Chapter 132 Locust Plague
The weather started to cool down at the end of September.
The southbound boat moved slowly, and because it was the dry season again, Qi Chengming didn't expect to get there quickly.
To be honest, he originally thought that Liuzhou and Yangzhou were not too far apart, after all, his caravans traveled between Liuzhou, Wuling, and Jiangnan all year round. So for this talent recruitment trip, Qi Chengming first decided to target Lord Xie of Yangzhou, who was the closest to him.
When he was about to depart, he learned that Yangzhou and Liuzhou were also nearly three thousand li apart, roughly the same distance as his journey from the capital to Liuzhou. The good news was that this trip would be entirely by boat, making the experience completely different in terms of travel difficulty.
Last year, my trip to Liuzhou was a journey from a prosperous area to a more remote one, and the journey became increasingly difficult. This year, I'm heading to the extremely prosperous Jiangnan region, and the road ahead will only get easier.
Qi Chengming then readjusted his plan. He learned from his mistakes and honestly asked the caravan members to draw a simple map, marking all the nearby prefectures and counties along the way. He then re-arranged the schedule by comparing it with the details in the original work.
There was another matter—Qi Chengming had been thinking about Mr. Qin's expression and thoughts that day, and he needed to find an opportunity to find out.
This person has been working tirelessly and selflessly for him, yet he's all alone, so old and doesn't even have a family. He'll definitely be spending more time in Liuzhou these next few years, so he has to be extra attentive.
That day, they arrived at Guanyang County.
The large ship docked for a temporary rest. Qin Liusong, with a rosy complexion, played chess alone in the room that served as his study. Having been free from the burdens of paperwork during the journey, he had actually recovered much better.
Qi Chengming gazed absentmindedly at the water outside the window. He then blurted out the reason he had been pondering all along: "Let's rest here for a while before continuing our journey by boat. We've been on the road for so long, it's really exhausting."
This time, the group traveled light, even sharing a merchant ship with others. Qi Chengming fully embraced his identity as the son of a merchant, "Qi Zhong," and was always out doing business.
Qin Liusong tried to dissuade him, but to no avail; he felt it was unnecessary to make His Highness suffer like this. Qi Chengming, however, felt that fewer people had their advantages. With only twenty or thirty people in this group, they could easily change destinations quickly, and even at a slower pace, it was still far better than last year's massive group of several hundred.
Now that he said that, Qin Liusong naturally supported him: "Young Master's health is more important."
Even when traveling, news can leak out, even within one's own cabin. Therefore, the group unanimously changed their address to Qi Chengming as "Young Master."
The group disembarked with their meager luggage. Manager Hua surveyed the surroundings as they went, and this experienced man instinctively sensed something was amiss. He frowned and said in a low voice, "Young Master, I'm afraid it's not a good place to stay for long."
Qi Chengming followed, gazing at the road leading into the city.
This place was similar to the prefectures and counties he had seen along the way. Apart from those who were able to afford to travel by carriage, most of the people walking around looked poor. Occasionally, a few people with fair and round faces, or whose clothes were washed clean and presentable, would catch one's eye and stand out from the crowd.
Last year, we passed through so many places and it wasn't this bad, but this year it seems so much more defeated and chaotic.
When Qi Chengming first came out and saw these things, he felt depressed and sad, deeply realizing how many difficulties the collapse of the "banknote system" and the opening of private currency had caused. Those hardships always put double the pressure on the most ordinary people. Those in high positions usually don't see it, but they feel that it is "killing people invisibly".
Having seen many chaotic places, Qi Chengming was finally able to calm himself down. He looked around and then at the wasteland outside the city, but still couldn't see anything amiss.
Qi Chengming humbly asked, "Manager Hua, what do you mean?"
“I used to live in Zhongzhou, and I’ve seen several natural disasters and survived them all. But there’s one kind… that’s really hard to deal with.” As Steward Hua said this, Qi Chengming looked at him carefully. This middle-aged steward seemed to have quite a story to tell.
What is it?
"It's... the Locust God." A deep fear flashed in Steward Hua's eyes. "I experienced it a few times when I was young. Young Master, look, aren't the trees next to those fields bare?"
It's clearly not the season for leaves to freeze off yet.
Qi Chengming's attention shifted, and he noticed something amiss. He was startled and had a bad feeling: "You mean... these wastelands are actually fields left after the locust plague?!"
"That's probably the case for the younger generation," Manager Hua said, not giving a definitive answer.
This place is near water, and unlike Liuzhou, it's not remote or barren. Who would leave such good land uncultivated? It's impossible for all that land to be wasteland.
