Chapter 39: Combating the Locust Plague, Surpassing Heaven by Half a Move

For the current Great Han;

—the morale-boosting effect of this great victory on the hearts of the people actually far exceeds any concrete benefits.

Under the current circumstances of constant natural disasters, nothing raises morale more than a great victory.

This is exactly what Gu Xi wanted.

As soon as the battle ended, he ordered people to spread the news throughout the world.

Once this news had completely spread.

The court and the public were both shaken!

The current Great Han court is different from the time of Gu Cheng and Gu Kang.

Years of regency have created a clear gap between Gu Xi and the other ministers; no one cares how much more merit Gu Xi can achieve.

After all, no matter how much merit he gains, Gu Xi can only go so far, and it will not affect their interests.

Now, hearing of the great victory, they are naturally overjoyed.

And for Liu Hu and Deng Sui.

Gu Xi being safe is a good thing for the Great Han, let alone a great victory.

As for the reaction among the common people, it is much more intense.

Many commoners attribute the credit for this great victory to Gu Xi’s earlier sacrifice at the Luo River.

Under these circumstances.

The rumors regarding the court’s superstitious omens are self-defeating.

Furthermore, the court’s disaster relief has never stopped!

Amidst these various rumors, the hearts of the people of the Great Han have returned!

This is a very obvious change.

Even if the natural disasters continue unabated.

As long as the gloom in the hearts of the people gradually dissipates, for the current Great Han, this series of natural disasters cannot shake the foundation of the state.

The most critical point is that Gu Xi’s methods have not yet ended.

After noticing the shift in public sentiment, Gu Xi tirelessly arranged for one artificial auspicious event after another.

Various rumors such as ancient steles revealing characters, divine birds delivering messages, the sudden appearance of white pheasants, and the emergence of a qilin.

He did not even bother to put on a show.

He simply had people spread them.

The power of rumors, from ancient times to the present, has always been like a tide hidden in the shadows.

Seemingly formless, yet capable of stirring up massive waves at critical moments, swaying the direction of the situation.

Borrowing the momentum of this great victory.

These rumors flowed to every corner of the Great Han at an astonishing speed.

"What? A white pheasant appeared in the forest? And it actually walked into the capital on its own? Oh my, this is a sign of great prosperity!"

"Have you heard? A giant boulder descended upon the peak of Taishan, with text appearing on it, saying that the Great Han’s natural disasters are merely a test from the Heavens, and if we can survive them, we will enjoy eternal prosperity?"

"A lucky star appeared in the night sky? Is this true??"

"."

In the end, there was no longer any need for Gu Xi to arrange anything; once these rumors spread completely, the commoners themselves would create many more miracles to pass on.

They have returned.

They have all returned!

The Great Han of yesteryear, with its overwhelming national prestige, seems to have truly returned!

Even though some sorcerers still wanted to spread rumors, they could not stop this trend; there were even instances of commoners rising up in anger to beat the sorcerers directly.

And the reputation of the Gu family rose crazily in this favorable wind.

All of this left Gu Yi dumbfounded.

How does it feel like Gu Xi’s attitude toward talk of ghosts and gods is even more disdainful than that of Gu Kang and Gu Cheng?

If this can truly continue to be passed down.

Just how far ahead could the thinking of the Gu family descendants be?

Moreover, for those with high political acumen, this has a high probability of serving an unexpected purpose.

This was indeed completely beyond Gu Yi’s expectations.

The entire Great Han court was waiting for Gu Xi’s return.

Especially Liu Hu.

The sudden drowning of Wang Sheng made Liu Hu very sad.

Since childhood, he had deep feelings for this wet nurse.

Now that Wang Sheng was dead, his sense of reliance on Gu Xi grew even deeper, and he waited for Gu Xi’s return at every moment.

However, Gu Xi did not intend to return to the court immediately.

Now, the hearts of the people of the Great Han are settled.

He wants to use this opportunity to completely pull the Great Han out of the fire and water.

Disaster relief!

He does not intend to sit in the court and oversee the overall situation anymore.

The disaster relief strategies for various regions have been basically determined.

What follows is to grasp the details.

There is immense profit to be made in disaster relief.

Although Gu Xi has been keeping an eye on this matter, in the face of profit, human nature always appears too weak.

Now that the court is stable and the hearts of the people are warming.

If he does not take this opportunity to launch a comprehensive operation.

Then if the Great Han wants to truly and completely overcome this calamity, it is destined to take a very long time.

He first went to the prefectures and counties in Bingzhou and Liangzhou that were most severely affected.

He personally supervised the progress of the officials' disaster relief.

And by using his current reputation, he calmed the local public sentiment, and through practical investigation, made more detailed changes to the disaster relief plan.

The effect was astonishing.

Gu Xi’s reputation was too high.

Now, he could even be said to have surpassed the original Gu Kang.

With the status of regent, he had the power of life and death, and the power to dismiss officials in all regions.

Officials everywhere feared him like a tiger.

When they heard that Gu Xi had arrived in person, no one dared to engage in any tricks regarding the disaster relief.

