In dry years, as the water level drops, the soil becomes firmer, the water content decreases, and the vegetation on the ground is sparse, and the number of eggs laid by locusts increases dramatically, sometimes from 200,000 to 400,000 eggs per square meter.
In addition, in drought years, the water surface of rivers and lakes shrinks and low-lying land is exposed, which also provides more suitable places for locusts to lay eggs.
Drought can also cause locusts to migrate and form larger swarms, leading to large locust infestations.
However, the ancients did not know much about locusts, but there was a saying that the locust god had to worship the locust god in case of locust plague.
There is also a saying that locusts are transformed into fish eggs, saying that when the drought dries up, the fish and shrimp turn into locusts, so there are many fish and trillion years.
It is also said that locusts fly into the sea and turn into fish and shrimp.
But for those in power, locusts, especially the plague of locusts after a drought year, are the most terrible.
According to official historical records, during the Qin and Han dynasties, locust plagues broke out once every 88 years on average.
By the time of the Sui and Tang dynasties, it broke out once in about five years, and once in three and a half years in the two Song dynasties, once in one and six years in the Yuan Dynasty, and once in two and eight years in the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Locust plagues have occurred one after another, and most of the affected areas are concentrated in the three provinces of Hebei, Henan, and Shandong in the Central Plains.
It is also distributed in the Jianghuai and Jianghan regions, and when it is severe, it will also erupt in the Guanzhong area, and even spread throughout the Loess Plateau.
The most vulnerable place to the outbreak of locust plague is the Yellow River, especially in the middle and lower reaches of the basin, where every time a major flood is followed by a severe drought.
The alternating occurrence of floods and droughts will lead to the emergence of many large areas of barren beaches and abandoned lands along lakes, coastal areas, river floods, and waterlogged areas.
And these places often become the conditions for locust plagues to occur and run rampant.
These are common knowledge that later generations have long been familiar with, but for most of the ancients of this era, they did not understand the cause of locusts.
It's just that they blindly think that locusts have no rules to speak of, and that they are God's punishment, and so on.
The floodplains of the Yellow River are actually the largest spawning areas for locusts.
If the Yellow River's floodplains flood several times a year, the locust population will be greatly reduced, and the summer locust occurrence will be reduced when the floodplains recede in May and June.
If the water rises in July and the water recedes in August, the autumn locust occurrence area is the smallest.
If the water recedes before August, the locusts will recede in the autumn to lay eggs, and the locusts will occur more heavily in the next summer.
Since the Yellow River is generally interrupted in the summer, autumn and spring and summer of February, August and September, and the spring and summer from February to June, which coincides with the development and breeding period of flying locusts, the interruption of the river flow directly affects the occurrence dynamics of flying locusts in the floodplains of the Yellow River in the Central Plains and other provinces.
Basically, if the Yellow River is cut off, there is a more than 70 percent chance of locust plagues.
"If you say that the Yellow River is cut off, there will be a locust plague" Li Shimin and the prime ministers were very happy to eat locusts, but Li Chao said a topic that made everyone unhappy.
"The locust plague seems to have not happened in years."
Xiao Yu also said.
Li Chao moved a chair and sat beside Li Shimin, "Your Majesty, according to my statistics and research on the locust plague in the history books, during the Qin and Han dynasties, there would be a big locust plague almost every nine years.
In the last 300 years, there has been a plague of locusts almost every less than six years. ” Li Shimin's face sank.
Locust plagues occur almost every year, but a big locust plague will inevitably be a catastrophe that will sweep through dozens of states and counties and can displace countless people.
The last time there was such a big locust plague seemed to be six years ago.
"Once in six years, the locust plague has not occurred for six years, and since the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, there has not been a locust plague.
Could it be that there will be a big locust plague next year?"
When Li Shimin said this, his voice even trembled a little.
Next year is the year of his change of yuan, and next year he will officially change to the name of Zhenguan.
Zhenguan, that's his year name.
Could it be that at the beginning of Zhenguan, it must start with a plague of locusts?
If that were the case, it would not only be a plague of locusts, but also a political disaster.
After all, catastrophes, whether they are droughts or floods, or snowstorms, locust plagues, earthquakes, etc., are all regarded as warnings from heaven and are dereliction of duty on the part of the emperor of the son of heaven.
As soon as he changed his yuan, there was a big locust plague, which was very bad.
Ping Zhangshi and Du Ruhui, the secretary of the ministry, said worriedly at this time, "The Yellow River is going to be cut off." ” "It seems that the Henan section will be cut off this month."
Li Shimin was not calm at all.
"Why didn't I know about this?"
Fang Xuanling and they are also very innocent, it is a common thing for the Yellow River to be cut off, and everyone didn't know that the Yellow River was broken or the root cause of the locust outbreak.
"Wenyuan, do you really think there will be a big locust plague next year?"
The terrible locust plague Li Shimin knows and has seen it, it is really overwhelming, and every time it passes, it is swept away.
The plague of locusts eats everything, and after the locusts cross the border, there will inevitably be a great famine.
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Li Chao nodded.
It is recorded in the history books that there will be a big locust plague next year, which will not only sweep the entire Central Plains, but even fly into Guanzhong, and after the Guanzhong Plain is eaten up, the entire Loess Plateau will also be eaten.
There will be a big hunger in Guanzhong next year, and there will be a big hunger in the Central Plains.
Historically, there would be a drought this year, a drought next year, a locust plague, and then a great famine, and the Turks would take the opportunity to move south.
Li Yuan couldn't stay in Guanzhong, so he decided to burn Chang'an instead of the capital, and went to Shannan, not only to avoid the Turkic edge, but also to find food.
"Your Majesty, the Yellow River is about to break off, and judging by the weather, this summer and autumn will be a great drought.
In the summer drought, there will be autumn locusts, and in the autumn drought, there will be summer locusts.
There will be a locust plague this autumn, but it may be smaller, but if the drought continues next year, then the locust plague will be difficult to contain. ” "There is a way to prevent it" Li Chao shook his head, there is basically no way to prevent this thing.
Locusts lay eggs in the soil, and hundreds of thousands of eggs can be laid within one square meter, and whoever has the ability to dig up these eggs is the same as floods and droughts.
"Now we have to start hoarding grain, and we must start to check the warehouses that are often closed, righteous warehouses, and social warehouses in various places.
There must not be grain in the account and no grain in the warehouse, otherwise when the disaster breaks out, there will be no grain in the warehouse, and it will cost people's lives.
Hunger was everywhere, and if people couldn't fill their stomachs, there would be no more rituals, and at that time, in order to fill their stomachs, they would kill people and set fires and even eat everything. ” Li Chao suggested to Li Shimin.
Food, this is the most important thing in disaster prevention.
As long as there is food, it will be much better in case of disaster.
"Yes, this is very important, immediately check the granaries in various places, whether they are official warehouses or righteous warehouses, they must be inventoried.
We should have a good grasp of the situation of grain storage in warehouses in various localities, and we should transport grain to places where there is a shortage of grain as soon as possible.
Li Shimin nodded.
Li Chao also said, "Your Majesty, especially in the Central Plains, the locust plague must start in the Yellow River Valley, so the Yellow River must be the hardest hit area, and the grain storage here is the most important."
Grain reserves in the Yellow River area of the Central Plains should be stepped up." t1706231537: