Longyuan City.
The county governor's mansion and the county lieutenant's mansion were in panic.
The government officials and soldiers sprinkled lime everywhere, burned mugwort and smoked every corner, thoroughly disinfecting the place inside and out.
"Your Highness," one of the guards suggested: "Longyuan City is no longer safe now, so we should go north to avoid it for a while."
Chen Xiuzhu was moved, but shook his head.
"Two months ago, I asked my father to stay in my ancestral land in the name of reassuring the people. The situation is unclear at this time, and it is really inappropriate to leave prematurely."
He said: "The news that Xingluo may be infected with the epidemic has been rushed to the Imperial Capital for 800 miles. I believe there will be a reply soon. Let's wait until the news comes from the Imperial Capital."
The guards' persuasion was ineffective, so they had to set up heavy barriers outside the hospital to prevent outsiders from approaching casually.
Ren Ning doesn't know this.
After Zhui Feng had eaten and drank enough, he took a small soldier and headed south.
Two hours later, the sun had turned westward, and the two of them arrived at the border between Xingluo and Yunzhong County.
Crackling.
The sound of firecrackers in front came one after another, continuously.
The sky in the south was filled with thick smoke from firecrackers.
Ren Ning didn't think it was strange.
The ancients could not explain the mechanism behind the occurrence of epidemics, and the illiterate people believed that it was caused by ghosts and gods, or God punished kings for their misconduct. Therefore, they often exorcised ghosts or worshiped gods during treatment.
Like lighting firecrackers.
Ren Ning said nothing about this.
After all, the smoke produced after the explosion of firecrackers does have a certain disinfection effect. At the very least, it can calm people's minds a little.
As soon as they arrived at the county boundary, guards immediately came to stop Ren Ning and the others.
"Who are you two? The situation in Yunzhong County is special. If you are not a doctor or an imperial envoy, you are not allowed to enter!"
Ren Ning handed over his identity certificate and said pleasantly: "Ren Ning, the security commander for sending souls back to their hometowns at Yanjie Fortress, wants to go in and check the situation inside."
The guards rushed to report to the advance guard.
After a while he found a short and stocky coachman.
"Lao Zhang is a famous rickshaw driver. He delivers relief supplies to Yunzhong County every day. He knows where is safe and where is not to be approached. Commander, please follow him in."
Ren Ning did not refuse.
His eyes recognized danger more accurately than anyone else, but he could still get out after following the coachman in. If he broke into Yunzhong County alone, no one would dare to stop him, but it would not be easy to get out.
Wearing scarves that smelled strongly of mugwort, the three of them crossed the fence and entered Yunzhong County.
"Lao Zhang, how is the situation inside?" Ren Ning asked.
I don’t know whether it’s because he’s not allowed to reveal it to the outside world casually, or because Lao Zhang himself doesn’t talk much. He held it in for a long time before he could form two words: "It's miserable."
Not long after walking, we passed a small town with 800 households.
Ren Ning looked around.
The surroundings were full of choking gunpowder smoke, and dots and dots of scarlet lights could be seen in the distance in the vast expanse of white.
Those were the warning lanterns hung around the town.
"Lao Zhang, are there anyone alive in this town?" he asked.
"If the lantern is not extinguished, there will still be people alive. If it is extinguished, we will either die or be safe." the coachman replied.
"Can we take a closer look?" Ren Ning asked.
"Okay, but make sure you are three feet away from the lantern."
Ren Ning nodded, asked the two of them to stay, and walked over on Zhui Feng.
When he reached the lantern, he realized that someone was coming in and out of the room in front of him. Some were doctors and medicine practitioners, and some were apparently monks.
A monk from Longshou Temple.
"Master Hongguang," Ren Ning waved and shouted as the abbot walked out.
Amitabha.
The abbot recognized Ren Ning and sang a Buddhist chant.
He didn't come close: "The benefactor sent the spirit to Yunzhong County? I haven't seen you for half a month. Are you okay?"
Ren Ning looked at the old monk in front of him with his golden finger, and couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he was actually green.
