“Can a strategist not ascend to the throne?”
Chapter 289: Humans Can Triumph Over Heaven
Even in the south, there’s an unsettling vibe, so imagine the situation up north.
Since no rain has fallen since March, Yuan Shao couldn’t help but perk up.
Back in January, there was quite the spat between Qiao Yan and Chunyu Jia over whether to deploy troops, and Yuan Shao was just enjoying the chaos at the Chang’an court.
Although Qiao Yan ultimately had the final say, Chunyu Jia had to take a sick leave after fainting from anger in public, and didn’t return to court until a month later. Yuan Shao felt that at this point, it really made Qiao Yan look bad.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that last year’s public condemnation had indeed had some effect; Qiao Yan’s decision to delay mobilizing troops felt a bit too conspicuous.
But things are different now.
Qiao Yan might actually have acted based on astrological insights!
For the north, if spring rains were to fall in March, they’d be like liquid gold—especially since spring has been notoriously dry over the years.
Considering the sparse rains in autumn and winter, plus Ju Shou’s previous notion of unfavorable timing, and Qiao Yan’s actions, Yuan Shao was starting to feel a bit restless.
Looking at the current situation, it wasn’t quite at drought levels yet, but Yuan Shao thought it wise to pay heed to his opponent’s judgement; after all, he had indeed gained some progress by sneaking peeks at Qiao Yan’s strategies.
He asked Ju Shou, “Is it still time for us to build water channels and store water?”
Ju Shou answered Yuan Shao with silence.
Starting this work during the spring plowing season would undoubtedly be late.
Yet, it couldn’t all fall on Yuan Shao’s shoulders.
Even if Ju Shou thought the climate was off, from mid-last year to the end, they had been causing trouble for Chang’an while believing these setbacks wouldn’t stop Qiao Yan from mobilizing this year.
As a result, the entire Ji Province and Qingzhou area had spent their spare time between farming and stockpiling grain mostly conducting military drills, neglecting some basic infrastructure that could have been addressed.
Starting fresh now would likely be too late.
The only solution was to ensure that farming wouldn’t lead to unrest due to lack of water while mimicking Qiao Yan’s construction of the Dragon Bone Waterwheel in Leping for critical areas needing attention.
“Things like the Dragon Bone Waterwheel, when looking only at a small scale and if the disaster isn’t severe enough, can be useful for emergencies, but if we can plan ahead, we should definitely think long-term,” Qiao Yan said, having received news from Ye City.
Those present, including Cheng Yu and Guo Jia, didn’t pick up any sarcasm from Qiao Yan’s words.
Who could blame them? Droughts are truly pivotal points in widening the gap between powers, but at the end of the day, it’s the common folk who suffer the most.
If this drought were to extend into the summer and autumn, as in the sixth year of Guangxi, it could brew up a disaster of public anger akin to the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
“Drought can’t be viewed solely as a drought; have other arrangements been made?” Qiao Yan asked.
More than the drought, the impending locust plague was becoming a greater concern for Qiao Yan.
The rising temperatures of spring meant it was prime time for locust eggs to hatch in the fields.
Once the drought conditions favor locust reproduction, they would multiply at an unbelievable rate.
Spring drought often leads to an initial wave of locusts in summer, and if conditions remain dire, a second wave might emerge in two months, only stopping when temperatures become unsuitable for locust eggs to hatch.
With no means to directly eliminate locusts using organic phosphorous pesticides, he could only approach the problem from two angles.
One was to prevent the locust eggs from hatching, and the other was to ensure that any hatching locusts were taken out by their natural predators.
“Everything has been arranged,” Cheng Yu replied. “I’m starting to understand how much impact Your Grace’s Leping Monthly Report has had since it was established back when conditions weren’t so harsh.”
During the Guangxi era, the Leping Monthly Report had already spread from Bingzhou to Liangzhou, and during the Jian’an years, it gained official recognition under Liu Yu, expanding its reach even further.
When cheap bamboo paper began to flow from Hanzhong, being produced in batches and sent to Chang’an, the selling price of the Leping Monthly Report was further reduced.
With the establishment of the painting academy in Chang’an, the accompanying illustrations became richer, allowing even illiterate folks to gradually warm up to the concept.
They’d buy a copy each month for their homes, guessing at the contents, feeling a step closer to the lives of the elite.
Because of this habit, the street-smart folks didn’t even notice the increase in distribution for the March issue of the Leping Monthly Report, just realized the price had gone down yet again, making it even easier to grab one.
However, some sharp-eyed individuals compared the new newspapers with their neighbours and noticed that the differences in illustrations had vanished, making it impossible to tell which newspaper had better artistry, but soon enough, they were captivated by the content, leaving no spare brainpower for that query.
The previous Leping Monthly Report always featured six sections; even when themes called for changes, adjustments were usually just a matter of merging a couple of sections. But this March issue?
Every single page was nearly entirely focused on the drought and locust disasters.
Chang Lin delivered the report to the people in Shangdang County as per the routine.
