Chenliu Commandery, Cai Residence, Study.
The burly Dian Wei stood guard at the door, closely watching the comings and goings. His mission was to protect Lu Yu, and he dared not slacken in the slightest due to his mother's entrustment!
This day, early in the morning, Lu Yu arrived at the study.
Cai Zhaoji, Zhuge Jun, and Cao Mu were also present.
Nowadays…
With the forges and oil presses idle due to raw material limitations, Zhuge Jun and Cao Mu, with nothing else to do, came to the study daily to attend lessons as usual.
Cai Zhaoji, holding ten thousand books in her chest, would also teach them some of the ways of the sages.
Lu Yu did not come often, but… he would occasionally come to offer guidance to these two newly appointed managers of the forge and oil press, a sort of pre-expansion training.
However… upon seeing Lu Yu, it seemed the eyes of Zhuge Jun and Cao Mu held infinite questions.
Of course, this was not about academics but about "locusts"!
That's right… now, throughout Chenliu Commandery, it was rumored that the locusts in the six commanderies of Yanzhou and four commanderies of Xuzhou could be eaten and tasted delicious, providing great nourishment! But in other prefectures and commanderies, it was disastrous… whoever ate them died.
Liu Bei in Xiapi City was the unluckiest, with public discontent boiling over…
But in some other prefectures and commanderies, there were those who refused to believe. Why could the people under Cao Cao eat locusts, but their people could not? Were their stomachs filled with iron?
Some state governors and commandery prefects, unafraid of death… organized people to catch locusts. They dared not experiment on humans, so they let chickens and ducks eat them. The result… without exception, a large number of chickens and ducks were poisoned!
When this news spread, eating locusts became a fantastical story!
And now, the focus of everyone in Yanzhou, in Chenliu Commandery… the topic of discussion in every household was these locusts.
Why? We ate them and nothing happened? Could it be that we Yanzhou people are robust?
The common people didn't believe this reason themselves.
Yet, there was only one person who could answer this question—Lu Yu, the legendary Great Onmyoji!
Looking at Zhuge Jun's puzzled expression and Cao Mu's blinking wide eyes, filled with a thirst for knowledge, Lu Yu decided not to tell them and let them indulge in wild speculation!
"Yu-di, if you know the reason, please tell us…"
Cai Zhaoji, seeing Cao Mu and Zhuge Jun rebuffed, opened her mouth to ask.
In fact… she was also very curious. She had even deliberately recalled many ancient texts and documents from the "Yinyang School" of thought, trying to find some talismans or methods, but… it seemed no ancient text recorded the curse seals for these locusts!
That's right… the rumors were spreading like wildfire.
Many people genuinely believed that someone had applied "curse seals" to the locusts in the six commanderies of Yanzhou and four commanderies of Xuzhou, purifying their bodies… thus, the insects could be eaten as food.
This fantastical explanation reminded people of the Grand Master of Peace, Zhang Jiao, and his methods of healing with talismans and warding off evil spirits with incantations!
Of course, those who knew the inside story would naturally link this "curse seal" method to Lu Yu, and would secretly give him a thumbs-up, thinking to themselves.
—Great Onmyoji Lu Yu, you're amazing!
"Zhaoji-jie? Do you really want to know?"
Ultimately, Lu Yu cared for Zhaoji-jie and couldn't bear to let her overthink and associate herself with demons and monsters.
Cai Zhaoji nodded…
Lu Yu turned his head and asked Zhuge Jun and Cao Mu, "Do you two also want to know?"
They nodded similarly…
"Cough cough…" Lu Yu cleared his throat. Today, he decided to give them a vivid 'Little Sunflower Zoology Mom Class'!
"Actually, it's very simple!"
Lu Yu began his lecture.
"The locusts in our Yanzhou and the locusts in other central commanderies are of the same species, called the Chinese grasshopper!"
"And the Chinese grasshopper has its unique characteristics. Simply put, they have two forms. When they are sparsely distributed, I call it the 'solitary' form. Locusts in this form are introverted, gentle, and afraid of humans. At this time, the locusts are generally green. This color is non-toxic and can be fried and eaten!"
"But when the locusts reach a certain number and gather, which is commonly known as a locust plague, their bodies collide, causing some odors to volatilize. When these odors enter the bodies of solitary-type locusts, they cause changes in their bodies, and they secrete a liquid!"
