After receiving the news that Ma Qiang agreed to accept Liu Yu's mediation, Kou Xian released Gongsun Zan's military family members in Changping County, and also returned Gongsun Zan's money, food and supplies.

Xian Yufu's heart was bleeding when he saw the carts of money and food being transported away by the sergeants sent by Gongsun Zan, who was standing next to Kou Xian.

Heaven testifies that his life in Shanggu was not happy at all, because Ma Qiang's wool business was the only one keeping all the ministries in check.

This time Xian Yufu came here with so many Wuhuan cavalry to fight against the Baima Yicong, and the losses were considerable. He didn't know where to get the pensions for these sergeants. The Wuhuan people all took them.

Master of money management, if you don’t have money to give to those Wuhuan masters, let alone whether you can recruit people next time, in a few days an armed salary collection team will come to besiege the city. Believe it or not!

"I said Yunzhong, just let him go. The money and food... isn't it a pity?"

Hearing Xian Yufu's words, Kou Xian shook his head and said, "Those who don't have enough to eat are dogs. Once they are full, dogs can also turn into wolves. If Gongsun Zan has no money and food, it may not be a good thing for us."

As he said that, Kou Xian smiled and said, "Xianyu Xiaowei, I heard that the recent grassland is not peaceful either."

Speaking of the grassland, Xian Yufu felt that his head was getting bigger.

Things on the grassland cannot be explained by reason. In many cases, swords and guns are much easier to use than reason.

"The Wuhuan people are pretty good, but the Xianbei people are the worst. Kebi has been doing a lot of things lately. If this continues, in five or six years, the central Xianbei will probably be unified. That's more than 100,000 cavalry.

Bu Dugen is not weak either. Since the Xiongnu went south, the strength of Xianbei in the west has been increasing day by day.

If we continue to be in such chaos in the Central Plains, when the world is at peace, there will be another sandalwood locust tree in our north."

Kou Xian smiled and said, "Ming Gong would not allow it. If it were not for the chaos in the court, Ming Gong would have taken us out of the country. I have a hunch that the Xianbei people on the grasslands will only become more and more hospitable in the future."

Let’s not talk about this anymore, let’s go to Red Star Camp to celebrate!”

Speaking of going to Red Star Camp, Xian Yufu also became happy and said with a smile, "Let's go, it's been a long time since I went back. I don't know if the taste of Erguotou has changed."

Not to mention the excitement in the Red Star Camp, Gongsun Zan looked at the money and food of the returning family members, and took the initiative to go to a carriage and asked, "Madam, are you okay?"

A woman opened the curtain, saw Gongsun Zan, and cried, "General!"

Gongsun Zan hurriedly helped the woman out of the carriage and asked, "Then Kou Xian was rude to you?"

The woman shook her head and said, "The guard of Kou County has treated me very well. I just heard that the general was defeated and was very anxious. I am worried about the general and Xu'er!"

Gongsun Zan sighed, "It makes Madam sad."

This lady was no one else, but Gongsun Zan's wife, Mrs. Hou. Mrs. Hou's father was Gongsun Zan's former boss, Prefect Hou. It was also because of his marriage to Mrs. Hou that Gongsun Zan was able to start his career.

Therefore, Gongsun Zan respected and feared this Madam Hou, treating her completely differently from other concubines.

"General! Commander Kou said that Ma Qingzhou and you have no enmity. Can we get along well with each other?"

Gongsun Zan hesitated for a moment. He was actually very confused at this time and didn't know where to go in the future.

At this moment, a sergeant came and reported, "General! There are three people who claim to be the general's brothers and they came here specially."

"My brother? Let them in!"

Like Liu Bei, Gongsun Zan also made friends with some people in the market when he was young and became brothers with each other. Now when someone came to vote, Gongsun Zan couldn't tell who it was for a while.

After a while, three people came over, one dressed as a Taoist priest and two dressed as businessmen.

"Brother! Long time no see!" The Taoist priest took the lead in saying hello. When Gongsun Zan saw it, he was overjoyed and said, "Three brothers, it is indeed you!"

These three people are Liu Weitai, Li Yizi, and Le Hedang. Among them, Liu Weitai is a Taoist priest who makes a living by telling fortunes and fortune telling. The other two are merchants and can be regarded as wealthy people.

"I have known for a long time that my brother has become a general. We were worried about others gossiping and did not dare to come to help. Today we learned that my brother is in trouble, so we came to help!"

"Oh? No wonder I sent people to look for several brothers but couldn't find them that day. Come in quickly, we must have a drink today!"

The three of them looked at each other, smiled, and Liu Weitai said, "Brother, I'm telling you that a group of savages from the northeastern mountains and forests are coming to surrender. Although there are not many people, there are hundreds of them. I hope I can help my brother!"

Li Yizi and Le Hedang said in unison, "We are incompetent and can only offer money, food, weapons, and horses. I hope I can help my brother!"

Gongsun Zan looked at the gifts brought by the three brothers. Those savages were all natives of the white mountains and black waters. They were not afraid of the cold and bitter, and were strong. They only had a handful of hair left and braided into a small braid at the end. They were all tough men.

Qi, at first glance, he is a warrior who dares to fight.

Besides, the money and food, although not much, are enough to support the army for several months, and can also recruit troops and horses to replenish their vitality.

