Wanli 1592

Chapter 1312 Xu Guangqi Goes to the Countryside
It is true that some villagers came down and talked to the village about raising ducks.

So Guo Deng nodded.

"The boy from the Li family told us about this before, but we don't know exactly what happened."

Xu Guangqi said: "There are many things in the township. There are so many things. Now we don't have enough manpower, but we are here to be responsible for promoting this matter in Guanzhong. Guanzhong has always been an area with a high incidence of locust plagues. His Majesty the Emperor is very sorry for this." worry.

Last year, Fujian officials wrote to His Majesty the Emperor, saying that a small businessman named Chen Jinglun in Fujian took the initiative to approach the government, told the government the strategy he had developed to raise ducks and control locusts, and suggested that the government promote it to other places. Years ago, he was the one who got the sweet potato seeds from Luzon without telling the orangomayi.

For this reason, His Majesty the Emperor specially rewarded him. This time, he suggested to His Majesty the matter of raising ducks to control locusts. He tried it in his hometown and said it was very feasible. According to the records of controlling locusts, someone is experimenting now, and he is immediately sent to Beijing to teach specific methods.

Now the imperial court has summed up a fairly successful strategy of raising ducks and controlling locusts, and is ready to promote it in a large number of locust-stricken areas. The larvae of this locust are called gnats. Everyone has seen it. Ducks eat this gnat exclusively. Insects, a duck can eat several catties of gnats a day. "

"Yo, can ducks eat gnats?"

Guo Deng and a group of old people looked at each other, feeling quite novel.

"Yes, ducks eat a lot of gnats, and ah, the duck that grew up on gnats is especially delicious and very popular. Now His Majesty the Emperor eats this duck that grew up from gnats in the palace. Meat."

The villagers were even more surprised.

"Your Majesty the Emperor also eats?"

"That's right, His Majesty's strategy is this. The land of Guanzhong has always been a locust-stricken area, so His Majesty will ask all townships to take the lead in organizing households to raise ducks. Each family will raise some ducks to eat gnats, and then wait for the gnats to eat. The worms are almost eaten, and the ducks have grown up.

At that time, some of them can be sold in the city, and the village will match you up, and the rest can be bought by the garrisons in Guanzhong and Gansu. So much, do you think it's so good? "

Several people looked at each other, counted with their fingers, and felt that this was a good thing, not a bad thing.

"Xu Shangshu, can this duck really eat gnats?"

"really."

"Okay! I agree! Old Li, old Zhang, old Wang, how about you?"

Guo Deng looked at several other old farmers who could talk.

The old farmers looked at each other and laughed.

"The officials of Daqin haven't lied to us, we believe it, raise it!"

The old farmers agreed.

Then Guo Deng asked again.

"Xu Shangshu, let's raise this duck naturally, but how many are appropriate?"

Xu Guangqi said with a smile: "The imperial court has already calculated for you. This locust lays a lot of eggs and reproduces very fast. There are few ducks. It is really impossible to eat them all. Therefore, the imperial court calculated it for each hundred mu of land. To raise ducks, that is to raise one duck for every ten acres of land, President Guo, how many acres of land does your family have?"

"240 acres of land."

Guo Deng said immediately.

"That's 24 ducks."

Xu Guangqi said: "These ducks are not easy to use if they are scattered. The village should organize farmers to raise ducks. When the ducks are needed to hunt gnats, the ducks in the whole village will gather together and eat together. If there are not enough ducks , and seconded some ducks from other villages.

These ducks can eat two or three catties of gnats a day. They eat a lot, but ducks are greedy and can't control their mouths. The group rushed to other places to sway and let it digest.

And you can't put ducks indiscriminately. You should put the ducks in the field when the seedlings are strong and have not yet borne fruit. At this time, the ducks will not damage the crops and can eat more gnats. You should pay more attention to them at ordinary times. Train the ducks that have been raised, and let the ducks obey the command.

When the ducks are grown, you don’t have to worry about having no place to sell them. You can eat some for yourself, save some ducklings, and sell them in the city. The rest of the army will buy them all. The soldiers in the army also need meat. Now there is such delicious duck meat, they are very willing to eat it. If there is no problem here, the imperial court will send ducklings soon, and the village will arrange special personnel to guide them hand in hand. "

Guo Deng and the others looked at each other and nodded repeatedly.

"We in Liulian Village will definitely do this matter. As long as the imperial court delivers the ducks, we will start raising ducks here immediately. I will explain it right away, and we will be ready at any time. How can we not do such a good thing as being able to eat gnats? Woolen cloth?"

Xu Guangqi was very happy with Guo Deng's statement. After lunch, he led everyone around the field.

After wandering around, he found two nests of gnats. Xu Guangqi immediately asked the villagers to bring tools to beat them.

The villagers were shocked, and immediately stepped forward to beat them with all their strength. Xu Guangqi and the accompanying officials also joined in the fight, but they couldn't kill all the gnats until the sun set. It is not known whether there are any gnat nests in the remaining fields. .

The faces of Guo Deng and the others turned green from fright.

Although half of the potatoes are planted, there are also a lot of crops such as wheat. If only potatoes are used, next year's life may not be easy.

"Xu Shangshu, what do you think we should do? What if there are more and we can't deal with them?"

Guo Deng came to ask Xu Guangqi with a bitter face.

Xu Guangqi looked solemn, thought for a while, and said, "I will arrange it immediately and ask the first batch of ducks to be sent to the village where the gnat nests were found first, and to prey on these gnats first. Don't worry, it hasn't arrived yet." In the autumn harvest, if the gnats can’t get up, the government won’t sit idly by!”

Counting Liulian Village, there are only three villages in Xiyang Township where gnats have been found.

Xu Guangqi felt that the situation was serious. The previous locust removal work was not done properly, and now there is a problem, and he feels that the problem is not simple.

So he immediately ordered the officials around him to return to Xi'an to prepare for the relevant matters, and then urged the personnel who transported the ducks to speed up. Now is the time when time is running out, and it is extremely urgent, and a day late may bring harm to this year's harvest.

Xu Guangqi's urgent urging has attracted many people's attention. The Xi'an Locust Control Administration has sent official documents to every township, and every township head must enter a state of combat readiness to prepare for this year's locust war. A piece of grain was eaten on the ground in Guanzhong.

These are life-saving grains for farmers, and they are also an important strategic grain reserve for the imperial court. Xiao Ruxun wants to build the Guanzhong land into a logistics supply base for the Northern Expedition in the future. The control of locusts in Guanzhong will be the top priority, and there is no room for negligence.

Once the locust plague breaks out, the entire north will suffer, and the entire Locust Control Administration will be severely punished by Xiao Ruxun because of its inability to handle affairs.

For the sake of the country, for their own future, and for the lives of the common people, the entire General Administration of Locust Control must move at the fastest speed.

(End of this chapter)