss.
Moreover, the people of Nan County still have some money and food from culling locusts, so they should have no problem surviving this year.
For a while, although Zhang Xi's reputation was still not good in the official circles, among the people, there was a slight change.
But Zhang Xi really doesn't care about this.
In more than a month's time, it will be the autumn harvest, and manpower must be rearranged to organize the autumn harvest and the post-autumn grain collection.
Zhang Xi is even considering whether to collect less food this year. After all, they have just suffered a disaster, and tax reductions and exemptions are also an effective means of disaster relief.
But this matter cannot be decided by Zhang Xi alone, so during this period of time, Zhang Xi has been discussing with Zhao Lei, Deng Ai and others on what to do.
(End of chapter)
