I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 200 It’s raining

Adult chickens and ducks strode ahead, their large beaks opening and closing, swallowing several locusts in an instant.

Young chicks and ducklings followed behind, small in size but fierce in their eating. With their tiny black bean eyes fixed on the locusts, no matter how fast they flew, they couldn't escape.

"Everyone, take precautions and let's go together!"

Tang Zhao put on a specially made coarse linen garment, covering his entire body completely, and took the lead in rushing forward with a locust-catching net in hand.

Wu Jiayi led the guards behind, while the tenants and villagers shouted as they rushed into the fields.

Tang Zhao waved the locust-catching net and quickly filled a whole bag. With swift reflexes, he untied the net, tied seven or eight knots, threw it by the roadside, and put the net back on to continue catching locusts.

Damn it, while other young ladies were chasing butterflies in their fragrant courtyards, she was leading the people of Northwest China to catch locusts all over the mountains and fields.

Is this justified?
Wu Jia watched in terror as the girl brandished her locust-catching pole with murderous intent.

The battle lasted for an hour. Faced with their natural enemy and the united will of the people, even the ferocious locusts had no choice but to surrender. Those locusts that managed to escape fled westward, flapping their wings.

"Oh!" The people, drenched in sweat from the heat, excitedly waved their poles. "The locusts are gone! The crops are saved!"

Tang Zhao took off her sweat-soaked veil and sat on the edge of the field, panting heavily.

The spring breeze and autumn rain, who were hiding inside, were heartbroken and rushed out to frantically fan themselves.

Tang Zhao's mouth was parched. "Water!"

Xia Mo untied the water pouch from her waist and carefully fed it to Tang Zhao, bringing it to her lips.

Tang Zhao gulped down most of the water in the water sac before he felt like he was alive again.

"Start a fire and burn the locusts in the burlap sack to death."

Wu Jiayi accepted the order and made arrangements. A moment later, dozens of fire pits were lit, and countless sacks were thrown into the fire, with a continuous aroma of burning sacks wafting out.

"It smells so good!" the people sniffed. "It smells even better than meat."

"Didn't the princess say that this is all protein, the most nutritious thing?"

"Then why don't we save it to eat?"

"You can eat all of this?" Another commoner pointed to the burlap sacks on the ground. "The princess said that eating too much of this stuff is not good. Each family should just keep one or two sacks to satisfy their cravings."

In the northwestern military camp, dozens of miles away, King Xuan was watching his soldiers burn locusts.

"Your Highness, the scouts report that the remaining locusts are all flying towards the Turkic Kingdom."

King Xuan nodded, "Strengthen defenses during this period and be on guard against the Turks launching an attack at any time."

"Yes!"

Inside the Turkic capital, the new Khan was drinking and making merry.

"Report!" A messenger rushed into the palace with urgent news, "Your Majesty, the border has been ravaged by locusts, and half of the grasslands have been devoured!"

"What?" The new Khan didn't hear clearly.

The messenger announced it aloud again.

The new Khan waved his hand dismissively, "I don't take it seriously. If this pasture is eaten, we can just find another one. My Turkic territory is so vast, how could we possibly lack pasture?"

The messenger wanted to speak further, but the new Khan ordered him to be dragged away.

Three days later, locusts attacked the Turkic capital.

The Turkic ministers, who were arguing endlessly about starting a war, suddenly felt the sky darken. Just as they were wondering what was going on, a swarm of locusts rushed into the palace.

"Protect the Khan!" Geshu Yong and Ashide Muyang shouted as they rushed up the steps to protect the Khan.

The imperial guards outside the palace rushed into the hall and formed a human wall, but the locusts were everywhere and no matter how they tried to guard against them, some always managed to slip through.

Geshu Yong tore off the gauze curtain and covered the Khan with it, protecting him as he headed towards the inner palace.

Inside the palace of the Turkic Queen Dowager, the eunuchs locked the doors and windows and chased away the locusts that were running around inside the palace.

