Food gives me an entry, I will be invincible if I stay alive

Chapter 325 The Strategy to Suppress the Locust Demons, A Plan to Eradicate Their Descendants!
The moment the purple light shot into the sky, the entire examination hall fell silent.

Most people are actually still in a state of complete bewilderment, unable to react at all, and have no idea what has happened.

There is only an inexplicable intuitive feeling that makes people inexplicably excited.

Luo Wenhuan stiffly turned his neck, slowly shifting his gaze in the direction of the rising purple light.

He was watching, he was watching to see where this purple light came from.

Then, Luo Wenhuan's breathing stopped.

At the same time, a sense of panic, as if confirming a long-held belief, arose within him.

At the end of the line of sight, in the direction from which the purple light came, was indeed the answer sheet in front of Chen Xu!

The answer sheet lay quietly on the table in the middle of Chen Xu's cell.

The small tabletop and the brilliantly presented answer sheet create a striking contrast that resonates deeply.

Why?
Why him of all people?

What kind of article could cause purple smoke to rise from the paper the moment it was written?
Luo Wenhuan sat stiffly in his cell, his mind filled with a myriad of doubts and anxieties.

I regret that my eyes weren't on Chen Xu's exam paper, so I couldn't see through his writing at a glance.

Luo Wenhuan wrote down three strategies to control the locust plague.

First, a general was dispatched to strangle the demon leader;

Secondly, they recruited some bird-like monsters and used their natural predator-like nature against locusts to jointly exterminate all locust monsters. This was a strategy of using one enemy to devour another.

Third, they united scholars from all over the world to use magic to transport rain and clouds from the south to the north, thus alleviating the severe drought in the north.

In this way, once the drought is alleviated, the locust plague that was originally closely following the drought will naturally also disappear.

This is truly a radical solution!
These three strategies for pacifying the demons were implemented in succession, each more profound than the last.

Furthermore, Luo Wenhuan was not merely indulging in wishful thinking when he wrote down his plans.

He analyzed the potential weaknesses of the locust demon leader and specified which generals should be dispatched to slay the demon.

They also designed a formation to transport clouds and rain from the south, and explained the characteristics of the formation in detail using text.

This makes the strategy not only theoretically feasible, but also has a certain magical basis.

After Luo Wenhuan finished writing it with all his heart and soul, he was extremely proud of himself.

He couldn't imagine what kind of demon-slaying strategy could be more ingenious than his own.

Luo Wenhuan couldn't imagine it, naturally because his perspective was limited. It's difficult for people to understand things they haven't encountered before.

Chen Xu wrote at the time:
"The student is right. It is said that 'when drought is extreme, locusts will appear,' which is an inevitable law of nature."

Drought ravaged the land, leaving it scorched and barren. Springs dried up, fields cracked and split, and locusts took advantage of the excessive heat of the day to multiply in countless numbers…

But is the saying "drought and locusts breed together" truly true?

He began by explaining the origins of the locust plague.

People have always understood that "drought and locusts are mutually reinforcing," which is certainly not wrong, but in fact, it still fails to fully understand the root cause of the locust plague.

The locust plague can wreak havoc primarily because the locusts have the necessary conditions to lay a large number of eggs.

Locusts prefer to lay their eggs in areas with dry riverbeds and reduced vegetation.

Reduced vegetation and soil dehydration will first lead to the mass mortality of frogs and wasps.

The true natural enemies of locusts are not birds, but frogs and wasps!
At the same time, soil dehydration and reduced vegetation cover will also reduce the water content of plants, which locusts prefer to feed on.

Drought also makes it difficult for locust mold to survive. "Locust mold" is actually a disease caused by locusts. If locusts suffer from this disease, they will inevitably develop "grass plague".

Once the locust plague spreads, large numbers of locust swarms will die.

In this way, locusts are unlikely to swarm, and naturally, they will no longer be able to cause any locust plagues.

Chen Xu analyzed the various prerequisites for the formation of locust plagues one by one, and finally concluded:

"The cause of the locust plague is not only drought, but also the imbalance between water and drought, the withering of vegetation, the excessive yang energy, and the lack of yin and dampness, which leads to the death of frogs and snakes, and even wasps and wasps cannot survive..."

Ultimately, the locust plague is not only caused by drought, but also by ecological imbalance!
In this day and age, there is naturally no concept of ecology.

Chen Xu therefore summarized it as: "The timing is out of order, and Yin and Yang are in disarray."

The disruption of the natural order is not merely a natural disaster, but also a man-made one! After all, why would vegetation suddenly and drastically decrease? This is due to human intervention.

