After bidding farewell to Cheng Yaojin, Li Zexuan went directly to the editorial department of the workshop. He told Ma Zhou the whole story of Ma Zhou swallowing the locusts and told him to publish it on the front page of the Datang Daily tomorrow. After that, Li Zexuan left the editorial department. Coincidentally, he met Li Tai.
"Qingque, where are you going?"
Li Zexuan couldn't help but ask when he saw Li Tai carrying a package.
"Yamachō? You've come to the workshop! I'm going to take the loudspeakers to help Iron Egg and Hu Guo command the Sky Chicken Brigade. "
Li Tai was also startled when he saw Li Zexuan. After he reacted, he quickly said.
"Loudspeakers? Sky Chicken Brigade? "
Hearing this, Li Zexuan's eyes flashed with a strange light. He smiled and said, "Qingque, your idea is not bad. Using the loudspeaker to let Tie Dan, Hu Zhen, and the others command the Sky Chicken Brigade. Firstly, it saves a lot of effort. Secondly, it allows the sound to travel farther, and they can command more chickens! By the way, how many loudspeakers do we have in the workshop now? "
Li Tai patted the package in his hand and said, "Yamachō, these loudspeakers were just made today. You took one away in the afternoon. Later, I asked the craftsmen to make three more. So, there are only these three in my package!"
Li Zexuan pondered for a moment and said, "Qingque, immediately ask the craftsmen in the workshop to make a batch of loudspeakers for you. As for Iron Egg, you can't help much for the time being. It's estimated that the Sky Chicken Brigade will be able to clear all the locusts in Lantian County tomorrow. At that time, I will receive a batch of chickens from Duke Yi and Duke Lu. The scale of the Sky Chicken Brigade will increase dramatically. At that time, Hu Guo and Iron Egg will lead the Sky Chicken Brigade to the neighboring counties to clear the locusts. As for the workshop, it's best to make sixty loudspeakers before they set off the day after tomorrow!"
"Sixty?"
Li Tai's eyes widened. If he had read "Empresses in the Palace", he would definitely shout, "I can't do it!" At this time, he frowned and said, "Yamachō, it's not easy to make these loudspeakers. In my opinion, the workshop can only make thirty loudspeakers a day. If you want sixty, it's impossible!"
Li Zexuan said in a deep voice, "The disaster is like a fire. I can wait, but the people who are suffering from the locusts can't wait! If they wait one more day, they may lose hundreds of pounds of food! The situation is urgent now. We can only ask the craftsmen in the workshop to work overtime to make a batch of loudspeakers during the day and at night! "
Li Tai was not a person who didn't know the importance of things. Hearing this, he nodded solemnly and said, "Okay! I'll go and ask Faubert to transfer a batch of craftsmen to help make the loudspeakers! "
After that, he cupped his hands at Li Zexuan and went directly to Faubert's office with his bag.
"Old Li made me eat the locusts raw. Now I'm asking his son to work overtime to make loudspeakers. Is this considered as taking revenge?"
Looking at Li Tai's back as he left in a hurry, Li Zexuan pinched his chin. Suddenly, such a thought flashed through his mind.
"No, no! I'm a selfless person. Why would I do something as despicable as taking revenge? Everything I do is for the people of the world! "
Li Zexuan shook his head fiercely, and then whispered with a firm face.
…
"Marquis, this afternoon, the Sky Pheasant Brigade cleared a total of 15 farms of locusts. In terms of speed, it's much faster than previously estimated!"
In the evening, Li Zexuan returned to the Marquis' mansion in Lantian County. Not long after, County Magistrate He heard that Li Zexuan had returned to the county. He hurriedly paid a visit and reported on his work.
In the study, the servants quietly left after serving tea and snacks. Only Li Zexuan and County Magistrate He were in the room.