Gongsun Zan received funding from his three brothers, and now he raised his banner again, recruited talents, forged ordnance, trained soldiers and horses, and waited for the day when he would make a comeback.

As the biting cold wind blowing from Youzhou becomes stronger and stronger, the first year of Chuping, when all the heroes rise up, is finally coming to an end.

——Qingzhou

"The successful candidates have arrived in various states and counties, and once the New Year is over, the field clearing will begin!"

Ma Qiang listened to Jia Xu's report and nodded. In his hand was a list of officials from various counties in Qingzhou.

In this roster, there is not only simple information such as name, but also factors such as origin and family background, which is very convenient to check.

"Clearing the fields is the top priority of our work this year. We must not relax. Let Shen Ping's inspection team go down to each county to inspect in time. By the way, how are the farm tools prepared?" Ma Qiang put down the report and looked at Yueyang, who was in charge of industry.

.

I don't know if Yue Yang's figure is due to the recent work pressure. Instead of losing weight, he has gained some weight, which is completely different from his previous wish.

"Don't worry, Mr. Ming, our agricultural machinery workshop has fully shifted its focus to the production of agricultural tools, and we will never miss spring planting!"

"I'm not worried about spring planting, I'm worried about locusts!"

Ma Qiang said what he was most worried about.

Due to the alliance with Xuzhou, there is a slight shortage of food this year, and Ma Qiang is not worried. But if the locusts come together, it will not be a shortage, but there may be no harvest.

"Preparations for farming have begun in various places. I think the insect eggs will also be frozen to death!"

"It's impossible! Let all the fields be burned first, and then collect the chickens and ducks from Pingyuan and other counties. These livestock are much better at hunting locusts than us people. We need to organize an army of poultry to march throughout Qingzhou before the locusts are completely formed.

"Once again." Ma Qiang knocked on the table and said, "I'll say it again, this year, nothing is as big as food!"

The people of Qingzhou carried us into the Governor's Mansion. If they couldn't feed them, they could carry us out!

Make it clear to the officials in each county that if you fail to follow the instructions of the state government and cause a locust plague, you don't need to hang your seal, just hang your head!"

"promise!"

Listening to the neat promises, Ma Qiang returned to the backyard, but he was still uneasy and walked back and forth in the yard with his hands behind his back.

"Brother Ma, what's wrong with you?"

Ma Qiang looked up and saw that it was Qing Ning.

Qing Ning was holding a stack of books and didn't know what to do.

Ma Qiang smiled bitterly and said, "It's Sister Qing Ning. It's not about the locusts. I'm afraid that the locusts will come again next year. We are now the six counties of Qingzhou. With these three to four million mouths and the locusts together, where will I find food?"

.”

Qing Ning put the book aside and asked, "Isn't there something that can kill locusts?"

"It's not like there's nothing..."

Countless pesticides from later generations flashed through Ma Qiang's mind.

But the problem is that those pesticides of later generations cannot be produced at all by Qingzhou Industry, which cannot even build a fertilizer plant now, or in other words, it cannot be produced on a large scale.

After all, what you want to kill is not the locusts in a room, but the entire Qingzhou, which cannot be solved by laboratory capacity at all.

"We still have to rely on biological control..." Ma Qiang said with a wry smile, "There is no time for large-scale pesticide production. By the way, Sister Qing Ning, when you were in Dasong Village, if you were asked to catch locusts in exchange for money, would you do it?"

"How much does it cost?"

"How about five cents per catty?"

"Of course I won't do it!" Qing Ning shook her head and said, "It's not easy to catch a pound of locusts. Once you catch a pound of locusts, you will be hungry and you will eat more!"

Ma Qiang nodded, and felt that it made sense, and said, "In this case, the purchase price must be increased."

"What? Brother Xiao Ma, do you want to buy Locust?"

"Yes, otherwise the people will not be willing to catch locusts, and there will be another disaster next year!"

Many people in later generations like to ask why the locals don't eat locusts when they see the locust plague.

In fact, this is just a math question. Let’s not talk about the toxins of locust swarms. The question is which one is higher, the energy consumed by eating locusts or the energy absorbed.

Don’t think that a locust plague is just a mass of black locusts on the ground. In fact, there are not many locusts when there is a locust plague. You have to work hard to catch a plate of locusts. Just like on TV, a handful of locusts are just a handful of locusts.

The situation is very rare.

What's more important is that locusts can run away. After eating, you will fly away. You originally planted food to eat for a year. Now the locusts are here. If you catch locusts that can last for three days, the locusts will fly away.

Yes, after you have eaten locusts for three days, you have nothing to eat, and the ground has been completely destroyed.

Therefore, if you wait for the locusts to rise before catching them, it will definitely be too late.

Trying to solve the problem of agricultural shortage by eating locusts is the most ridiculous thing in the world.

The only chance to control locusts is to eliminate them before they completely metamorphose into adults, that is, while they are still eggs or larvae.

From the perspective of the four seasons of the year, that is, winter and spring.

So, don’t think that you are any smarter than the ancients. There was a reason why the ancients did not do many things. It was just because you had not experienced it and could not imagine it.

"Not only do we need to buy adults and larvae, we also need to buy eggs!"

Ma Qiang gritted his teeth and said, "Come here, pass on my state order!"
To be continued...