Chapter 252 Difficult Times: Locust Plague, Drought, and Hardship...
The repair process of the second main boundary marker may seem simple, but in reality, it involved heavy casualties.
Nash estimated that the number of coalition soldiers who died was as high as 50,000, in addition to 20,000 wounded.
We sacrificed 70,000 soldiers to save 100,000 enemy demon soldiers and the lives of three demon kings, and also repaired a main boundary marker.
This casualty ratio is much more favorable than that of the great war back then.
But human lives are not just numbers.
Behind these data are countless families who were once happy and fulfilled. The pain of losing a loved one cannot be forgotten in an instant.
Moreover, the spatial rift has only been repaired; the demons who reached the continent of Casa through the rift are still on the surface of the continent.
After the main boundary marker issue is completely resolved, the problem of clearing out the remaining demons will still need to be addressed in the future.
It can be said that the task is arduous and the road ahead is long.
In addition to soldiers, the Allied forces also lost some generals.
Later, through Edmund, Ray learned that the Marquis of Toland had also been seriously wounded on the battlefield.
The Regent granted him special permission to be recalled from the battlefield in the Third Territory.
He had only been back for a week, a little earlier than Lei.
As for the specifics of the Marquis of Toland, Edmund shook his head when he brought it up.
"His internal organs are damaged. Even the best doctors in the capital cannot cure him completely. All the medical treatments we are currently using are just trying to prolong his life."
The only reason Ray and his companions kept tabs on the Marquis of Toland was because he was the Duchess of Arcanis's older brother.
Since the two families have intertwined interests, if the Toland family is in trouble, the Duchess won't fare any better. Therefore, the chances of rescuing Neil become much greater.
At such a sensitive time, although each family had its own agenda, no one dared to make any rash moves.
They're all waiting for someone to run into trouble so they can reap the benefits, like a pack of hyenas eager to share their prey.
Summer passed quickly, and life at Victor Manor remained stable and peaceful during this time.
Based on the actual situation, Butler Cher raised another batch of red rockbirds, which began laying eggs this autumn. Although the eggs are small, they still taste quite good.
Judging from the current situation, the vegetable yield at the farm is expected to increase significantly this harvest season.
However, fate had other plans. On the eve of the harvest, a locust plague broke out in the Second Territory, which directly affected the adjacent Third and Second Territories.
Thanks to the rush to harvest, the farmers managed to salvage a portion of the grain.
However, the losses suffered by everyone are still incalculable.
Lai hired a dozen strong laborers and harvested the corn and soybeans in a single day.
Sweet potatoes and potatoes can continue to grow underground for a while, so there's no need to worry about them for now; locusts won't be able to eat them even if they wanted to.
Besides these, there were also the large radishes and pumpkins that Kama and his group had picked. Basically, all the crops grown outside were destroyed.
Many vegetables were only half-eaten, which is a complete waste of food.
The horrors of locust plagues don't stop there.
Now is wartime, a time when large quantities of food are needed.
The locust plague occurred before the autumn harvest, which will make next year very difficult for everyone and could very likely lead to famine.
Moreover, locust plagues cannot be resolved overnight.
Since the methods used by ordinary people to combat locusts are limited, the Regent has already posted notices widely to find ways to eradicate them.
But the results were still minimal.
To put it bluntly, all the food that was supposed to be eaten has already been eaten, and the current measures are just to prevent the same situation from happening again next year.
At that time, a famine could really break out.
Every household kept their windows and doors closed, and no one dared to go out.
The main problem is that as soon as you go outside, the locusts swarm straight at your face.
Only two greenhouses on the estate survived the disaster.
For safety reasons, an additional screen door was added outside the main entrance to the greenhouse. This prevents insects from sneaking in and damaging the vegetables as people walk by.
The outside of the greenhouse windows is always covered with a layer of something disgusting and frightening.
Lei joked that they were always drooling over the vegetables in the greenhouse.
"What should we do?"
Butler Cher was anxiously watching the rampant locusts outside. The vegetable shops in town had barely opened more than a few times in the past two weeks. Leigh had specifically asked Vincent to stay home to avoid the locust plague.
He knew that the locust plague would probably not end until winter when it got cold.
The sight of the weeping woman in the fields, and the adults and children still trying to catch locusts with nets, was truly heartbreaking.
Ray did know some methods, but he wasn't sure if they would work.
But given the current situation, taking more measures is better than doing nothing.
Ray wrote a letter anonymously, and soon his suggestions were implemented.
Every evening, dozens of bonfires are lit in the fields in the suburbs.
This method mainly utilizes the phototaxis of insects.
At night, bonfires are lit, and locusts, attracted by the light, fly into the fire. Villagers who are watching nearby take the opportunity to sweep the locust corpses into pre-dug pits for unified burial.
The method is effective, but in dry weather, it can easily cause a fire, so someone needs to keep an eye on it at all times.
The Victor Manor also followed this method, lighting two bonfires every night to repel insects. The effect was not negligible, but it was better than nothing.
This autumn, most crops failed. This is a great hardship for farmers who rely on the harvest to make money all year round.
The impact was directly reflected in the market, resulting in another rise in grain prices. The people suffered greatly as a result.
After the weather turned cold and the locust plague gradually subsided, the sweet potatoes and potatoes in the fields began to be harvested.
With grains being too expensive and not enough available, sweet potatoes and potatoes experienced a period of high demand after they came onto the market.
Everyone wants to stock up on several bags at home.
This year, Victor Estate has enough potatoes and sweet potatoes for its needs, and the extras are sold directly to vegetable stores in the city.