The Turkic queen dowager felt a headache coming on as she watched the farce unfold before her.

"Your Majesty, your subject Geshu Yong is escorting the Khan to safety. Please open the door!"

"Open the door quickly!"

The gate was opened a crack, and along with the Khan and his entourage came hundreds of locusts. The eunuchs had to swat them away for quite some time before they were finally eliminated.

"How could there suddenly be so many locusts?" the Empress Dowager questioned. "How come no one reported such a serious matter?" "Your Majesty, judging from the direction, the locusts should be flying in from the south."

"Damn Da Yu!" the Turkic Queen Dowager thought to herself with resentment. "Guards! Immediately write a letter to Da Yu demanding retribution and compensation!"

It should be Ge Shuyong.

King Xuan scoffed at the letter of accusation from the Turks, but still sent it to Luoyang by express courier.

"That's absolutely insane!"

Tang Zhao also believed that the Turks were sick. It was true that the locusts originated from Dayu, but it was not Dayu that ordered them to fly to the Turks. Who could he blame for his bad luck?

You disagree? Then let's fight!

[Host, you really do look like a villainous female supporting character.]

Tang Zhao responded with a disdainful look.

"Turn on the weather forecast."

The system reluctantly displayed the weather forecast interface, where three small suns were followed by a large patch of raindrops.

It's going to rain!

On August 27th, after four months, the northern cities of Chongqing finally welcomed a heavy rain.

Tang Zhao sat under the eaves of the corridor, enjoying the rain.

A strong wind swept by, whipping up a torrential downpour that splattered everyone's faces with water. Autumn Rain, looking forlorn, wiped it clean and said, "Girl, let's go back inside and enjoy the rain."

Tang Zhao shook his head and said firmly, "I want to enjoy it here."

Qiu Yu silently moved further inside.

The heavy rain lasted all night, and gradually subsided the next day. Worried that their crops would be flooded, the people braved the rain, carrying hoes to clear the water from their fields.

The common people can handle this matter, so Tang Zhaole is happy to be a hands-off manager, lying on his newly made rocking chair listening to the spring breeze calculate the accounts.

"Hua Lu Fang and Zhong Family Winery have delivered 304,000 taels of silver, and we are still nearly 200,000 taels short of our target."

"Girl, we need to make a fortune."

Tang Zhao tapped his fingers slowly on the rocking chair, thinking about making a fortune. He had almost finished harvesting money in the Great Yu Kingdom, and any further harvesting would cause controversy. If he wanted to make another windfall, he would have to look to other countries.

The Turks are out of the question, but Tibet...

Qiu Yu, with her sharp eyes, exclaimed, "Miss! The young master is back!"

Gu Ci?! Tang Zhao stood up abruptly, beaming as he went to greet him.

The two said in unison, "I have something to tell you."

"Then you say it first."

Tang Zhao chuckled, "Ladies first, I'll go first."

“Okay,” Gu Ci sat down next to her. “Go ahead.”

"Have you managed to contact Chief Boneforce's square-shaped son-in-law?"

“I came to find you on the orders of Guli,” Gu Ci said. “Duoji has been waiting for you for a long time.”

Dorjee had arrived at his father-in-law's house as early as June and had been wanting to visit Tang Zhao, but Tang Zhao was too busy dealing with locusts to come, so he had been politely declining.

Two days ago, Dorje sent another message requesting to meet Tang Zhao.

Gu Ci, thinking of Tang Zhao's "huge debt" of more than 400,000 taels, finally agreed.

"Then what are you waiting for? Let's go!"

Gu Ci stopped Tang Zhao from running out, "You've been working so hard lately, I'll send a letter to Gu Li to ask Dorje to come to Wuwei."

"Can foreigners enter the borders of the Great Yu Kingdom?"

"I will send it to him."

Tang Zhao was very happy. No one likes to toil under the scorching sun, and she was too lazy to do so, much less willing.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, my husband."