"A rat plague? Cough cough cough——"
Lu Pheasant's hand shook, and the hot tea in the cup almost spilled on his hand. He hurriedly covered his mouth and coughed a few times. He didn't care about losing his composure and asked hurriedly,
"——Could it be the epidemic?"
Her panic was no fuss.
Lu Pheasant clearly remembered that during the Han Dynasty, epidemics occurred frequently. The great epidemic during the Jing Emperor's period made coffins in the city extremely expensive and hard to find.
Later, when Wang Mang was in power, there was another great epidemic, which occurred together with the great famine. People ate each other and the household registration in the world was reduced by half.
The epidemic at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty affected a wider area, and even the seven Jian'an sons who lived a comfortable life could not escape the disaster. Seven of them were infected with the epidemic one after another, and five of them died one after another.
In "Speaking of Epidemics", Cao Zhi once described in detail the tragic epidemic in the city.
"The disease is prevalent, every family is suffering from the pain of zombies, and every room is crying and mourning. Some families are wiped out, or their families are overthrown and mourned."
In the face of natural disasters, the gap between rich and poor, high and low among people's status no longer exists. Even the rising political star at that time, Sima Yi's brother Sima Lang, was unfortunately infected while inspecting the anti-epidemic army. In the end, there is no escape from the plague.
Since Lu Fei was reborn in the early Han Dynasty, she has clearly discovered that the temperature in Luoyang during the Han Dynasty was much higher than nine hundred years later, and epidemic diseases were mostly related to high temperatures. Therefore, she always harbored such hidden worries in her heart.
If an epidemic really breaks out in South Vietnam, the people of South Vietnam will scatter in all directions and flee along the river. Changsha will be the first to be infected by the epidemic. Once it spreads, the consequences will be disastrous.
Seeing that the queen, who was usually as steady as Mount Tai, turned pale with shock and even her voice trembled, Xiao He hurriedly said,
“It’s not an epidemic, it’s not an epidemic, at least not yet, it’s just a plague of rats.
However, South Vietnam is plagued by heat, humidity, and smog. There are many mountains and forests, and there are many mosquitoes. If allowed to develop, the number of rats will increase, and it is difficult to guarantee that some diseases will not breed. "
"oh,"
Hearing that the rat plague had not yet developed into an epidemic, Lu Pheasant breathed a sigh of relief, calmed down, and began to investigate.
"Why is there suddenly a rat plague? How serious is it? Is this news true?"
***
"I estimate that the information from Changsha about South Vietnam is very accurate.
First, South Vietnam is different from the Huns.
The Huns speak the Xiongnu language, their customs are very different from ours, and they have no written language. As for the South Vietnamese country, they can be regarded as having the same culture and race as us.
Except for the Luliang, Xiou and other Baiyue ethnic groups scattered in the deep mountains and old forests, the rest of the South Vietnamese people, from the government to the court, down to the merchants and farmers, all use Chinese characters, so they can communicate with us without any hindrance. "
When the Qin Dynasty was destroyed, the Han army entered Xianyang, and the other generals rushed to divide the gold and silk belongings. Only Xiao He decisively collected all the laws, books, archives and other documents of the Qin Prime Minister's Palace before the war spread.
Because of his move, Liu Ji had a thorough knowledge of the barriers, natural dangers, household registration, goods and settlements, and the strengths and weaknesses of many places in the country during his subsequent campaigns in the north and south.
At that time, Nanyue was originally the three Lingnan counties of the Qin Dynasty, so it was also recorded in the data of the Prime Minister's Office.
Not to mention, the Wu family of the Changsha Kingdom has always served the court respectfully. Whenever they discovered the movements of the South Vietnam Kingdom, no matter how big or small, they would report to the Prime Minister on horseback. Therefore, when Xiao He talked about the South Vietnam Kingdom, he was very knowledgeable.
Seeing that the prime minister was talking about it in high spirits, the well-trained palace servants had already brought him a pot of ice-cold honey water and poured a full cup for him.
Xiao He drank it all in one gulp and felt refreshed, and continued,
“Secondly, the South Vietnamese King Zhao Tuo is by no means an easy person.
