The night is dark.
Only a thin moonlight remained under the sky.
Half a mile outside the village, wooden chevaux de frise and fences formed a defensive line, with two soldiers guarding every five steps. There were three similar lines of defense to prevent people from entering or leaving the epidemic area.
Every late night, the soldiers had to stay alert.
Shrouded in the shadow of death, the epidemic area was filled with despair and silence. Not to mention the common people and slaves, even the soldiers and doctors sent here could not withstand the pressure.
Many people wanted to escape at night in order to survive - escaping from here would give them a glimmer of hope, but if they stayed, they would be infected with the disease sooner or later! Once infected, they would become unconscious in a few days, followed by convulsions in their limbs and cyanosis of their skin.
Some patients turned from a fat man into a skinny corpse in just seven or eight days. Their bodies were dark blue and purple, as if they had been sucked dry by some evil spirit. When they died, their expressions were hideous, and their eyeballs almost bulged out of their sockets.
There were also patients who had been vomiting blood since the onset of the disease, with thin and sunken cheeks, but their bodies swelled rapidly as if inflated, stretching their skin to the point of being almost transparent. With a little external force, the tight skin broke on the spot, and blood and flesh rushed up to the beams of the house.
A doctor was close by and was hit directly by the explosion.
The smelly internal organs hit him in the face.
The next day, the doctor also showed symptoms of the plague and died soon after. His body was carried to the open space outside the house.
There is a shortage of manpower in the epidemic area. At the beginning, there were soldiers helping to carry and bury the bodies, but they have been too busy in the past two days.
"Stop!" The soldier on guard noticed the movement, holding a longbow in his hand, and warned sternly, "Go back!"
The visitor ignored it.
He warned again.
"Say it again—go back!"
An arrow landed in the man's escape path.
Just right next to each other's toes.
At this time, the man finally responded.
He begged for mercy in a broken voice: "Please, soldiers, please let me out! I am not sick! I am not infected! Look, I don't have any symptoms! I will die if I stay here! Let me go! You are taking my life lightly!"
The two soldiers standing guard remained indifferent.
The man holding the bow is ready to pull the bowstring with all his strength.
If this person still refuses to repent, the next arrow will be aimed at the opponent's head or heart, killing him with one shot!
A quarter of an hour later.
Someone came to drag the still-warm bodies away and put them on a wooden cart, on which were already three or four bodies of varying ages, all with fatal wounds on the head and chest. As the wheels rolled, blood dripped through the gaps between the wooden boards.
Similar scenes happen several times every night.
The soldier's expression changed from initial reluctance to current indifference. His eyes were numb and his movements were mechanical as he repeated the process of bending the bow and shooting the arrow.
It was as if the arrow shot out did not kill a living person, but one or two insignificant livestock.
They also didn't want to shoot unarmed civilians.
But just looking at the power of this epidemic, we know that the epidemic cannot be contained within the defense line. Once it spreads, the entire Shangnan will fall. By then, it will not just be these few people who will die, but tens of thousands, or even more!
No one can afford such an outcome.
The soldiers guarded for several more hours.
The dawn is gradually brightening.
The soldier was wondering when to change shifts.
"What's that sound?"
After a night of tension, his mind and body were slow to react. Did he seem to hear the sound of horse hooves? He was not sure until another soldier on guard said, "There was a sound!" As he spoke, a figure on horseback gradually became clear in his sight.
"stop!"
Another soldier held a spear.
The tip of the spear was pointing at the newcomer. The soldiers standing guard nearby also heard the noise and were ready to come and support at any time.
The man said, "Let him go!"
The soldiers would pay no attention to him.
"The county magistrate has ordered that no one is allowed to enter or leave this place!"
"Asshole, you don't even recognize me?"
The rider was extremely anxious.
The soldiers ignored him.
Although he also felt that the voice of the visitor sounded familiar, familiarity could not be used as proof of release. If you want to enter, you must have a warrant written or stamped by the county magistrate. They only recognize this.
Apart from this, even the King of Heaven wouldn’t recognize me!
"You can't go in!"
"If you dare to come closer, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Dozens of bows and arrows were aimed at this man, openly and secretly.
The visitor was furious when he saw this.
It was just that he came in such a hurry that he didn't prepare a pass. Just when he was hesitating whether to show his Wudan Tiger Talisman to prove his identity or to force his way in, a familiar voice of rebuke rolled into his eardrums: "Stop! Everyone stop!"
The alert soldiers stopped at the same time.
The visitor called out in ecstasy, "Twelfth Brother!"
The owner of the voice rode forward.
"Ninth brother?"
Chao Lian, who was called "Twelfth Brother", could hardly believe his eyes. How could his ninth brother become like this
These two are Gu Ren’s sworn brothers.
One row nine, the other row twelve.
Xingjiu had a pointed face and a mean look that showed he was not a good person. His thick beard, which had not been trimmed for a long time, almost covered his entire face. His long hair was messed up by the strong wind, and he was only wearing an inner garment.
“Ninth brother, what are you doing???” Seeing Ninth brother’s appearance after being robbed, Chao Lian was shocked and speechless for a moment.
"Is Big Brother here?"
Chao Lian said: "Yes!"
Men of letters are protected by literary spirit.
There is not much risk in staying in the epidemic area.
There was a shortage of manpower in the epidemic area, so Gu Ren had no choice but to go over to help, and also to stay put to avoid chaos.
"Quick! Take me to see Big Brother!"
Chao Lian waved his hand to signal the soldiers to open the entrance.
These soldiers were all his private troops, so they naturally obeyed his orders. The two brothers didn't waste any time talking, and rode their horses at full speed, rushing all the way to their destination.
A temporary administrative center separated from the epidemic area by only a low wall.
Unlike the hellish silence in the epidemic area, the temporary administrative center is more lively, but people are in a hurry.
Before the two brothers got close, they heard an excited debate coming from inside the house. From the voices, they all sounded like acquaintances.
One person was very emotional: "Control? Control? They have been saying this for more than half a month. When has it ever been controlled? A real man should make decisive decisions! Only by withdrawing from the two places and sealing off the entire territory can we keep Shangnan safe. Sixth brother, do you know how many people have fled in the past few days? We can prevent them for a while, but can we keep an eye on them forever? As long as one person escapes, Shangnan will be finished!"
The psychological pressure brought by the epidemic is not only unbearable for doctors and ordinary people. They can't bear it either.
These are secondary. The most important thing is that if such a brutal disease spreads, it will affect more innocent people. But my sixth brother refuses to give up and is still working hard in vain.
If he were to say, it’s time to give up!
"Yes, eldest brother, sixth brother, what the third brother said was a bit harsh, but it was also for the overall situation... The epidemic has only been going on for a short time, and more than half of the people in the two villages have been infected, and even more than 300 of the soldiers we brought with us have been infected..."
Not every soldier has martial energy to protect his body.
Most of them are ordinary people, just with strong bodies, and they cannot keep the disease out.
Several people expressed their opinions one after another. Even if they did not give up now, the remaining people would die in seven or eight days. The natives in the epidemic area had already been infected with the disease, and the new patients were all soldiers or slaves brought in to work.
There is no point in persisting.
There was one person who was so cruel that he proposed to massacre the entire village and bury the bodies.
Gu Ren and the other man's faces turned pale.
But I couldn't blame these brothers for anything.
When they learned that Gu Ren was going to enter the epidemic area, they were the first to respond to the call, taking risks personally, and helping out without taking off their clothes. However, their efforts were unable to stop the epidemic from spreading wildly.
"Brother, make a decision early!"
Gu Ren's voice was hoarse: "This matter—"
Before he could finish, he heard Chao Lian and Lao Jiu come in.
"Brother, I'm here!"
When Gu Ren saw Lao Jiu, his eyebrows twitched.
Everyone was surprised by Lao Jiu's appearance.
In order to prevent the epidemic from causing unrest among those with ulterior motives, they brought one-third of their troops to the epidemic area, and the remaining two-thirds were stationed in various places in Shangnan, where Lao Jiu and a few others were responsible for guarding the place.
"Laojiu, why are you here?" After seeing Laojiu's attire clearly, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, "What are you doing—"
Tear!
Without saying anything, Lao Jiu raised his hands and tore the wrinkled dried preserved vegetable lining into pieces. The sound of the cloth tearing attracted everyone's attention. They ignored the quarrel and cast surprised and puzzled looks. He reached out and untied the long cloth tied around his waist, unable to hide his ecstasy: "I received a message last night and hurriedly sent it to Big Brother! Sixth Brother, take a look too, it must be what you want!"
Gu Ren and Lao Liu looked at each other.
Take the thing that carries Lao Jiu’s body temperature.
Among them was a letter.
The words "A letter from my brother Gu and his son Yi" were written on it.
The handwriting was vigorous and flamboyant, which was not familiar to Gu Ren.
"Whose letter is it?"
Gu Ren asked as he unpacked the items.
Lao Jiu said, "Who else could it be? It's from He Yin."
Ha Yin
Gu Ren immediately thought of Shen Tang.
When I opened it, I found that it was indeed written by Shen Youli.
Shen Tang was considerate and took into account that Gu Ren was extremely anxious at the moment and did not have the patience to listen to her greetings, so she got straight to the point at the beginning of the letter and stated her purpose.
To put it simply, the same epidemic occurred in Shen Tang's place, but because of good luck, it was discovered early and controlled early, and he also accidentally figured out some practical treatment experience.
Fortunately, the situation in Heyin is currently stable.
