Nine out of ten gamblers lose; I've run into a jerk!

Chapter 84

Aside from the swarms of locusts flapping their wings, Shen Qing and the others could also hear the mournful cries of farmers not far away.

"Please, Lord Locust God, leave quickly!"

"Oh my God!"

……

The overwhelming army of locusts buzzed for most of the day before gradually subsiding, leaving only a faint rustling sound, with perhaps a few remaining "generals".

After a while, when no more noise was heard, Shen Che ordered someone to go out and check.

The guard returned quickly, his face grave. "Sir, the swarm has passed, but..."

Shen Che walked out with a solemn expression and a sullen face, followed by Shen Qing.

Although I had expected it, I was still shocked by what I saw. It was no exaggeration to say that the land was barren. Although I had been to disaster areas before, this was the first time I had ever witnessed the dramatic changes that occurred in just half a day from the beginning to the end of a disaster.

No, strictly speaking, the locust infestation was only the beginning of the disaster; the subsequent man-made calamities were the real catastrophe.

Shen Che's concern about a potential popular uprising was not unfounded. The locusts left nothing behind in their passage. Although the locusts originated in Qi, their spread meant that even if they didn't reach Xuan, they would be quite close.

Qi Kingdom had already suffered from disasters last year and had not yet recovered. Now, with this added misfortune, the national treasury was simply unable to provide relief.

The common people wouldn't care about these things; they would only think that the government was turning a blind eye to their plight. If they had nothing to eat, they would rise up as a mob and besiege wealthy households in the city to loot their food.

The negative consequences snowballed and grew larger and larger. Turbulent times breed heroes, and there have been too many examples of this in the past few decades. Many warlords started in this way, gathering a group of rioters to occupy a mountain and establish themselves as kings, and then conquering a nearby county as a base, gradually growing stronger.

The disaster-stricken area is too close to the border of Xuan Kingdom. The bandits who roam around will not care about the border. Because of the alliance with Qi Kingdom, Xuan Kingdom's main military force is concentrated in the northern and western borders. If things develop as he predicted, the people in the border city may be in danger.

Looking at the devastated farmland, Shen Qing frowned deeply, his face full of solemnity. How could a country suffer from natural disasters so frequently?

Based on historical experience, Shen Qing had anticipated some of the subsequent developments and asked worriedly, "Lord Shaoqing, what should we do next?"

Shen Che pondered for a moment, then let out a heavy breath. "The disaster is just beginning, and the people are not reacting so quickly. Most of them are still hoping for government relief. We should set off immediately to return to Xuan Kingdom and report on the situation here."

That was all we could do. It was getting late, so the mission could only rest for the night.

The next morning, the delegation regrouped and set off again. Along the way, they could always see farmers prostrate in the wheat fields. Some were wailing and crying, some were cursing the heavens and the earth, some were kowtowing and praying for God's mercy, and some looked numb and lifeless...

The environment affected people's spirits, and the joy of returning home was gone. The whole group was filled with a gloomy atmosphere and focused on their journey.

They continued their journey for another three days, and made a somewhat encouraging discovery: the locust army's route did not completely overlap with the return route; it took a detour and went somewhere else.

However, in the villages and wheat fields that were being passed by, there were still quite a few locusts running around and eating the wheat seedlings. They were not large-scale and could still be saved.

Shen Qing paused and watched for a while, his brows furrowing. He saw that the surrounding farmers were not driving away or killing the animals, but instead burning incense, killing chickens, and kowtowing, muttering incantations.

"Grandpa Locust God, go somewhere else."

"Grandpa Locust God, please have mercy."

……

Hearing such things made Shen Qing's blood pressure rise rapidly; it was all so incredibly foolish!

I couldn't help but step forward and explain the correct rescue methods, such as putting chickens and ducks into the wheat field to catch locusts, or catching them manually, or setting up a fire to attract locusts... Locusts are high in protein, so they should be edible, right?

"What is Sanlang going to do?"

Shen Che called out to Shen Qing, who was itching to act. This call calmed Shen Qing down from his impulsive actions. Perhaps he should consult the locals for their opinion, so he shared his thoughts.

Shen Che frowned. "The concept of the Locust God has existed since ancient times. It is said to be a punishment sent down by Heaven. If the Locust God is captured, it will bring even greater divine retribution."

"Absurd!" Shen Qing was greatly puzzled. That thing looked like a pest no matter how you looked at it. What kind of god is so ugly?

Taking a deep breath to calm his rising blood pressure, he said, "Alright, alright, let's take a step back. If we let the locusts continue to multiply and grow to a large scale, won't the crops fail? Won't we starve to death? If we're going to starve to death anyway, who cares about any subsequent divine punishment? What, can a person die twice?"

"So aren't they praying for the locusts to leave?" Shen Che pointed to the farmers burning incense and kowtowing.

"..."

Wait a minute, Shen Qing felt things were a bit messy and needed to sort them out.

After pondering for a moment, it turned out that the current small losses caused by the locusts were not enough to drive the people to the brink of despair, and they still held onto the idea of ​​burning incense and praying for the locusts to leave on their own.

However, locusts reproduce quickly, and once they reach a large scale, it will be too late to save them. Even if they risk divine retribution by killing the locusts, they will not be able to save the crops.

It's a vicious cycle: if the situation isn't serious enough, no one dares to defy the world and offend the "gods," but if it gets serious, it's all over.

This is really troublesome. Shen Qing couldn't help but ask, "Does Shaoqing also believe in the locust god?"

It's one thing for the common people to be ignorant, but are the educated officials also brainless? Otherwise, why isn't the government doing anything? Why don't they come out and educate them? What good will it do them if the disaster gets worse? What if they turn into a mob and wipe out his whole family?

Shen Che pondered for a moment and said, "I don't believe it."

Fortunately, his intellectual capacity as a scholar hadn't driven him to despair.

"Then, Lord Shaoqing, could you please speak to the local government and ask them to mobilize the people to fight the locusts?"

The government should have some credibility, right? It's an official organization, so the people should have the courage to give it a try.

Shen Che shook his head. "There is no precedent. If it fails and a locust plague breaks out, we will be unable to escape the blame for angering the heavens."

"..."

This world really needs warriors. Shen is not afraid to take the blame while hiding his identity, but he is insignificant and no one will listen to him.

Looking at the wheat field that still held hope, Shen Qing knew that praying would be of no use. If things continued like this, it would become a new source of locust plague in a few days, and the wheat field would eventually be completely destroyed.

The thought that this place would soon be desolate, and the fact that he knew how to save it but could do nothing about it, filled him with a sense of frustration. Sometimes, a dictator and an unreasonable force are needed so that people can be sent to exterminate the locusts without any explanation. As long as the final outcome is good and no one is punished by heaven, then people will not be afraid to act in similar situations in the future.

“Let’s go,” Shen Che patted Shen Qing on the shoulder. “We are from Xuan State. Saying more will only make them think we have ulterior motives.”

Heh~ Shen Qing smiled bitterly. He was now a despicable outsider.