"Li Yao, the Song County Magistrate has arrived," Chun Ning ran in from outside, "Along with him are magistrates from several neighboring counties."
Li Yao returned home to find Wang Er already hosting several county magistrates in the living room and serving them tea.
Seeing Li Yao come in from outside, they all stood up immediately.
"Madame Li, we have long admired you!"
"Greetings to you all, please sit down."
Feeling a bit uneasy with such formalities, fortunately aside from the Song County Magistrate, the other magistrates were all seventh-rank officials, so she didn't need to use overly formal etiquette.
Once everyone was seated, the Song County Magistrate explained why they were there.
It turned out they had come to show gratitude because Li Yao's locust prevention methods were very effective. They had also brought some small gifts, probably after getting advance notice from the Song County Magistrate, so none of the gifts were particularly valuable. Li Yao accepted them.
Of course, Li Yao knew their purpose for coming was not so simple, but that there was a more important matter at hand.
As neighboring counties of Baichuan, they were all actively working to prevent locusts, while the surrounding counties remained indifferent.
"We've already spoken to the neighboring counties," the Zheng County Magistrate said in annoyance, "But no one listened. They said after inquiring with Li the Prefect, there won't be a major locust plague this year, so they aren't doing anything."
"They won't listen even if I talk to them," Li Yao said. "I can say it but they won't hear me."
"We didn't intend to ask Madame Li to go speak with them," the Zheng County Magistrate continued. "We just hope Madame Li can take the lead and send official notices from our counties directly to all the counties in Yizhou Prefecture, bypassing the Yizhou government. If they still refuse to act, at least we will have done our duty when locusts eventually come."
Of course, doing their duty was not out of sincerity, but prudent self-preservation, even adding some credit for themselves.
By pulling her in, these county magistrates hoped to make use of her reputation and relationship with the Ninth Prince. They also wanted to share any credit that might come from this.
Spreading risk and sharing credit, that was officialdom.
Li Yao didn't want to get involved in these kinds of politics, but that didn't mean she was completely oblivious.
"That's fine," Li Yao considered and said, "then let the Song County Magistrate take the lead."
As the highest ranked, it was reasonable for the Song County Magistrate to lead. So they drafted the notice on the spot with everyone stamping it, then had clerks hurriedly deliver it to each county.
A few days later, word came back that only about half of the counties took the official notice seriously and began locust prevention using Li Yao's methods.
The farther counties completely ignored it.
Li Yao merely listened to the report then moved on, without taking it to heart. She was just a retired old lady, not someone who could handle matters of the state.
At noon that day, the Song County Magistrate was inspecting villages under the blazing sun. He arrived at He Wan Village right on time to freeload lunch at Li Yao's home.
The clerks naturally did not stand on ceremony either. After associating for so long, they were all very familiar and no longer needed to be so formal.
Today Li Yao fried up several plates of fried locusts to treat the Song County Magistrate. The clerks ate with great relish, while the magistrate likely felt squeamish and only tasted one or two.
Still, he marveled, "To think the dreaded locusts that people loathe could become such a delicious dish. This world is truly bizarre."
Li Yao thought to herself that if they were more plentiful and easier to catch, the common people would have already eaten them to extinction.
"Auntie Li, trouble!"
Just as they were eating, Niu Dan from the Fang family came running over again.
"Locusts are here! So many locusts!"
"What?"
Everyone was shocked. After all their prevention efforts, the locusts still couldn't be contained?
"Where?"
"Coming from the mountainside!" Niu Dan exclaimed. "My grandfather and Uncle Li already went over!"
"Let's go take a look!"
Forgetting that their meal wasn't yet finished, Li Yao and the county magistrate rushed over to the back mountain.
When they reached the reservoir, they saw the mountainside ahead was densely blanketed with locusts. Many wild grasses in the woods had been gnawed down to bare stalks.
Crunch crunch...
The relentless crunching was like light rain falling in the dead of night, listening to it made one's scalp tingle.
Wang Xiao Si picked up a rock and threw it towards the woods, but the locusts were fearless. They continued munching and hopping towards the village.
Plop—
Locusts flew straight at them, smacking onto Li Yao's clothes. More locusts swarmed towards them, as dense as raindrops in a downpour.
Li Yao guessed she could grab four or five bugs in one handful!
This was no longer just a minor nuisance, it was a real locust plague!
Wang Jiafu and Fang Shian had already turned pale with fright, stunned and at a loss what to do.
"Hurry back to the village!" At the critical moment, Li Yao was calmer than anyone. "Have people light large bonfires with pyrethrum powder in the gully at the base of our mountain to block the locusts. Get everyone in the village to bring nets, sheets, blankets, anything to stop the locusts!"
Wang Jiafu and Fang Shian jogged back while Li Yao told the county magistrate, "Your Excellency, please notify other villages and neighboring counties urgently. I estimate this will be a pitched battle."
"Quick, hurry to the back mountain, we must block the locust swarm!"
Led by Wang Jiafu, over a thousand villagers surged out from the village. Some carried nets, most held sheets or blankets.
Fortunately the village was prepared. They had stockpiled large piles of firewood along all the fields, and prepared pyrethrum powder ahead of time. Strong young men spread out the firewood over a stretch of more than a hundred meters in the gully to create a barrier.
Those behind them stood guard, ready to catch locusts at any time. Chickens, ducks and geese were all herded over to join the locust extermination effort. During the day, they were also quite an army.
"Here they come."
As everyone stood in wait, accompanied by the crunching sound of locusts devouring leaves, locust silhouettes began appearing over the hillside ahead.
First just a few dozen, then a few hundred, a few thousand... Eventually a dense black-yellow tide surged down the slope.
All the villagers gasped. So this was a real locust plague?
Most had only heard of them. Seeing it now with their own eyes, they couldn't help but shiver inside.
"Light the fire! Hurry and light it!"
The firewood instantly ignited and pyrethrum powder was thrown on. Thick smoke immediately billowed up as the locust army reached the barrier.
Patter patter...
Countless hopping bugs pelted people's bodies and faces, stinging painfully.
