coobybook Chapter 105 Origin
Chapter 105 Origin
The convoy heading to Yancheng traveled slowly along the official road, with the banners representing the royal family fluttering in the wind.
On the carriage, Adele poked her head out and looked at the caravan following them at a distance, saying, "The county princess is truly kind-hearted."
"As we traveled along the way, we saw how hard it was for ordinary people. We should lend a helping hand whenever we can."
Le An said calmly, recalling what had just happened. According to the caravan leader named Mo Qi, they were medicinal herb merchants from the north, heading to the border town of Yiyang Pass to sell their products. Recently, bandits had been rampant in the area, and the caravan had been attacked several times, losing a lot of guards and valuables. If things continued like this, they might not be able to reach Yiyang Pass. Losing everything was a small matter, but losing their lives was a big deal.
Following the caravan was merely a show of force to intimidate the villains; Mo Qi earnestly requested permission for them to travel with the imperial envoy's entourage.
Que De disagreed. Who knew if they were the thieves crying "stop thief"? Maybe they were bandits disguised as merchants, infiltrating their group as spies? This place was far from the emperor's reach, and even desperate criminals wouldn't dare to attack the imperial envoy's group.
Le'an suggested a compromise: keep the caravan one mile away from the imperial envoy's entourage. This way, ordinary bandits would avoid the soldiers ahead, making the caravan much safer.
Que De thought about it and figured that with this arrangement, as long as the guards were vigilant, the small number of people in the caravan wouldn't pose much of a threat to them. So, out of respect for Le'an, he agreed.
Moqi's caravan followed closely, maintaining a distance of about a mile.
“Master, the Xuan Kingdom’s royal family is not bad. I thought they would demand at least half of the medicinal herbs from us as protection money.”
“I thought so too. You know, Yancheng is currently suffering from a plague, which is exactly the time when a large amount of medicinal materials are needed.”
“The Prince of Xiangnan is indeed an upright man.”
"The main concern is that the people of Le'an County are taking care of their well-being."
Mo Qi recalled the words that the Princess of Le'an County had just used to persuade the Prince of Xiangnan: As a member of the royal family, one should protect the people under one's rule.
I couldn't help but admire this Princess Xuanguo; she was kind but not blindly generous, and her kindness and rationality coexisted.
Meanwhile, Shen Qing, who was at the border town post station, was extremely conflicted. Having witnessed how people of this era dealt with locust plagues in Long County, he could imagine how they would deal with epidemics.
Most likely, they would first pray to the gods and perform a ritual to ward off the "plague god." If that didn't work, they would then have Emperor Xuan issue a self-reproach edict, and have officials collectively reflect on their actions, among other mystical measures.
If Emperor Xuan were wise and powerful, he would at most send a few doctors with commonly used disinfectant medicines. But as anyone who has studied history knows, the ancients had limited knowledge of plagues. They didn't even know how they came about, let alone how to prevent or treat them. Basically, they would just send some heat-clearing and detoxifying decoctions to show that the country hadn't abandoned them, then isolate them and leave it to fate.
Shen Qing does have some basic hygiene knowledge and can offer some advice, but what if they ask him to take the lead? This time, he dares not go straight up like he did in Long County.
He can see locusts and eliminate them physically, but viruses are everywhere and invisible to the naked eye. They are impossible to guard against and are terrifying. You never know when you will get infected. People are always full of fear of the unknown.
But if we do nothing and just wait here for the whole city to die before going over, our conscience won't allow it.
After weighing the options for a long time, Shen Qing decided to first compile a list of the few common-sense knowledge about plague prevention and control, and then anonymously submit it to a good official who loves the people like his own children, or a righteous and courageous warrior. If there is no one, or if no one believes him even after submitting it, then he has no choice but to do what he can. One should always have a good understanding of his own abilities.
There are many reasons for the outbreak of the plague, but the root cause is just one: poor hygiene awareness!
As the saying goes, a major disaster is always followed by a major epidemic. Last year's severe drought resulted in a complete crop failure. During the famine, the victims would eat whatever they could get their hands on, from tree bark to clay, and even wild game, including bats and field mice. Inevitably, they would eat some unclean things, which led to the spread of infectious diseases.
If these virus-carrying corpses decompose, they could potentially cause an even larger plague.
All sorts of filthy things that could spread the plague were thrown everywhere, and then a heavy rain turned the area into a swamp. Such poor conditions directly became a paradise for the virus.
The Yancheng Uprising was originally a band of refugees who had gathered together. There should have been signs of an impending plague at that time. Yancheng was under the control of the rioters and was not brought under control in time.
They didn't even bother to control it, and even threw the pathogens into the well. The well water was connected to the groundwater, directly becoming a mobile source of infection... Thinking of this, Shen Qing felt that this place was actually quite unsafe, and she would have to remind everyone about the water usage later.
This place is located downstream of Yancheng, and the river water should be undrinkable. Who knows if those terrorists threw the plague-infected corpses into the river?
As for the well water... Shen Qing shuddered. Forget it, rootless water is safer. If it doesn't rain, then collect the dew at night and boil it.
To control the epidemic, we must first control the water. Water is the source of life. I wonder if the current leaders of Yancheng have sent anyone to dredge and clean up the polluted wells.
Shen Qing suddenly thought, since the rebels could throw corpses into the well, would throwing medicine packets directly into it be effective?
Of course, it wasn't about throwing away medicine to treat the disease. There probably weren't any ready-made medicines to treat the plague, but there should still be healthy people in Yancheng who hadn't been infected but were being quarantined along with the others.
In my past life, I watched a TV series where a divine doctor would put some Chinese herbal medicine prescriptions that could boost immunity and fight viruses directly into well water so that people could drink it and achieve a certain preventive effect. I wonder if this is feasible in practice?
Never mind, it's a line of thought, I'll write it down first.
In addition, disinfection is also very important. These days there is no disinfectant, but high temperature sterilization is necessary. We need to promote the use of hot water, and the bodies of infected people and the utensils they used must be incinerated.
This may encounter considerable resistance, after all, in this era, people value burial for peace, and the living standards of ordinary people are low, so they cherish their possessions and are reluctant to burn clothes and bedding. It is estimated that only the army can enforce it.
Incense can also be used, as mosquitoes and other insects are also carriers of bacteria and are quite sensitive to incense. Repelling insects naturally helps reduce the incidence of infectious diseases.
Vinegar seems to have antibacterial properties? Maybe I could sprinkle some on it?
Never mind, I'll write this down first. I hope Xuandu will send an experienced and capable official.
Just as Shen Qing was writing furiously, the soldiers of Yancheng let out a cry of surprise.
"General!"