In the 25th year of Qianlong's reign, there was a severe drought in Shaanxi, especially in Taiyuan Prefecture. The vegetation was withered and yellow, the sand and smoke were filled, the red land was thousands of miles away, and people died of hunger everywhere.
"…………"
Under the scorching sun, the fertile fields that were originally full of crops were cracked, like mouths struggling to survive, telling the horror of drought.
The scene of drought on the earth is heart-stopping, like a picture of the death of all things. Years of drought have plunged the earth into endless dryness.
The endless scorching sun scorched the land and cooked all traces of life. In this dry land, there was no sound of vitality.
Without the moisture of rain, this land has long lost the power of life.
In addition to the fields, even the riverbeds are dry...
Water is the most common thing in the eyes of ordinary people, isn’t it just water? What's the big deal.
This is not wrong under normal circumstances, but in times of severe drought, it is wrong! Big mistake!
A drop of water can save a life, a glass of water can nourish a wheat seedling, water can make all things spring...
"…………"
Taiyuan Prefecture.
The sun, as hot as a big fireball, is in mid-air, burning everything on the earth...
The hot air stings the nose and hurts, like a hook hanging deep in the nose.
Ordinary people under this hot sunshine will make a dull exhalation sound every time they take a breath, not to mention the old and weak women and children...
The perspective shifts to the driest place in Taiyuan...
In Yu County, the ground is full of bones.
There was a strange smell in the air, and there was a large dry tree on the ground.
Several years of severe drought have caused the death of many people and animals. Many vultures hovering in the sky are particularly conspicuous.
He Shen and other hundreds of people walked from a dirty and narrow road to a small town.
In this small town, most of them are low and dilapidated mud and thatched houses, and occasionally one and a half mud and tile houses can be seen.
Due to the drought, large patches of ocher appeared on the originally dark thatched roof.
On both sides of the street, flies, mosquitoes and other flying insects circled up and down, vibrating their wings and making a buzzing sound.
"…………"
Many of these thatched houses, which had probably been abandoned for a long time, had collapsed and were in a state of dilapidation.
He Shen and the magistrate of Taiyuan Prefecture and other officials went out to observe the disaster and were shocked by the scene in front of them.
From time to time, there were piles of yellowish-yellow-colored things on the street. When someone came closer, a large group of green-headed flies dispersed with a "buzz", and He Shen and others could see clearly.
That lump of matter turned out to be a dead person.
His body, flesh, blood, and internal organs had been eaten by wild dogs, leaving only a piece of skin. Only the bones were still intact, but where the eyes should have been, there were now only two irregular black holes left.
In one area, there were even hundreds of corpses, many of them old people and children.
There is no green grass in the fields, and nine out of ten houses are empty.”
Such a terrifying sight can scare even the most daring people walking together.
The intensive and harsh sound of horse hooves as hundreds of people rode in a hurry alarmed some of the villagers who were still alive.
After realizing that the government officials were coming, these villagers took out their own shovels and hammers and rushed out of the house.
Seeing the villagers rushing out of the house with shovels and hammers and angry expressions on their faces, the officials of Taiyuan Prefecture were shocked. Even He Shen was a little confused.
As a result, I don’t know if it was because the prefect of Taiyuan Prefecture went too far on weekdays, causing public resentment and the government to force people to rebel, or for some other reason...
As the Minister of Disaster Relief, He Shen was attacked in retaliation by a group of disaster victims as soon as he arrived in Taiyuan Prefecture.
"..."
"This group of unscrupulous people in Taiyuan Prefecture are really abominable. They dared to attack Mr. He and frighten Mr. He. They must not be let go and must be severely punished..."
"Your Majesty He is a man of great wealth. These unscrupulous people dare to harm you..."
"The lower official thinks it is better to implement the joint sitting system for these unruly people and their relatives, arrest them together, and send them to remote places in Yunnan to be slaves..."
"Lord Heshen, those unruly people are so abominable. They have all been captured by Beizhi. As long as you give the order, Beizhi will immediately behead them in public!!"
…………
Looking at the group of officials in red and green clothes in front of them, without exception, they all use flattering expressions and words to ask for their opinions...
He Shen looked smiling on the surface, but in fact, the disgust in his heart was overwhelming.
The magistrate of Taiyuan Prefecture, as well as the Fu Cheng and other officials, were worried about He Shen's anger, so they knelt around He Shen.
………………
They talked all over the place and came up with one vicious plan after another, hoping to turn most of the people under their rule into unruly and anti-people, and then confiscate their homes and wipe them out!
Everyone in the room was like this, rushing to get in front of He Shen, rushing to talk about ways to retaliate against the refugees, rushing to express their concerns for the imperial minister, for fear of falling behind others.
After hearing the vicious methods used by the parents and officials in front of him to deal with the unruly people, He Shen secretly sighed in his heart.
