CHAPTER 307: CHAPTER 304: THE CALAMITY-PLAGUED GREAT TANG ZHEN GUAN DYNASTY

Carrying the final version of the Curved Plow from Third Grandpa’s house, the group, including the Lin Clan Leader who arrived later, headed straight to the rear mountain.

Hong Yan quickly turned into the house through the side door, calling Ran Xiang to lead out a cow.

Upon reaching a flat piece of wasteland in the mountains, Xiao Chong harnessed the cow to the Curved Plow and personally tested the effectiveness of the new farming tool in the field.

Using the core techniques of plowing, harrowing, and furrowing, even a noble like Xiao Chong, who usually did not farm, managed to plow the field quite skillfully with the help of the high-efficiency tool.

The Lin Clan Leader was thrilled, understanding deeply as a rural commoner what the appearance of this farming tool meant, and couldn’t help but rush forward to try it himself.

After plowing a small patch of wasteland, the Lin Clan Leader, with tears in his eyes, looked at Xiao Chong and said, "Xiao Mingfu cares about the suffering of all people, truly a deity descending to earth! We are so fortunate!"

Xiao Chong modestly replied, "The Lin Clan Leader overpraises; this is not the effort of Xiao alone, I dare not claim credit."

Lin Wanwan smiled sweetly, "Don’t look at it as just a small step from straight to curved, I know this involves great wisdom, a step that ordinary people might not achieve in a lifetime. Cousin is really remarkable for thinking of this, I admire, admire!"

These words were not purely flattering; if not for Lin Wanwan’s butterfly wings saving Xiao Chong, the appearance of the Curved Plow would have been delayed by another hundred or two years (unless Lin Wanwan herself claimed this credit, bringing it directly from modern times).

In modern United States, there was a news report where a motor in the Ford Company factory unexpectedly malfunctioned, causing the entire workshop to halt.

Ford Company invited numerous repairmen and experts to identify the problem, but they failed to understand where the issue lay.

This worried the Ford leadership greatly, as every minute of downtime represented a huge loss!

Later, someone suggested inviting motor expert Steinmetz for help, and he lived up to expectations. After examining the motor, he drew a line on the motor casing with chalk and casually said, "Remove 16 coils at the marked spot."

The repairmen did as instructed, and indeed the motor resumed normal functioning!

For this tiny line, Ford Company paid ten thousand US dollars.

Someone dissatisfied muttered underneath, "Just drawing a line? Such a simple thing, hardly any effort, yet charged ten thousand US dollars."

Steinmetz turned and issued a detailed bill to Ford Company: Drawing a line, 1 dollar; knowing where to draw the line, 9999 dollars.

Some things seem simple, yet are indeed difficult; human societal progress often happens in those moments of inspiration.

Upon receiving Lin Wanwan’s somewhat insincere adoration, Xiao Chong smiled faintly and said, "This step also has the great contribution of my cousin and Wang the Clerk. Well, shall we have a few drinks tonight to celebrate? What does cousin think?"

The delicacies and wine at Lin Wanwan’s home always tempted Xiao Chong’s spirit, seizing any chance to partake.

"Sure, but while the wine is good, cousin mustn’t indulge too much. I wouldn’t want to learn a lesson today!"

"Cousin overthinks." Xiao Chong touched his nose, a sensitive topic indeed!

On the way back, the group passed through fields of sweet potatoes and corn on the hillside. Xiao Chong was speaking with a smile, but upon glimpsing something small at the corner of his eye, he restrained his smile.

He immediately stopped and captured an immature locust on the corn stalk, his expression turning grave.

Closer inspection revealed more than one locust here!

"What’s the matter? What’s in your hand? A mantis?" Lin Wanwan saw the green bug pinched between Xiao Chong’s fingers. She was not afraid of them, and turned to find another on a different corn stalk.

"This thing is gnawing the leaves; the fields need pest control," Lin Wanwan said casually. Recently, the clan’s focus was actually on cotton, neglecting the sweet potato and corn fields.

These locusts multiplied rapidly, almost as if they appeared overnight.

Wang Lang’s face changed dramatically, saying, "It’s a locust!"

"Ah! These are locusts?" Lin Wanwan and the Lin Clan Leader were shocked.

But Wang Lang felt even more distressed!

Having lived in the north before, he deeply understood what the presence of locusts meant! Their family lost loved ones because of locust disasters!

People can die in many ways, but they shouldn’t starve to death! Starving to death, what a cruel thing! This was during the late Sui and early Tang period.

After severe drought, the ensuing locust plague left no room for ordinary people to survive.

Locusts passing through left no grain behind!

Historical records note that in June of the second year of the Zhen Guan Dynasty, the Capital Chang’an area suffered a severe drought followed by a locust plague, with large quantities of crops devoured by locusts.

It was rumored among the people that Li Shimin bringing calamity upon the world by killing his brother and imprisoning his father led to divine retribution, causing such disasters. The new emperor Li Shimin, to calm public sentiment, directly caught a locust in the fields and swallowed it!

This event is recorded in various historical sources, and after Li Shimin set an example by eating locusts to show his determination, the locust plague that year did not become a major disaster.

But did locust plagues only occur that one year?

No!

The Great Tang lasted for 289 years, during which time it was in a warm period. There were as many as 40 recorded major locust disasters, occurring once every 7.25 years on average, mostly concentrated in the early and late Tang.

During the Early Tang, due to Li Shimin’s effective locust eradication measures and proper execution by those below, no major disasters ensued.

In the Late Tang, however, people became afraid of the frequent locust invasions and believed excessive locust eradication harmed harmony, thus frequently triggering locust disasters.

The court neglected its duties, and scholars did not take them seriously, leading to great calamities.

In the first year of Yongchun, two locust disasters occurred. The first in March, affecting the Capital Chang’an area, devouring the surrounding wheat seedlings.

The second in June, affecting Yong, Qi, and Long states, with the disaster recorded as: "Great locusts, people cannibalized."

These brief five words succinctly revealed the court’s wrongdoing.

At that time, Emperor Gaozong was seriously ill and died the following year, while Wu Zetian was preoccupied with political struggles, and the ministers were focused on securing their positions, leaving no time to care for the common people.

The common people were fortunate that only once during Wu Zetian’s reign did a locust disaster occur.

Afterwards, during the Late Tang, court eunuchs held power, regional military governors seized control, and local officials became corrupt.

The common people were ignorant, only knowing to offer prayers and sacrifices, not daring to kill them, allowing locusts to devour the crops.

Even the well-read scholars resisted killing locusts, saying that locusts were divine retribution and the subjects needed to cultivate virtue and righteousness, for the disaster to disappear naturally.

The court neglected its duties, leaving the people with no way to live, cannibalism frequently occurred. The brief history notation "people cannibalized" was a blood-soaked depiction of the common people’s tragic plight.

A grain of sand from history is a mountain for the common people.

Lin Wanwan remembered the information she saw regarding locust disasters, her mood weighed heavily.

Now it’s the fourth year of the Zhen Guan Dynasty; historical records indeed note locust disasters, but clearly not in Jiangnan. Why are there locusts in Mao County now?

Lin Wanwan didn’t know, but this was also a result of her butterfly effect, as every matter naturally has dual aspects.