Chapter 104: The Locust Catcher

——A storm of uproar!

The reforms brought by Gu Yi have stirred up a colossal wave across the current Han Empire.

Upon hearing each of Gu Yi's incentive measures,

including the arrangements for locusts;

the impact on the court ministers was unimaginable.

In truth, if all this had been proposed by Zhuge Liang, the others would not have been so astonished.

But the problem lies precisely here.

Gu Ye is too young; at such an age, he has displayed such wisdom.

Unconsciously, everyone thought of one person.

——Gu Xi!

The man who once led the Han through the era of natural disasters, daring to declare he could outwit heaven by half a move.

The outcome of this matter was already sealed.

Gu Yi's proposed strategy was merely a simple upgrade to the current relief system; given the Han court's current structure, understanding the relationships involved was not difficult at all.

What truly caused their hesitation was the handling of the locusts.

In truth, there were already people in the realm eating locusts.

Because they had been driven to the brink.

But to them, this still felt unfamiliar.

And most crucially, in this age rife with omens and superstition, some would always regard locusts as ill omens.

Many among them held this feeling.

Gu Yi's actions would make many feel uneasy.

For this, Gu Yi had already devised a solution.

Before they could reach a final decision, Gu Yi had already controlled Gu Ye to go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple and find Cao Zhi.

Cao Zhi was now thriving.

Perhaps for a man like him, without the power struggles of his original history, drowning in poetry and prose was his truest destiny.

Gu Ye asked him to compose a literary piece on "The Locust Catcher."

Hoping to use the influence of the current Imperial Academy to legitimize this practice.

For the Gu clan,

Cao Zhi had always held deep reverence.

Though Gu Ye was still young, he would not overlook this matter; within less than a day, he composed "The Locust Catcher's Discourse."

The style remained Cao Zhi's signature ornate, romantic prose.

Gu Yi did not immediately release this piece.

Instead, he waited silently.

A few days later, Zhuge Liang returned to find Gu Ye.

He revealed many details of the court deliberations.

Indeed, someone proposed wanting to see the Gu clan's archives on locusts.

In truth, every generation of the Gu ancestors left behind writings; this was no secret across the entire Han.

Their contents had become one of the highest dreams of many literati, even more alluring than the imperial library.

Yet —

Because of the Gu clan's prestige, no one had ever dared to voice such a request.

This time, it was their perfect opportunity.

Night.

The moonlight washed clean, stars glittered brilliantly.

By the dim glow of candlelight, Gu Yi, controlling Gu Ye, asked Zhuge Liang: "Chancellor, do you believe me?"

He pulled out Cao Zhi's literary piece, fixing Zhuge Liang with a piercing gaze: "Chancellor, have someone fetch locusts and perform a sacrifice at the Luo River."

"Then, before the eyes of the people,"

"I am willing to eat locusts publicly, to shatter the name of locusts as an omen of calamity."

Gu Ye's expression was utterly calm.

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang's eyes flickered with surprise—he had not expected Gu Ye to be so bold.

He remained silent.

Performing a sacrifice at the Luo River was the Han's most potent card at present.

He had never used it, because the matter was simply too critical.

Given Zhuge Liang's nature,

as long as the Han had not reached utter despair, he would never resort to such a risky strategy.

Zhuge Liang said nothing, but took the literary piece and read it carefully.

Gu Yi seized this opportunity to continue: "Once the name of locusts as an omen of calamity is shattered, the Imperial Academy students can rally public opinion."

"And given the current situation—"

"Eating locusts will not only ease the burden on state relief efforts, but also, with locusts used to feed livestock—Chancellor, you may not know that locust powder makes livestock stronger."

"."

Gu Yi, controlling Gu Ye, spoke with perfect calmness.

Let alone that the Gu clan never possessed such things.

Even if there were, he could never allow anyone to casually probe the depths of the Gu clan.

Eating locusts, of all things.

It merely requires a process.

In the original history, the documented period of locust consumption was during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang.

History is a gradual process.

The unfamiliar always instills fear, and this is precisely the case now.

Zhuge Liang's expression was extremely serious.

He is increasingly becoming like the early Gu Xi and Gu Chen—always solemn, never smiling.

"Chancellor."

"In bygone days, my great-grandfather, when facing natural disaster, once said: 'When the people unite as one, they can defy the heavens.'"

"Now, Chancellor, you bear the weight of the entire nation."

"How can you hesitate so?"

At the very moment Gu Yi finished speaking, Zhuge Liang had just finished reading the literary composition in his hand.

He stared intently at Gu Ye, his expression complex, lost in thought.

Only after a long while—

did he slowly nod: "Young Master speaks truly; I have been overly cautious."

