Chapter 589: Spreading Horse Plague

"I suspect so." San Ya was very calm.

She stayed with her father and would often ask him about the battle against the Hu people.

So even though she herself did not have much contact with the Hu people, she knew them very well.

Although the leading man spoke Mandarin, it had a Hu accent. Xiao Yan was proficient in the Hu language and had carefully analyzed the unique guttural sounds and intonation changes in the Hu Mandarin.

This knowledge was buried in her heart like seeds.

San Ya also noticed that one of the people was wearing boots with high, fur-lined shafts and slightly upturned toes - this was the style of riding boots commonly worn by the Hu people on the grasslands, and rarely worn by Han herdsmen.

"That man just turned his head, and I vaguely saw a tattoo on his neck."

Although San Ya couldn't see the specific pattern clearly, the dark, twisted outline of the mark was definitely not a common pattern in the Central Plains.

Most of the tattoos of the Hu people are in the shape of ferocious animals and totems, which was mentioned by my father and the old soldiers at the border.

"They did it on purpose!" Lu Qiniang was anxious.

"Hmm!" San Ya's eyes were as sharp as an eagle, and she made a decision instantly.

"Well, Mom, you and Hu Rui go behind the tree first, I'll deal with them."

Lu Qiniang and Hu Rui also realized the seriousness of the situation. Without any hesitation, they quickly retreated to the old locust tree with twisted branches about ten steps away.

As they moved, San Ya's fingers deftly unfastened the bowstring buckle of the hard bow slung across her back, seemingly casually.

Her quiver of arrows hung beside her saddle, within easy reach.

Almost at the moment when Lu Qiniang and Hu Rui had just hidden behind the tree, San Ya had crouched down like a cheetah and scurried behind a river rock half a person's height. At the same time, her right hand had pulled out three feather arrows from the quiver at lightning speed.

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh--" three feather arrows were shot out one after another.

"Be careful, someone's shooting arrows." The leading man noticed that three of his men had fallen and screamed in Hu language, "Shoot her!"

But San Ya is faster.

At the moment when the enemy's formation was in chaos, she shot more than a dozen arrows in succession.

The main reason is that those people were on guard, so it was not that easy to hit them.

But even so, all seven were shot by her.

The big man in the lead and a man beside him were shot in the hands and feet and fell to the ground struggling in pain.

The others were all killed by San Ya.

San Ya did not relax at all.

She kept her bow drawn, her sharp eyes sweeping across the entire riverbank to confirm that there was no more standing threat.

Only then did she slowly walk out from behind the river rocks like a cheetah with its claws retracted, but the bow in her hand was still half-drawn, with the arrow pointed steadily at the injured leader.

"Mom, Hu Rui, hurry up, remove their jaws and tie them up tightly." San Ya's voice was cold.

If anyone can still move, she is ready to shoot another arrow at any time.

Lu Qiniang rushed over, removed the jaws of the two Hu men, and then tied them up tightly with quick and decisive movements.

Hu Rui was of no help.

Hu Rui has gone to check on the horses.

Seeing the two big men tied up like dumplings, San Ya slowly relaxed the taut bowstring.

"Mom, what should we do now?" she asked Lu Qin's mother.

"I'll watch from here," Lu Qiniang said. "Go report to General Li. Tell him that Hu spies have been found upstream of the Qingliu River, deliberately contaminating the water source with sick horses infected with a deadly plague. Tell him to send more soldiers and the best veterinarians as soon as possible."

These twenty or thirty sick horses all need to be dealt with.

"Okay." San Ya made a quick decision, "Hu Rui, you stay here with my mother. I'll go."

"Okay." Hu Rui nodded vigorously. "Don't worry, sister. I'll accompany my aunt."

He now regrets that he did not learn martial arts well before, resulting in him being able to only watch his sister being so powerful.

He still has time. He should train hard in the coldest days of winter and hottest days of summer!

San Ya jumped onto the horse. Zhuifeng seemed to sense his master's urgency, and without being urged, he spread out his four hooves and galloped away towards Changzhou City along the way he came.

Lu Qinniang's eyes were fixed on the horses upstream that were becoming increasingly sick and were even beginning to lie down and gasp for breath.

The ominous fishy smell in the air seemed to be getting stronger.

There were still a few horses standing in the river, so she went forward and pulled them all out.

Hu Rui's face was pale. He suppressed his discomfort, carefully avoiding the bloodstains, and moving among the sick horses to observe.

He squatted in front of a horse with yellow and white pus oozing from its mouth and nose and a dull look in its eyes. He quickly touched the horse's neck with the back of his hand and then opened its eyelids to check.

"Auntie, the temperature is extremely high and the eyes are bloodshot. The symptoms are very serious. This horse plague is probably very serious!"

Lu Qiniang felt heavy-hearted when she recalled the situation during the African swine fever outbreak that year.

"Keep a close eye on the prisoners, stay away from the sick horses and water, and wait for General Li to arrive."

San Ya quickly brought Li Feng over.

Lu Qiniang hurried forward to explain the situation.

Li Feng looked solemn and nodded.

He already knew the whole story from San Ya.

He didn't waste any words. He waved his hand and said, "Seal off the riverbank! For thirty miles upstream and downstream, no one or animals are allowed to approach! Anyone who violates this order will be executed!"

The personal guards immediately received the order and rode their horses to carry out the task separately.

It might be a coincidence that Lu Qiniang discovered a Hu spy here.

But it is also possible that there are more than just these people, and there may be others upstream and downstream who are intent on spreading the disease.

Li Feng brought several veteran veterinarians from the army.

They put on thick cloth gloves and face towels, and walked quickly towards the sick horses with medicine boxes.

They were extremely experienced and only took a few glances, checking the sick horse's mouth, nose, eyelids, and excrement. The looks they gave each other were filled with horror.

One of the most experienced veterinarians reported to Li Feng.

"General, it's 'Equine Distemper'! This disease is extremely ferocious and can be spread through water, grass, and physical contact. Those infected will experience a persistent high fever, salivation, and paralysis of the limbs. Death is certain within a few days."

Li Zhenshan's face turned ashen in an instant, and veins popped out on the back of his hand holding the whip.

He took a deep breath, forced himself to remain calm, and gave the order in an orderly manner:

"Come here, take these two barbarians under strict guard, take them back to the prison, and pry open their mouths!"

"All sick horses, dead or alive, must be killed on the spot. Along with the dead dogs, dig a five-foot-deep pit, pour kerosene on it, burn it, and bury it deep. Don't leave a single one behind! Those handling the animals must have all their clothing burned and washed down with strong liquor!"

"From now on, taking water from Qingliu River is strictly prohibited. Post a notice to inform all residents of the city to find another water source. Violators will be severely punished!"

The orders were clear and brutal.

The guards immediately took action.

The scene of killing sick horses was extremely tragic. The sharp sabers pierced the hearts accurately, short cries of grief came one after another, and the strong smell of blood almost covered the previous fishy smell.

Lu Qiniang couldn't bear to watch any longer and turned her head away.

At this moment, Li Feng's gaze suddenly fell on them.

To be precise, it fell on the three horses of Zhuifeng.

San Ya was keenly aware of something, hugged Zhuifeng's head, and looked at him with resistance.

no!

She doesn't agree!

Her Zhuifeng is not sick!