"This liquid causes great changes in the locusts' character, temperament, and physique, turning them yellowish-black. At this time, the locusts transform from the original 'solitary type' to the 'gregarious type.' They also become extroverted, frenzied, fearless of humans, and even aggressive towards them!"
At this point, Lu Yu paused and continued, "Locusts of this color cannot be eaten. The reason is… that gregarious-type locusts contain toxins in their bodies! Humans might be fine with a small amount, but once they eat too much, they will be poisoned, leading to a series of adverse reactions."
"Cough cough…"
At this point, Lu Yu turned and looked at Cai Zhaoji, Cao Mu, and Zhuge Jun. "Have you learned… ah no, have you understood?"
Lu Yu tried his best to explain complex concepts in a simple and easy-to-understand manner.
In fact, entomology concerning locusts, a single book on the subject would be thicker than the Oxford Dictionary, involving calculations of chemical formulas… a great deal!
In his previous life, during the 2020 locust plague in Africa, online keyboard warriors always advocated for dispatching ten thousand Chinese duck armies and the like.
In reality, the duck army was not effective against gregarious locusts…
The "phenylacetonitrile" produced by gregarious locusts had a pungent odor, which the duck army disliked;
If the duck army insisted on eating them, the gregarious locusts, out of their instinct for self-preservation, would quickly convert the phenylacetonitrile in their bodies into hydrogen cyanide, which was not just unpleasant but poisonous!
Lu Yu decided not to elaborate on these advanced principles… letting Zhaoji-jie and the others figure it out themselves!
"Master Lu… I understand." Zhuge Jun nodded first. He got it…
It had to be admitted that in the field of biology, boys were generally more talented.
"In other words, solitary-type locusts can be eaten, but gregarious types cannot. Master Lu knew this in advance, and therefore… before the locusts became a plague, he mobilized the people to catch locusts vigorously, curbing the aggregation of locusts in Yanzhou and Xuzhou. Thus, the locusts here are all solitary types, which are the edible kind!"
"As for… other prefectures and commanderies, they knew the result but not the reason. They merely copied Master Lu's methods, unaware of the underlying principles. They were like imitating tigers without drawing their eyes, learning from others without understanding. Therefore… they ate 'gregarious' locusts, leading to unfortunate incidents of people being poisoned. Ultimately, they still had a superficial understanding and did not possess Master Lu's profound knowledge!"
Zhuge Jun's explanation finally made Cai Zhaoji and Cao Mu understand completely!
Of course, his flattery was quite sweet. Lu Yu thought that this child, "Kongming," was truly teachable!
Hoo…
Cai Zhaoji and Cao Mu both let out a sigh of relief. Who would have thought that this was not a talisman from the Yin-Yang school at all? It was clearly Lu Yu's deeper understanding of locusts!
Cai Zhaoji slowly stood up. As a female teacher, she always had to give a concluding remark:
"The Analects of Confucius mentions that 'at forty, one is free from doubts,' which is knowing the result, and 'at fifty, one understands the mandate of heaven,' which is knowing the reason. Just like these flying locusts, first, one learns that locusts can be eaten, and only then can one understand that not all locusts can be eaten. It is like 'What Heaven calls nature, following nature is called the Way'… Your Master Lu is telling you the great principle of knowing the result and also knowing the reason. Have you understood?"
Ah… ah…
When Cai Zhaoji said this, Lu Yu felt very superior.
Indeed, no matter what action, once packaged in text, it becomes extraordinary.
"Cao Mu has learned…"
"Liang has also learned!"
Cao Mu and Zhuge Jun slowly stood up and bowed to Lu Yu and Cai Zhaoji respectively.
"Alright… class is dismissed for today." Lu Yu waved his hand. "Although we are lacking some raw materials during this period, you cannot slack off! Zhaoji-jie said it well, know the result, and know the reason. As the saying goes, 'tacitly remember it and ponder it.' Many things should be quietly remembered, pondered over repeatedly, and their root causes understood!"
"You are Zhaoji-jie's disciples, you must work hard and absolutely must not disgrace the sect!"
Lu Yu clenched his fist. This was how his teacher used to motivate him back in the day.
"Hmph…" Cao Mu was quite indignant. They were around the same age, yet Lu Yu was lecturing her…
"Your disciple understands." Zhuge Jun humbly cupped his hands and bowed again.
The morning class ended, and Cao Mu and Zhuge Jun slowly exited.