Countless commoners were deeply grateful to Gu Xi.

Gu Xi truly became that beam of light, set to break through the gloom that had shrouded the entire Great Han for years.

However... things are destined not to go smoothly forever.

Natural disasters will not change in the slightest because of human effort.

—The fourth year of Yongchu.

Locust plagues still occurred in various places.

In fact, a locust plague is just like that; as long as a plague occurs in one place, the locusts of that year will leave behind countless eggs.

To return the following year.

This is a difficult problem that is hard to handle in this current era.

Gu Xi rushed to the disaster area to observe, and had people bring all the books left behind by Gu Kang, beginning to study them carefully.

Gu Kang’s talent in farming goes without saying.

Under Gu Yi’s education.

His level of farming was crushing for the current era.

And Gu Kang naturally left behind some methods for dealing with locust plagues.

After Gu Xi studied them seriously.

He decided to implement the strategy of turning the soil!

This was a method left behind by Gu Kang, which was different from most methods of the current era.

It was to turn the soil on a large scale when the locusts were laying eggs.

And this time, the tilling had to be deeper.

To bury all the eggs underground, increasing the difficulty of their hatching, and to change the crops usually planted in the local area.

This was an experience Gu Kang discovered after focusing on farming for many years.

Although Gu Xi did not know if it could solve such a large locust plague, since things had reached this point, why worry?

And the greatest characteristic of this woman, Deng Sui, was her immense courage.

She was not at all like ordinary women who would panic and hesitate when facing major events.

After receiving Gu Xi’s letter.

She did not hesitate at all, immediately agreeing to the matter and handing full authority to Gu Xi.

Of course, Gu Xi naturally could not implement this across the entire world all at once.

Not to mention whether the Great Han can withstand such consumption.

If this matter proves useless, it would deal a major blow to the public morale that has only just begun to recover.

He simply chose to conduct the experiment in the commanderies where the locust plague was most severe.

—Jizhou!

That is correct; the locust plague was most severe in Jizhou this time.

Jizhou was already a major grain-producing province with a dense population.

And because of the existence of the Gu clan, the current population of Jizhou is actually far greater than it was in history.

Its development in agriculture can be said to far exceed that of other commanderies.

It is precisely because of this that the locust plague, which affected the entire world, dealt the greatest blow to all of Jizhou.

Moreover, as the base of operations that the Gu clan has managed for many years.

If carried out in Jizhou, the common people would absolutely provide sufficient support.

This is the most important reason.

This matter is destined to be earth-shattering.

Just like Gu Kang managing the Dahe in years past, Gu Xi is determined to use human effort to combat a natural disaster.

The national strength left behind by generations of ancestors gave Gu Xi full confidence.

It was in the autumn of the fourth year of Yongchu.

Gu Xi personally went to Jizhou to launch this grand project, which is destined to go down in history.

He ordered local government offices to organize the common people.

And he personally supervised the work and set the standards.

Locust eggs are generally about one inch underground; in the current feudal era, it is impossible to achieve a completely standardized project.

Gu Xi could only do his best to have the people turn the soil deeper.

The talent of the Gu clan descendants in agriculture is known to all under heaven.

Not to mention that Gu Xi's current reputation has long since spread throughout the entire world.

The common people everywhere had long suffered from disasters.

Facing this policy, there was simply no reason to refuse.

Not to mention that Gu Xi even took the lead in going into the fields?

The entire Jizhou began to move.

Even the great clans in various places were all actively cooperating with this matter.

Natural disasters do not distinguish between people.

Compared to ordinary commoners, these great clans who possess more land are even more afraid of disasters.

The only difference is that they can still survive.

While the common people cannot.

Gu Yi has been silently watching all of this.

In truth, he also does not know whether this measure will actually have any effect.

According to the original history, the natural disasters throughout the Eastern Han during this period were continuous.

To say nothing of anything else.

Just speaking of the locust plague alone, it lasted for a full six years.

It almost drained the foundation left behind by all the previous emperors of the Eastern Han.

Although the current Great Han is much stronger than in the original history, the increase in population has also increased the consumption of grain.

Whether Gu Xi can specifically end all of this early, he also cannot be certain.

Although Gu Xi is overseeing everything in Jizhou from the outside.

Within the imperial court of the Great Han, things have not stopped either.

October.

News came from the coastal commanderies.

It was said that sea bandits were attacking cities and plundering the people.

Naturally, there is no need to trouble Gu Xi with such matters.

Deng Sui quickly formulated a strategy and dispatched generals such as Wang Zong and Fa Xiong to lead the army to exterminate the bandits, winning battle after battle.

And while Deng Sui was supervising disaster relief in other commanderies.

She also did not give up on the recruitment of talent.

Zhang Heng and others arrived at court one after another.

And Liu Hu has now also undergone a transformation, perhaps because those with ulterior motives were dealt with, or perhaps because of Gu Xi's initial promise.

When he gradually calmed down and observed Deng Sui from another perspective.

He actually discovered that Deng Sui was not at all as he had previously imagined.

Whether viewed from the perspective of governing the country;

Or from other aspects;

Deng Sui is completely different from the Empress Dowager Dou of the past.