"Given the current state of affairs, the world must find a way to break the deadlock."

"If so;"

"then I shall follow Young Master's words—on the day of the ritual, I shall eat locusts before the eyes of the people, shattering the omen."

Gu Yi did not hesitate for a moment; he immediately bowed deeply to Zhuge Liang: "Chancellor, your wisdom shines!"

People like Zhuge Liang are precisely like this.

The burden on his shoulders forces him to be cautious, but once he confirms something, he will not hesitate a single bit.

The next day—

the news that the court would perform the ritual at the Luo River spread rapidly from Luoyang.

As soon as the news broke, the four corners stirred!

The people of the realm had waited too long, far too long, for this.

Countless others had come to regard this act as the sole means to end the disaster.

When they heard the court had finally taken action—

how could the people not be stirred?

The impact of this matter far exceeded everyone's expectations.

The restless public sentiment across the four corners calmed down at an astonishing speed.

Even Zhuge Liang had not anticipated this.

But precisely because of this, the pressure on his shoulders grew heavier.

Zhuge Liang had no choice but to secretly order locusts returned and test them for poison according to Gu Yi's method.

At this moment, he could not afford the slightest carelessness.

Only after confirming that eating locusts would not cause death did he release Cao Zhi's literary composition and order the scholars of the Imperial Academy to compose essays on it.

The news spread instantly.

Cao Zhi's literary composition already carried considerable fame in Han at this time.

Moreover, with Zhuge Liang deliberately promoting its circulation, the matter spread rapidly within a short time.

The four corners erupted!

Eat locusts?

In today's context, such a thing would not cause much impact.

But in this era—

the implications it could bring are unimaginable!

To the people, locusts had always been regarded as an omen of ill fortune, yet now someone proposed eating them!

This shattered their worldview as if the world itself had collapsed!

Yet—

it was followed by support from Gu clan disciples across the four corners.

How could Gu Yi not know the impact of this matter?

He had already used the Spirit-Link Jade to influence the seventh-generation Gu clan disciples stationed across the disaster zones.

This matter was too small.

It had cost him almost no achievement points, yet already planted the corresponding thoughts in their minds.

Although Gu Chen had long since passed away,

the influence the Gu clan could exert remained unimaginable, especially since the seventh-generation disciples were already scattered across the disaster regions.

With them as examples, implementing this plan would proceed far more smoothly!

Gu Yi refused to waste even a moment!

The four corners stirred!

Although all this alone was insufficient to completely dispel the gloom hanging over Han,

everyone could sense it—

—the oppressive atmosphere had begun to lift slightly, whether in the halls of Han's court or in the hearts of the people across the land.

Finally, in the sixth month of Yankang 2;

everything was ready.

Zhuge Liang led the civil and military officials in a grand sacrifice on the banks of the Luo River.

It was not only for the late emperors of Great Han.

It also included the ancestors of the Gu clan, and even Gu Xiao was among them.

All the people gathered together!

Although this sacrifice was not led by a son of the Gu clan, the impact it created was still no less than the scene when Gu Xi performed the sacrifice back then!

Countless common folk had already swarmed in from every region!

The power of faith can make people forget hunger, even death;

and at this very sacrifice—

Zhuge Liang, in his capacity as Chancellor, led the ministers willing to follow him in publicly eating locusts.

They did not even grind them into powder.

Right before everyone, they ate the locusts that had merely been roasted dry.

Of course, Gu Ye was naturally among them as well.

It even included Liu Shan 's son, the King of Beidi, Liu Chen.

From the imperial clan above;

to the court ministers;

to the Gu clan, that most special presence;

each side had its corresponding figures, who ate those roasted-dry locusts before the common folk, finally putting this matter to rest once and for all!

In the current Great Han, whether eating locusts would bring disaster was already a matter full of controversy.

The influence of prophetic-omen superstition was simply too great.

But now it was completely different.

What kind of disaster could possibly withstand the protection of the two Gu lords, "Marquis Wenxiang" and "Marquis Zhaolie"?

Everything was completely settled.

Riding the east wind of this sacrifice, Zhuge Liang swiftly carried out the brand-new strategy for disaster relief in full.

Although the effects of these various measures could not yet be seen in the short term,

the east wind of this Luo River sacrifice alone had already dispersed much, very much, of the gloom that had always hung over Great Han.

Gu Yi was in no hurry to manipulate Gu Ye into doing anything.

Gu Ye was still too young in age.

His level in every respect had not yet reached his own peak.

But this act alone had still changed Gu Ye's status throughout the realm.

Everyone knew—

a prodigy youth had appeared in the Gu clan, who, just like Gu Xi of old, had drafted the general outline of this disaster relief.

