Chapter 92 "Guards, raise the tent!"...
The four men's expressions changed drastically.
Li Bi immediately realized—they were poisoning them!
Li Bi ripped off the hem of his robe and tied it tightly to his face. He hurriedly said, "Quick, cover your mouth and nose!"
The other three followed his example, covering their mouths and noses with their clothes, and went into the water with Li Bi to pull the body out.
The corpse was slippery; a finger would sink into the flesh if poked, making them feel nauseous and their stomachs churn. They stripped the clothes off the person who had just died, wrapped the corpse's head and feet, and lifted it out of the water.
The four men worked together and threw the body onto the shore.
"Smack."
The corpse, whether soft or hard, crashed to the ground, splattering bits of flesh and pus.
The young soldier, who was only a year old, couldn't hold back any longer and turned around, vomiting all over the ground.
The stench of corpses and the sour smell of fermented food mingled together, creating an intense, almost tangible odor. Li Bi was choked by the smell, his face turning ashen. He took two steps back, then nodded at the relatively composed young man before him. "Li Yu, you should return to Yan County first. Remember, under no circumstances should you enter the city. Send someone to tell the general that there may be a major epidemic in Luanyang, and that some thieves are planning to poison the water. Please make a decision, General!"
"yes!"
The young soldier ran quickly towards where their horses were tied, mounted them, and galloped away.
"stand up."
The soldier, who was vomiting so badly he thought Li Bi was giving him an order, and subconsciously sat up. Little did he know that Li Bi was talking to the last remaining thief.
The thief's hands were tightly bound behind his back, and to prevent him from biting his tongue and committing suicide, his mouth was also gagged with hemp rope.
Upon hearing this, a hint of resentment flashed in his eyes. He sat on the ground with his legs spread wide, motionless, and instead grinned at Li Bi with a smile that was unmistakably provocative.
The soldiers looked in Li Bi's direction, only to see that the commander, who had just been joking and laughing with them, suddenly turned cold and, without saying another word, kicked the man hard in the chest!
"Crack!"
It sounded like something breaking, sending chills down one's spine.
The thief was kicked far away. When he looked back in shock, the thief was lying limply on the ground, blood gushing from his mouth and nose.
“You,” he gave a weak but ferocious smile, his mouth stuffed with something, making his speech very indistinct, word by word, “kill me.”
The next second, military boots crushed his vest.
He convulsed in pain and vomited several mouthfuls of blood.
"Don't worry," Li Bi lowered his head, "If even the slightest harm is done to the tens of thousands of people in Yan County as a result," he laughed, and with a forceful kick, the broken bone from the kick became deeply embedded in the man's flesh, "I will definitely tear you to pieces and grind your bones to dust."
A night wind rises, bringing a chill to the face.
The sergeant couldn't help but shiver.
Meanwhile, Li Yu rode his horse at full speed and returned to the outskirts of Yan County in less than a quarter of an hour.
Only a small patrol team was on the city wall when they suddenly heard the clatter of hooves below. They quickly raised their voices and asked, "Who goes there?"
Li Yu held the torch high, and with his other hand pulled out his waist token to show them, "I am Li Yu, who is on patrol outside the city today. Whoever is on the city wall, you may go to the general!"
He recounted in detail what Li Bi had just told him, and the patrolling soldiers, knowing the seriousness of the matter, hurriedly went to inform Ji Chengning.
The lights of the camp, which had been dark, gradually came on as they approached.
Ji Chengning was still in his study handling affairs when he heard the news. His expression was extremely solemn. After thinking for a few moments, he first summoned Chen Jian and ordered him to take disinfectant and clean clothes and go to the outskirts of the city immediately to examine the corpses and then bring Li Bi and the others back.
Other military doctors were summoned, and any usable medicines were distributed to the soldiers and civilians. Medical clinics were to be set up in remote areas of the city so that soldiers and civilians could immediately go to the clinics for treatment if they felt unwell.
Tonight we must immediately post notices and send people to explain that the river water cannot be used for the next two days. If water is needed, it must be drawn from the old wells in the city. Even so, the water must be boiled before drinking.
I sorted out the tasks one by one, and finished assigning and managing them until midnight.
Ji Chengning unfolded the defense map.
The dim lighting cast a shadow on Ji Chengnin's face, creating an indescribable sense of gloom.
“But I don’t know,” he pressed his swollen and aching brow, “what about Chen Jian?”
Cui Yao gently placed a cup of tea on the table. "Mr. Chen's medical skills are superb, and he is a steady and reliable person. General, you don't need to worry too much." Finally, he added, "Commander Li and those three soldiers are also fortunate, General." He gently pushed the teacup in front of Ji Chengnin. Along with it came... Ji Chengnin stared at it, and his previously lowered eyes widened. It was another list of medicinal herbs sent to Yan County.
