Tiger Guards

Chapter 131: Taking Locusts to Extend Life
Near the Yuwang Temple is the Locust God Temple.

When Jia Kui was riding past this place, he saw a wounded and disabled retired Hu Ben wearing a black official uniform, examining locusts brought by the nearby people.

Even after retirement, this Tiger Guard still wore the Tiger Guard armband, which was one bar and three stars, and retired as a Tiger Guard doctor.

He was the first Tiger Guard to retire due to disability. Most of the injured Tiger Guards have not yet recovered, and it is unknown whether they will become disabled in the future.

This Tiger Guard lost his index and middle fingers on his right hand while fighting the Huns that night, which meant he was destined to be unable to continue serving in the army.

At this moment, he was standing beside the wooden table and staring at it. Two of his subordinates brought the Tiger Step Soldiers to weigh the locusts brought by the people. One subordinate was weighing, and the other was copying the records.

When giving money, the people receiving the money have to sign.

Many people are illiterate. They may be able to write their names, but they don’t know many words and are afraid of being cheated.

Therefore, they would bring in poor scholars they were familiar with to act as intermediaries, and only sign after confirming that everything was correct, or ask these scholars to help sign.

The clerks here can also find someone to help you sign, but it also costs money.

Rather than paying petty officials, the people selling locusts trust acquaintances more.

The weighed locusts are poured into the carriage, and when it is full, they are taken to the Locust Temple.

The Locust Temple is currently just an open space. These locusts will be mixed with soil, lime or wood ash, stirred and pounded, and then compacted into long mud bricks for drying.

This place has been operating for seven days, and people from Anyi, Wenxi and Yishi come here to sell locusts.

Some people also came upstream by boat and brought more than ten stones of locusts.

A stone of locusts is worth a hundred coins, which is very meaningful to the people.

As for the punishment from the locust god, the emperor, the imperial court, and Minister Zhao are in charge. What does it have to do with ordinary people like them?
Perhaps this way of offering sacrifices to the locust god can really please the locust god and prevent him from bringing disasters again.

When Jia Kui looked at the box of locusts that was almost full, he remembered the scene of Zhao Ji catching locusts and eating them that evening.

Zhao Ji was too clever and fickle, and he used a method to kill the locusts that made Jia Kui laugh and cry.

At this moment, Jia Kui could only hope that this method would work.

He rode his horse closer. Shangguan Yun, the official in charge of the severed finger, noticed it and stepped forward alone, bowing, "Warehouse Officer."

"I stopped by to see how many mud bricks have been made."

"About three thousand."

Shangguan Yun, who was in charge of this place, probably understood the purpose of buying locusts, and said, "Wang Cao, the mud bricks we make are very strong after drying in the shade, and they are resistant to water soaking and will not fall apart easily."

Jia Kui didn't believe it, so he pointed to the locust eggs on the table that looked like a plate of rice and asked, "What is this? Why is it priced at one hundred coins per dou?"

"They are locust eggs, from which locusts hatch."

Shangguan Yun explained, "This ingredient is born from the dry and intense Yang energy. Its spicy taste warms the stomach and strengthens the spleen, helping to strengthen the Yang energy."

"Can it really warm the stomach and strengthen the spleen?"

Sun Zi, who was following behind Jia Kui, stepped forward and picked up a locust egg that was slightly longer than a grain of rice. He asked seriously with a concerned look on his face.

Shangguan Yun already had experience, and whispered, "It's also not advisable to eat too much every day."

Shangguan Yun took a small, emerald green locust from a straw stick with his left hand and said, "At this age, the yang energy is mild and the vitality is at its peak. It is said that long-term consumption can prolong life. Among them, the ones that are completely emerald green are the best quality, costing three hundred coins per dou, and are the most valuable."

Then he pointed to half a box of small, brownish-yellow locusts and said, "These are useless. A dou is fifty coins."

Jia Kui's face was tense, and the scene of Zhao Ji with blood on his face catching locusts and eating them raw appeared in front of him again.

Sun Zi dismounted, picked up the small green locust that looked like a specimen, and asked, "Can it really prolong life?"

Shangguan Yun didn't answer directly. Instead, he gave Sun Zi a look and led him a dozen steps to a secluded spot on the side before saying, "Sir, only when the warehouse officer is here will I tell you the truth. This thing is dried and ground into powder, and Minister Zhao swallows it every day. The Right Wise King is charging a premium here, five hundred coins per bucket!"

Seeing Jia Kui also coming up, Shangguan Yun said: "The warehouse officials also know that the Minister of the Interior is strong and just likes to eat locusts."

Jia Kui couldn't help but think of a particularly crazy "Queen Mother of the West" event in Guandong many years ago, which spread throughout the states and counties.

It is said that if one passes on the wooden chips or bamboo slips with the Queen Mother of the West's blessing painted on them to others, one can accumulate merit and ascend to heaven sooner or later.

The result was that the trend spread rapidly. Many people received the chips for the first time and were infected by the enthusiasm of the people around them. They immediately wrote new chips and distributed them to people they knew.

