Xiaocao did her best to take care of those women, but as for the others (doctors over a certain age, even if they volunteered, Xiaocao did not let them go, and Xiaocao had decided to let Doctor Lin stay in the imperial city from the beginning), she was sorry about that. It was good enough that she could get some medicine for those who suffered from motion sickness due to the long journey, but there was nothing she could do for the rest.
However, neither the more than 20,000 soldiers nor the hundreds of princess guards disappointed.
Although the Qi Dynasty did not have many wars now, Emperor Xuanren had always been very strict with the quality of the army. He had always investigated all kinds of problems in the army very strictly. Once found, he would never tolerate them. If the place was not under his supervision, the requirements could be relaxed a little, but the 72 guards of the imperial city - excluding the Nine City Army, the Imperial Guards, and the emperor's private guards - had more than 400,000 people. Not only did they have to undergo annual assessments, recruit new soldiers, and eliminate unqualified ones, but they were also rotated out for various trainings.
In comparison, the Black Armor Guards are the elite among the elite. As private guards, their treatment is naturally the best. Generally, being a private guard seems to mean a dead end in terms of future, but this is not the case for the Black Armor Guards. As long as they are willing, they can return to the army at any time and make achievements. This is a special treatment for outstanding talents. Of course, if such people really make it, their relationship with their former masters is inseparable. Therefore, ordinary princes have no chance to become Black Armor Guards.
Compared with these people with strict military discipline, Fan Wuguo, as the temporary leader, is too undisciplined.
Fan Wuguo seemed to have grown up in a spoiled environment, but in fact, he never neglected martial arts and had even served in the army. Therefore, he was not someone who could not endure hardship. On the contrary, away from the imperial city, he seemed to have fewer constraints and seemed to have endless energy every day. Because there were many of them, in order not to disturb others, they chose to camp in the wild. When some people were listless, he could still take them out to hunt, and when he came back, he could always bring back a lot of game.
According to him, after arriving in Pushan County, his sister will definitely be extremely tired and hard-working, so she needs to eat more and gain some weight, which would be even better. Xiaocao was left in tears and amused by him, but still accepted his kindness.
This game is definitely not something that everyone can eat. The soldiers and guards had no objection. The two delicate princes wanted to have some, but Fan Wuguo rebuked them. They were grown men with hands and feet, so if they wanted to eat it, they could just get it themselves.
In fact, these other princes were all "delicate" and were often ridiculed by Fan Wuguo along the way. They were lazy and did not know the difference between grains. Even when there was an emperor's decree, they were just going through the motions. In essence, they were burdens and useless waste.
Fan Wuguo's mouth was really merciless. His ability to attract hatred was probably second to none in the entire imperial city. No one dared to rank him first. Xiaocao felt helpless sometimes. He didn't leave any leeway for himself. If someone he had offended deeply ascended the throne in the future, he didn't know how badly he would be dealt with.
But didn't Fan Wuguo know this? Of course he knew it, but so what? Not to mention that it was just a possibility, even if it was a foregone conclusion, he would just enjoy it and have fun today.
Since Princess Fukang had no objection, it was naturally hard for other people to say anything. Xiaocao could only advise him to restrain himself a little occasionally, and that was all. She didn't want to, and didn't have the qualifications to make the little bully behave.
The two princes' faces turned green, but in the end, they couldn't do anything to Fan Wuguo. After all, they were of different status and were in a hurry to travel. Although they did not have the full regalia of a prince and still had to serve and guard him, they could still have everything they wanted, but their conditions were greatly compromised in all aspects.
It's just that Fan Wuguo's bad temper makes him surprisingly popular among both the soldiers and the Black Armor Guards. He can easily get along with them. It's unexpected, but on second thought, it's reasonable.
The first batch of protective equipment was made according to Xiaocao's requirements, and some samples were delivered to Xiaocao as soon as possible. Needless to say, it was better than Xiaocao expected. Because of Xiaocao's affirmation, the original task recipient was greatly relieved and just worked overtime to make it. After all, according to Xiaocao's requirements, at least hundreds of thousands of "masks" should be prepared when they arrive.
It is conceivable how much manpower is needed to make it all manually. However, one advantage of the supremacy of imperial power was greatly demonstrated at this time, that is, once an imperial edict was issued, the people below would execute it very well, especially when encountering an emperor like Emperor Xuanren, no one dared to neglect it, even those who had ulterior motives and tried to seek personal gain from it would come.
However, compared to this benefit, Xiaocao also misses the convenient transportation in his previous life even more. No matter how far the distance is, he can arrive in a very short time and start treatment at the first time, thus avoiding greater deaths. Of course, this inconvenience is not without benefits. At least, the spread of the epidemic will be much slower, and there will be no large-scale outbreak in a short time.
After hurrying, Xiaocao and his team arrived at the city near Pushan County, which was Lindu Prefecture, which became the "dead city" in Wen Renying's memory. At this time, they had already taken basic protective measures. - Because of Xiaocao's unsparing popular science during this period, plus her identity, the group of more than 20,000 people, all wearing masks, looked, well, quite weird.
