The news from the capital finally arrived: the imperial court had issued an order requiring the three prefectures of Qing, Yuan, and Mo near Liangzhou to each allocate a portion of their troops and grain to support Lu Jingze in order to help him cope with the disaster in Liangzhou.
As for the treatment of the people of Liangzhou, the emperor also instructed in the secret letter that he would handle the matter entirely.
Lu Jingze is about to take up his post in Liangzhou, but the question of where Wang Xiuxiu will go is something he is pondering repeatedly.
At this time, Liangzhou was in turmoil and unsafe.
Lu Jingze was short-handed and couldn't spare any extra people to protect her while she stayed in Qingzhou.
Left with no other choice, Lu Jingze had to take Wang Xiuxiu with him to Liangzhou.
Regardless, Lu Jingze would feel more at ease having the place under his watchful eye.
As Lu Jingze departed from Qingzhou, grain collected by various families in the capital began to be transported to Qingzhou.
When the group arrived in Liangzhou, what they saw was truly astonishing.
Liangzhou was a scene of devastation, with corpses strewn everywhere, a truly horrific sight.
After the soldiers moved in, their primary task was not to distribute food, but to clear away the mountains of corpses.
The corpses had been decomposing for some time, and during the cleanup process, many soldiers contracted various diseases, and there were even signs of a plague spreading.
Wang Xiuxiu was placed outside the city and did not enter the city with them.
When his subordinates reported that Wang Xiuxiu had returned to Qingzhou with the people who had gone to Qingzhou for help, Lu Jingze had not slept for several days in Liangzhou City.
He waved wearily, a hint of disappointment flashing through his mind.
After all, she's just a young girl, and it's understandable that she'd be scared in this situation. I shouldn't be too demanding of her.
Returning to Qingzhou is fine, although I was worried that she might encounter danger there, but right now, Liangzhou's situation is even more difficult.
Three days later, the soldiers who had sought help from Qingzhou rushed back with urgently needed medicines and doctors.
Even so, the number of sick soldiers in the city continued to rise.
Dealing with corpses all day long, coupled with the heavy workload of cleaning, caused their physical condition to deteriorate day by day.
The epidemic has not been effectively controlled, and some people have even begun to suggest to Lu Jingze that he withdraw from Liangzhou City.
Everyone knows what this suggestion means.
Neither Lu Jingze nor any of the other officials from the capital dared to issue such an order lightly.
Just when everyone was in a state of panic, a subordinate reported to Lu Jingze that Wang Xiuxiu had brought several cartloads of goods and was waiting outside Liangzhou City.
Lu Jingze rushed to the scene.
When I met Wang Xiuxiu, she was busily directing people to move things.
Big boxes and big boxes.
"Why did you come back to Qingzhou and then come back again! Do you know how dangerous it is here!" Lu Jingze couldn't help but scold.
"I know."
Wang Xiuxiu's eyes were bloodshot, looking haggard as if she hadn't slept for several days. She just stared at him quietly, her clear black and white eyes making him feel sorry for her and unable to continue scolding her.
After a moment of silence, Wang Xiuxiu said softly, "Human lives are at stake. I have some methods for preventing and controlling the epidemic that I wanted to tell you, but I can't find anyone to help me. The people in Qingzhou don't dare to mess around with me, so I had no choice but to come myself..."
Her tone was calm, without the slightest grievance or complaint, but Lu Jingze seemed to be able to imagine the setbacks she had encountered in the past few days.
"What idea have you come up with? Tell me," Lu Jingze said, his voice softening.
At that moment, Lu Jingze inexplicably believed her.
"These are face masks. If you distribute them to everyone, they can help prevent the spread of the epidemic to some extent. I see that you have transported a lot of lime back from Qingzhou. It has the same effect as spraying lime on the epidemic area."
Looking at Wang Xiuxiu, who was enthusiastically introducing everything to him, Lu Jingze really couldn't bring himself to tell her that the lime was not intended to save Liangzhou.