In this way, it spread from the west of Yanzhou to the east at an extremely fast speed.

Scholars, officials, and princes were also addicted to it, and county governors and county magistrates were at a loss as to what to do.

After a period of popularity, this large-scale social "flash mob" and performance art, involving hundreds of thousands and even millions of people, finally came to an end. Sun Zi turned to look at Jia Kui and said, "Liang Dao, does the Minister really love locusts?"

"Well, when we were stationed in Beijiang, locusts fell from the sky. We couldn't dodge them, and the Minister of the Interior caught them and ate them alive. We didn't understand why, so it was difficult for us to stop them."

Jia Kui stepped forward and took the dried green locust from Shangguan Yun's hand. He held it up and looked at it carefully, and found that it was indeed very cute and not so difficult to accept.

Sun Zi then turned to ask Shangguan Yun, "Is there any surplus?"

"These treasures are well-documented, and the Minister of the Interior forbids me from selling them."

Shangguan Yun whispered again, "Vendors are already selling locusts in the East Market inside the city. Yesterday, the price was already seven hundred coins. Today, the Minister of the Interior has issued orders to the four gates of Anyi, prohibiting the people from selling locusts into the city."

"The Minister is too harsh."

Sun Zi said with emotion: "Although this move can eliminate locusts, how can it affect the livelihood of the people?"

Shangguan Yun also sighed softly: "The Minister's intention is good. The small green locusts will be dried and ground into powder and distributed to the officers and soldiers in the camp to strengthen their bodies."

Jia Kui couldn't bear to listen any longer, and seeing Shangguan Yun's serious expression, he couldn't help but feel puzzled. Perhaps this little green locust was really effective.

Zhao Ji did not respect ghosts and gods, so why would he be so keen on subduing locusts if it was useless?

Jia Kui asked, "What else do you know?"

"Cang Cao, I've heard that the locust god breeds locusts to feed on and gather the energy of the five elements of the earth's trees, which is extremely nourishing. However, locusts are large and difficult for ordinary people to digest, which is why they are poisonous."

After saying this, Shangguan Yun sighed with a bitter face: "Now I can still receive small green locusts and locust eggs, but I am worried that after a while, the people will succumb to the locusts on their own, and I am afraid it will be difficult for me to complete the mission entrusted to me by the Minister."

"You work hard, and the Minister is considerate of his fellow soldiers. He won't blame you when the time comes."

"Here."

Shangguan Yun forced a smile, bandaged the wound with his right hand, and saluted gently.

If I were assigned any other position, how could I be as relaxed and free as I am now?
Seeing this, Jia Kui said, "Give me a bushel of small green locusts. I'll give you the money later. I'll go and plead with the Minister of the Court for mercy."

"Well... well, Warehouse Officer, don't make it public, or else our comrades in the camp will come and ask for it, and I'll be the guilty one."

Shangguan Yun responded in a low voice and turned around to deal with the matter.

He took out the dried green locusts from a covered wooden box, measured them with a bucket, smoothed the bucket, and put them into a cloth bag, handing it over with both hands: "Wang Cao, hurry up and leave before anyone you know sees it."

"Okay, I'll send someone to get the money for you later."

Jia Kui pulled Sun Zi away, mounted his horse, and headed northwest to the bank of the Sushui River to inspect the paddy field measurement work there.

Sun Zi felt light as he held the bag of small green locusts. He felt that the idea of swallowing small green locusts to improve health and prolong life made sense, and in theory it was much more reliable than taking Wu Shi San.

Sun Zi has experienced how powerful Zhao Ji is in the past few days.

If you meditate after meals every day, the Daoyin techniques you practice won’t seem fake.

She was full of energy all day long and only slept for two hours every night, which made him very envious.

It is not convenient to ask to learn the art of guiding. You can first eat small green locusts to strengthen your body. After you have made some achievements, you can ask for advice and discuss the art of guiding. I think the Minister will not refuse too much.

At this moment, Zhao Ji was resting on the side of the road after inspecting the training conditions of each team.

He sat on the green umbrella cart and flipped through the account book, nodding his head: "The income and expenditure are relatively balanced. These people in the city are really rich. You go back to the city first. I will deliver the goods to you early tomorrow morning. This time, it will be less. Otherwise, if it becomes more and more, these people will become suspicious."

Gou Sheng, who was smuggling small green locusts and locust eggs in the city's East Market, nodded and asked, "Sir, can this thing really make you immortal?"

"Do you think I look like a fairy?"

Zhao Ji asked back without a smile, his expression serious and not pretending.

Gou Sheng glanced at it and felt offended, so he quickly lowered his head and said, "The Minister of the Interior is a man of heaven and earth, known far and wide. Can I take some as well?"

"You're just starting out, so don't exceed three spoonfuls a day. Eat as many locusts as you normally eat salt."

Zhao Ji said casually, "Keep the accounts clear, and divide the extra money among yourselves. Don't cause any disputes, or I'll replace you and you all go mining."

"Here!"

"It's getting late, let's go back to the city quickly."

(End of this chapter)