Chapter 1496 (1495): Agricultural Drones (Part 1) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

As one of the most outstanding among the locust kings, Lin Feng didn't even have time to rest and have a cup of tea upon returning to camp before setting off again with her men to inspect the farmland. She needed to further understand these locust eggs before making any decisions. The land along the way was barren, with not a single patch of green in sight.

The world was vast and desolate, even the air was shrouded in deathly silence.

When Lin Feng arrived, there were already people in the field.

Ji Moqiu squatted near the edge of the field, a handful of light brown, slender rice grains hovering above his left hand. The grains were oval in shape. These grains were less than two centimeters long, and looked like they hadn't been pounded thoroughly.

His master stood behind him with his arms crossed, the two conversing. Lin Feng tightened the reins from a distance, dismounted, and walked. Shen Tang noticed Lin Feng's movement from afar and turned to her, saying, "Why didn't your father rest in the camp for half a day?"

Lin Feng received the imperial edict and rushed back on horseback. He didn't get much rest on the way and didn't even have a sip of tea when he got back. He immediately went to work, holding up his work badge. This made Shen Tang, who was used to taking the lead in working overtime, feel embarrassed. She felt that she had been neglecting her precious darling.

"I've been worried about the impending locust plague, and it's keeping me restless and unable to sleep. Since I can't rest anyway, I might as well come and see for myself sooner rather than later."

Fueled by Chu Yao's pep talk, Lin Feng's current state resembled someone who had chug three or four cups of milk tea and several spoonfuls of protein powder in the middle of the night, desperately wanting to run tens of thousands of meters to release the excess energy. How could she possibly fall asleep? If she didn't work hard, when would she ever achieve anything?

Lin Feng approached and bowed.

Lin Feng's gaze swept over the clump of things floating in Ji Moqiu's palm, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "Oh!" Upon closer inspection, he realized that this clump of things wasn't some thin, long grain of rice at all, but clearly a cluster of insect eggs! The insect eggs were half an inch longer than the ones Lin Feng had seen before, and their color was also lighter.

Upon closer inspection, some of the insect eggs already showed signs of hatching.

Lin Feng: "Were these all caught from the fields?"

“Yes, there are too many insect eggs. I only had people turn over a tiny patch of soil, and we've already caught so many. Many of the eggs are still hidden deep inside. If it weren't for the recent weather changes that have repeatedly tricked some of the eggs into hatching and crawling out, it would have been even harder to catch them.” Ji Moqiu controlled her divine power and sent this fist-sized, densely packed cluster of insect eggs to Lin Feng so that she could observe them more closely. “I've also tried raising Gu worms.”

Ji Moqiu had anticipated Lin Feng's problem.

Of all the Gu worms in the entire Kang Kingdom, only Ji Moqiu truly understood how to deal with them. She naturally knew that worm eggs were also one of the ingredients for Gu worm feed, and locust eggs, being large and nutritious, were the Gu worms' favorite. When Lin Feng occasionally worked overtime and didn't have time to feed the Gu worms, he would leave them in his own official fields, letting them feast there and fattening them up.

"How effective is releasing Gu worms?"

"They were poisoned to death."

Speaking of this, Ji Moqiu's tone was somewhat resentful. Gu worms are easy to raise, but extremely difficult. He had intended to give them a good meal, but they were all poisoned by locust eggs. Gu worms can actually cause food poisoning? Isn't that absurd?

Lin Feng knew without asking that Ji Moqiu had suffered heavy losses.

Only those who raise Gu poison can understand this kind of pain.

She comforted Ji Moqiu, telling her to think more positively.

"...Even those who cross mountains can be poisoned by their own kind."

It seems plausible that worms can cause food poisoning.

"...Even the most dangerous mountain peaks aren't as poisonous as the batch of Gu worms I released." Ji Moqiu had tested more than one type of Gu worm, both poisonous and non-poisonous, including some that were raised on snake venom glands, yet they still died from the poison. This shows that these locust eggs are far more potent than their predecessors; if they were allowed to hatch and grow in large numbers, the damage they would cause to the environment would be incalculable.

These locust eggs are unusual.

"Even the insect eggs are poisonous; the larvae alone can kill the Gu worms, which essentially eliminates the possibility of large-scale breeding of chickens, ducks, and geese to combat locust plagues." Fortunately, Kang Kingdom doesn't rely solely on these livestock to control locust plagues; they have plenty of other methods. The household registration departments in all the prefectures and counties of Kang Kingdom are so competitive that using the power of words to control locust plagues is their forte, which happens to be Ji Moqiu's weakness.

Yes, that's also one of Lin Feng's strengths.

"The villains are malicious; their actions will surely be condemned by future generations." She frowned in disgust. The two sides could fight each other, but why drag innocent people into it? The actions of the Central Allied Forces were self-defeating; they were clearly plotting to take everyone down with them if they couldn't win!

After venting his emotions, Lin Feng thought of another fatal problem.

Will these insect eggs contaminate the farmland?

