Primordial Era: Exceptional Comprehension, Destroying Buzhou Mountain at the Start

Chapter 324 Famine Rages Across the Land, Seeking Enlightenment in Agriculture, Desiring to Create New Grains, Cultivators Seek Merit

Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials echoed the sentiment, agreeing that the matter should be resolved first, and the rest could be dealt with later.

Li Shimin finally came to his senses: "Yes, let's do as Changsun Wuji says!"

Countless orders were subsequently issued and numerous decrees were proclaimed throughout the land.

Emperor Xiao also received the news quickly. Upon seeing the imperial decree in his hand, he became secretly grave: "The drought is real. This is truly troublesome."

The previous guesses were true, and Di Xiao had a vague sense of foreboding. After all, the drought was real, which meant that what happened in the historical Tang Dynasty was now being reflected in the Journey to the West Tang Dynasty.

In the history of the Tang Dynasty, this drought was followed by a locust plague. However, when Emperor Xiao consulted the historical records of the human race, he found no record of this locust plague.

Throughout the history of the Nine Provinces of the human race, numerous dynasties have experienced droughts, windstorms, geological disasters, and floods... but locust plagues have never occurred.

I wonder if a locust plague will actually occur in the Journey to the West: Tang Dynasty, and in what form it will occur.

Emperor Xiao pondered for a moment, then handed the imperial edict to Wu Meiniang with utmost seriousness: "Meiniang, the drought is truly coming. Our Yuhang County must be prepared. Secondly, order Xilin to reorganize the army and be ready for war at any time!"

"This..." Mei Niang hesitated for a moment, looking at her husband, and murmured, "Husband, while it's true that the army is needed to maintain order during a drought, is it really necessary to start a war? Although a drought may cause some unrest, it shouldn't lead to a war."

"I have a bad feeling about this, so I'm making some preparations in advance, just in case." Di Xiao didn't know if the locust plague from his memories would actually happen, but he still had to prepare.

After all, a locust plague did indeed occur in the Tang Dynasty setting of Journey to the West, so this locust plague must have been no ordinary one.

Mei Niang nodded cautiously, knowing that this was Di Xiao's intention, and made preparations accordingly.

The entire Nine Provinces and the entire Tang Dynasty were frantically making preparations to cope with the coming drought.

As time went on, the drought finally arrived.

A unique aura, elusive yet undeniably perceptible, swept across the entire land like a raging storm.

Then, it became clear that the human realm was shrouded in an inexplicable aura. This aura was the legendary calamity aura.

Then the rivers dried up, the lakes receded, the earth cracked, the weather became scorching, no rain fell, and the crops withered...

Under such circumstances, whether it is a Golden Immortal or a Great Luo Golden Immortal, the water-summoning supernatural power they use will be affected by the calamity energy covering the Nine Provinces, turning into nothingness and making it difficult to use.

Rainmaking magic failed, and various magical treasures were also helpless; only merit could bring down rain. However, faced with the calamity sweeping across the entire Nine Provinces, a little merit was simply a drop in the ocean.

Therefore, countless fields withered and crops died, leading to a food shortage. Under such circumstances, even seeking food from outside the Nine Provinces was futile. This was because any foreign food that entered the Nine Provinces would instantly decay due to the calamity.

Therefore, the only way to overcome the drought is for the people of Kyushu to rely on themselves.

The Great Tang Dynasty, Yuhang Prefecture.

Di Xiao felt a mix of emotions about the impending drought.

"How is the drought situation right now?" Di Xiao had come to Yuhang County hoping to cultivate in peace, but he hadn't expected to encounter a drought. Thinking of the tragic fate of humanity under drought in ancient times, his heart was extremely unsettled. Especially when he thought of the corpses strewn across the fields and people exchanging their own children to eat during the drought, how could Di Xiao concentrate on his cultivation?

In his position, he was bound by duty. Emperor Xiao was not a heartless man; he could not bear to see the plight of humanity.

Therefore, Di Xiao stopped cultivating and instead focused on the changes inside and outside Yuhang County, seeking a solution.

Wu Meiniang promptly presented the current intelligence: "My lord, not a single drop of rain has fallen in September, and the weather is scorching hot. Rivers have dried up, and even West Lake has receded by more than 30%. Even if you immediately order the army of Yuhang County to use magic to draw water from West Lake to irrigate the fields, it will only be a drop in the ocean. It is estimated that the overall yield of the fields in Yuhang County will decrease by more than 30% this year."

"A staggering 30%!" While 30% may not seem like much, this refers to the entire Yuhang Prefecture. 30% adds up to a massive number. It means countless people will go hungry.

Food is the most important thing for people; a lack of food means death.

Di Xiao clenched his fists, displeased. Wu Meiniang also said bitterly, "Husband, this time the yield only decreased by 30%, which is largely thanks to the fact that our Yuhang County is built around West Lake, with its waters irrigating the fields. In other places, the yield would probably have decreased by at least 50% in a few years."

"Issue the order to have the army hunt and gather everything edible within Yuhang County. Do your best to replenish the food shortage in Yuhang County. Secondly, the food in the granaries should be distributed in a limited manner. After all, each drought in the Nine Provinces lasts for at least several decades. We need to have some reserves during these decades." Although Emperor Xiao entrusted many government affairs to Wu Meiniang, it did not mean that Emperor Xiao was unaware of these matters.

Furthermore, Emperor Xiao had reviewed past drought records across the Nine Provinces of the Human Race and discovered that droughts in the Human Race typically lasted for at least several decades, or even a century. Under such circumstances, preserving some food supplies would allow more of the Human Race to survive.

Of course, Di Xiao was also taking precautions against future locust plagues. Although it was unclear whether such a plague would actually occur, Di Xiao ultimately had to take preventative measures.

After making numerous arrangements, Wu Meiniang inquired and followed through. However, Emperor Xiao then said, "By the way, collect all the agricultural books and grain seeds you can."

Although Wu Meiniang found it strange that Di Xiao wanted to collect these things, she naturally obeyed since it was Di Xiao's arrangement.

In the blink of an eye, several years have passed.

As Di Xiao looked at the constantly updated drought situation in his hand, he felt a complex mix of emotions.

Several years ago, a drought struck, reducing overall grain production in Yuhang County by 30%. Gradually, this decreased to 40%, 50%, and now to 70%.

In present-day Yuhang County, countless fertile fields have become utterly barren, and the crops planted there have withered. Many plots of land are even completely devoid of vegetation.

Originally, we could still rely on the water from West Lake for irrigation, but now the water level in West Lake has dropped by as much as 70%, making it impossible to irrigate the land.

Over the years, not a single drop of water has fallen from the sky, and even the clouds are hard to see; only the light of the great sun shines on the earth today.

Such a situation is beyond human control; even if a Great Immortal were to descend to the mortal realm now, they would find it difficult to reverse. This is because the drought-induced calamity sweeping across the nine provinces will obliterate all laws.

At this moment, Di Xiao activated his extraordinary comprehension, ignited his own wisdom, and read through countless agricultural books and looked at various grain varieties.

"My extraordinary wisdom and understanding, I hope you can help me solve this drought for humanity, help me create a new chapter in agriculture, help me create new grains, so that humanity will never suffer from famine again, and that the world will be less vulnerable to drought." Di Xiao cried out in his heart, carefully reading through many ancient books.

(End of this chapter)