Transmigrated into a female county magistrate during a famine, leading her country to prosperity

Chapter 1203 A perfect strategy

A light sweat broke out on Shen Zheng's forehead as she repeatedly reminded herself not to act rashly.

She carries the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people on her shoulders. If even she loses her composure, then the people will have nowhere to turn for help.

She needed a foolproof plan that could protect the grain crops in Liuyang Prefecture, safeguard the people of Fuzhou, and completely prevent the locust plague from spreading.

But does such a method really exist?

The People's Livelihood Records are filled with poignant words: "The severity of the locust plague surpasses that of war; if one county is affected, three counties suffer from famine, and recovery will take ten years."

Under such a great disaster, can she really protect the people of Fuzhou and Liuyang?

Shen Zheng unconsciously traced the engravings on the table with her fingertips, pondering the habits of locusts in her mind.

Approaching yellow and ripening.

To follow the scent.

Fear of bright, dense light, fear of open flames, and poor at climbing...

The natural enemies of locusts are mostly birds and amphibians.

Besides these creatures, other things that can kill locusts include...

strong base!

lime!

Once the waxy layer on the surface of a locust's body is destroyed by alkaline substances, it will quickly dehydrate and die, and even its eggs cannot hatch in an alkaline environment!

Shen Zheng paused, and a clue gradually formed in her mind.

Jiang Zhiming had been secretly observing Shen Zheng's expression, and upon seeing this, he immediately asked, "Lord Shen, do you have a solution?"

Shen Zheng nodded and then shook his head: "Lime can kill locusts, but... let me think about it some more."

Can lime kill locusts?

Jiang Zhiming and the other officials were all taken aback. They had no idea that lime could have such an effect.

Just as everyone was looking at each other in bewilderment, Shen Zheng said to Ning Bufan without looking up, "Ning Bufan, go to the lime kiln in the manor immediately and send at least a thousand catties of quicklime to Fuzhou Prefecture. Once it is loaded onto the cart, set off immediately."

Ning Bufan was stunned for only a moment before accepting the order and getting up.

After Ning Bufan left, the hall fell silent again, and everyone stared at Shen Zheng without blinking.

Shen Zheng slightly bent her knuckles and gently tapped her forehead. After a while, she suddenly asked Jiang Zhiming, "Lord Jiang, do you still remember the general terrain of Fuzhou?"

When suddenly asked, Jiang Zhiming panicked instinctively, "I...I vaguely remember."

Shen Zheng recalled the map that Fifth Detective had shown her before and asked, "Is there a mountain called Wangyue Mountain on the southwestern border of Fuzhou, where it meets Yanzhou?"

Jiang Zhiming was taken aback: "How did you know?"

Shen Zheng didn't answer, but only asked, "Is there really such a thing?"

Jiang Zhiming realized he had spoken out of turn, quickly suppressed his doubts, and nodded: "Yes, there is a mountain called Wangyue Mountain, and it's not low."

“That mountain… the locusts can’t cross, so if they want to fly from Yanzhou to Fuzhou, they will take a detour,” Shen Zheng said as she pondered.

Jiang Zhiming and the others only vaguely understood. Yi Mingli frowned and said, "What you say is true, sir. Locusts never fly very high. Whenever they encounter a mountain peak a hundred feet high during their migration, they will definitely fly around it. But I am stupid and don't know what this has to do with resisting insect plagues?"

Shen Zheng did not answer, but asked Jiang Zhiming instead: "Lord Jiang, have you been to that mountain? If I remember correctly, there seems to be a pass on the west side of the Wangyue Mountains?"

Jiang Zhiming was taken aback by the question and lowered his head, not daring to look at Shen Zheng: "Lord Shen, I hadn't even had time to inspect the manor before arriving at Liuyang Prefecture..."

That means you haven't seen it.

Shen Zheng sighed inwardly, but did not blame Jiang Zhiming. Instead, she began to reconsider her strategy.