Only Lu Yu and Cai Zhaoji remained in the study.
"Yu-di? When did you become so knowledgeable about locusts? This is not something recorded in the ancient texts of our ancestors!" Cai Zhaoji blinked her eyes and asked repeatedly…
This was her most pressing concern.
As Yu-di grew older, she found herself understanding him less and less!
Moreover, Yu-di had become much more mysterious, not just in his knowledge of "locusts," but also…
"And the Yin-Yang school of thought? I remember I never dictated any books related to the Yin-Yang school of thought for you? Where did you learn these unorthodox methods?"
While the first part of her sentence was quite gentle, the latter part became somewhat stern.
In the eyes of Confucian disciples, especially those who had been tutored by "Dong Zhongshu," all other schools of thought were considered unorthodox!
"Cough cough…" Lu Yu scratched his head. How should he explain?
"Zhaoji-jie, it is said that 'reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles, and traveling ten thousand miles is not as good as meeting countless people.'"
Lu Yu recalled the motivational quotes sent by his relatives in the past life's social groups, and now, they came to his lips effortlessly. "People's life experiences influence the outcome of their lives. Vision determines their perspective, and a broad perspective achieves success! It's not that all principles can only be obtained from books!"
"Besides, the knowledge in ancient texts is from the pioneering and exploration of our predecessors. What we must do is to stand on the shoulders of giants and continue to write new chapters… So, Zhaoji-jie, you must not be bound by the writings of our predecessors. As the saying goes, 'Whence comes such clear water? From the living fountainhead,' and 'What is learned from books, ah no… from books, feels superficial; to truly understand, one must practice it oneself'… these are all the same principles! Zhaoji-jie, reading should also be flexible!"
Ah… ah…
Cai Zhaoji had intended to question Lu Yu, but it turned out that Lu Yu was lecturing her!
Yet, even Cai Zhaoji, a talented woman of the realm, was unable to refute him. What Yu-di said, strangely, had some merit.
At this moment, Cai Zhaoji was just like you before crossing over… when reading inspirational articles – yes, drink this bowl of 'poisonous' chicken soup!
"Zhaoji-jie, I have some other matters to attend to, so I will leave first. See you tonight…"
"Let's have chicken tonight!"
With that, Lu Yu slipped out.
Only Cai Zhaoji remained in the study, muttering Lu Yu's words repeatedly.
"Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles, and traveling ten thousand miles is not as good as meeting countless people!"
"Practice makes perfect?"
"Whence comes such clear water? From the living fountainhead!"
"And… and… what is learned from books, no, Yu-di said 'What is learned from trees, ah, feels superficial; to truly understand, one must practice it oneself!'"
The more she pondered, the more Cai Zhaoji felt… Yu-di's words were profound.
No wonder… Yu-di knew so many things since he was young, could judge the changes in the situation from subtle observations, and even earned the name "Hidden Dragon"!
This was not something that could be achieved by merely reading books, or by reading books pedantically!
Thinking this way, she, Cai Zhaoji, felt somewhat rigid and conventional.
No… she had to improve too, to keep up with Lu Yu's pace. Only then could she stand shoulder to shoulder with Lu Yu and walk together on the path ahead!
Of course, at this moment, Cai Zhaoji did not know that where she was merely shoulder to shoulder with Yu-di, their bodies were already closely connected.
…
Stomp… stomp!
Walking out of the study.
"Young Master…" The stout Dian Wei cupped his hands in a bow.
Lu Yu had grown accustomed to Dian Wei protecting him at all times during this period.
After the Battle of Puyang, Cao Xiu and the soldiers of the Dragon Cavalry Camp unanimously recommended Dian Wei to serve as a personal guard, closely protecting Lu Yu, which allowed them to feel more at ease.
Lu Yu had no objections to this…
Dian Wei always gave him a strong sense of security.
"Where will Young Master go next?" Dian Wei asked…
"Let's go to Sima Xun's residence!" Lu Yu replied without hesitation.
During this period, Cao Cao had dispatched more envoys and spies to Guanzhong, and at the same time, had already ordered Cao Hong to muster troops, ready to advance towards Luoyang and clear the passes and defenses along the way.
Now, once the dry and paddy rice harvests were complete, the troops would be able to march west.
Logically, Cao Cao had made all preparations to welcome the Emperor… However, the process of welcoming the Emperor was extremely complicated. Lu Yu planned to discuss the details further with Xun Yu, as many details… needed to be finalized repeatedly.
