ATPnovel Chapter 27 Which young master wants to take the throne?
Chapter 27 Which young master wants to take the throne?
Xu Rong stayed outside the ward without leaving for a moment, guarding it strictly and not allowing any unauthorized personnel to enter.
Yan Gang's county soldiers patrolled day and night, ensuring a tight security cordon.
Zou Dan led the barracks soldiers and militia to clear the entire city once, and then began a second round of clearing.
Dan Jing even traveled all over the prefecture, and even asked Yang Kui to use the Yang family's caravan to purchase a large number of medicinal materials from Youzhou and Bingzhou, which were continuously sent to the wards.
Yang Kui was even more devoted to Liu Bei. Three of Yang's sons fell ill with high fever and were on the verge of death. Yang Kui had nowhere else to turn, so he went to Liu Bei for help.
Liu Bei personally examined the three men and administered the medicine according to the prescription. In just five days, the three men were out of danger.
As a result of this incident, Yang Kui not only devoted all the resources of his caravan to purchasing medicinal herbs and grains.
They even dispatched Yang's private soldiers to assist in patrolling and sealing off the area, telling everyone they met, "Liu Yuanshi has extraordinary abilities and is the second parent to the people of Liaoxi."
As time went by, Liu Bei's epidemic prevention measures became increasingly effective.
Within Yangle City, the number of new patients is decreasing day by day, and many critically ill patients who were originally on the verge of death have recovered.
Following Liu Bei's methods, each county and border fortress isolated patients, fumigated and disinfected them, and administered medicine to treat them. The originally precarious situation was completely stabilized.
Those old officials who had initially questioned Liu Bei, seeing the daily decline in the death toll and the gradual restoration of order in Yangle City, had nothing more to say but were filled with admiration.
In their lifetimes, they had never seen anyone contain a pandemic that swept across the world so quickly and so steadily.
In April, spring deepens and the snow melts.
The Xiping epidemic, which had raged for more than two months, was finally brought to a complete stop in western Liaoning.
The people of Yangle City burned incense and prayed in every household, but they no longer chanted the name of the gods, but rather the name of Liu Xuande.
In front of the prefect's mansion, people lined up in long queues, bowing and kowtowing to the gate, their cries and cheers mingling together.
If it weren't for Liu Bei, they would have long since suffered the same fate as the people of the Central Plains, their homes destroyed and their bodies lying in the streets during the plague.
Throughout his life, Liu Bei witnessed countless human tragedies during a great plague and the desolation of "bones exposed in the wilderness, and no rooster crowing for a thousand miles."
In this life, with the dedication of the two medical sages and with his own benevolence and skill, he finally protected the people of this region and his foundation in western Liaoning.
But he also knew that this was not the end.
The great plague at the end of the Han Dynasty lasted from the reign of Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling to the Jian'an period. Over several decades, it swept across the country more than ten times, claiming the lives of tens of millions of people.
This time, he protected western Liaoning, but countless calamities await in the future.
That evening, Liu Bei wrote two orders in his residence.
One order was to have Tian Yu establish medical clinics in the five counties of western Liaoning and recruit apprentices.
They taught basic prescriptions for epidemic prevention and treatment, as well as methods of disinfection, and stockpiled commonly used medicinal materials such as Atractylodes lancea, Ephedra sinica, and Gypsum for future use.
Another plan was to send people to Nanyang and Qiao County to search for the whereabouts of Zhang Zhongjing and Hua Tuo.
He knew that these two medical sages were still young at this moment and had not yet accumulated the medical experience that would be passed down to future generations.
However, if they could be invited to Liaoxi, Liu Bei believed that, given time, they could not only protect the people of the region, but also leave behind a spark of hope for this chaotic world.
-----------------
The capital of Youzhou was Jicheng, the governor's residence.
For more than a month, the lights in the governor's mansion never went out before dawn.
Qiao Xuan paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back, making soft, rustling sounds.
This nearly fifty-year-old man, who was also the Grand Master of Ceremonies and Governor of Youzhou, had more than half of his temples turned white in just over a month.