She thought of her brother Gu Ren who was far away, and the friendship between them that allowed them to form an alliance to fight the enemy together. So she asked her confidant to copy a prescription and medical record, along with various preventive measures, hoping that it would be helpful to Gu Ren.
Gu Ren read the whole thing at a glance.
Both hands are shaking.
The other people were also scratching their heads out of curiosity.
Guess the content of the letter and Shen Tang's intention.
finally-
Gu Ren slammed the table.
He was so excited that his fingers trembled uncontrollably and he said "OK" three times in a row!
"Brother, what exactly is written in it?"
Gu Ren tried hard to calm down.
"There's hope! Hahahaha, there's hope!"
The letter was circulated among the people.
Some are excited while others are skeptical.
"Brother, is what Shen Tang said true?"
Gu Ren said: "If it was Wu Zhaode who said it, I would only believe it 30% at most, but I believe Shen Youli!"
Apart from the letter, the handwriting is that of another person.
Dozens of key points for epidemic prevention are listed in detail, such as dividing areas, placing patients according to the severity of their illness, finding rat carcasses, killing rats, boiling water, burning patients' bodies, burning clothes and utensils that patients have touched... Severely ill patients can be kept alive by using gentle or martial energy, and the treatment of patients with mild and moderate symptoms can refer to medical records and adjust the dosage of prescriptions.
Gu Chi also followed Shen Tang's instructions and used pictures and texts to explain how to make and use masks, simple protective clothing, and gloves, reflecting Shen Tang's unique meticulousness everywhere.
Most importantly, this epidemic is actually "epidemic" + "insect". The former can be cured with medicine, but the latter can only be cured by luring out the insect. Once the insect lays eggs, the host's essence, energy and blood will be sucked dry, and there is no way to save the host. You must act quickly!
Gu insect
Everyone is familiar with this thing.
Since returning from Sibao County, they have been worried about Lao Shisan's health, and have taken turns to assist Shao Chong in subduing the poisonous insects in his body. The process was very painful, and Shao Chong struggled between life and death for several times. Fortunately, everything is moving in a good direction.
"Thirteen was harmed by a poisonous insect, and now another epidemic caused by this insect has emerged. Who is secretly harming us?" Someone with a bad temper slapped the table to pieces.
Gu Ren also thought of this.
It is speculated that someone is secretly setting up a trap to harm him.
As to who this enemy is, it is still unclear.
but-
As long as you do something, it will always leave traces.
Gu Ziyi took note of this account!
If he catches you, you will be repaid tenfold or a hundredfold!
"Big Brother, Sixth Brother, are these methods really useful?"
The rest is easy to say, but the burning of corpses...
To be honest, it's not quite acceptable.
But the person who wrote this was worried that they wouldn't do it, so he repeated the important things three times.
Gu Ren hardened his heart and said, "Burn!"
Those who have not been buried will be burned.
Those who have already been buried must also be dug out and burned.
Things have come to this point and they have no other choice.
Gu Ren was no longer as kind as before, his eyes were now cold and ruthless.
"Now, pass the order down - everyone who sees a rat must kill or burn it! Drink only boiled water. Anyone who drinks raw water will be punished with thirty strokes of the cane! If there is not enough firewood, you must boil the water even if you have to demolish the house and burn all the belongings. If all else is burned, you would rather die of thirst than touch a drop of raw water! Sixth brother, send someone to transfer all the patients to one place, and keep all those who have come into contact with the patients in the observation area!"
The sixth brother bowed and accepted the order, saying, "Yes!"
"Twelve, dispatch personnel to make masks and other items."
Chao Lian accepted the order: "Yes!"
Gu Ren continued to order: "Old Ten, send people to carry away the bodies. Dig three feet deep into the ground to dig them out. Don't leave any behind. Burn them all! If anyone tries to stop us or refuses to retreat, kill them!"
After that, people were sent to clean up everywhere.
No corner or crevices should be left untouched.
The common people were forced to take a bath and clean their bodies. Those who refused to cooperate were punished by shaving their heads. This punishment was actually shaving the head. It was not very lethal, but it was extremely humiliating.
Gu Ren, who was always kind and gentle, showed a rare strong attitude this time, so strong that he would not tolerate resistance from others! All the brothers always followed his lead, and no one objected. Even if they objected, they objected to the epidemic prevention strategy given by Shen Tang, not Gu Ren.
Gu Ren also followed the guide.
A similar situation is also happening in Tianhai.
However, Tianhai was the last place to discover the epidemic, so it had ample time to prepare. As soon as there was a sign, it was brought under control. On the third day, I received the strategy shared by Shen Tang. Before the common people of Tianhai began to fear, the epidemic had been brought under control.
Wu Xian looked at the information sent by Shangnan and broke into a sweat in fear: "Qin Qing, I owe you a big favor this time!"
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