This was the so-called "superior strategy is to attack the enemy's plans"…
Although Cao Cao and his generals leading troops to welcome the Emperor might seem like a simple month-long affair, in reality, strategists needed to consider much more!
External situations, internal changes—a single misstep could lead to the loss of everything! Dafeng Novel Network.
"Prepare the carriage…" Dian Wei instructed the guards behind him, and the guards immediately ran off.
Lu Yu, however, paused. Feeling the scorching temperature around him, he looked up at the blazing sun. It was almost August… the first step in welcoming the Emperor could finally be taken!
"The dry and paddy rice are about to be harvested!" Lu Yu murmured, looking up at the sky. "After four months of severe drought, it should rain in August, shouldn't it?"
Just four months of drought had already taken a toll on Yanzhou. It was difficult to imagine… what kind of desperate situation the Sanfu region, suffering from a two-year drought, would be in.
Heh, it was probably… Emperor Xian of Han lived a very bitter life!
Hoo…
Letting out a soft sigh, Lu Yu's eyes narrowed slightly. In any case… Yanzhou in August was about to welcome heavy rain, and the dry and paddy rice would be harvested. This was a good thing!
Wait a minute…
Just as he was closing his eyes in contemplation, Lu Yu suddenly remembered something.
Specifically, a widely circulated saying among farmers in his previous life: "A severe flood often follows a severe drought, and a severe drought often follows a severe flood!"
That's right…
A severe drought followed by a flood for three years, a severe flood followed by a drought for three years. Although there was no scientific basis, this was a saying that farmers had believed for thousands of years.
Lu Yu tried to analyze it, perhaps it could be understood as follows.
Water on Earth exists in different forms, its total amount remains constant, and it constantly cycles.
After a prolonged drought, once it starts raining, due to the lack of water supply for a long time, moisture accumulates in the clouds, forming continuous rain, or even torrential rain within a short period…
If precautions are not taken, it is very likely to lead to flood disasters!
This…
Lu Yu thought of the flood in 1997 of the Dragon Country calendar, which was preceded by a long drought!
Who would have thought that when the rain poured down, it could destroy dams and collapse houses in an instant!
Hoo.
Letting out a long sigh, Lu Yu's eyes narrowed.
Although science could not explain the connection between drought and flood, the farmers' experience of "a severe drought is often followed by a severe flood" made Lu Yu not dare to be careless.
In such matters, it is better to believe it exists than not to believe it exists!
And… precisely when heavy rain was expected in August, the areas where dry and paddy rice were planted were adjacent to the ponds of the Taishou River. If flooding occurred, perhaps… the hard work of planting rice for the past four months would be ruined in an instant. This must be guarded against!
With this in mind…
"Commander Dian…"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"You must personally go to the Taishou River immediately and meet General Xiahou. Tell him to be sure to make flood control preparations in August!" Lu Yu's words blurted out, and his whole demeanor became much more serious.
Seeming to feel that his words were not forceful enough, Lu Yu added, "Tell him that I have calculated that there will be torrential rain in August, and the Taishou River will flood. Make sure he prioritizes flood control and rushes to harvest the rice!"
"Also, Commander Dian, take the soldiers of the Dragon Cavalry Camp to the Taishou River to support General Xiahou…"
Ah… ah…
Dian Wei was slightly taken aback, but he remained motionless. He was thinking, it's currently a severe drought, why… are we talking about flood control?
Is it drought or flood? He was a bit confused!
"Didn't you understand?" Lu Yu asked again when Dian Wei remained still…
"I… I understood. It's just… it's just…"
"Just what?"
"It's just… my mother told me to protect Young Master every step of the way. If I leave, what if Young Master Lu has any…"
Before Dian Wei could finish his words, Lu Yu interrupted directly. "Did your mother say anything else?"
"She also said to listen to Young Master Lu, to go through fire and water, to shed blood and tears. If Young Master Lu tells me to jump, I will jump!"
"Isn't that enough?" Lu Yu's expression was serious. "The Taishou River is now a mountain of knives and a sea of fire. To rush to harvest rice amidst the flood is to climb mountains of knives and descend into oil pots. Tell me, will you jump or not?"
Ah…
Dian Wei was stunned. Seeing Lu Yu's serious expression, he also became serious.
Immediately after, he clenched his fists and uttered two words.
—"I'll jump!"
…
…