In March, Lian Po commanded 50,000 Zhao troops and went south, approaching Pengcheng of Chu State.
This war marked the official confrontation between Zhao and Chu as allies, and the situation in the world changed from Qin and Zhao's struggle for hegemony to Zhao and Chu's struggle for hegemony.
Zhao Jun encountered no obstacles along the way. After seeing Zhao Jun, the cities along the way switched sides and welcomed Zhao Jun into the city.
The land of Huaisi was hit by a drought, and the people were displaced and their livelihoods were in dire straits. The Chu State did not regulate food and provide disaster relief, but instead took the opportunity to attack other countries. The Chu people had long been filled with resentment.
In addition, most of Huaisi was included in the Chu State not long ago, and it has no centripetal force towards the Chu State, let alone resisting the Zhao army.
The very few officials arranged by the Chu State were unable to influence the overall situation.
In mid-March, Lian Po rushed outside Pengcheng. The magistrate of Pengcheng opened the city gate and presented his seal to surrender.
After entering the city, Lian Po immediately ordered the opening of granaries to store grain, and at the same time sent a letter to Handan, asking Lin Xiangru to transport a large amount of grain and grass to relieve the local people.
When the surrounding counties and counties heard the news, they sent envoys one after another to request surrender to the State of Zhao. A large number of victims came from all directions.
Cai Ze personally rushed to Pengcheng from Handan to take charge of relieving the victims.
"After fighting for so many years, I have never encountered such a situation." Lian Po looked at the letters he had just received from the four county magistrates, and he didn't know what to say.
This battle was fought so smoothly. Until Pengcheng was captured, Zhao Jun did not experience any major battles and did not lose anyone. Lian Po could not believe the success.
The surrounding counties and cities even requested to surrender to Zhao. In just ten days, most of the counties and cities north of Pengcheng had already sent letters of surrender. This meant that after they received the news that Pengcheng had been captured by the Zhao army, they almost
Without hesitation, he decided to surrender.
"I never thought that our Zhao State would have such prestige in the Chu State." Cai Ze said with a smile, "How will General Lian Po plan to march next?"
"We just received news from Handan that the Chu State has sent troops to support us. We planned to garrison Pengcheng and wait for the Chu army's arrival," Lian Po said.
The location of Pengcheng is very good. It is one of the few large cities around that is suitable for defense. Moreover, Zhao State can continuously transport grain from Tao County to Pengcheng through the two rivers of Shengou and Si River.
On the contrary, although Chen Ying, the capital of Chu State, was relatively close to Pengcheng, it could not travel by water and could only transport grain by land. The grain and grass loss was far greater than that of Zhao State.
There is another point that Lian Po had never thought of before. The people in Pengcheng actually supported Zhao Guo. Maybe it was because Zhao Guo was relieving them. But no matter what, Zhao Guo had a certain foundation of popular support in Pengcheng, so there was no need to worry about civil strife.
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As long as there is no civil strife, Lian Po has nothing to worry about. Even if the Chu State mobilizes the whole country to come, he is confident that he will be invincible.
While Lian Po was waiting for the Chu army, a new disaster appeared in the Central Plains and spread rapidly to all directions.
"Your Majesty, there is a plague of locusts in the central part of Wei State." On this day, Zhao Kuo had just finished his work and before he had time to rest, Liu Ping rushed over in a hurry.
If it were in the past, he would definitely let Zhao Kuo rest for a while before reporting the news, but this time the matter was too serious.
Look at the locusts, which are insects and the emperor. You will know how afraid everyone is of this thing.
"A long drought will bring locusts, and a long drought will bring locusts. I should have thought of this a long time ago." Zhao Kuo said with great annoyance, "Where has the locust plague spread to now?"
"It has already appeared on the south bank of Jishui River, but it has not yet formed a large scale. But at most three to five days, a large-scale locust plague will form." Liu Ping said.
After all, he was too optimistic. At noon the next day, the sun hung high in the sky, and the sunshine was warm on the body. Under the organization of Zhao Jun, everyone lined up in a long queue, waiting for the rice porridge to be cooked.
At this moment, a mass of black mass rushed over from the sky in the distance, instantly covering the entire sky, covering the sky and the earth, covering the sky and the sun. There was no telling how many there were.
After seeing people, the locusts rushed toward them crazily, grabbing them with their teeth and claws.
In the long drought, not only people are hungry, but also these locusts.
Drought makes it easier for insect eggs to hatch, but the Central Plains has been in drought for so long, and there are no plants and trees for them to eat. The locusts, which have been hungry for so long, have already gone crazy. They don't care what is in front of them, as long as they look at it.
