I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 199 Dinner's Served
"Is there any misunderstanding here?"

"A misunderstanding?" Chao Yi rummaged through the shaman's sleeves. "Could this flint also be a misunderstanding?"

The facts were undeniable, leaving the villagers no choice but to believe them. After the initial shock, the village chief was overcome with rage: "Why did you do this?"

Chao Yi considerately pressed his hand on the shaman's chin.

The sorcerer stammered and remained silent.

"Not going to talk?" The village chief slammed his cane heavily on the ground. "Men, beat this heartless bastard badly!"

"Yes!" Several strong young men rushed forward and began punching and kicking the witch gods.

The screams pierced the sky, but no one showed any sympathy.

One of them couldn't take it anymore and blurted out the truth, "Stop hitting us! Stop hitting us! I'll tell you, yes, someone ordered us to burn the crops!"

The village chief waved his hand, and the youths stopped.

"who is it?"

The man stammered for a long time, and just as the youths were about to attack again, he shouted, "It's the government! It's the county magistrate!"

The village chief was filled with shock and rage: "Tie up these beasts!"

"I'm going to sue the officials! Even if it costs me my old bones, I'll make those damned bastards in the county yamen get what they deserve!"

The villagers echoed his sentiments.

"Brother, you mustn't!" Song Kai, who had rushed over, advised. "Who doesn't know that destroying farmland is a serious crime? That county magistrate is a thousand times more shrewd than you or me. Hasn't he considered the consequences of failure?"

"What does our distinguished guest mean?"

"If the people in the county government dare to do this, they probably have someone backing them up. If you go to the prefectural government, aren't you just walking into a trap?"

Song Kai understood clearly, "At that time, not only will the thieves not receive the punishment they deserve, but you and everyone else may also lose your lives."

"What should we do then?" The village chief was heartbroken. Was there really no place in the world where he could seek justice?

“Brother, if you trust me, let me take the person away,” Song Kai explained the pros and cons. “Prince Xuan is strict in governing his people and loves them like his own children. He will surely redress your grievances.”

"If what you say is true, esteemed guest, then on behalf of the entire village, I thank you for your kindness!" The village chief said, and then knelt down.

Song Kai quickly stepped forward to help him up, saying, "Brother, there's no need for that. It's still early. Everyone should go back and rest. We still have to go to the fields tomorrow."

"Ugh, I'm not going to sleep." After something like this happens, who can sleep?

"I will stay here to watch the children tend the fields. Please go back and rest, esteemed guest."

Song Kai was old and frail, but he didn't refuse. He apologized and went back to rest.

Before leaving, Chaoyi whispered a reminder, "Old man, you can send someone to inquire in the nearby villages you know to see if a similar thing has happened."

The village chief slapped his thigh and immediately sent his son to his aunt's house in the neighboring village to find out what was going on.

The village chief's son didn't return until noon the next day, looking disheveled.

The village chief put down the ceramic bowl in his hand. "What's wrong?"

"Dad, Aunt's wheat field has burned down!" The village chief's son, not even bothering to wash himself, said, "When my son arrived, the fire was already out of control, and my uncle couldn't do anything about it."

"What's wrong?"

"They had the unburnt wheat pulled up, and now less than one-tenth of the wheat field remains intact."

The village chief gasped and stumbled backward, falling onto the bed.

The village chief's son quickly stepped forward to help him catch his breath.

"Never mind me, continue."

"By the time the fire was extinguished, those plague-stricken bastards had already fled far away," the village chief's son said anxiously. "My uncle was furious and gathered all the able-bodied men in the village to file a complaint at the government office!" "Didn't you tell your uncle what our distinguished guest said?"

“Why didn’t you say so? But my uncle was so angry that he wouldn’t listen to anything! I had no choice but to come back and ask you for advice, Father.”

What ideas could an old man who only knows how to farm have?
"Quickly invite our distinguished guest to discuss this matter!"

Song Kai was at a loss after hearing this, but he still comforted them, saying, "The villagers of Xiahe Village are victims after all, and the government wouldn't dare to go too far. Their lives should be safe, but they might suffer some physical pain."

The village chief's mind was buzzing.

Song Kai's prediction was correct. The government used the pretext of troublemakers to have all the villagers of Xiahe Village flogged ten times and driven them out of the government office.

Unexpectedly, the government lifted the travel ban between counties and villages, allowing people within Qin Prefecture to move freely, but they were still not allowed to leave the territory of Qin Prefecture.

Something unusual must be going on. Song Kai felt uneasy, but worried that the government would issue another travel ban, so he decided to leave.

The village chief tried his best to persuade them to stay, but to no avail, and had no choice but to reluctantly see them off.

Song Kai traveled to most of Qin Prefecture, especially to the counties and prefectures bordering Qin Prefecture and Jin Prefecture, and was greatly shocked by the severity of the insect plague in Qin Prefecture and even Jin Prefecture.

In addition, it is not uncommon for unruly people to maliciously set fire to farmland.

Based on his years of experience, Song Kai believed that there must be a connection between the two matters, and he became increasingly anxious.

"Steward Song, take a rest," Chaoyi advised. "If you continue on this journey, your body will definitely not be able to take it."

Song Kai's face, covered in dust, was streaked with sweat, and his pale lips were cracked and peeling. "We can't rest. The insect eggs have already hatched. If we delay any longer, the princess won't have time to figure out how to deal with it."

Chao Yi stared blankly at the distant horizon. "Steward Song, there's really no need to rush."

Song Kai frowned.

Chao Yi pointed and said, "No matter how fast a horse's hooves are, it can't outrun a winged creature."

Song Kai looked back and saw a black mist suddenly appear on the horizon. Countless small black dots gathered from all directions toward the black mist, which grew larger and larger until it covered the sky and the sun when it got close.

"Quick! Get into the woods!" Chao Yi hoisted Song Kai onto his shoulder and ran as fast as he could, hiding in the dense forest before the locusts attacked.

Locusts flew across the land, devouring all living things on the ground.

Chao Yi stomped on a lone locust and killed it. When he looked up again, the black mist flew towards the horizon, and a few gnawed and broken leaves hung scattered on the trees outside the dense forest.

The guard from the Prince's mansion trembled as he reached out his hand, "That...that's the direction to Ningzhou, isn't it?"

Chao Yi was greatly shocked.

"It's over, it's all over," Song Kai muttered, his hands clasped together. "Quick, hurry and chase after them."

What are you chasing? Chao Yi's face was filled with despair.

Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, the people of Ningzhou were filled with excitement, even looking forward to the arrival of the locusts.

I've heard that locusts are very nutritious, especially good for supplementing protein.

Although I don't know what protein is, it sounds very nutritious!

The people, carrying hemp cloths, were eager to strike. The locusts were moving so fast; they were determined to hit them with one blow!
In Wuwei City, Tang Zhao stood on the ridge of the Song clan's farmland, feeding the chickens and ducks with vegetable leaves.

"Princess, when will the locusts come?" The tenant farmer was very anxious. If they didn't come soon, the chickens and ducks in the fields would soon starve and eat the crops.

Tang Zhao reassured her, "They're coming, they're coming, don't worry."

On the morning of the third day, swarms of locusts emerged from the horizon.

At Tang Zhao's command, tens of thousands of chickens and ducks clucked and rushed out of the fence, flapping their wings and running towards the locusts on the horizon.

Dinner's ready!