Instead, it was used to bury the entire city of Liangzhou.
They are going to abandon Liangzhou.
Lu Jingze took a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly: "I understand. Distribute these things to everyone in the city when we get back. You go back to Qingzhou first, and I'll have someone contact you again."
"good!"
Under Wang Xiuxiu's watchful gaze, Lu Jingze walked step by step toward Liangzhou City, each step feeling as if he were carrying a heavy burden.
The city gates slowly closed, leaving Lu Jingze alone to face the closed gates and the deathly atmosphere that permeated the city.
----
"My lord, what should we do with the things Lady Wang brought?"
"Distribute them, first to the soldiers and doctors, the rest to the common people," Lu Jingze said after a pause. "Tell everyone, we'll hold out for another ten days!"
"Yes, sir!" The soldier accepted the order and left.
The things Wang Xiuxiu brought included not only what she called masks, but also many other strange gadgets whose names and functions Lu Jingze couldn't distinguish.
Lu Jingze regretted letting her leave so easily, and had no choice but to send someone to inquire again.
Upon seeing the letter, Wang Xiuxiu slapped her forehead in exasperation. She had been so busy delivering the items that she hadn't even told the person how to use them; she had been incredibly absent-minded.
She quickly wrote down the effects and usage methods of each item.
Finally, after much deliberation, I wrote on the last sheet of paper: "Burial is what everyone hopes for, but it may cause the spread of the epidemic. Although burning is against nature, it is beneficial to people. I hope you will consider it carefully."
---
“Sir, are we really going to do this? This might cause public resentment,” an official said worriedly.
"No need to say anything more, I will take full responsibility for this."
That day, instead of transporting the bodies to the mountains for burial, the soldiers in the city erected huge stacks of firewood.
Each stack of firewood is tens of meters high, and from a distance, it looks like a small hill.
Looking at the relatives and friends placed on top, everyone suddenly realized—they were to be cremated!
They were unwilling to accept this decision, as cremation meant that their relatives and friends would no longer have a complete body, and there would be no place for them to pay their respects and remember them.
In their hearts, they can only find peace of mind when their loved ones are laid to rest intact.
This sense of loss was heartbreaking for everyone.
Just as everyone was getting angry, Lu Jingze appeared in front of them.
He stood on the high platform, his gaze resolute. "Gentlemen! The disaster in Liangzhou is irreversible. The deceased are gone, but their remains have become a threat to the spread of the epidemic, like an axe hanging over our heads. If our ancestors still have aspirations, they would not want to see everyone risking their lives to keep them alive!"
After he finished speaking, the atmosphere fell silent.
Just then, a voice broke the silence: "We fear not the flames! Let us send our hero on his way!"
Zhou Yun'an stood to the side, his eyes firm and his tone impassioned.
His words were like a spark, igniting courage and determination in everyone's hearts.
Lu Jingze looked at Zhou Yun'an, a look of admiration flashing in his eyes.
When they entered Liangzhou that day, Lu Jingze originally intended for him to stay outside the city with Wang Xiuxiu.
Unexpectedly, despite his illness, he resolutely entered the city, disregarding all obstacles.
This courage earned him Lu Jingze's respect.
Lu Jingze nodded slightly, gesturing to the person next to him.
A moment later, soldiers carrying torches walked up to the crowd and handed them the torches so that they could send their loved ones off on their final journey.
The torch was thrown out, and the flames spread rapidly, instantly engulfing the entire woodpile.
The raging fire instantly illuminated the entire sky.
The cremation ended, but the fire in the hearts of the people of Liangzhou did not die out.
Patients who were usually uncooperative with isolation have become unusually obedient at this moment, no longer hiding, and have all voluntarily gone to the isolation area.
Those who were not sick also actively joined the ranks of the city's soldiers, helping to clean up the corpses in the city.
Large amounts of lime powder were no longer used for burial, but were scattered throughout every corner of the site.
The city of Liangzhou, which had been bleak just a few days ago, was now showing signs of prosperity.
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