Yes, I just pounced on it, tore it, and to bite it.
"Locusts!"
People were so frightened that they dropped their bowls on the ground and swatted at the locusts with all their strength.
The child hid in the arms of the adults and shivered.
Some old people sat on the ground in despair. Since ancient times, locusts have been invincible. They can only wait for them to eat everything and then fly away. As for where they flew to, no one knows.
But all places that have been infested by locusts have suffered.
Zhao Jun waved his weapons and slashed hard at the locusts. Countless locusts were chopped to the ground, but more locusts rushed over. No matter how hard Zhao Jun tried, not even one ten thousandth of the locusts were killed.
Who would have thought that Zhao Jun, who was invincible on the battlefield, could do nothing against tiny locusts.
Some old men rushed up and hugged Zhao Jun to prevent them from killing the locusts. They said that such an approach would anger the sky and cause greater disasters. Zhao Kuo ordered them to pull away.
Liu Ping stared blankly at the overwhelming locusts. This was not the first time he had experienced a locust plague, but it was the first time he had seen such a large locust plague.
At this time, several soldiers rushed over from a distance.
"Your Majesty, this is a letter from Lord Xinling/Jun Wang/Naishi/Jun Duping." the soldier said quickly.
Zhao Kuo opened the letter and read it, sighed deeply, clenched the hilt of the sword with his right hand, and finally put it down helplessly: "Locust plagues broke out in many places in Wei and South Korea, and some places are more serious than us."
"Mr. Xinling, do they have any suggestions for dealing with locusts?" Liu Ping asked.
"No." Zhao Kuo shook his head. In the face of the locust plague, all the top civil servants and all the top generals seemed to have lost their abilities, and they could only sit and wait for death.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "The locust plague must be solved, and it must be solved as soon as possible, otherwise it will spread to our country of Zhao within ten days at most, and the consequences will be unimaginable." Zhao Kuo said in a deep voice.
."Liu Ping."
"I'm here," Liu Ping said solemnly.
Everyone's eyes were focused on Zhao Kuo, wondering what order Zhao Kuo was going to give.
"The order is passed down. From today on, our country, Zhao, will purchase locusts in unlimited quantities. Each bushel of locusts will be replaced by a bushel of coarse rice or wheat. Every two bushels of locusts will be replaced by a bushel of corn. Every three bushels of locusts will be replaced by a bushel of polished rice or flour. There is no limit.
, take whatever you have. If you don’t want food, you can exchange it for the corresponding copper coins. By the way, give orders to various places. After receiving the orders, each person’s daily porridge share will be halved. If you want to eat enough, go catch locusts.
Come and exchange." Zhao Kuo ordered.
Money can make a fool of himself, but he doesn't believe that with the help of money, a mere locust can turn against heaven. With millions of people in Korea and Wei working together, no matter how many locusts they are, they can be caught.
However, in order to prevent everyone from not doing their best and to save some food, Zhao Kuo ordered that everyone's share of porridge should be halved.
"Within five days, wherever a locust plague occurs, all counties and counties must set up exchange points to ask the kings of Wei and Han to cooperate. To the north of the river, in places where locust plagues have not yet occurred, exchange points must also be set up to prevent locust plagues.
Spread there. At the same time, tell the Prime Minister...the grain and grass delivered will be increased by another 50%." Zhao Kuo said again.
The locust plague generally spreads from south to north. As long as it is controlled within Wei State, it will not spread to Zhao State. As long as it does not spread to Zhao State, Zhao State's food production will be guaranteed, even if the drought in South Korea and Wei continues for a while.
In time, Zhao Kuo also had enough food to rescue them.
On the other hand, if Zhao was hit by a locust plague and lacked food and grass, he would have no choice but to abandon the Wei and Han people and protect the Zhao people.
"Your Majesty... If this is the case, all the food and grass our country Zhao has accumulated over the past two years will be emptied." Liu Ping reminded.
"Use it when you use it up. Food and grass are meant for emergencies. Since a disaster occurs, food and grass must be used for emergencies," Zhao Kuo said.
"Then I will send a letter to the Prime Minister." Liu Ping was just about to leave when he suddenly thought of something, "By the way, Your Majesty, what should I do with the locusts we collected?"
"Take it back to Handan or the military camp, fry it, and feed it to the soldiers and workers, as well as the widows and courtiers." Zhao Kuo waved his hand.
Although these gregarious locusts are poisonous, they are no longer poisonous after being fried, and they are also fragrant and crispy, making them a good dish to go with wine.
In any case, it is good meat and should not be wasted.