After receiving the instructions, Qi Chengming quickly went to check on the people again.
Upon closer inspection, one could see that the numbness and bitterness on the faces of the people were much more pronounced than in other places. Even many well-dressed individuals wore expressions of deep sorrow. The atmosphere throughout Guanyang County was clearly off.
"Young master, I'm afraid we can't stay here for the time being. We need to inquire carefully before we take the boat," Steward Hua said cautiously.
This area has already been hit by a locust plague. Although there's no immediate concern, a food shortage could potentially lead to widespread chaos, so it's best to avoid it. As for continuing by boat…
They couldn't act rashly before figuring out the direction the locust plague was sweeping.
Qi Chengming pursed his lips.
He wanted to stay here today because he knew that a scholar who had not posted in a long time was from Guanyang.
In the original storyline, the man was famous for his exceptional talent in both poetry and painting. The capital city during the later stages of the succession struggle was like a dangerous vortex, the atmosphere extremely oppressive. Amidst the chaos, Emperor Hongren's personal treasury was practically empty, yet he still indulged in pleasures. Not wanting to waste money or cause harm, he summoned this man back to the capital to take up his post.
Despite his apparent motives of saving the world from suffering, Emperor Hongren brought him into the palace, where he spent his days discussing poetry and painting, merely holding a sinecure. Guan Yang, feeling melancholy, composed several fine poems, which Emperor Hongren greatly admired and cherished.
Over time, he became acquainted with the Seventh Prince and befriended him. During the most perilous moment before the Seventh Prince ascended the throne, he bravely faced the danger, a scholar, and calmly led his men to withstand the palace coup, turning the tide of the war. He later succumbed to his injuries, his life a testament to his loyalty…
He was a very strong-willed writer.
Qi Chengming greatly admired such a person of integrity.
The two met, and for that shared understanding, they were willing to fight to the death...
Even if Qi Chengming came to Guanyang at this time and only saw the other party looking depressed and unsuccessful at home, and there was no guarantee that he would be able to gain his help in the struggle for the throne in the future, he still wanted to go into the city to get to know the other party since he was just passing through.
For no other reason than this sense of loyalty and righteousness.
But now it seems...
This is bad.
"...Let's send someone to the city to take a look first." Qi Chengming remained silent for a while before making his decision.
The merchant ship they arrived on was scheduled to dock for resupply and wouldn't depart until tomorrow at the latest. But the locust plague must have been sudden, and if they learned of the tragedy in Guanyang now and couldn't get supplies, the ship might weigh anchor and leave ahead of schedule.
Without figuring out what to do next, they couldn't just board the ship again in a daze.
Qi Chengming also wanted to find out the specific situation in Guanyang County. Unless it became extremely critical, he needed to consider the plight of these people who didn't know how they would survive before he could leave with peace of mind, not just for the sake of that powerful figure.
Manager Hua agreed and found two skilled guards to go into the city first and inquire separately.
As for them, they couldn't just stand there waiting on the dock, so they found a tea and food stall and sat down. Most of the people there were shirtless laborers, but there were also a few well-dressed ones. One man in silk clothes was scolding the man next to him with a displeased expression:
"What a filthy smell!!"
"These are all people who came down from the ship to observe, right?" Qin Liusong said to Qi Chengming in a low voice.
Just like them, they dared not enter the city, not knowing what the situation was, and could only endure and wait.
"The situation in Guanyang County should be alright," Qi Chengming guessed. He then turned to Steward Hua, who nodded convincingly. "Back when I was young, the whole county would have had to flee. Once the locust god appears, many places around will suffer..."
The whole city would collapse; it wouldn't be like it is now, where everyone has time to worry.
That's how the migrant population came to be.
"The county magistrate here is managing things quite well," Qi Chengming thought with a slight sense of relief. It sounded like the locust plague wasn't too large, but regardless of its size, it was clear that the officials were managing it well.
He still had some doubts in his mind.
That scholar is a very influential figure in the local community. If his hometown were to suffer a major disaster this year, would he step forward and make some contribution?
Before long, the two guards who had gone to investigate returned, bringing with them some news:
Guanyang County was suddenly hit by a locust plague the day before yesterday. It's harvest season now, and everyone is busy, but the fields have suddenly yielded nothing. It's said that after the locust plague took hold, it spread to several neighboring counties, which are probably also suffering from it now... The situation is chaotic everywhere. Fortunately, the county responded very quickly, organizing the capture of the remaining locusts and opening granaries to distribute grain, which barely managed to maintain the situation in the city.
However, this is only temporary; the real crisis is yet to come.
—This was a time of extreme urgency.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Bonus Chapter
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com