His eyes, which were usually as sharp as an eagle's, were now bloodshot, and dark circles were visible beneath them.
He was a famous minister of the Eastern Han Dynasty, upright and incorruptible throughout his life. He served as Left Commandant of Luoyang, Governor of Hanyang, Minister of Works, Minister of Education, Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and Grand Master of Ceremonies, and was reinstated several times.
Having just arrived in Youzhou this year, I originally intended to rectify official corruption and appease the border people in the northern frontier, but I never expected to run into this great epidemic that swept the world.
At this moment, Youzhou had already become a living hell.
Of the ten commanderies and kingdoms, none were spared, except for the most remote Liaodong vassal state.
In Zhuojun, Guangyang, Daijun, and Shanggu, tens of thousands died of the plague, leaving the counties desolate and the people displaced.
Urgent reports from various prefectures poured into the governor's office like snowflakes, each one filled with despair: "Countless people have died of plague in this prefecture, coffins are almost all gone, and corpses fill the roads."
"More than half of the officials and soldiers have been infected with the disease, and there is no one left to guard the city."
"The refugees scattered, and the plague spread with them, becoming uncontrollable."
What troubled him even more were the three proclamations sent in succession by the Luoyang court.
Although Emperor Ling was muddleheaded, he was still afraid that the plague would shake the foundation of the country, so he strictly ordered the three ministers to contain the epidemic within a month, or else they would be dismissed from their posts and imprisoned.
But what could he do?
Local officials either shut themselves off to protect themselves or resorted to shamanistic rituals, which only exacerbated the epidemic.
He hadn't slept for three days and three nights. The medicine he had just drunk couldn't suppress the burning sensation in his chest. Looking at the urgent reports on the table, he felt dizzy.
"My lord, news has arrived from Liaoxi Commandery." The subordinate official strode into the hall, bowing with a complex expression as he reported.
Qiao Xuan paused, his brows furrowing instantly.
Liaoxi was one of the most remote border counties in Youzhou. It was constantly harassed by the Xianbei and Wuhuan peoples, and had the fewest households and the weakest foundation.
According to previous urgent reports, an outbreak had already occurred in Linyu County. At this moment, western Liaoning is probably in complete chaos!
"Tell me, how many more people have died?" Qiao Xuan's voice was hoarse, carrying an inescapable weariness.
The subordinate swallowed hard, his voice filled with disbelief.
"Reporting to Your Excellency, it's not bad news."
"The epidemic in Liaoxi County has stabilized."
"Not only was the situation stabilized, but refugees from surrounding counties also flocked to western Liaoning like madmen."
"It is said that there is a Prefect Liu in Liaoxi who has a prescription that can cure the epidemic and save lives. If you enter Liaoxi, you will not get sick."
"What did you say?"
Qiao Xuan turned around abruptly, his sharp eyes fixed on his subordinate, his face full of astonishment, before a surge of anger welled up inside him.
He slammed his hand on the table, making the bamboo slips on it rattle loudly: "Lord Liu? Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!"
"The entire ten prefectures of You and Ji have been devastated by the plague. How could someone from the remote Liaoxi region remain unscathed?"
"And refugees are flooding in? Has the Liaoxi Prefecture gone mad? They've abandoned all shame for political achievements!"
He knew all too well the tricks of officialdom.
The more disastrous the year, the more people dare to take credit and deceive their superiors, trading the lives of ordinary people for their own future.
This is another aristocratic family; which young master wants to rise to power?
In the face of a major epidemic, the worst thing to do is for refugees to wander around, which will only accelerate the spread of the plague. Hou Chong not only failed to close the passes, but also allowed refugees to flood in. This is not epidemic prevention, it is courting death!
He's risking the safety of the entire Youzhou for his own political achievements!
Hmph, such things happen frequently in the Han Dynasty, but he, Qiao Xuan, would never tolerate it under his nose.
"Prepare the carriage! I must immediately submit a memorial to the court to impeach Hou Chong!" Qiao Xuan shouted angrily, reaching for pen and ink.