Fortunately, locusts don't like mung beans. The mung bean yield hasn't changed much this year, and Laido has stockpiled several bags.
The vegetable store continues to supply bean sprouts steadily, and the price has remained basically unchanged, providing a lot of convenience for the surrounding residents.
In late autumn and early winter, farmers plow the land ahead of schedule.
This was also one of Ray's suggestions.
Locust plagues inevitably leave behind a large number of locust eggs, and turning the soil in advance can expose them to the surface.
The lower winter temperatures can kill some of the pests, thus preventing a recurrence of pest infestations the following spring.
Under the current conditions, we've basically used all the available methods. As for whether we can achieve the desired results, we can only say that we'll do our best and leave the rest to fate.
Before the first snowfall in the Third Territory, the winter clothes for the soldiers, as well as supplies of food and medicine, were finally delivered.
After receiving supplies, the allied forces began to gradually liberate the orc territories occupied by the demons.
That same winter, bad news came from the Toland family. The Marquis of Toland, after a long illness, passed away.
Neil and Anne's marriage was thus temporarily put on hold.
The rightful heir of the Torland family is too young, not yet fourteen years old.
The young master who worked at the church probably had no intention of taking over the family business because he had been with the God of Light for many years.
In no time, taking advantage of the funeral, all the relatives from the collateral branches gathered around and stayed at the house.
In the end, it was only because the ailing old Torland temporarily took over the family that they were prevented from falling apart and being abandoned by everyone.
The intricate relationships within those families, if you really look into it, each one has its own hidden agenda. But I won't go into the details for now.
But the Toland surname has finally begun its decline.
Due to the locust plague, vegetable prices are extremely high this winter.
Strawberries are a business that Lai plans to continue in the long term. He did not give up growing strawberries this year, but he reduced the amount planted.
Vincent was running between the grocery store and the estate, and also had to keep an eye on the fireplace in the winter greenhouse. The workload was really too much for him.
He didn't say anything, but everyone could see how hard he worked.
Strangely enough, although grain prices have risen, labor costs have fallen considerably.
Leigh then had Cher find two day laborers to be in charge of the greenhouse throughout the winter, until the fireplace was lit in March of the following year.
Of course, they were also given a series of farm chores such as tilling the land, which greatly reduced the burden on everyone.
In winter, when the fireplace is lit, the walls are thin, so it gets hot on both sides. Lay had noticed this situation long ago.
Inspired by the doghouse, in the summer and autumn, Leigh had Cher build a row of houses against the wall to the left of another greenhouse.
Open the middle gate to raise red rockbirds and horses separately.
The floor is paved with smooth stone slabs, and there are grooves on the sides for water to drain. It's very easy to clean.
As for the original warehouse, after it was cleaned up, it has been returned to its original purpose.
After a whole winter, although I didn't earn as much as in the first year when white strawberries were on the market, I still made some income.
Turn around and you'll find spring.
Much of the grain was wasted last autumn, so spring planting is especially important to ensure the grain supply in the territory this year.
Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction, and there were no signs of a large-scale locust plague within the territory.
But the adjacent second territory has begun to experience drought.
The First Territory is in a better situation because it is coastal; only the inland areas are somewhat arid.
However, the situation in the second territory is very bad.
There was no rain in April, May, and June. Grain growth requires the nourishment of rain.
The farmers were forced to start carrying water for irrigation, but this was not a long-term solution.
Humans can wait, but seedlings cannot.
With no other option, the Mage Association of the Second Territory began to request assistance from the White Tower, which dispatched a group of water mages.
They used magic to carry out several large-scale irrigations in different areas, which finally relieved the urgent need there.
However, the effect of using magic for support is limited; ultimately, natural rainwater is still needed.
Gradually, some negative comments began to circulate among the public.
They attributed natural disasters to "human error" and believed it to be divine punishment.
Just like when the locust plague broke out, large-scale sacrificial activities began again in various places, and they could not be stopped despite repeated bans.
Having received a modern education, Ray naturally didn't quite believe in these things.
The local residents of the capital were alright, as they still had some savings and had stockpiled a lot of food at home in preparation for the war.
Even with the food shortage last autumn, we were still able to maintain basic food and clothing needs.
But life wasn't so easy for those who fled from other places.
They were penniless, relying entirely on their small plot of reclaimed land for food and drink, and on odd jobs they did occasionally.
After the locust plague, we were basically out of ammunition and food.
In the royal city, everything costs money. Even going out to collect firewood could mean you're on someone else's private woodland.
They barely made it through the winter, but they still had to endure several more months until spring before they could eat the vegetables they grew themselves.
They usually pick some wild grass, add some salt, and boil it into soup. They rarely eat meat all year round, and they are all emaciated from hunger.
Those fixed locations where urban vegetable vendors dumped rotten vegetable leaves became one of the important food sources for these people.
If you're lucky, you can also find potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Dig out the rotten parts, wash them when you get home, and put them in wild vegetable soup. It's filling and delicious.
Those who have connections and work as porters at the docks eat slightly better than others.
Occasionally, we could buy a few large bones with meat on them from the butcher, and the whole family would cook a big pot of bone broth. We'd add half a pot of wild vegetables and a few potatoes.
The whole family enjoyed the meal immensely; this was considered the best possible meal.
But the few silver coins they earned from their hard labor were barely enough to feed their families for one full meal a day.
This is the current living condition of the most ordinary people in several territories.
War has disrupted the daily lives of many people.
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