Mi Zhu rolled his eyes at Yi Youwei, then cupped his hands in a fist and said, "Your Majesty, I support Lord Sun's point of view."
"If locusts are truly edible, then disaster will turn into good fortune. Hundreds of millions of locusts will become food, and hundreds of millions of people will not only avoid starvation and displacement, but will also have enough to eat. With great effort, I can turn chaos into order!"
Upon seeing Mi Zhu's words, Yi Youwei quickly added, "Your Majesty, I second that!"
"If that's really the case, then Lord Sun will be the one who has done the greatest work in controlling the locust plague."
"Ha... old man."
Sun Jian glanced at Yi Youwei helplessly, too lazy to bother with the old man.
Seeing that Mi Zhu and Yi Youwei had both expressed their opinions, the others, though embarrassed, had no choice but to back down.
Prime Minister Lin Xuanfu stepped forward, his cheeks slightly flushed: "Your Majesty, this old minister is ashamed. What Lord Yao said was truly enlightening. Perhaps these locusts really are edible?"
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty seconds this proposal."
"I second that opinion."
Hearing Lin Xuanfu say this, Li Kui and Wei Xian had no choice but to shamelessly agree.
After the two finished speaking, Wang De almost burst out laughing.
Fortunately, having served as the chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department for many years, he managed to cover his mouth and hold back.
Yao Tianzheng and Li Gancheng looked smug, suppressing their laughter with pursed lips.
The atmosphere fell silent.
No one spoke again in the entire hall; only silence and awkwardness remained.
Emperor Ganwu's lips curled slightly as he stared at Wei Xian and the others, remaining silent for a long time.
Reflecting on the contrast between their previous and subsequent words, Wei Xian, Lin Xuanfu, and the others blushed more and more, even wishing they could find a hole to crawl into.
It was so embarrassing, my mom was crying from embarrassment, it was so incredibly embarrassing.
Sun Jian looked at those old bastards and felt a real sense of satisfaction.
What? You're backing down now? Weren't you just threatening to punish me?
Now you agree?
You guys are all fence-sitters! Damn it!
This feels so good!
This kind of slap in the face is more satisfying than directly hitting them.
After a moment of silence, Emperor Ganwu said loudly, "Do all of you ministers agree with Minister Sun's point of view?"
"We agree!"
Whether they liked it or not, everyone nodded in unison.
"Alright! Then let Minister Sun finish explaining his disaster relief strategy."
Emperor Ganwu snorted coldly and raised his hand to signal Sun Jian to continue.
This is exactly the effect he wanted. Now that the initial policy has been set and all the ministers of the Imperial Study have agreed, the overall plan can be put forward.
"Your humble servant obeys the decree!"
Sun bowed slightly and continued, "My strategy for controlling locusts consists of three steps."
"Firstly, temporarily block the news of the locust plague to avoid unnecessary turmoil in the early stages. At the same time, spread the idea that locusts can be used as medicine among the people. The idea should be reasonable and well-founded, and it should be spread among the counties. It would be best to add a nursery rhyme to it."
"Three days later, once the word has taken hold, order the officials and pharmacists of each county to set up a list of locusts to be exchanged for grain, so that the people will no longer be afraid of locusts."
"This step can be seen as a feigned attack on the spirit and a psychological maneuver."
Sun Jian paced back and forth a few steps. "I suspect that there are not many locusts in various places at present, so the government will not lose too much grain. If this continues for a few days, this idea will take deep root in the hearts of the people."
"Secondly: From the day the locusts were collected, it was claimed that locusts could also be used as medicine and food, and corresponding strong evidence was provided. Then the government was ordered to set up sheds in various counties and prefectures to distribute porridge, with locusts added as a side dish for tasting."
"This step is to get involved personally."
"Although the people will still have doubts and fears at that time, with officials and physicians leading the way in tasting the food, there will be a steady stream of people trying it, including many who are bold and meticulous. I predict that this initiative will succeed within three to five days!"
"Thirdly: Before the locust plague, a large number of nets and cages were distributed to various counties. Knowledge on how to drive away, expel, and catch locusts was taught. On the day the locust plague occurred, His Majesty held a sacrifice at the Temple of Heaven, swearing a blood oath to Heaven, ancestors, and gods to express gratitude for the blessings bestowed by Heaven. He also led his ministers to taste fried locusts."
"After these three steps, the locust plague can be transformed from chaos to order, and Da Gan will also reap a wave of auspicious blessings!"
After Sun Jian finished speaking, he cupped his hands and bowed to Emperor Ganwu.
His remarks were a wake-up call to the assembled officials.
Everyone understood that Sun Jian's words were no longer nonsense, but rather reasonable and well-founded. Although it was against the duty of a subject to have His Majesty taste the locusts, if the locusts were truly edible, then his three-step plan would become mutually dependent and mutually reinforcing. If this were truly the case, the locust plague would be eradicated!
Emperor Ganwu's eyes gleamed, but he suppressed his joy and instead asked his ministers questions.
"Do any of you ministers have any objections to Minister Sun's policy?"
We've already come this far, who would dare to object!
Moreover, since they couldn't come up with a better disaster relief strategy, Wei Xian and the others didn't dare to utter a single word at this moment.
The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment, and after a moment, Lin Xuanfu spoke.
"Your Majesty, we all have no objections and agree with Lord Sun's strategy!"
"good!"
Emperor Ganwu exclaimed "Excellent!" and began to issue imperial edicts: "Then this locust plague shall be carried out entirely according to the policy proposed by Minister Sun. Minister Yao is hereby appointed as the Imperial Commissioner for Disaster Relief to supervise its implementation. There must be no mistakes!"
"Your Majesty, we obey!"
Upon hearing this, all the officials bowed and paid their respects.
Sun Jian added at the end: "Your Majesty, in order to prevent the disaster from spreading to remote areas, we can use the principle of biological antagonism to drive away locusts in sparsely populated areas. We can cultivate and breed large numbers of ducks, birds, toads and bees in advance to suppress the locust plague!"
"Very well! Minister Sun's concerns are very valid. Make the arrangements immediately!"
At this moment, Emperor Ganwu approved all of Sun Jian's suggestions and additions.
A massive locust plague was transformed into an auspicious omen by Sun Jian's few words.
Emperor Ganwu was overjoyed, and even the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile.
During this time, Wei Xian, Lin Xuanfu, and others had livid faces and glared fiercely at Sun Jian several times.
Of course, Sun Jian saw all of this. How could Sun Jian not know what they were thinking?
Isn't it just that after being slapped in the face by himself, he became extremely despicable and tried every means to set a trap for himself?
Unable to control themselves at this moment, they will resort to underhanded tactics.
Thinking of this, Sun Jian couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
"Whether you're trying to cause trouble during disaster relief or secretly sabotage things elsewhere, I'll be waiting for you!"
"I still have two legendary lottery tickets in my backpack that I haven't used yet, so don't push me too far!"
With the overall strategy and plan nearly finalized, everyone began to praise Sun Jian.
Minister of Revenue Mi Zhu spoke first: "Lord Sun, you truly are a prodigy recommended by Governor Yao. It is a great blessing for His Majesty, for Daqian, and for the entire nation that our dynasty has such a son!"
"Indeed! Who would have thought that an unprecedented locust plague could be so easily turned into good fortune by Lord Sun? Lord Sun is truly as the world says, like an immortal descended to earth!"
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