Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 1022: Chapter 97: The Xiongnu and the Locust Plague

After busying themselves for over ten days, the residents of Swamp Prefecture have finally finished the early rice harvest. Next, they will rest well for a few days because by the end of the month, they will be busy planting the second season of rice.

This year, there was a bumper harvest of early rice, with the overall yield being double that of previous years. Zhao Yao only needs to submit one-third of the early rice harvest.

The court mandates that Lingnan must submit grain to the capital twice a year. Once for the early rice and once for the second season rice. If there is a third season of rice, it is not required to be submitted to the court because there are fewer places in Lingnan that grow a third season of rice.

The fact that one-third of the early rice yield is submitted is not due to the court’s regulation but rather because this year’s one-third of the early rice is the usual amount submitted annually to the court. Thus, one can see the glimpse of this year’s early rice harvest.

After the early rice was harvested, Zhao Yao immediately sent this year’s grain submission to the court to the capital. Of the remaining two-thirds, one-third was kept, and the other third was sent to the north.

In addition to sending a portion of the early rice to the north, Zhao Yao also personally bought quite a bit of foreign grain and sent it to the north.

Zhao Yao’s actions in sending the grain were faster than those of the capital. However, before his grain reached the north, a locust plague had already occurred. Northern grain merchants took the opportunity to raise prices, causing panic amongst people in the north.

As the northerners worried about not having food to eat, Zhao Yao’s grain arrived in the north. The first batch of grain he sent was a thousand catties, and upon arrival, it immediately pressed down the grain prices in the north, greatly angering the northern grain merchants.

The northern grain merchants wanted to seize this opportunity to make a fortune and wouldn’t allow others to jeopardize their chance for profit. Just as they were preparing to trouble Zhao Yao’s people sent north with the grain, Chu Ying in the Northern Border Camp led soldiers to protect the grain sent by Prince Han.

Concerned that the grain he sent might be compromised by unscrupulous traders in the north, Zhao Yao wrote a letter to Chu Ying, asking the people delivering the grain to give it to Chu Ying.

The grain couriers arrived in the north and immediately delivered the letter to Chu Ying.

After reading Zhao Yao’s letter, Chu Ying did not hesitate and led soldiers to protect the grain sent by Zhao Yao.

Although Zhao Yao sent the grain in the name of the court, it was evident to those with discerning eyes that this grain was sent by Prince Han himself, because Zhao Yao’s grain arrived quicker than the court’s orders.

By the third day after Zhao Yao’s grain convoy arrived in the north, the court’s orders regarding the locust plague finally reached the north.

The court issued several imperial decrees in succession. One decree was for the northern prefectures to open granaries for relief. Another decree was to severely punish those who raised grain prices opportunistically. Another decree called for the northern prefectures to lead the efforts to catch locusts. Another decree instructed the northern prefectures to deploy ducks to eat the locusts. Another decree directed soldiers in the Northern Border Camp to protect the grain, maintain order in the north, and to kill anyone who incites chaos. Another decree appointed Prince Han to manage the locust plague. Another decree was...

When the imperial decrees reached the north, the court also sent many people to the north, including Prince Chu. Prince Chu had two tasks. The first was to manage all matters related to the locust plague along with Prince Han. The second was to investigate who might have engaged in corruption or rebellion during the disaster relief period. The most important task was to investigate if any northern officials or Prince Han had colluded with the Xiongnu.

When Prince Chu arrived in the north, there were three princes stationed in the north, namely Prince Han, Prince Dai, and Prince Chu. Before the northern locust plague occurred, the emperor had dispatched Prince Dai to the Northern Border Camp.

Previously, the Xiongnu had been harassing the northern borders with a stance of invasion southwards. After discussions with Prime Minister He and others, the emperor sent Prince Dai to the northern border.

When Prince Dai arrived at the northern border, he, together with Chu Ying, dealt with the Xiongnu disturbances at the borders.

At first, the Xiongnu did not take notice upon hearing the arrival of Chu Ying and Prince Dai, as neither had confronted the Xiongnu before.

Before Prince Dai arrived at the northern border, Chu Ying hadn’t genuinely challenged the Xiongnu. Firstly, because he wanted to observe their true intentions, and secondly, because he needed to test the northern soldiers.

Seeing that Chu Ying wasn’t a match for them, the Xiongnu intensified their harassment of the borders. Just as the Xiongnu prepared for a full-scale invasion southwards, Prince Dai arrived at the northern border.

Upon witnessing the Xiongnu’s intentions to invade southwards, Chu Ying and Prince Dai decided to stop testing and engage seriously. Initially, the Xiongnu underestimated them and didn’t take them seriously, resulting in a miserable defeat.

After experiencing Chu Ying and Prince Dai’s capabilities, the Xiongnu dared not underestimate them again, but unfortunately, they still weren’t opponents for Chu Ying and Prince Dai. The Xiongnu were defeated once more, more devastatingly than before. After this defeat, the Xiongnu dared not act recklessly.