Ordinary people did not have oil at home and could not fry locusts, but this was not a problem for Zhao State. Both soybean oil and lard were easy to produce, but due to the output, they could not be widely used and could only be used by officials and the army.
Inspired by money, everyone immediately became energetic. In their eyes, locusts were no longer a natural disaster or the king of insects, but grains of grain and copper coins, which were the guarantee for them to have enough to eat.
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Some old people kept saying that these locusts were sent by God to punish everyone, and they should be sent away instead of culled, otherwise they would anger God.
But those parents who have children don’t care about this. Nothing is more important than survival. In order to feed their children and get food, it doesn’t matter if they anger God.
The next day, Zhao Kuo held a ceremony to offer sacrifices to heaven by the Yellow River and told God that the people's orders to cull the locusts were all due to him. If there was any guilt, it would be borne by him alone and had nothing to do with anyone else.
The people were even more moved and relieved.
In their hearts, Zhao Kuo is the emperor. Since Zhao Kuo decided to bear all responsibilities, they naturally don't have to worry about God's wrath.
Children are the most active in catching locusts. They are not as awe-inspiring as the elderly. Moreover, they are very active and cannot stop all day long. They can catch a large number of locusts every day.
A large number of locusts were transported to Handan and the army. At first, everyone did not dare to eat such things, but after receiving Zhao Kuo's order, everyone ate them without hesitation.
They believed that Zhao Kuo would not lie to them.
"Don't tell me, this stuff is really delicious." Lian Po took a bite, his eyes lit up, and he said in surprise.
"Your Majesty still has a way. The locust plague that was so scandalous in the past was solved like this. Now it's the locusts' turn to tremble." Cai Ze picked up the locusts with chopsticks and said with a smile.
"Hahaha, the fragrance has been wafting in the military camp these days, and the Chu troops outside are crying." Lian Po laughed loudly. He has been staying in the city for the past few days. No matter how loud the Chu troops outside the city are, he
He remained motionless and allowed the Chu army to scold him.
He had seen the Zhao army scolding the Qin army, which was really like calling out the eighteen generations of their ancestors. Some of the famous sayings and aphorisms were taught to the soldiers by Zhao Kuo himself.
In comparison, Chu Jun's scoldings were too childish. Lian Po moved a bench and sat on the top of the city and listened for a long time without changing his expression.
"Yesterday the King of Wei and the King of Han sent envoys to Handan to urge the general." Cai Ze said.
"Don't worry about them. Chu general Xiang Yan is young and vigorous. I will let him go for a few more days and wait until he can't wait to fight again." Lian Po picked up the tea cup and took a sip. He felt that there was no taste in the wine and he was helpless.
Let it go.
Drinking was prohibited when going on an expedition, even for the head coach. Lian Po was the commander-in-chief. Although no one could control him, he still suppressed his greed.
"Then let me first congratulate the general on his victory over the Chu army." Cai Ze raised his teacup and said.
Outside the city, Xiang Yan was sitting in the camp with a sad face, feeling helpless.
He was different from the carefree Lian Po. The King of Chu ordered him to defeat the Zhao army as soon as possible and regain the lost territory.
For this reason, the Chu State conscripted 150,000 troops to him, three times the number of Zhao troops. This also gave Xiang Yan some confidence.
Who would have thought that Lian Po would not fight him at all. In desperation, he could only let the Chu army come to the front of the battle and scold Lian Po. Even he himself went up and scolded Lian Po, what a coward, a courageless general, and his mother-in-law
I waited and scolded them all.
No matter how much he insulted Lian Po, Lian Po's expression did not change at all, and even Zhao Jun's expression remained the same.
Xiang Yan couldn't understand how Lian Po, a famous general in the world who had been famous for a long time, could endure such swear words.
What he didn't know was that Lian Po had heard many more swear words than he did.
Zhao Jun’s dirty words were passed down from King Zhao himself.
Compared with King Zhao who is proficient in C language, Xiang Yan is not on the same level at all. He tried his best to come up with curse words, but they were just the most inconspicuous words in Zhao Kuo's huge vocabulary.
How could the well-informed Lian Po be moved by this?
Xiang Yan also thought about using the people in the city to stir up civil strife in the rear of the Zhao army, but the people in the city did not cooperate with them at all. They not only turned over the people they sent to contact them, but also signed up to defend the city to resist the troops outside the city.
The Chu army made Xiang Yan very angry.
For the common people, whether they were nobles or civilians, it was the Zhao army that gave them food and saved their lives during the famine, not the Chu army.
The famine is not over yet, and locust plagues have appeared in other places. Everyone still depends on the Zhao army for food. If the Chu army drives away the Zhao army, how can they survive without anyone to help them?