Li Zexuan took a sip of the Immortal Tea but didn't swallow it. After returning home, he couldn't help but vomit for a long time when he thought of eating the locusts raw in the afternoon. At this moment, there was a strange taste in his mouth. He rinsed his mouth with the Immortal Tea and spat the tea into the spittoon. Li Zexuan said,
"I've already heard about this from Uncle Hu before I came back! The Sky Pheasant Brigade's speed of eliminating the locusts is amazing, but compared to the number of provinces and counties affected by the locusts this time, it's still somewhat insufficient! "
County Magistrate He was a little puzzled, "What does Marquis mean? Is the Sky Pheasant Brigade going to other provinces and counties to eliminate the locusts? "
Li Zexuan glanced at him and said, "You guessed right. This afternoon, His Majesty did ask me to lead the Sky Pheasant Brigade to other provinces and counties to eliminate the locusts after eliminating the locusts in Lantian County! I'm a Marquis of the Tang Empire and I'm receiving the country's salary. Naturally, I can't only care about Lantian County. Therefore, it's my duty to let the Sky Pheasant Brigade go to other provinces and counties to eliminate the locusts! "
County Magistrate He was a civil official. When he was young, he also had the ambition to serve the country. Hearing this, he couldn't help but salute with a face full of admiration, "I admire Marquis's righteousness! My words carry little weight and I can't help Marquis, but after Marquis leaves, I'll definitely manage Lantian County well for Marquis and let Lantian County survive this locusts disaster! "
Li Zexuan nodded and said, "That's for the best! There are two things that I need to emphasize to you again. First, the grain prices in Lantian County must not be messed up. If we encounter unscrupulous grain merchants who hoard and profit, we must not tolerate it. Based on the current situation, the impact of the locusts on Lantian County is still considered small. The losses are also much smaller than the other provinces and counties. Therefore, the grain prices are unlikely to rise greatly! "
County Magistrate He nodded in agreement, "Marquis is right. At the current speed, we'll be able to eliminate the locusts in the county's farmland by tomorrow. Although it will affect this year's harvest, the grain yield will definitely not decrease by more than 20%. The grain merchants will have no reason to raise the grain prices!"
Speaking of this, County Magistrate He couldn't help but prostrate himself in admiration of Li Zexuan. Thinking back, if it wasn't for Li Zexuan rearing a hundred and fifty thousand chickens in the Han Family Manor and Plum Village, how could Lantian County become the first county in the Great Tang Empire to eliminate the locusts? Taking a step back, if Li Zexuan didn't give the entire Lantian County to Li Zexuan, then County Magistrate He would probably be having a headache because of the locusts!
Li Zexuan smiled with gratification and then said seriously, "Second, after this marquis leaves, if there are refugees from other provinces and counties who want to escape to Lantian County, you should first set aside a piece of land in the county for them to live in. Don't reject them at the door! Lantian County is currently repairing the roads and will be expanding the city in the future. Furthermore, the hydropower station and this marquis' workshop will require manpower. Our Lantian County still has too few people. Taking this opportunity to absorb a group of refugees to strengthen Lantian County is not a bad idea! "
County Magistrate He said in shock, "Marquis, our Lantian County already has a lot of people! Even in the entire Great Tang, it can be considered an above average county. Also, you just said that you want to expand the county? How can this be done? The city is now more than enough for the citizens to live in! "
Li Zexuan looked at County Magistrate He with disappointment and said, "It's enough for now, but it doesn't mean it will be enough for the future. This marquis doesn't intend to let Lantian County remain as an average county. Now, the city is moving the power lines. Once the power lines are connected and the hydropower station is able to provide electricity to Lantian County, there will be electric lights. Even at night, Lantian County will be as bright as day! At that time, this marquis intends to completely abolish Lantian County's curfew policy and let Lantian County become the first city in Great Tang that never sleeps! At that time, it will definitely attract merchants from all over to Lantian County. Rather than expanding it at that time, it's better to make plans early! "
County Magistrate He was stunned by Li Zexuan's description of the future of Lantian County. After a moment of silence, he said, "Marquis has great foresight, this official admires you!"
Li Zexuan took another sip of the Celestial Tea and waved his hand. "Alright! Stop flattering me! Sometimes, natural disasters aren't scary, but man-made disasters are! Especially the Marquis of the Acraepoid Kingdom, it's easy for people with ulterior motives to mislead the public. You must be careful in this aspect! This time, this marquis will bring a telegraph machine. If you have any urgent matters, you can directly look for Qing Que and let him send a message to this marquis. This marquis will rush back! "
Li Zexuan had a vague premonition that something big would happen in Lantian County or Chang 'an City soon. If he had a choice, he would definitely not choose to leave Lantian County at this time. However, he couldn't let the Han Family Manor's children and Yanhuang College's students go to other counties for disaster relief because of this unwarranted premonition. Thus, he could only choose to go personally. For safety's sake, he planned to bring a telegraph machine with him.
It had to be said that the telegraph machine in the workshop had been greatly improved compared to before. With the addition of a radio frequency amplifier circuit and a diode current detector, its ability to send and receive telegrams had increased by more than a few times. Although it was still a distance away from Li Zexuan's goal of "Thousand Miles Communication", there was no problem for it to send and receive telegrams over a few hundred miles!
Furthermore, with the lead-acid battery, the telegraph machine's endurance was greatly guaranteed. There was no need to worry about it running out of battery halfway through sending a telegram!
