fynovel Chapter 14: The Solution
Chapter 14: The Solution
The moment Miguel saw Leon, he immediately prostrated himself on the ground and burst into tears, crying, "Your Majesty, I am guilty!"
Li Ang asked calmly, "Speak! What happened?"
Migler then recounted the large-scale aphid infestation in his wheat fields.
On his way here, Li Ang had already noticed something unusual about the large areas of wheat fields turning yellow and withering.
Miguel ordered someone to hand several aphids to Leon.
Li Ang took it and examined it closely. He saw that the aphid was no bigger than a grain of rice, and its whole body was an ominous waxy yellow, almost transparent, as if it had been hollowed out inside.
Their soft bodies are covered with fine down, their six thin legs tremble weakly, and their pair of antennae hang listlessly on their heads. The most conspicuous feature is their needle-like, piercing-sucking mouthparts, which are still unconsciously retracting slightly.
Its appearance is very similar to that of aphids on Earth, except that when it clumps together and wriggles, it emits a strange smell with a "rotten" aura, making it repulsive to look at.
Back on Earth, Li Ang lived in the countryside and farmed, so he was quite familiar with aphid infestations, a common problem for wheat.
Back on Earth, however, we had modern technology—specialized insecticides.
Given the level of agricultural development in the Kingdom of Grant during the Middle Ages, this condition was clearly not met.
Moreover, the distinctive "decaying" odor carried by these aphids is also something to be wary of.
Fortunately, Li Ang was quite good at biology when he was studying on Earth.
After a moment's thought, Li Ang raised his hand: "Get up, Baron Miguel! The aphid infestation in the wheat fields is indeed a headache, but it's not your fault!"
Miguel then rose tremblingly, realizing for the first time that the new king was truly benevolent.
In the past, when officials from the Grain and Provisions Bureau came down to inspect, if they found anything wrong, regardless of who was at fault, they would scold their own side. Moreover, those officials from the Grain and Provisions Bureau were extremely greedy and would demand exorbitant kickbacks from their own side.
Andrew, an expert in grain supplies, expressed his concerns: "Your Majesty, the wheat fields in Amber Town are suffering from aphid infestations. This is a serious matter! The eight alien tribes are still negotiating, and given their greed, millions of bushels of grain are inevitable! If Amber Town's wheat yield drops drastically, the capital will face a famine!"
Li Ang confidently commanded, "Don't be nervous! Do as I say!"
According to Li Ang's plan, Migler was to immediately organize the town's serfs and free people to collect "artemisia" and "calamus" and then burn them near the wheat field stalks.
Meanwhile, Li Ang had Andrew bring in a group of royal capital magicians to assist with "wind" magic, and then tried his best to blow the smoke and dust into the wheat fields!
"After lighting the mugwort and calamus, be careful! Do not let the fire spread into the wheat field and burn the wheat! The monk must precisely control the airflow so that the smoke, like a tide, gradually soaks the wheat field, rather than being swept away by a strong wind."
Li Ang gave the instructions.
The aphids are too numerous and small, making manual capture inefficient. The large amount of smoke produced by burning mugwort and calamus can be used to kill them over a large area, saving time and effort.
Some serfs and freemen did not understand Li Ang's actions.
Some people muttered, "This...is smoke really going to work? What if it ruins the wheat instead of driving away the insects?"
An agricultural official arrived on inspection and coldly rebuked, "This is His Majesty the King's idea; you may follow it! Anyone who dares to speak ill of us behind our backs will be executed immediately upon discovery!"
No sooner had the agricultural official finished speaking than a sharp-eyed serf pointed at the vast wheat field and immediately shouted, "Look, what's that!"
Tens of thousands of aphids swarmed and flew about, completely disoriented by the acrid smoke, crashing around haphazardly in the low air, forming swirling clouds of insects.
Some aphids died directly in the thick smoke, falling like a black drizzle.
"Your Majesty's method is truly miraculous!"
"Hail, Your Majesty the King!"
The serfs and free men were overjoyed.
Modern science on Earth has proven that mugwort and calamus not only have antibacterial effects, but the substances they release when burned, such as phellandrene and β-asarone, also have a certain repellent and killing effect on aphids.
Some insecticides even use extracts from mugwort, calamus, and cocklebur to kill pests.
Of course, Li Ang was well aware that solving the aphid problem was not something that could be done overnight.
Smoking alone has limited effectiveness!
In order not to delay the time and the subsequent plans, Li Ang led Andrew and the others to the slums of the capital.
During this period, nearly 50,000 new people have poured into the slums.
These 50,000 people, dressed in rags and covered in dust, huddled together in the filthy streets or sewers of the slums.
After being released, Foye was full of confidence and wanted to rejoin the Philanthropists Association.
However, he was directly kicked out by the management of the Royal Capital Philanthropists Association.
According to them, Foye had been imprisoned and was a guilty man. Although he was released without charge by the king, his personal history and records were ultimately impure.
If someone with such a tainted reputation as Foyer were to continue serving as a deacon in the Philanthropic Association, it would damage the reputation of the entire association.
Unemployed, Fuye was thus kicked out, falling from an enviable association deacon to an ordinary old man in the slums.
The nearly 50,000 white-label prisoners shared the same fate as Foye.
Their family was poor. Although they were free citizens, they did not own any land and had no shops to work in in a big city like the capital. They could only become beggars in the slums.
"Aren't bakeries, breweries, weaving workshops, and general stores hiring?"
Foye glanced at the several free men beside him, who were in the prime of their lives but had been reduced to beggars, and sighed helplessly.
"Deacon Fuye, workshops and shops don't lack apprentices, they only lack skilled craftsmen! But we don't have skills, so those business owners won't hire us. Before, you were a deacon in the Philanthropic Association, you had status and connections, you could arrange for us to enter some workshops and shops as apprentices, earn a meager salary to support our families."
Those free citizens sighed.
They were once free people, yet they had no land to cultivate; they lived in the capital, yet they had no skills to rely on.
Shops and workshops have a limited number of apprentices and prefer young people with clean backgrounds.
These able-bodied men with criminal records struggle to even find opportunities to sell their labor.
Fuye then turned to the group of middle-aged men on the other side: "Shouldn't you all be skilled craftsmen? Are you a baker, a bricklayer, a tailor?"
"Can't you find a job in the capital now either?"
Several middle-aged craftsmen, heads hanging low, said dejectedly, "Although we have some skills, we have criminal records and have been to prison. The shopkeepers are unwilling to hire us!"
A young man, starving and desperate, cried out in anguish, "I'm so hungry! I can't take it anymore! I want to sign a contract of servitude with the nobles and slave traders!"
Fuye poured cold water on the idea: "You are still a free man now, but once you become a nobleman's serf or private slave, you will completely lose your freedom, and your life will no longer belong to yourself! The noble lords and slave traders can beat and scold you at will, and even slaughter you like pigs, cattle, or sheep!"
The hungry young man, however, was unmoved and said miserably, "Uncle Fuye, at least as a slave, you can eat! Isn't that better than starving like this?"