He suddenly looked up at Cui Yao, who remained calm. "General, the tea is getting cold."
Meanwhile, outside the city.
Chen Jian had served as a military doctor on the border in his early years, and was already very skilled at dealing with epidemics.
After all, places where many people die are bound to experience major epidemics.
He assigned the miscellaneous tasks to the medicine boy, then put on a silk veil and went with another medicine boy to examine the corpse.
He bent down, and a stench assaulted his nostrils.
The young apprentice had never seen anyone die like this before. His throat twitched a few times as he struggled to suppress the urge to vomit.
Chen Jian's expression remained unchanged as he reached out with his gloved hand and pried open the corpse's mouth.
The fingers pressed against the skin, making a sticky, wet sound.
Several drowned, plump, white creatures "drooled" out of the corpses' mouths.
Chen Jian calmly brushed aside the maggots and put his hand into the corpse's festering mouth.
Li Bi and the others, who had just washed themselves clean and come ashore, had somewhat subtle expressions. They felt like vomiting but tried their best to hold it in. If even a scholarly doctor like Chen Jian could remain calm, how could they embarrass the general?
The young soldier who had just vomited wanted to gag again, but Li Bi slapped him back.
The group braved the cold wind to change into clean clothes, and were then sprayed with disinfectant powder by the medicine boy before the process was over.
The robes stained with filthy bodily fluids were piled up to one side.
"Pfft, pfft..."
No one knows what Chen Jian did, but the corpse's stomach was rumbling, as if something was about to burst out of the flesh.
Even seasoned soldiers, accustomed to life and death, turned pale upon seeing Chen Jian handling the corpse so meticulously.
If Doctor Chen were a towering, nine-foot-tall man, as strong as a black tower, it would be one thing. But he had a refined and handsome appearance, yet he was able to pluck out the intestines from the corpse's stomach—the stench was overwhelming, and red, green, and yellow stuff was spilled all over the ground. The group didn't even want to look closely.
They examined it very carefully, as if they wanted to find out exactly what the corpse had eaten before it died.
They tried to hold back, but eventually they couldn't and went into the grove to vomit until they were completely exhausted.
Upon returning, they all stood behind the tree, furtively eyeing Chen Jian, their expressions filled with awe for Doctor Chen.
By the time Chen Jian finished examining the body, dawn was breaking in the east.
The group burned the clothes and the corpse to ashes, then sprinkled themselves with medicinal powder from head to toe before returning to the city.
Ji Chengnin stayed up all night dealing with the aftermath—not only to prevent the epidemic, but more importantly, to deploy the army.
He quickly calculated in his mind that the army currently had thirty cannons, which was the limit of what the resources in Yan County could produce. It should be noted that even the Zhongzhou Army only had 160 cannons on standby during peacetime, and each cannon was operated by three artillerymen. Cavalry would charge in front, and infantry would be needed to cooperate in attacking the city.
If a great plague were to break out in Luanyang, it would undoubtedly be the best opportunity to attack the city! Ji Chengning's expression was extremely gloomy, his long eyelashes drooping slightly, casting a thick shadow.
He pondered, then sent people to investigate the current situation in Luanyang.
Just as he was pondering this, someone suddenly said, "General, Lord Chen has a report to give you."
Ji Chengning snapped back to his senses. Without waiting for anyone to bring it in, he got up first, took three steps at a time, and went forward to take the report that Chen Jian had brought.
The papers emitted a strong medicinal smell, bitter and pungent, clearly indicating that they had been fumigated with herbs by their owner.
Ji Chengning opened the memorial.
Chen Jian wrote very clearly in his letter that he had carefully examined the condition of the body and it was indeed undoubtedly an epidemic.
As for the reason, Luanyang and Yanjun had suffered from drought for years, resulting in a severe shortage of food. When they arrived, they saw the mass graves and people who had become so hungry that they had started to eat each other.
If there are starving corpses in the wild and they are not collected or buried, the bodies will pile up into mountains, and after they rot, they will breed diseases. People who eat human flesh will carry the disease out in batches. If there is a water source near the corpse pit, the spread will be even faster.
The local people, who had been starving for years and were in very poor health, were highly susceptible to infection.
"Splash—"
The paper rustled in Ji Chengning's hands.
He put down the memorial, his thoughtful expression vanishing instantly, replaced by an indescribable coldness and authority. He said in a deep voice, "Guards, raise the tent!"
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Author's note: I'll fix it tomorrow morning.
good evening.
————
I was in a daze last night, and now I'm grinding my back teeth so hard they're almost broken. I'm sorry I'm just posting this like this. A red envelope is dropping for this chapter.
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