Shen Tang said with a worry, "Several cacti that were transplanted died within an hour. I had the medical staff take soil from the farmland where the insect eggs were concentrated, wash and filter it repeatedly with clean water, and then use this clean water to feed the chickens, ducks and geese."

Hehe, the result speaks for itself.

Several unfortunate chickens, ducks, and geese began to show severe symptoms of illness, some suddenly going into fits of madness, others convulsing and foaming at the mouth. This discovery nearly caught Shen Tang and the others off guard, and also made Lin Feng truly furious: "So, does this mean the farmland is unusable?"

Shen Tang nodded.

Lin Feng was struck dumb.

Personally, this is about her perfect ceremony!

From a public perspective, these farmlands must be redistributed.

The spoils could be redistributed to the local populace or used to reward meritorious soldiers. These fields are now contaminated with insects and toxins, and there's a possibility of future locust plagues and cholera outbreaks. Kangguo's conquest of these areas is tantamount to taking on a liability. The more liabilities one has, the closer one is to bankruptcy.

Lin Feng realized the seriousness of the situation in an instant.

The Allied forces in the central region only wreaked havoc on these farmlands?

Not necessarily. They're just harming others without benefiting themselves.

Before the Allied forces in the Central Region withdrew from the territory they had conquered, they planned to wreak havoc on it. They wouldn't let Kangguo have a single piece of it, even if they couldn't use it themselves! This realization made Lin Feng close his eyes in despair. Fighting such scoundrels was as disgusting as being covered in excrement!

Lin Feng could tolerate the completion ceremony being hindered—the completion ceremony was too difficult, so difficult that even someone as strong-willed as Lin Feng had adopted an optimistic attitude of "if I succeed, I'm lucky; if I fail, it's my fate"—but she could not tolerate the disruption of the world's order: "These beasts!"

If his master hadn't been there, Lin Feng would most likely have lost his composure and started cursing the ancestors of the Central Allied Forces.

_(:з」∠)_

Having joined the military before she was ten years old, she has a remarkably rich vocabulary.

Years of self-cultivation have given her astonishing self-control in this regard. In her early years, she broke her composure several times, and she even proactively practiced silent meditation to atone for her sins and avoid disaster. Now, as an adult, her composure and self-control are far stronger than before. The fact that she was nearly provoked to the point of breaking her composure shows just how angry she was.

"It's not that there's no chance of salvaging it."

Shen Tang had already held a meeting with the ministers before Lin Feng arrived.

Several solutions were considered for this purpose.

One approach is population relocation, moving the common people near the poisoned fields to other areas. If the southwestern continent continues its transformation, arable land should increase significantly, and various regions can develop other pillar industries to alleviate the pressure from the population explosion; however, this is only a temporary solution. The customs and traditions of the central and southwestern regions differ, and forcibly relocating and assimilating them would only increase the possibility of conflict and mutiny.

It's not that we don't want to move to the Northwest Continent, it's just that the political situation there has been relatively stable in recent years, and people are living in peace and contentment. With improved living conditions, people naturally start having children. As long as the external conditions are right, the next 30 to 50 years will be a golden period for population growth.

After discussion, the proposal to relocate the population was rejected.

This proposal does more harm than good.

The best approach is to base operations on the central mainland.

Some optimists, however, discouraged everyone from thinking the worst and suggested looking on the bright side: "Given the Allied forces' current desperate, dog-like behavior, they're nothing more than grasshoppers in autumn. They might not be able to destroy all the farmland. Why don't we make this public and use public anger to thwart their schemes!"

This fueled public resentment, deterring the Allied forces and other nations from acting openly.

Some people disagree with this view.

The essence of thinking positively about everything is hoping that the enemy will have a conscience and not go too far, which is tantamount to relinquishing the initiative in the struggle.

If the enemy had any conscience, would they have been able to achieve the current situation?

Hawks immediately came forward to refute this.

【No, no, only when a ruler governs with love and respect for the people can public grievances reach the ears of the emperor, shake the government, and make the officials aware and take it seriously. Gentlemen, look at the recent actions of the Allied forces. Do they show the slightest respect for the common people? They regard the common people as ants. No matter how much resentment ants may have, they cannot frighten them!】 Inciting public resentment is not a smart move. In the end, the Allied forces may turn the tables on you.

Public discontent is a double-edged sword.

If used improperly, it could even cut yourself.

For a moment, both the civil and military officials were at a loss.

The consensus reached was that the population should not be easily relocated. The vast distance between the two regions would likely cause countless deaths from exhaustion, and even if they survived, conflicts between the newcomers and the local population would hinder governance. The plan was for the population to remain in their current location, awaiting the unification of Kangguo. The royal court could then allocate food resources, fostering a mutually supportive relationship between food-rich areas and the central region. This would also facilitate the faster integration of the central regions into Kangguo. This proposal, however, was still met with criticism.

Why didn't you think before you said that?

Do you not know how many people live in the central mainland?

