Chapter 915: The Remedy for the Locust Plague
The summer of the eighth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign brought with it the great locust plague.
The locust swarm Li Daoxuan had vanquished in Luoyang was merely a small branch of the locust army. Almost the entire Henan province was ravaged by the locust plague. Hubei, northeastern Sichuan, and southeastern Shanxi were also affected.
The locusts were like a scourge of nature, stripping the land bare wherever they passed, devouring every plant down to the last bite.
At this time, Li Daoxuan's field of view extended merely to the city of Luoyang.
He could only protect Luoyang and the areas northwest of it. The southeast of Luoyang was not yet within his sight, and he was powerless to aid the regions beyond.
Moreover, Li Daoxuan was just a human, not a true Heavenly Lord after all.
When the locusts dispersed into small groups, invading southeastern Shanxi and Mengjin and Xin'an counties northwest of Luoyang, he often failed to spot them.
Especially when he looked into the diorama box from the outside, the locusts appeared as tiny as dust motes. He could see them when a large swarm flew together, but if only a small group was flying around, he couldn't see them without deliberately engaging the 'focus' feature.
The populace of Mengjin County, Xin'an County, and southeastern Shanxi were locked in a relentless battle against these smaller groups of locusts.
Their simultaneous prayers from two distant locations were quite unreasonable. Li Daoxuan had no choice but to command multiple fronts with the lightning speed of a master strategist.
First, he switched to the Heavenly Lord's portrait before Wu Shen and spoke, “Let me think!”
Then, he immediately switched to the newly embroidered golden Heavenly Lord on Fan Shangzheng's chest and declared, “Henan is vast. Do you expect me to chase and capture locusts everywhere? Are you trying to drive me to distraction?”
Fan Shangzheng jumped in surprise. He hadn't expected his prayer to actually manifest the Heavenly Lord's presence. He was simultaneously excited and terrified. His excitement stemmed from receiving the Heavenly Lord's favor and a response so soon after joining the Heavenly Lord Daoist Sect, proving that joining the faith was absolutely the right choice.
His terror came from the feeling that his request might have been excessive. The Heavenly Lord was a deity, who intervened in the mortal realm as he pleased, or not at all. Making demands immediately after joining the faith seemed likely to incur the divine displeasure.
Fan Shangzheng quickly adopted a deferential stance. “Your humble official did not mean that. I would not presume to ask the Heavenly Lord to act personally. I only request that the Heavenly Lord bestow upon us a method to control the locust plague, so that your humble official may use it to safeguard the populace of Henan.”
“Hmm, that's more like it,” Li Daoxuan replied. “Very well, let me think.”
Switching back to his true self, he opened his computer, typed “how to control locusts,” and a veritable deluge of suggestions appeared online.
He scanned the results. For small locust groups, manual capture or using poultry were viable options.
But for large-scale locust infestations, the only reliable method was pesticide application.
Li Daoxuan knew that the people of this era already understood manual and poultry capture; he didn't need to teach them that. Wu Shen and Fan Shangzheng already had ways to deal with small locust groups.
Therefore, the only thing he needed to do was provide the remedy.
His first thought was the insecticide he had at home.
But on second thought, that type of insecticide seemed potent and dangerous. If they weren't careful in using it, it could lead to harm to the people, which wouldn't be ideal.
Was there an insecticide that wasn't too harmful to humans?
Search... continue search...
To his surprise, he found one.
Biological agents!
However, Li Daoxuan immediately remembered that biological agents were bacteria, which killed locusts by infecting them.
But bacteria couldn't enter the box, so these biological agents couldn't be introduced into the diorama.
There was no other way. He had to abandon biological agents and switch to natural plant extracts.
After another intense search, he finally found something good: Neem extract, specifically Azadirachtin.
Azadirachtin was a natural plant extract from neem tree fruits, recognized globally as a broad-spectrum, highly effective, low-toxicity, easily degradable, residue-free insecticide with no known resistance. It caused no harm to humans, livestock, or the environment.
Li Daoxuan was overjoyed. He quickly opened his go-to online marketplace, and a search revealed that the product was indeed available. A small 100-milliliter bottle cost only about 30 yuan, shockingly inexpensive.
He quickly ordered a bottle...
The next day, the Azadirachtin arrived!
The instruction manual was incredibly long, detailing all sorts of precautions: do not touch with bare hands, avoid spraying into eyes, do not eat while applying, wear protective clothing, and so on.
Li Daoxuan saw this and thought, “Damn it, this stuff is dangerous too.”
A single drop he applied would become a large barrel in the miniature world. The villagers, being in close proximity to such a potent substance, would be in danger.
Careful application was imperative.
He couldn't give the villagers the ‘original concentrate’ directly; it was too hazardous. He had to dilute it according to the instructions before handing it over. Moreover, he needed to exert his divine authority as the Heavenly Lord and strictly command them to follow the usage manual.
He quickly followed the instructions, donned rubber gloves, and diluted the 100 milliliters of solution with several hundred times its volume in clean water, shaking it thoroughly.
Then, he converted the instructions for this medicine into traditional Chinese characters and printed them out.
Once all this was done, Li Daoxuan first switched his view to Hedong City.
Xing Honglang and Gao Chuwu were both playing with their son, Gao Zhengjing.
Gao Zhengjing was two years old but had grown into a remarkably large boy, appearing bigger than most three- or four-year-olds. He had learned to walk faster than other children; now he could not only walk but also hop twice, his chubby little hands swinging vigorously.
Li Daoxuan swiftly switched to the Puppet Heavenly Lord on Gao Chuwu's shoulder and spoke, “Chuwu, Honglang, I have a magical remedy for controlling locusts to give you.”
Both were overjoyed. “Greetings, Heavenly Lord.”
Gao Zhengjing babbled, “Ah? Ah? Puppet... talkie-talkie...”
His chubby little hands instantly reached out to grab the Puppet Heavenly Lord.
This terrified both Xing Honglang and Gao Chuwu. The last time the child grabbed the Puppet Heavenly Lord, he had snapped its neck with a 'crack,' frightening his parents badly and making them fear divine retribution. They couldn't let their son succeed again.
Xing Honglang immediately grabbed her son by the scruff of his neck, lifted him, and smacked his bottom. “How many times have I told you? No touching the Heavenly Lord!”
Gao Zhengjing wailed, “Wah! Wah! Woo!”
He burst into tears!
The Puppet Heavenly Lord said, “Now, now, don't cry! I'll perform a puppet song for you. The sun shines brightly, the flowers smile at me...”
Gao Zhengjing murmured, “Oh?”
He stopped crying instantly.
“Hahaha, a charming child,” the Puppet Heavenly Lord chuckled, then abruptly shifted his tone. “Chuwu, Honglang, what I am about to give you is very dangerous. Have a servant immediately take the child far away. Both of you should also find thick, non-breathable clothing to wear... and it would be best to find a large hood or covering for your faces as well.”
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