Yet over these past few years, the crowd gathered around him had shifted from what Tian Feng once encountered—now they held newspapers themselves instead of just listening.
So when the new paper arrived, someone immediately exclaimed, “Whoa, locusts!”
The front page featured a particularly well-detailed illustration of a locust, even labeling its various organs.
In earlier times, these critters were referred to as “locust gods,” everyone knew the havoc they wreaked on crops but dared not observe them closely—now they were being exposed in this manner.
Underneath the locust image was a depiction of farmland swarmed with locust eggs.
Next to it was a line so clear, they didn’t even need Chang Lin to translate—
In the most extreme cases, just one-tenth of an acre of suitable land could have up to 40,000 locust egg clusters.
If they thought that meant 40,000 locusts, they were sorely mistaken since a single cluster could contain over fifty locust eggs.
“How… how could there be so many?” The crowd exchanged glances, skepticism creeping in about the report’s accuracy.
But since the Leping Monthly Report had never exaggerated any details from its inception to now, why would it fabricate locust data and needlessly panic its readers?
Furthermore, this was merely describing the most extreme scenario, likely not the reality most of the time.
Sure enough, the report went on to explain that if the land was tilled to a loose, rather than compacted state, similar to their everyday practices, and also followed the method of burning crop stubble and returning it to the field, this nasty figure could drop to one-tenth of the previously frightening amount.
They all sighed with relief.
Chang Lin scanned their faces, itching to say that even if it was just one-tenth, the sheer drop from two million to two hundred thousand was still a terrifying number.
I must say, Cai Zhaoji really worked her magic with words while crafting that Leping Monthly Report.
This layered reduction of numbers left a far more impactful impression on the people than usual dry statements ever could.
On the next page, the report vividly illustrated one of the favorable conditions for locust hatching.
Why do locusts prefer laying eggs in compacted soil? Because such a dry environment is perfect for them.
Experiments conducted at Leping Academy since the Guangxi era discovered that soil with only ten percent moisture was ideal for locust hatching. So folks, you can test your own farmland’s moisture content by drying it out a bit.
Of course, soil doesn’t always benefit from higher moisture depending on the crops, so adjustments must be made as needed—just aim to avoid that ten percent situation.
The main water channel engineering across the three provinces has already been marked on the map, to assist farmlands that are further away from water.
But some areas still missed out, needing their own checks and improvements.
By cutting off this favorable condition for locust reproduction, the number of locusts potentially hatching in that plot of land could drop to a mere tenth of the previous estimate.
“So that leaves us with twenty thousand.” A child next to Chang Lin calculated.
That’s still a decent amount, and compared to earlier, it feels a lot more hopeful.
The third page mentions that at this time, the locusts had not yet gathered in swarms; they weren’t even in their adult form yet. We can still use their behavior to control them.
From a botanical standpoint, legumes, alfalfa, and trees can help hinder locust breeding.
Not to mention the trees, legumes and alfalfa are both in demand now. This year, reducing some millet planting to switch to these crops shouldn’t be too big of a loss.
At the end of May the year before last, Qiao Yan called the noble families down to Chang’an due to the liquor ban and offered them the soy sauce recipe. By the end of the year, it became a sensation in all provinces.
With increased harvests, people craved gourmet food. Spending just a little money could get them soy sauce, improving their meals. Who wouldn’t want that?
Those soy sauce producers, enjoying the profit, naturally started buying soybeans.
After all, having farmers plant some soybeans among their crops is much cheaper than dedicating large plots of land to them.
Clearly, soybeans were in high demand, and what about alfalfa?
Same deal.
Years ago, the legendary horses brought back from the Silk Road, along with top-quality steeds from Bingzhou and Liangzhou, were growing strong. Alfalfa was an essential part of their feed.
Consequently, the provincial government often collected a nice batch of alfalfa, especially choosing the best quality.
This wasn’t a bad deal.
“These two crops can be planted, and we might as well plant more to prevent disaster. Besides, last year’s grain stores are enough to last this year so securing this year’s harvest is crucial,” someone added after doing some calculations.
In front of the profits from planting, these farmers weren’t any slower at figuring things out than seasoned accountants.
But for Chang Lin, the reason they could so easily agree to plant legumes and alfalfa was all thanks to the credibility Qiao Yan had built up since her appointment as Governor.
Thinking back to when she first came to Bingzhou to escape the prefect Wang Kuang from Henei, Chang Lin couldn’t shake the feeling of it being eons ago.
It was indeed a hasty decision, but looking back, it was one that turned out to be quite right.
“Chang, according to this planting method, the locusts won’t get enough food. Competitively, many of them will die off. How many do we have left?”
A child tugged at his sleeve, interrupting Chang Lin’s thoughts.
He quickly replied, “There are about four thousand left.”
Four thousand isn’t exactly a small number.
But thankfully, these locust eggs and the hatching larvae still have some natural enemies.
Like the chickens and ducks that proved effective during the previous locust crisis in Bingzhou, and of course, the frogs and swallows depicted in the newspaper.
According to the newspaper, there will be a formal prohibition on catching these animals in the province to ensure they can take out locusts before they mature.