"This official obeys!"
Hearing Li Zexuan's serious tone, County Magistrate He quickly cupped his hands and bowed solemnly to Li Zexuan.
"Alright! This Marquis has told you everything that needs to be told! You can go back and do your work! "
Li Zexuan saw that the sky was getting dark, so he held a cup of tea and sent him off.
"This official will take his leave!"
County Magistrate He cupped his hands and left.
After a while, Li Zexuan walked out of the study. After asking the servant girl about Han Yuxi's whereabouts, Li Zexuan went directly to the side room in the West Courtyard.
"Wife, why are you helping your husband pack his luggage so early in the morning?"
In the afternoon, the overwhelming number of locusts had passed through, and the elders in the family had all seen it. After Li Zexuan returned home, he told his family that he was going to take the Sky Chicken Brigade to another county to exterminate the locusts. Although Madam Li was reluctant, she couldn't object when she heard Li Zexuan say that it was Li Er's idea. As for Li Jingmo and Ye Guozhong, they were very supportive of Li Zexuan going to another county to exterminate the locusts. Both of them believed in the cycle of cause and effect. They believed that the more good deeds Li Zexuan did, the more blessings he would receive!
After arriving at the bedroom, Li Zexuan saw Han Yuxi helping him tidy up his clothes.
Han Yuxi replied as she folded his clothes, "Although my husband is leaving in the morning the day after tomorrow, I'm afraid that I will leave something behind, so I can only tidy up a little in advance!"
Li Zexuan couldn't help but laugh. "Your husband is going out to help with the disaster, not to play. I only need to bring two sets of clothes to change into. Why do you have to trouble yourself, my wife?"
Han Yuxi turned around and stared at Li Zexuan with an expression. "You are my husband. I hope that no matter where you go, you won't suffer! Husband, are you sure you can't bring me along this time? "
Li Zexuan walked over and pulled Han Yuxi into his arms. He sighed and said, "I can't! If my wife is unwilling to suffer for my husband, then I can't bear to let my wife suffer! You just stay at home obediently. Your husband won't leave for long and will be back soon! "
"… Mm!"
Han Yuxi made a soft "mm" sound and then said, "I will help my husband take care of the Warm Tang Foundation. If my husband is unable to handle the locusts in the Guanzhong area, the Warm Tang Foundation can also provide some support to my husband!"
Li Zexuan's eyes lit up. He said happily, "Hey! Your husband had really forgotten about this! My wife's reminder is great! How about this, if the state or county is severely damaged, we can use the Warm Tang Foundation to send a batch of resources to help! "
Hearing that Li Zexuan finally acknowledged her efforts, Han Yuxi nodded happily and said, "Mm, mm! Don't worry, my husband. The Warm Tang Foundation will be able to help at any time! "
Li Zexuan smiled knowingly and said, "Alright, alright! Let's go and eat! Otherwise, Father and Mother will send someone over to call for us! "
"Mm, mm!"
.....
The next day, early morning.
Today's Datang Daily's headline — "The Emperor swallowed locusts alive. The words of the Locust God, how absurd!" — made the people who had been suffering from the locusts suddenly feel excited, and their fighting spirit soared!
"Oh my god! His Majesty is leading the officials to swallow locusts alive? "
"The people have sinned. I am the only one. You have a spirit, but you should not erode my heart and harm the people. Otherwise, I would rather eat my lungs and intestines! Wu wu! His Majesty's precious body is swallowing locusts alive to control the locusts. What do we have to be afraid of? Let's go! When I return, I will go catch locusts as well! "
"There is no Locust God in this world. I believe in His Majesty! His Majesty is the true god who will save us! "
"If anyone dares to mention the Locust God again, I will fight them! The locusts have harmed us and starved us. What kind of Locust God is he? When I return, I will bring the four children at home to catch locusts! "
"Yes, yes, yes! Let's catch locusts together! We can protect the crops and sell them to the government for money! Let's catch locusts together! "
"His Majesty is wise! His Majesty is wise! "
When the people saw the content of the headline, they burst into tears. Living in such an era of virtuous emperors, the people were undoubtedly blessed, especially those who had experienced the chaos of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. When they heard that Li Zexuan had personally swallowed locusts to encourage the people to go catch locusts, the old people fell to their knees in front of the palace with tears streaming down their faces. They chanted, "His Majesty is wise!" They were so moved that their bodies trembled!
This was the Saint! The Saint who was worthy of the people's loyalty to their deaths!
On this day, the heavens and earth seemed to be moved. Because, it rained. The rain fell on Chang 'an, and the world was stained with tears!
.....
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