And the most critical point is that as he began to become more diligent, Deng Sui also gradually reduced her lecturing of him.

This is absolutely a major change.

Even if an Emperor has no power, he is still the Emperor.

When this Emperor and the Regent Empress Dowager gradually came together, it would have a certain influence on the entire imperial court.

The entire Great Han seems to have changed.

Although Jizhou's land is vast, its arable land is limited.

When a person of Gu Xi's status is determined to accomplish something, it does not take much time.

Just after the plowing was completed.

Gu Xi conducted another series of inspections.

He required the people to plant crops completely different from previous years.

If millet was planted in the past, then switch to beans!

If beans were planted in the past, then plant millet!

Although doing this might affect the yield.

But for the current Great Han, stopping the locust plague is the top priority.

—The fifth year of Yongchu, during the spring plowing.

Gu Xi and the accompanying officials inspected the entire land of Jizhou.

Looking at the common people rushing about in the fields, the officials' moods were all somewhat heavy.

Their appearance and expressions were completely different.

Years of natural disasters had long since driven them to the brink of desperation, and their figures all looked somewhat thin.

The tenant farmers of the great clans were the same.

But their faces were all filled with a deep sense of anticipation.

Clearly, they were all looking forward to this year's harvest.

The Gu clan stepping in to manage the locust plague gave them great hope.

This is the purest form of expectation.

It is also the strength brought to them by faith.

"Grand Tutor..." following behind Gu Xi, Yuan Chang could not help but sigh deeply, "If there is still a locust plague this year, what should we do?"

Yuan Chang is the third son of Yuan An, currently serving as Minister of Works; his character is upright and unyielding, and he is deeply valued by Gu Xi.

In fact, in the original history, he would have already been dead by this time.

The reason being his discord with Deng Sui.

But now, because of the existence of Gu Xi.

He perfectly became the buffer between these ministers and Deng Sui, which is why he is still in this world.

"What else can we do?" Gu Xi's expression was calm as he said indifferently, "We can only find other methods and continue to manage the disaster."

Hearing this, Yuan Chang fell silent, and after a deep sigh, he said again:

"I do not know how long Heaven intends to test our Great Han."

Even the most talented of people cannot escape the limitations of their era.

Yuan Chang is clearly the same.

Hearing these words, Gu Xi gradually stopped his footsteps.

Looking at the farmers busy in the fields, looking at the expectant expressions on their faces, he then raised his head to look at the sky.

How could he not be under pressure?

It can be said that he is carrying almost all of the burden.

But for Gu Xi, he simply has his own persistence.

He must never let the Great Han go wrong in his hands!

After a moment of silence, Gu Xi suddenly spoke, as if murmuring to himself, "If we are truly playing a game against Heaven,"

"Then I will win half a move against Heaven."

He paused, turned his head to look at the stunned officials, and continued with exceptional firmness:

"I absolutely cannot let the Great Han fall in my hands."

"Absolutely not!"

Having said this, Gu Xi stepped forward once more.

Watching Gu Xi's back, the gathered officials were filled with astonishment.

The eyes of the world were all focused here.

Regarding this management of the locust plague by the Gu Shizi, the reaction of the common people across the world was almost identical.

———They all held great expectations.

As the spring plowing ended, crops began to sprout in various regions.

The news everyone least wanted to hear arrived nonetheless.

Of the thirteen provinces of the Great Han, nine were struck by a locust plague.

And Jizhou was among them.

However, compared to the locust plagues in other provinces and the locust plague in Jizhou last year, this year's plague in Jizhou was much smaller.

Gu Xi simply had the local people follow the old methods to capture and kill them.

And just like that, the locust plague was suppressed!

Although some remained and still caused damage to the crops, it was far from reaching the level of a disaster.

Once this news broke, the world was shaken!

—————————

"In the fourth year of Yongchu, there was a great famine in Bing and Liang, with the starving dead blocking the roads.

Grand Tutor Gu Xi, having quelled the rebellion and returning with his troops, did not go to Luoyang to report the victory, but instead led only a hundred Tiger Warriors directly to Bingzhou to oversee disaster relief.

That summer, locusts rose in the commanderies of Jizhou, Yanzhou, Yuzhou, Qingzhou, and Xuzhou, blotting out the sky; the beating of their wings sounded like thunder, and day and night were obscured for three days.

Recalling the old records left by the Marquis of Wencheng, Gu Xi directed the people of Jizhou to dig into the earth and bury the locust nymphs, sealing them underground.

He personally held a plow in the suburbs of Julu, his back calloused and bleeding, staining the handle of the plow.

Seeing his purple robes stained with dust, the people all wept and worked with all their might.

The following year, the locust plague raged across the nine provinces, yet in the fields of Jizhou, only the occasional shadow could be seen, less than one-tenth of that in other commanderies.

The Emperor once sighed: 'Gu Gong has torn his own back to save the ten thousand people; this is a blessing for the altars of soil and grain.'

——"Biography of Gu Xi, Book of the Later Han"

(End of Chapter)