Zhao Tuo was originally a Zhending native of the Zhao Kingdom. He played a meritorious role in the First Emperor's campaign against Baiyue and was granted the title of Longchuan Order of Nanhai County. Only then did he live in Lingnan for a long time.
After all, he has lived in Panyu County for nearly twenty years. Although he often calls himself a "barbarian" to show that he is different from the Han people, in fact, he can be considered a half barbarian at most. "
Lu Pheasant shook his head and sighed,
"A native of Zhending has lived in Panyu for decades. He is not acclimated to the local environment. It is difficult for him to become king and hegemon."
In the previous life, although the Lingnan region was under the jurisdiction of the Tang Dynasty, it was far away from the political and cultural center of China because of its long distance, harsh natural environment, and overrun snakes, insects, rats, and ants.
If an official from the Central Plains is assigned to serve in Lingnan, the whole family will cry for three days, feeling that "the husband died young" and will probably not live out his term.
In midsummer, while sipping ice honey water in a cool room, Lu Pheasant couldn't help but think of Zhao Tuo, who was thousands of miles away.
At the end of the Qin Dynasty, the world was in chaos. Zhao Tuo took advantage of the Central Plains heroes to block the passes and based on the base of Nanhai County, he then annexed Guilin County and Xiang County further south.
After firmly holding the three Lingnan counties of the Qin Dynasty, he assessed the situation and made a decisive decision, no longer trying to expand into the Central Plains.
Instead, he used the Wuling Mountains and the South China Sea as the screen, and established himself as king. He founded the Nanyue Kingdom with mountains on its back and the sea on its back. Panyu was its capital in a corner of peace.
The midsummer in Luoyang is still so unbearable. I don't know how hot and humid it is in Panyu Palace at the moment. Lu Pheasant can't help but sympathize.
What's more, there are rats.
"Talk about the rat plague, Prime Minister, where did this rat plague in South Vietnam start?"
Lu Pheasant reminded in a low voice.
***
“Oh, yes, let’s talk about the mice first.
No one knows where it started, but it probably has something to do with the good years.
The country of Changsha is having a big harvest this year, so neighboring South Vietnam will surely have a good harvest.
There were already many rats in that place, but when food was plentiful, they became even more numerous.
Rats can get pregnant up to ten times a year, and each time they can give birth to ten offspring. If they come and go again, it will become a disaster in an instant. "
"What kind of situation would it be like if rats were infested?"
Lu Pheasant has lived for more than a hundred years from the last life to this one, and has never seen a rat plague. It is really unimaginable.
"I haven't seen it either.
Wu Chen reported that in order to prevent the epidemic this time, South Vietnam specially issued many laws and regulations to force people to hunt rats, which shows the seriousness of the situation.
Needless to say, the folk eradication of rats was not to mention that the South Vietnamese court also issued an ironclad order to the servants in the palace. Each person must catch ten rats every ten days.
If one is caught less, they will be whipped ten times. It is said that some are beaten to death for not catching enough rats.
Despite this, the rat infestation is still rampant. "
Lu Fei was speechless, feeling his scalp numb.
Although the Nanyue Kingdom is small, it still occupies the land of three counties. Presumably the regulations of the palace will not be too bad.
With such a strict law and forcing every slave to catch rats, one can imagine how many rats were raging in the palace and how many rats were roaming among the people.
She lowered her head and thought for a moment and said,
"Everything will be done if it is forewarned, and if it is not forewarned, it will be ruined. We must prepare early for the situation in South Vietnam.
First of all, we must guard Changsha Kingdom. If there is really an epidemic in South Vietnam, we must not spread it to Changsha Kingdom. "
As for how to keep it, the first thing tomorrow is to ask Taichang and the two imperial doctors from the Shaofu to come and discuss the matter. "
Xiao He responded and expressed his agreement.
“Secondly, I really don’t understand the section on rodent control, so I have to ask the Prime Minister for advice.
In addition to artificial trapping of rats, is there any rodenticide? "
"some.
There is a folk saying called "Sishu Fang", which involves stir-frying Dabaiyu (yù) repeatedly to make pellets, which can poison rats. "