This brings us back to the previous question: "When axes and hatchets are used indiscriminately, trees are felled and felled indiscriminately, causing the roots to be uprooted, water and soil to be lost, and the earth's vital energy to be lost."

In the Longchuan area, eight out of ten vegetation plants have been removed, and the soil's water retention capacity has long been extremely weak.

If it doesn't rain in April, the riverbeds will be exposed, mountain streams will dry up, and wells will run dry.

Panic spread among the people due to the rapid decline in water levels caused by the drought, which in turn led to a series of serious incidents.

Such as gang fights over water, and food disputes caused by reduced grain production.

This includes, but is not limited to, burglary, murder for money, selling children... and even, being eaten by humans!
When public resentment boils over, the evil spirits grow stronger, and the harm intensifies. As one thing diminishes while the other grows, the disaster becomes severe.

At this point, Chen Xu realized that some people in the court should also have seen this point clearly.

Thus, the previous sub-question came about: Axes and hatchets should be used in the mountains and forests at the appropriate time.

Chen Xu didn't know if they had seen through the first layer, or if they had seen through the second and third layers, or if they could see through them but had a solution.
He is not omniscient or omnipotent, and there are some questions he cannot delve into at this time.

He could only use pen and ink as his magic weapon to complete the article he was supposed to write at this moment.

Based on the causes of the locust plague, the following measures were taken to quell this monstrous locust plague:
Firstly, we must nurture the mountains and forests of the country, restore the soil, and conserve water.

There are more than a dozen specific implementation methods.

Such as closing mountains to forests for reforestation, and prohibiting the use of axes and hatchets during the three months of spring;
Follow the Yin-Yang principle of felling trees in midwinter and cutting down yin trees in midsummer;
To restore the ancient rituals, the Dali "Field Law" was re-established, and two offices, Yuheng and Wei, were set up to control logging and to plant trees regularly.

Examples include "No coffin without a tree" and "Planted by the people, repaired by the officials," etc.

Furthermore, the art of forestry should be disseminated among the common people.

For example, transplanting in the first month of the lunar calendar, layering and dividing the roots, mounding soil around the roots to protect them, and so on, can help the root system recover.

An especially important point is: to make people love the tree!

How can we make people love their trees?
It's nothing more than enticing them with benefits, appealing to their emotions, and explaining the harms they might suffer.

There should be both rewards and punishments; those who are driven by profit should be punished.

If this continues, the soil and water will recover, and this will be a plan for generations to come!
But that's not enough.

Northern Xinjiang is currently experiencing a severe drought; how can trees be planted?
Chen Xu then proposed a second suggestion: to build water conservancy projects and divert water from the south to the north.

The south is often plagued by floods, while the north is often plagued by droughts. Why not use the advantages of canals, lakes, reservoirs, and irrigation systems to connect the southern water system with the north?
At the same time, efforts should be made to manage the rivers in the north.

The Jiuchuan area has been silted up by sediment deposits all year round, causing the river channels to become blocked. During the high water season, the floods are devastating, and during the dry season, fish and shrimp can hardly survive. The rapids are treacherous, and the narrow sections are murky and difficult to traverse.

The common people have suffered greatly, and irrigation of farmland is also difficult.

How can trees be planted if the river channel is not cleared?

However, water conservancy construction is by no means a task that can be accomplished in a short time or in one place; there is a lot of knowledge involved in every detail.

Due to space limitations, the essay on the provincial examination policy cannot be discussed in too much detail.

Chen Xu then used the Lingxi Mountains, which he had personally visited, as an example, taking the Yuancang River as a foundation, and selected one of the locations to explain the construction of reservoirs and the balance between water and drought.

This includes principles and methods such as site selection, numerology models, and the interdependence and mutual generation of plants, insects, and fish.

Finally, he concluded by quoting classical texts from sages:

"All things obtain their own harmony to live, and obtain their own nourishment to grow."

"Even if a demon is born, its demonic nature is still gentle; even if it is evil, its harm can be easily eliminated, so as not to cause a great disaster or ultimately become a calamity."

"The root cause of the locust plague is not the killing of one or two ringleaders. The ringleaders can be killed easily, but to eradicate the locust plague, a long-term plan is needed."

"Develop water conservancy, eliminate drought and flood, nourish the country's mountains and forests, and nurture all things."

"Prevent locust plagues before they occur, and eliminate the seeds of disaster."

"This is the strategy to quell the locust plague."

As the saying goes, a skilled warrior achieves no great feats; this is the reason why.

At that time, Chen Xu put pen to paper.

Suddenly, I felt a surge of emotion, as if the sea of ​​literature was trembling.

(End of this chapter)