This kind of reputation, for Gu Ye's future development—

would play a decisive role.

Of course, the influence was not only these.

Now all the seventh-generation sons of the Gu clan were away, and Gu Ye had naturally become the pillar of the Gu clan within Luoyang city.

After all, with the precedent of Gu Xi's rise back then, no one now would treat Gu Ye as a mere child.

Yet Gu Ye never presumed to comment on anything on his own.

He would only, after every discussion, share his views with Zhuge Liang.

Gu Yi did not interfere in any way;

he could sense that Zhuge Liang was deliberately cultivating Gu Ye.

The days hurried by;

the response to this policy came extremely quickly—the powerful local clans' support for the new system exceeded everyone's expectations.

Reputation and assessment;

these two points struck right at the vital interests of the powerful clans.

After all, they were not the Gu clan; to keep the family prospering, they could only expand the family's influence in these areas.

Either high reputation;

or having high officials in the court.

This was a full-scale competition.

Disaster relief, grain donations;

they began competing in every respect, all wanting to win the honor therein.

And Zhuge Liang had long since worked out a more detailed system, dividing the grain brought by the powerful clans in greater detail, exploiting its use to the utmost.

As for the policy of work-relief, its effect was even more evident.

When the refugees who had already lost hope for the future regained hope—

the power they could unleash even surpassed that of before.

The most striking example was in catching locusts.

The locusts that once represented disaster had finally, beneath the east wind of this sacrifice, had the cloak of prophetic-omen superstition completely torn away.

At first, the common folk still had some apprehensions.

But as more and more people caught locusts,

This apprehension finally vanished like smoke.

This year, although disasters across the four directions had not ceased.

Yet the entire Han Dynasty had been utterly renewed; the people's fear of these ongoing natural calamities had long since dissipated.

In the third year of Yankang, the locust plague ended.

Huaxia was indeed a remarkably wondrous land.

Once it was discovered that eating locusts brought no ill effects, people from all corners developed their own methods of preparing them to the extreme.

Gu Yi's original idea of grinding them into powder was no longer necessary.

Moreover, people were astonished to find that livestock fed locust powder had become significantly stronger.

——Many merchants immediately saw the business opportunity.

Zhuge Liang had always strictly controlled grain prices, and when merchants realized locusts could bring greater profits.

Locusts became rare commodities.

The wisdom of merchants chasing profit was beyond others' imagination.

They did not risk angering the court by selling locusts within Han territory; instead, they shipped locusts to nomadic barbarian tribes in exchange for livestock young and other goods.

And as this gradually formed an industrial chain, specialized locust-buying merchants emerged.

Some even were willing to trade grain for them.

This absolute ecological balance greatly eased the survival pressure on refugees across the four directions.

Catching locusts was no hardship for them; even children at home could catch some.

As this grew more common.

Locusts vanished at an astonishing rate.

Even Gu Yi had not anticipated things would turn out this way, but after careful thought, he let it go.

This was perhaps the innate wisdom of the Huaxia people.

The chain reaction caused by this matter was immense.

In truth, given Han's underlying strength, the main challenge had always been the excessive scope of the disasters.

As pressure from one disaster zone sharply lessened.

The Han court could now allocate more strength to confronting other calamities.

The only difficulty was that disasters still persisted this year.

Jiangdong remained rainy;

Earthquakes and landslides still occurred frequently across regions.

But compared to their previous impact, this year's disasters were no longer fatal and caused no psychological disturbance.

Even Zhuge Liang's Serious expression had slightly faded.

In the fourth year of Yankang, great disasters still persisted.

But the impact of this year's disasters could now be considered negligible.

The flood problems in Jiangdong showed signs of being brought under control.

The "labor-for-relief" system, under capital incentives, achieved complete success; waterways across regions greatly reduced flood damage.

Of course, casualties were unavoidable.

But in this feudal dynasty era, what system could completely eliminate casualties in the face of natural disasters?

Compared to the original historical situation, things were already immeasurably better!

Although disaster relief efforts could not cease, the Han Dynasty's state was no longer at risk of upheaval.

Yet this year, the court's problems were not merely disaster relief.

But the official evaluation.

Court ministers debated this issue incessantly.

Some argued that with Han suffering continuous natural disasters, holding official evaluations was pointless, and even if conducted, only the sons of powerful families would qualify.

Because ordinary people could not afford to have their children study classics amid years of disaster.

Yet others insisted it must be held regardless.

To firmly root the concept of official evaluation in the people's hearts.

This time, when Zhuge Liang asked, Gu Yi spoke up for once.

"Chancellor."

"Regardless, the evaluation must continue."