"Thank you for your concern, Master. The boy is in good health. How is the situation in the town?"
Hongguang knew Ren Ning's identity and answered in detail.
"There is plenty of food, drinking water, clothing and medicine in the town. Healthy people have been moved to safe places to live temporarily. At this time, there are 368 patients in the town, all of whom are isolated."
"Lao Nazheng and thirty-eight other doctors are trying to treat it, but they haven't made much progress yet."
Ren Ning nodded.
He was a warrior in his previous life and had some experience in healing wounds caused by fighting, but he had no idea about this epidemic.
"Take your time. I believe that with the efforts of the master and the doctors, we will be able to find a cure."
"How can I help?" he asked.
The old monk laughed.
Because his face was covered with a thick scarf, his laughter was dull and sounded like a drum.
"The commander is interested. However, the Yancheng Fortress and the Xiliang Prairie are the battlefields for your soldiers."
The implication is that this is our battlefield, and if you stay well and don't come in, it will be the greatest help.
Ren Ning understood clearly and said goodbye, "Master, take care, kid, let's go first. I have to go to the surroundings of Yunzhong Capital to see the situation with my own eyes."
He was about to turn around and leave, but suddenly he stopped his horse again.
"Master, I usually like to read ancient books and learn some ways of spreading epidemics. Maybe the master already knows some of them, and some may not be known to the master yet. I wonder if you would like to hear it?"
The old monk was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said: "Please tell me, donor. Treating the epidemic is a matter of collective efforts. It is good to know more about one transmission route and more about the same treatment method."
"The most terrifying thing about the epidemic is that it can spread from person to person. As long as all transmission routes are cut off, there is nothing to fear."
Ren Ning breathed a sigh of relief.
He had mentioned this before in Yingchuan County.
The county guard and the county lieutenant were respectful and seemed to be listening attentively, but in fact they may not have listened to a word.
In their hearts, Ren Ning is just a top soldier who fights and kills. What does he know about the epidemic? They are just relying on their reputation as security commanders to show off their power in front of local officials.
"The epidemic can be regarded as a kind of poison," Ren Ning tried his best to explain in words that the ancients could understand. "Getting the epidemic is equivalent to people or animals being poisoned. However, this kind of poison is not a one-time thing, but can persist."
"Poison!" the old monk muttered.
This is a bold idea. Many doctors and even imperial doctors believed that the epidemic was caused by evil.
Ren Ning continued,
"At this time, the patients and animals' bodies, exhaled saliva, and feces and urine are all filled with poison. Among them, saliva is the most troublesome. Just talking, coughing or even breathing will contaminate all materials within a foot around it."
"If there are pedestrians, animals or objects passing by at this time, they will be infected one by one and then spread to other people."
Master Hongguang perked up.
"The donor's idea is quite strange, please continue."
He knew that there must be some poison around the patient. At this moment, after listening to Ren Ning's words, he understood where the poison around him came from.
Ren Ning smiled and talked about some experiences from later generations.
"At present, the patients in the town have been isolated, but the various poultry and livestock doctors in the town may not notice it. In addition, the birds in the sky and the beasts on the ground passing by unintentionally may also be infected with this poison. Others accidentally encounter them. Or it may be poisoned if hunted and eaten. There are also some mice and flies that bite the corpse and can also bring this poison..."
He talked about how the virus spreads and how to cut it off.
At the end, a large number of doctors gathered under the lantern in front. They listened to Ren Ning's words attentively, and then discussed various possibilities diligently.
"Listening to what you have to say is worth ten years of reading." A royal doctor said with emotion, "After listening to Commander Ren, I found that the isolation method we are so proud of turns out to be full of flaws like a sieve."
"That's right! I really don't know what I know. I was shocked when I heard it." The doctors nodded in agreement and quickly allocated manpower to plug these loopholes that they had never thought of.
"I believe that by plugging these loopholes one by one, and then identifying each patient and isolating them, we will eventually be able to control this epidemic."
"That's best."