Take the swallows, for instance; it’s been tested at Leping Academy that a single pair of adult swallows with a nest of chicks can eat over fifteen thousand locusts in a month.
Chickens and ducks are just as effective in eliminating locusts.
As for whether raising chickens and ducks for killing locusts would cause issues, the past attempts in Bingzhou already provided the answer.
Locusts aren’t so mythical that they can’t be caught; stir them up, and they face disaster.
Back in the day, Qiao Yan had stated clearly.
If eradication leads to divine punishment, the province would take full responsibility.
That “province,” could mean Qiao Yan exercising Zhang Yi’s authority, or Zhang Yi himself being the scapegoat here.
In any case, the outcome was the same.
No actual divine punishment occurred.
Qiao Yan, soaring through life, was barely twenty and was constantly praised for her amazing luck; no one ever remarked on her having bad luck.
As for Zhang Yi, well… to the people of Bingzhou who revered Qiao Yan, losing his position as the Governor of Bingzhou hardly seemed like a disaster.
He went on to experience life as the Prefect of Guangling, fell to the bottom as an independent person, and finally re-emerged as the Governor of Xuzhou—what a journey!
This was like becoming a butterfly after enduring trials and tribulations.
So, looking at it this way, raising more chickens and ducks, personally hunting locusts didn’t seem too troublesome after all.
With this breeding and safeguarding of natural enemies, they could eliminate more than ninety percent of the locusts.
“But that’s still four hundred, right?” Someone asked.
That’s still a considerable number.
And remember, this was only the quantity on a plot of land measuring one丈 square.
If each household’s acreage were calculated that way, the overall number would be even more alarming.
Chang Lin shook his head, “Not done yet.”
For the people, the next page was mostly text—definitely less engaging than the previous few pages, which were full of illustrations—but to him, this page was far more meaningful.
He explained, “All these calculations assume that every locust egg successfully hatches, which isn’t accurate. Due to the vast quantity laid in a single batch, the survival rate is extremely low; under normal conditions, it might only be one survival out of ten.”
“Combined with the previous disturbances, the most you could expect to survive on a plot is barely a dozen. As long as we apply some human intervention, that small number won’t lead to any widespread locust plague.”
“These creatures might seem terrifying with their overwhelming numbers, but they can’t compete with humans in terms of complex body structures, clever minds, or stress resistance when facing crises. Even if they are deemed a calamity, human effort can always triumph over nature.”
This perspective, proposed by Xunzi, had been forgotten over time as respect for heaven and blind faith in omens became the norm, but now it was being put to writing by Qiao Yan at Cai Zhaoji’s behest in the most unique issue of the Leping Monthly Report.
If it weren’t for the prior gradual progress in transforming the locust disaster from an unsolvable divine punishment into a number you could actually count, the impact of those four words would have been nowhere near as strong.
Man can conquer heaven…
Even as the villagers listened to Chang Lin interpret the last two pages of the report, they often glanced back at the page with “Man can conquer heaven” written on it, looking a bit dazed.
Most of the numbers on that page were unfamiliar, but now they certainly remembered those four words.
“If it weren’t for the unusual circumstances, saying that could easily stir up trouble.”
Just as Chang Lin finished sending off the neighbors who came to hear his explanation of the monthly report, he heard Zhong Changtong’s voice.
As he looked at him, Chang Lin replied, “Someone has to do it.”
This young man still held a stack of papers, just like when Xi Zhicai first saw him, but he looked noticeably more mature than before.
As he had mentioned to Xi Zhicai, he initially just went to Leping Academy as an observer, not intending to stay there for long.
But due to family matters, he soon returned to Yanzhou’s Shanyang.
Yet at the invitation of his friend Chang Lin, he returned to Bingzhou again.
Here, he continued observing the lives of the people and working on his theoretical creations.
Whenever he had free time, he would walk from Shangdang all the way to Leping, often stopping to chat with people from Bingzhou along the way.
The longer he stayed here, the more he realized that the Grand Marshal’s strategies couldn’t be simply described as just boldness. In some fine details, there was clear evidence of revolutionary change.
Just previously, those signs of change had been carefully and subtly revealed, with all sorts of distractions making it hard for others to notice.
Only in today’s phrase “man can conquer heaven” did it finally show a hint of clarity!
No, it wasn’t just this phrase that could bring trouble.
His gaze shifted from his friend to the monthly report in his hands.
It’s hard to describe the tumult inside him when he first saw that adjacent copies of the newspaper were identical in both handwriting and design; it stirred up quite a storm in his heart.
This had an impact beyond theoretical changes; it came with the push brought on by tangible objects.
Before this Leping Monthly Report, all books were painstakingly hand-copied by people, and the originals were held tightly by noble families, leaving knowledge monopolized by the elite. But now…
Now, a completely different “production” method had emerged!
Though Zhong Changtong was young, his vision was anything but limited.
The moment he realized the newspaper’s production process had changed, he was left with one thought—
It felt like he was witnessing the dawn of a new era!