"This not only roots the evaluation in the people's hearts but also stabilizes their spirits."

"Likewise, for the powerful families across the land."

"This will further stimulate their profit-seeking drive."

Hearing this, Zhuge Liang nodded involuntarily, his gaze toward Gu Yi growing increasingly satisfied.

With his wisdom, how could he not already know the answer?

Whether for the people or for the powerful families across the land.

This year's official evaluation must continue.

Gu Yi proposed no improvements.

Though for him, this was no great challenge—he could easily perfect Han's system by adopting the imperial examination system from later eras.

But for Han at this moment, it was not a good time.

After all, the people had only just begun to adapt to the evaluation system.

Sudden changes would only provoke backlash.

This matter was swiftly settled.

The outcome did not surprise the court ministers; compared to past official examinations, nearly all those selected this time were sons of powerful families.

Those born among the common people numbered fewer than a hundred.

Far below previous proportions.

But what could be done?

For the people across the land, the fact that the court still held the official examination under such circumstances

Wasn't that already proof enough?

The people had no complaints; on the contrary, they grew ever more grateful to the court.

The impact of the great disaster was diminishing.

Once hope returned, even the greatest hardships became no longer insurmountable.

Yet it was not without misfortune.

This year, several more officials died at court.

The pillars Gu Chen had once left for Han gradually collapsed; even two seventh-generation members of the Gu clan passed away.

Time's merciless blade had finally begun to strike these men down.

Zhuge Liang's health was growing worse.

Liu Shan had urged Zhuge Liang repeatedly to set down some of his burdens and rest more.

But how could Zhuge Liang, given his nature, ever stop?

He had become a second Gu Chen.

Gu Chen had once sought to resolve threats from all directions.

And before he fully alleviated Han's current natural disasters, he was destined never to halt his advance.

In the fifth year of Yankang, the flood in Jiangdong ended.

Canals stretched in all directions;

Not only had they resolved the Yangtze River's flooding, but they had also brought Han more arable land.

While continuing relief efforts, Zhuge Liang immediately began implementing restoration policies.

In the court's name, he lent the people grain seeds and oxen.

He spared no opportunity to restore Han's vitality.

Though meager compared to the court's expenditures, this harvest held entirely different meaning for Han.

Everyone could sense that dawn was approaching.

This natural disaster—

Seemed truly to be passing.

Yet Zhuge Liang remained vigilant, closely monitoring all quarters, and once again proposed a plan to govern Yanzhou.

The drought in Yanzhou had never ceased.

It was the region most severely affected in Han.

Had Han not possessed far greater reserves than its original historical counterpart, the disaster in Yanzhou would have become apocalyptic.

Never mind anything else—the scene of "people eating people" would surely have emerged.

Han's current water conservancy capabilities far surpassed its original historical level.

After all, it had Gu Kang's earlier experience to draw upon.

After deliberation among the court ministers, Zhuge Liang swiftly made his judgment: resolve Yanzhou's drought by diverting water from the Yellow River and Ji River.

The success of labor-for-relief in Jiangdong had greatly boosted everyone's confidence.

Even if full diversion to Yanzhou proved impossible, at least reservoirs must be built in the hardest-hit areas.

The core issue in Yanzhou's drought was insufficient flow in tributaries.

This project demanded immense manpower.

Only now, as the four quarters gradually stabilized, could such an undertaking proceed.

Zhuge Liang's mastery of water conservancy was equally profound.

For this reason, he took the burden upon himself and resolved to personally travel to Yanzhou to oversee the project.

Luoyang.

Liu Shan stared intently at Zhuge Liang, his hair now white, his eyes filled with reluctance: "In years past, Your Late Majesty departed just like this."

"Prime Minister, are you also leaving me today?"

After many years, Liu Shan had finally acquired the dignity befitting an Emperor.

Yet he still held Zhuge Liang in the deepest respect.

"Your Majesty."

Zhuge Liang slowly rose, bowed to Liu Shan, and a look of reminiscence crossed his face: "I still recall Master Gu's words."

"A true man does not die on his bed—that is unworthy."

"I am not Master Gu."

"Nor can I, like him, still ride the battlefield near the end of my life."

"But I believe Master Gu was right."

As he spoke, Zhuge Liang's voice paused slightly, and he bowed deeply to Liu Shan: "Your Majesty, my days are numbered."

"Heaven's grace has allowed me to reach this day."

"If I am truly fortunate—"

"I shall resolve this final threat for Your Majesty, for our Han."

His tone was very calm, yet utterly resolute.

Seeing this, Liu Shan's face immediately flickered with emotion, filled with reluctance.

Ps: Beginning of the month, requesting baseline monthly votes.

(End of Chapter)