Chapter 34: The March Locusts Rise

In the northern township of Wenxi, over a hundred Huben guards from two counties south of the Zhongtiao Mountains gathered in a corner of the ruins to rest, wary of being ambushed or purged by Li Le. Nearby, Li Le’s force of over three hundred commandery soldiers had pitched their camp right against the Huben guards.

In the commandery soldiers’ camp, Zhao Yan, an Advisor to the Emperor, was drinking water when Fan Zheng, the Commandery Commandant, hurried over. Fan Zheng bowed to Zhao Yan, who was resting under an apricot tree, and said, "My Lord, the General Who Conquers the West has dispatched over ten scouts in two groups, heading north."

Zhao Yan stood up upon hearing this and paced, saying, "We have yet to see any sign of scattered Huben guards. This suggests they were either surrounded and forced to surrender by the Xiongnu, or they successfully repelled them. But a man like Li Le—how would he dare to provoke a large Xiongnu force?"

"My Lord, are you saying the Huben battalion might still exist?"

"Indeed. You should also send men to scout the north."

As Zhao Yan finished, he noticed Fan Zheng’s hesitation and immediately changed his tone: "I shall go see the Huben guards of the two counties myself and gauge their intentions."

"Understood."

Fan Zheng stepped aside to clear the path, walking alongside Zhao Yan. "If the Huben battalion still exists," Fan Zheng added, "I will not stand by and watch the sons of our commandery be abused or harmed by treacherous officials."

"I trust you, Commandant."

Zhao Yan’s response was solemn; Fan Zheng’s cousin was in the Huben battalion, along with other relatives and fellow clansmen. If Fan Zheng were unaware, that would be one thing, but to stand on the front lines and remain indifferent would leave him facing severe accusations and obstruction should he ever return alive to Anyi.

In the nearby camp, Li Le had chosen to set up in the township market. Within the market was a fenced area, recently planned for sheep and horse traders. Li Le’s guards kept their horses there, and Li Le was currently feeding his own mount a high-quality grain mix. It was a powerful black steed with a crescent-shaped white patch on its forehead, known as "Moon-Black." Only when he was with Moon-Black could Li Le feel a sliver of peace.

A personal guard hurried over: "General, Zhao Yan has gone to the Huben camp."

"Leave him be." Seeing the guard's hesitation, Li Le reassured him, "Zhao Yan wouldn't dare start anything."

"Yes, but the Huben battalion to the north..." The guard’s expression remained troubled and anxious.

"We will know the outcome by nightfall." Li Le brushed the crumbs from his hands and patted the guard on the shoulder. "If we head to Henei or Guandong, there is no guarantee of a good end. When the Emperor left Li Jue, how many abandoned him? If we do not leave now, Li Jue will surely mobilize his forces to Hedong to seize the Emperor. All we can do is hold them off until Li Jue’s troops cross the river."

Despite being a personal guard, the man still held the title of Colonel. If Li Jue arrived, he would surely skin Yang Feng alive. But what if Yang Feng handed the Emperor and the court officials over to Li Jue instead? The guard’s expression darkened at the mention of cooperating with Li Jue and the Guandong forces. They had killed each other before; if they relied on Li Jue again, what if he turned on them? Li Le, too, was at his wit's end; he truly regretted taking up arms to "assist the King."

He had started with over two thousand households, living freely and happily without interference. In less than a year, most of his men had been killed or scattered. Though he held the titles of General Who Conquers the West and Governor of Liang Province, if he were to go to Liang Province to assume his post, how many would be willing to follow?

As the sky grew dark, Zhao Ji cut slices of thoroughly cooked horse meat, sprinkled them with fine salt, and roasted them on a stone slab. The slab was scavenged from the site, a simple rectangular stone from the campfire ring. Only when the meat was charred and slightly dry on both sides could the raw, bloody stench be removed. The aftereffects of the slaughter were beginning to surface; even the oily smell of the horse meat soup made him feel ill. While roasting the meat, he also toasted wheat cakes on the stone.

Pei Xiu arrived with a bowl of millet porridge and sat beside him. "What did Jia Kui say when A-Ji went to see him earlier?"

"He was busy compiling military records and tallying supplies, so I just chatted with A-Shang for a moment."

Zhao Ji used his dagger to slice open a wheat cake, stuffed the charred meat slices inside, and handed it to Pei Xiu. "Seventh Brother, try this. I'll have the porridge."

"So, you are affected by it too?" Pei Xiu took the meat-filled cake and took a bite. Finding the taste acceptable, he said to Zhao Ji, "If we bring the heads of the Xiongnu and the prisoners to the walls of Jiangyi tomorrow, they will open the gates themselves."

"Whatever works. I only regret that we couldn't launch a surprise attack on the northern township tonight."

Zhao Ji finished his porridge in a few gulps. His messenger, Han Shu, stepped forward: "Tunzhang, let me get you more porridge."

"Go ahead."