Just as she was lost in thought, Jiang Zhiming suddenly stood up and began to reach into his pocket. A moment later, a thin piece of parchment appeared in his hand.

Shen Zheng was stunned: "...What is this?"

"A simple map," Jiang Zhiming presented it with both hands. "When I set off from the Fuzhou prefectural government office, I drew this simple map by referring to the prefectural map..."

As he spoke, Jiang Zhiming's voice gradually softened, and Yi Mingli and the others looked over in disbelief.

"Lord Jiang, how dare you steal and draw maps of the prefecture?" Yi Mingli knew this wasn't the time to talk about this, but he couldn't help but say, "Don't you know that such confidential items must never be taken out of the prefectural office...?"

A hint of guilt flashed in Jiang Zhiming's eyes as he explained, "I have just arrived in Fuzhou to take up my post and want to memorize the terrain of the prefecture as soon as possible, so I have no choice but to do this... Moreover, if things hadn't happened so suddenly today, I would never have taken out this map."

"What if it were lost by accident?" Yi Mingli felt a lingering fear for the other officials in Fuzhou. "If that happened, everyone else in the Fuzhou government would suffer the same fate as you..."

Jiang Zhiming knew he was wrong and that Yi Mingli had caught him red-handed. He subconsciously looked at Shen Zheng.

Shen Zheng felt Jiang Zhiming's gaze and, while checking the map, said, "Alright, now is not the time to hold people accountable."

After saying that, Shen Zheng spread the map on the table and pointed to a spot in the southwest corner, saying, "This is the Wangyue Mountain that I just mentioned, located on the dividing line between Fuzhou and Yanzhou."

Yi Mingli and the others knew they shouldn't look over there, but they just couldn't control their gaze.

In an instant, everyone's eyes were focused on "Wangyue Mountain," following the movement of Shen Zheng's fingertips.

“Here,” Shen Zheng pointed lightly to the west side of Wangyue Mountain, “is the pass I mentioned, which is deep and concave in shape.”

When everyone saw what Shen Zheng was pointing to, they were all stunned.

It truly is a deep, concave pass.

But how did Lord Shen know about such details in advance?

Could it be that... Lord Shen had already seen the map of Fuzhou?

No one dared to think about it any further, and they all put their minds at ease—in front of Lord Shen, they shouldn't think about things they shouldn't think about, and they shouldn't ask questions they shouldn't ask.

Yi Mingli gazed at the pass for a moment, then asked sincerely, "Lord Shen, do you perhaps intend to...?"

"Catching locusts in a jar!" Jiang Zhiming interrupted Yi Mingli, his eyes suddenly lighting up: "Lord Shen, do you intend to drive the locusts to this pass?"

Shen Zheng nodded slowly: "But this method is extremely difficult. Whether it can be implemented depends on my personal observation of the terrain."

To trap locusts in a narrow pass, the pass must be shaped like a "deep pocket," and the slope of its three cliff walls must be greater than 60 degrees, preferably vertical, so that the locusts can be trapped inside.

This method is theoretically the way to minimize losses, but it is extremely dependent on terrain conditions, so Shen Zheng had to go and check it out in person.

Jiang Zhiming was overjoyed upon hearing this: "You want to come back to Fuzhou with me?"

The officials were terrified upon hearing this: "Lord Shen, you can't leave! What will happen to our household if you leave...?"

"You're all so foolish!" Jiang Zhiming immediately spoke up, pulling Shen Zheng to the Fuzhou camp: "If Fuzhou falls, how can Liuyang remain unscathed? Only by going to Fuzhou, Lord Shen, can Liuyang be protected to the greatest extent possible!"

It must be said that Jiang Zhiming spoke the truth.

Shen Zheng propped himself up on the table, put away the map, and said, "Lord Jiang is right. Please trust me, I will not allow locusts to fly into Liuyang Prefecture under any circumstances."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhiming felt like crying again.

Being able to act as a protective shield for Liuyang Prefecture is... a blessing for Fuzhou, isn't it?