The ancients said: "A harsh government is fiercer than a tiger, cruel and corrupt officials love to eat people..."
Originally, Heshen thought it was an exaggerated comparison by the ancients, but he did not expect that reality is far crueler than words.
He Shen, on his side, waved his hands and said, "Forget it, stop kneeling, all of you, get up."
A group of officials led by Liu An, the prefect of Taiyuan Prefecture, did not dare to get up. Liu An, the prefect of Taiyuan Prefecture, heard this and said hesitantly.
"Thank you, sir. It's just that...it's my fault for not protecting you well..."
"Get up first. I don't blame you anymore. You still want to take the initiative to seek punishment."
Hearing He Shen's affirmative tone, which did not seem to be sarcastic, all the officials in Taiyuan Prefecture stood up one after another after seeing Taiyuan Magistrate Liu An getting up.
After getting up, some officials looked happy, thinking that the "Master He" in front of them no longer meant to blame, and this matter was just turned over.
"…………"
Only Liu An, the prefect of Taiyuan, still looked worried.
Although the "Master He" in front of me is young, he already holds a high position, is deeply favored by the saints, and is young and vigorous. I am afraid that this matter may not be good now.
Even if there is no immediate settlement of accounts now, there is a high possibility of settlement in the future.
There was a silent and depressing atmosphere in the Taiyuan magistrate's office.
He Shen looked at the group of stinky Qiuba in Taiyuan Mansion and waved his hand to tell them to retreat.
After Liu An, the prefect of Taiyuan, heard He Shen's order, although he did not dare to disobey it, he was worried about it. He hesitated and said coyly.
"This... Sir, you have just been attacked. You cannot be left alone to take care of you..."
"Besides, my lord, as an imperial envoy, you have many things to do, especially regarding disaster relief. I would like to ask your lord for your instructions..."
"Also, you need to decide how those troublemakers should be punished..."
"..."
Hearing these words from Liu An, the prefect of Taiyuan, He Shen replied angrily.
"We'll talk about these things tomorrow. You go down first..."
He Shen, who was attacked by the common people when he first came here, was confused at this moment and did not want to get involved with these corrupt officials who were not good birds.
Heshen knew who they were without having to think too much about the local officials who could serve as officials, force the people, and rebel.
Now, He Shen does not know the true situation of Taiyuan Yifu, so he cannot judge whether the officials in front of him are enemies or friends, and whether they can be used by him.
Only after spending a few days to understand the true situation in Taiyuan, He Shen would take action against these local officials.
"..."
A few days later.
Several confidants sent by Heshen brought back the basic situation of Taiyuan Prefecture to Heshen.
Heshen, who was sitting on the chair, looked at the thin pieces of paper in his hands. The contents on the paper were shocking, and his hands trembled slightly...
In the twenty-fifth year of Emperor Qianlong's reign, Taiyuan Prefecture encountered a hundred-year drought, and locusts are bound to appear in a prolonged drought.
Locusts are all over the mountains and fields, and the people have nothing to gain. They exchange their children for food, and nine out of ten houses are empty...
…………
The locust plague is the most terrible disaster for the people!
The literal meaning of locust plague is the disaster caused by locusts.
From a technical perspective, droughts are mainly caused by successive years of drought.
The main reason for this phenomenon is that the dry environment has many benefits for the growth and reproduction of locusts.
Because locusts usually lay their eggs in the soil, and they are in dry soil.
Soil with a moisture content of 10% to 20% is most suitable for them to lay eggs.
Years of drought have caused locusts to breed in large numbers and grow rapidly, eventually leading to a locust plague.
Du Fu of the Tang Dynasty once wrote a poem in "Eight Poems on the Rise of Autumn", "The locusts are flying thousands of miles away, and the yellow clouds are twilight, and they are often guests in the sad autumn."
This is a famous line from the Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu.
These two short poems describe the scene of swarms of locusts flying in mid-air within a thousand miles, covering the sky and closing the sun, forming yellow clouds and covering the earth.
It fully expresses the spread speed and destructive power of the locust plague, and also expresses the poet's pain and sadness caused by the spread of the locust plague to human beings.
Locusts cover the sky, leaving trees without leaves, thousands of acres of crops, even states and towns, there is nothing to eat...
Just when He Shen was thinking about how to deal with these officials in Taiyuan Mansion, there were sudden quarrels outside the bedroom.
"..."
"Master!! Master!! Are you okay? Are you injured?"
Amidst a burst of hurried shouting, a young man about the same age as He Shen pushed open the door and stumbled to He Shen's bed.
When he saw He Shen now, his face was full of sorrow and his expression was depressed...
At this time, the anxious and worried look on the young man's face became even more serious.
He whispered: "Master, what's wrong with you?"