Zhao Ji handed over his bowl and chewed on a piece of dried meat, the bloody taste finally fading slightly. When he had eaten the millet porridge earlier, the soft, sweet grain—in his current state—had carried the same metallic tang of blood. He forced himself to eat slowly despite the discomfort.

Pei Xiu, seeing his state, wanted to laugh but couldn't. He changed the subject: "What are the odds of Li Le raiding the camp tonight?"

"I don't know, but I know we cannot sleep. Many of our companions have experienced such brutal slaughter for the first time; nightmares and panic are inevitable once they fall asleep, which could trigger a camp-wide panic." Zhao Ji reasoned based on his common sense. "We must assume Li Le will attack. The whole camp will remain on alert, resting in shifts. We will rest fully only when dawn breaks."

"That is the only way." Pei Xiu finished the meat cake, wiped the grease from his hands, and pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve to hand to Zhao Ji. "The situation will be volatile tomorrow. A-Ji, act as you see fit."

"Understood." Zhao Ji reached out to take it, but Pei Xiu pulled back, his eyes fixed sternly on the grease on Zhao Ji’s hands.

Only after Zhao Ji wiped his hands clean did Pei Xiu hand over the folded handkerchief. "Go see Jia Kui later and let him take a look at this too."

"Yes."

Zhao Ji assumed it was a blank imperial edict with no seal, so he unfolded it casually, only to see beautiful calligraphy. He tucked it into his tunic without reading further. Seeing Han Shu return with the millet porridge, Pei Xiu rested a hand on Zhao Ji’s shoulder to steady himself as he stood up. He paused before leaving: "The troops are united and morale is high—this is truly beyond my expectations."

"Seventh Brother, in truth, I did not expect this outcome either."

Zhao Ji replied, and Pei Xiu simply patted his shoulder, took his own bowl from Han Shu, and walked away. Han Shu dared not resist or question Zhao Ji; he simply picked up Zhao Ji’s lacquered wooden bowl and went to get more porridge.

As Han Shu returned with the bowl, Zhao Ji heard a strange, discordant sound. He rose slowly, his expression grave. Soon, everyone around them heard the bizarre noise. Those with quick reactions turned pale and screamed, "It’s the Locust God!"

"The locusts have risen!"

"The locusts are here!"

Zhao Ji looked toward the west. A black cloud was slowly descending, blotting out the sky and swallowing the red glow of the sunset. Locusts began to land everywhere. The surrounding Huben guards shouted in panic, and the horses let out long, terrified neighs.

Pei Xiu rushed out, rolling up his sleeves to wave and drive away the insects. As he reached Zhao Ji, he saw him grab a locust and crush it between his thumb and finger into a yellow-green pulp.

Pei Xiu looked on in horror: "A-Ji, do not offend the Locust God!"

"The Locust God?"

Zhao Ji grabbed another one and crushed it right in front of Pei Xiu, saying, word by word, "Seventh Brother... if there truly is a Locust God, I will surely slay him! And then I will eat him!"

The Huben guards around them shielded their food, not even daring to step on the insects. This was the third year of the locust plague. Zhao Ji could imagine the winter wheat, spring wheat, millet, sorghum, beans, and rice that his family had labored to grow—they would likely be devoured until nothing remained but barren land. He did not know much about biology, but with so many adult locusts appearing in early spring and the temperatures already high, once this generation laid their eggs, they would hatch in the fourth month and reach a catastrophic scale by the fifth. Even in the mountains, the locusts would pass like a cloud, leaving behind nothing but bare trees, cliff faces, and ravines.

On the north bank of the Fen River, Xu Huang stood atop a ruined wall, watching the black cloud of locusts cross the water. It wasn't just the Fen River; even the Yellow River could not stop them. The plague moved from east to west; the locusts reaching Hedong mostly came from Taiyuan and Shangdang, while those in Hedong would eventually swarm into Guandong and head toward Liang Province.

In a mountain ravine in the middle of the Zijin Mountains, the locusts were everywhere. Wei Gu rode his horse, shielding his face with his sleeve, urging the convoy: "Move faster! Do not stop!"

The supply commander, Xiangli Bao, also shouted incessantly, prodding the Huben guards and county soldiers. Seeing many of them in a daze, with some even collapsing to the ground in fits of sobbing, Xiangli Bao grabbed a rider by the arm and shouted into his ear: "Get to the camp! Ask the Granary Official to send reinforcements! Tell them the Hou family may break their word and come to seize the grain and equipment!"

No longer caring about anything else, Xiangli Bao sent two riders for help and began lashing out with his whip, forcing the transport team to move. Wei Gu looked back toward the depths of the ravine from time to time. Knowing the Hou brothers, he knew it was only a matter of time before they turned against them. But then, thinking of Zhao Ji’s valor, a wild idea began to grow in his heart.

With the locusts flying like this in the third month, he dared not imagine what the fifth month would bring.