Locusts, blotting out the sun and filling the sky, left no blade of grass wherever they fell.
Even though people stood at the end of their fields, ceaselessly swatting at the insects with all manner of tools, ultimately they caused the summer harvest to yield no grain.
This was even more horrifying than Ye Huan had anticipated.
The common people were dumbfounded, sitting at the end of the field, slapping their thighs and wailing in anguish, unable to halt the locusts' plundering.
Even though they caught many locusts using various tools, compared to the overwhelming swarms that darkened the skies, these efforts were just a drop in the bucket.
Moreover, these creatures reproduced extremely fast; you could only watch helplessly as they devoured leaves, crops, and wild herbs—any place they swept over was left virtually devoid of greenery.
Later, the locusts left, but the drought persisted. The hard, cracked earth made it impossible to plant anything.