There are two princes and a princess, how could the local officials dare to be negligent in the slightest? Not only all the officials of Lindu Prefecture, but also all the civil and military officials of Dongqing Provincial Administration, Censorate, and Dusi were included. Not only were these people of noble status, but also, when they received the imperial edict before, they were completely unaware of it and were almost scared to death. Something as terrible as the plague had not been discovered early. The reason was not just a matter of poor supervision. So even if they were afraid, they had to stay here. Even if they could not make up for their mistakes, at least the punishment afterwards would be lighter.
Forget about the welcoming ceremony or anything like that. Xiaocao even stayed directly in the government office and didn't even plan to leave any footprints in the house that was originally prepared for him.
Due to the weather, the Black Armor Guards did not wear black armor, but they were still neat and orderly, with a murderous aura. They lined up from the government gate to the main hall, which was frightening to look at. However, these people were all led by Xiao Cao, and the two princes stood aside. Even though the previous imperial edict knew that Princess Anguo would be the leader, they still looked at each other in bewilderment.
Compared with other times, Xiaocao was very capable. He sat directly at the head of the main hall without any formalities. He started to inquire about the situation in Pushan County, such as how many people were sick, how many people had died, whether they had been quarantined as required, and whether the people who had been to Pushan County had been found out about their origins and whereabouts and what their current situation was. He asked whether they had been comforted, whether their daily lives were handled properly, whether daily protective work was in place, what the situation was like in the surrounding towns and villages, what kinds of supplies had arrived, how many had arrived, and so on. His questions made the officials sweat profusely.
When Xiaocao really looked cold, his aura was extremely strong. The two princes, including the little overlord, all sat aside obediently and pretended to be quails. If there was any unusual movement, a cold glance from him would make people shiver.
"I'm asking you a question. Are you mute? Or have you been sitting idle all this time and doing nothing?" Xiaocao asked coldly.
It is absolutely impossible that nothing was done. Someone hurriedly stepped forward to report what happened during this period. He certainly could not give a thorough answer, but he could not keep silent.
If these men had some complaints about handing over all matters to a woman before, now even the most conservative among them dared not think too much. What could be more important than their own lives? Obviously, when Princess Anguo returns, her opinion of them will, to a certain extent, determine their future and even their fate. In this case, who would care about her gender
After listening to their reports, Xiaocao was naturally dissatisfied with everything. However, now was not the time to hold them accountable, so he made detailed arrangements for all the tasks in a swift and resolute manner. Of course, the specific executors and the scheduling of various aspects had nothing to do with Xiaocao, and it was not within their capabilities.
After making the arrangements, we immediately set off for Pushan County. It was still quite a distance away, so even if we were tired, Lindu was not a good place to rest. It would be better to find a place outside Pushan County to rest.
Others wanted to persuade him, but after being glanced at by Xiaocao, they just shut up.
They are about to arrive at the center of the epidemic. Not everyone can be as calm as Xiaocao. In this world, few people do not value their lives. It's just that Xiaocao is in front. As the two princes who have come specially to appease people's hearts and coordinate the work, it is naturally impossible for them not to even show up in Pushan County. And Fan Wuguo is Xiaocao's temporary guard leader, so naturally he will be wherever she is. He is carefree and doesn't care about the danger he is about to face.
These important figures have all gone to Pushan County. Can these officials stay and wait? That is definitely impossible.
Wiping his sweat, the official from Lindu Prefecture asked someone to tell his family.
This was bound to cause some complaints, but they would only murmur a few words and could not say anything to stop it. They would just keep chanting Buddha's name in their hearts, asking the Bodhisattva to bless them and protect them from being infected with the plague.
Pushan County is certainly not peaceful nowadays. Although some work has been done, it is far from enough. Even if it is a blockade, roadblocks are set up at a distance. Seeing people from Pushan County is like seeing a plague. They are driven back by force. Although there are protective measures and some things have been sent in, the publicity is not in place and few people believe that those means are useful. Faced with the threat of death, people are depressed, irritable, and their hearts are in turmoil. There are even rumors of a massacre. Officials in the county, after learning that they had sent their families away early, people who were extremely panicked used them as objects to vent their anger. These people were either dead or injured. Without orderly management, the situation naturally became more chaotic.
Fortunately, the people that Wei Tingyu had sent to Dongqing were all gathered together after confirming that Pushan County was the source. At this time, he tried his best to guide them and told them that if they were really abandoned, so many things would not be sent in. The emperor would not abandon them, the court would not abandon them, and they should not make trouble or do anything illegal, otherwise they would regret it.
He also took prompt action and secretly dealt with several people who instigated the riot.
Although it was not 100% effective, at least it prevented Pushan County from completely getting out of control.
Xiaocao and his men arrived at Pushan County. All the intersections were taken over by the Imperial City Guards, and they advanced a lot into Pushan County. This change made people panic, but they knew these people were not easy to deal with, and their number increased more than tenfold. Then, groups of soldiers came to Pushan County. The panic reached its peak. Are they here to kill them? What should I do? What should I do? I don't want to die, I don't want to die—
However, the development of the situation was beyond their expectations. From a distance, they heard the voice shouting:
The imperial court sent two princes as imperial envoys to check on the situation in Pushan County; Princess Anguo, a master of medicine, brought doctors and medicine to treat everyone; as the people of Qichao, the emperor was always thinking about them, and after learning about the situation, he immediately made arrangements, telling everyone not to be afraid, and everything would be fine.
The shouts were repeated and getting closer, allowing the people in the city to see clearly the different teams behind the soldiers.