Before the emergence of Kangguo, there was a population outflow trend in both the northwest and southwest, with refugees primarily fleeing to the central region. If it weren't for the refugees' mobility issues and lack of suitable transportation, they would have all escaped. The central region had a wealth of talented individuals, which was also related to its large population. With abundant farmland, grain, and a relatively stable political situation, those who fled there had the opportunity to thrive and multiply.

More people are born, and more people are raised.

Naturally, the probability of talented individuals emerging from within such a place is much higher. Otherwise, where would the Central Allied Forces find so many men to attack Kangguo?

Talented generals who are rarely seen are suddenly appearing out of nowhere, like weeds being harvested; kill one batch of old men and another will spring up. This is all the result of years of accumulated experience!

Without a sufficient population, these accumulated resources cannot be released.

So what should we do?

They can't move them, and they can't support them if they stay...

It was my own thought that a group of people who had fought their way out of chaos could suddenly become good people. It wasn't that they had particularly righteous values; it was simply that the other side was too despicable, daring to use any inhumane tactics.

Why not just deal with each move as it comes?

Gu Chi glanced at Chu Yao, who remained calm and composed.

Ever since that person's mastery of the scholar's way reached its peak, Gu Chi had regarded this colleague as a bellwether. No matter how big the matter, as long as Chu Wu Hui could remain calm, it meant that the situation hadn't completely deteriorated. He knew that Chu Yao's reluctance to offer answers was not only self-deception but also for the good of his other colleagues. If he were to provide answers to everything, what would the others do?

A vague idea began to form in Shen Tang's mind: [To counter each move as it comes?]

[If there are insects in the fields, then kill the insects; if the fields are poisonous, then detoxify them.] Since insect eggs can be burned, the poison can naturally be neutralized as well. Gu Chi's idea was quite bold, and someone immediately raised a question—had he considered the size of the cultivated land?

Even if the Medical Bureau or the Ministry of Revenue develops an antidote for the insect poison, how to apply the antidote becomes a problem—Kangguo is willing to mobilize its troops to do this, but Heaven doesn't give them enough time!

How much land can one person splash in a day?

How long does it take for the antidote to take effect?

Even assuming these problems can be solved, they will still need to spend time ensuring the fields are truly safe before restarting spring planting. Otherwise, after months of hard work by ordinary people, the crop roots will extend downwards and absorb residual poison—wouldn't that be disastrous?

Even with the highest efficiency, this matter could still take several years.

At this moment, Shen Tang looked up at the sky.

She noticed that several other people were doing the same thing.

An exchange of glances, a tacit understanding between ruler and subject, left the answer unspoken.

Kang Shi: [The insightful discussions of my colleagues have enlightened me. I've thought of someone capable of handling this matter. Grand Tutor Qin might be able to resolve the current predicament, and the Imperial Observatory can influence the celestial timing of a region!]

What do you mean?

Kang Shidao: [Mix the antidote into the cloud.]

Rainwater can also dilute insect toxins in the soil.

He didn't suggest increasing rainfall because the central region already receives abundant rainfall, and countries haven't paid much attention to water management. He worried that a sudden increase in rainfall might overwhelm the central water system, potentially causing flooding instead. Furthermore, rainwater diluting insect toxins could pollute groundwater, posing an even greater risk.

The crowd was instantly enlightened, but even more so, they were shocked: [...the antidote was mixed into the clouds and fell with the rain?]

This move did indeed solve the manpower problem of distributing the antidote.

The efficiency is astonishing.

[...If this works, does that mean any insecticide can be used in the same way?] Immediately, people started to think outside the box, their eyes lighting up. Words of power could actually be used like this? High-level martial artists could fly into the clouds, so there was no worry about delivering the antidote there. Furthermore, the Imperial Observatory was experienced in creating and intercepting clouds to bring rain.

【Brilliant!】

Inside the tent, melodious cries rose and fell.

"From this perspective alone, it's not necessarily the Taishi Bureau that's needed." Yun Ce, who was usually quiet, spoke up, standing out among the generals. "We could also have the Imperial Workshop create a flying device, shaped like a flower watering can, to quickly spray the antidote, wouldn't that work?"

It is difficult for the Imperial Observatory to accurately control the area affected by rain.

What if the antidote is harmful to the human body?

His suggestion, though not very efficient, was highly accurate.

Let that thing fly while flinging out the antidote.

No matter how far you throw them, they won't go very far.

Everyone: [When did the Imperial Workshop acquire such flying creatures?]

Even the most skilled Imperial Writers couldn't produce a finished product that met Yun Ce's vision in just a few days; even the most cunning writer, Wang, shook his head upon hearing this.

Yun, an unofficial member of the Imperial Academy of Literature, wrote: "Human effort is key."

How do you know it won't work if you don't ask?

The Director of Works must claim this military merit!

_(:3」∠)_

I saw in the backend today that Lingzhu Zha has been shipped, but I'm still looking forward to Liubi Zha (it was originally in the first batch, but I hesitated and cancelled it. Then on the last day, it was reordered and became the fourth batch. I regret it so much, it's heartbreaking. Seeing so many photos on Xiaohongshu, it's perfect as a decoration for the study!).