Chapter 69
Song Jin and others in Pingyi also received the news transmitted by Nanxun. The most worried were Wen Yi and others in Changyu. The messenger had no time to leave at the time, so he just hoped that nothing would happen.
"It's not that we're worried about not being able to respond in time. After all, I heard from these people that the place where she lives is quite remote." But no one knows what kind of epidemic it is and how it will spread.
Song Jin still remembered that Wen Yi took a long time to recover from the previous cold, and he couldn't help but worry about it.
She sighed and told her staff to organize the information and send it to Ji Di as soon as possible. Although it should be impossible for a similar incident to happen there, Yao Wenjun still had to be informed.
Compared to the chaotic situation in the southwest, the Ji region experienced a relatively smooth transition of power. Perhaps the long period of peace and tranquility had made the city's residents less concerned about those who didn't affect their lives, and the nobles' departures also reduced their exploitation. Aside from a few old men who still clung to orthodoxy, the rest of the population accepted the situation naturally.
There were even people who already had some rebellious thoughts and actively participated in the chaos after Yao Wenjun and others arrived, making the soldiers who originally wanted to control the chaos a little overwhelmed.
"Wenjun always has great luck." Song Jin sighed as he checked the latest news.
Sang Yu nodded, agreeing. Even the teacher thought Yao Wenjun had perished in the rebellion, but they hadn't expected him to revive and flourish to the point where he was now.
"So Wen Yi should be safe over there?" Song Jin nodded, waiting for the next news from the south.
*
"Is there anyone outside driving back along the main road?"
Hearing Daocheng's reply, Wen Yi's tone was filled with doubt. Returning at this time was not the style of the nobles. As the city gradually fell, those with money and manpower would want to escape, at least in small numbers.
She stood up and walked towards the backyard. What she saw was a temporary platform made of wood. There were people holding on to it from below, and people with better eyesight were still standing on it looking around. Wen Yi nodded at them.
"You said earlier that someone was coming back along the road?"
"Yes," said the man in loose gray-black clothes, "but something seems amiss, as if someone attacked him."
Many people were still injured, the frames of the carriages were broken or deformed, and the curtains on the side were stained with various stains. They were very different from the nobles in the city who would fumigate their carriages with incense and dress exquisitely when going out.
"I seemed to see someone leaving the team. The pattern hanging on the frame looked familiar, but the rest was unclear." It is not easy to see the main road here, and it is fortunate that there are no high platforms or buildings in this area, but it is still unclear if it is a little further away.
Wen Yi lowered his head and thought for a while, "I see."
The previous commotion must have been encountered by these people. They were willing to risk their lives to rush back, so the losses must have been considerable. It is even possible that those people are already not far from the city, just waiting for the people here to lose their ability to defend themselves due to the epidemic, and then occupy the city.
"Send someone to keep an eye on it and tell me immediately if anything happens."
Dao Cheng nodded in agreement, and Wen Yi added, "By the way, I remember there is a cellar in the backyard, clean it out too." If you really encounter something that cannot be solved, just hide first.
It's called a cellar, but it's actually just a small, high-ground excavation in the yard. Most of the secret rooms in the house are blocked by thickened walls or shelves, so if you don't search carefully, you can still escape.
Boom——
Just as everyone was still thinking, a wooden ball flew over the courtyard wall and fell in. People standing on a high place saw the figure of the person who threw the wooden ball in walking away.
The wooden ball looked familiar, and Wen Yi could probably tell who had sent it at a glance. Dao Cheng wiped the ball with a cloth soaked in alcohol, letting it dry before handing it to Wen Yi, who was already wearing a simple cloth mask.
Such measures can only be considered simple, but if they are still infected after such treatment, they will not be able to escape even if they stay in the yard.
The information inside was a bit messy, and it seemed that the writer was busy. After reading it, I could deduce some situations. For example, many people who left the city were ambushed when trying to use the road to other places, but it was not clear who ambushed them.
The people I saw before were probably the last group of survivors. I didn't care that the city was actually extremely dangerous, and I quickly shouted to open the city gate and let them come in.
This should be the news Meng Xi got from the city. Although most of the channels for obtaining information have been blocked, there are still people who choose to pass on the news for food or other things.
If you are willing, you will know more.
Since he was willing to risk his life to send someone to deliver the message, it seemed that Meng Xi was doing well now. Wen Yi could put aside his worries and start thinking about how to leave here safely.
To go south from Changyu by land, one has to pass through the valley, but taking the water route is not that troublesome. However, the people who live here naturally will not prepare ships like the caravan people. Moreover, the city was sealed very quickly at the beginning, and the people outside had already left with the remaining goods. Even Meng Xi and others in Changyu could not find enough ships for the nobles to use at once.
Those who could block access to the cities further south did not seem to be good people. She would have been safer if she had gone north, but judging by their methods, those people did not seem to want to let her leave safely.
Information was not transmitted smoothly in Changyu City, so he could only put aside other thoughts for the time being and wait for the decision of those people in the city.
This wait lasted until the weather was extremely hot. Fortunately, this place was mainly engaged in commerce, and there were not many farmlands outside the city, so it didn't need constant supervision. Over the years, he had accumulated a lot of things, so he could get by.
After the group of nobles returned empty-handed, the city official did not continue to struggle. Instead, he provided some thin porridge mixed with miscellaneous ingredients, but he did not care who could get it and who could not.
Perhaps the guards and servants were in relatively good health, and some of those who were unfortunate enough to be infected managed to survive. Although they had a few more scars on their bodies, they were still alive. They were even safe from further infection and could walk around the city and work without worry.
This epidemic is probably more acute, and the disease will occur within a very short time after infection. It is naturally extremely dangerous at the beginning, but it also reduces the possibility of infecting other people during the incubation period to some extent.
After the last fallen people were carried out of the city, Changyu City, which had been silent for several months, finally regained its popularity and more and more people appeared on the streets.
Wen Yi had no intention of letting his men take risks. He planned to wait for a while before sending someone outside to gather information. Anyway, there were people like Meng Xi who would share some information from time to time.
It was not until this moment that she realized that there were several people infected on Meng Xi's side before, but that person agreed with the protective measures handed over by Wen Yi. In addition, there were many courtyards, so all the subordinates who were abnormal were isolated in the courtyard, and it did not cause too much impact.
At the same time, a lot of supplies were provided. The first people who survived took over the task of taking care of others, so there were not too many casualties. The people who were previously sent to deliver letters were also people who had completely recovered from their illness, otherwise they would not dare to walk at that time.
"Is there any news from outside the city?"
Wen Yi asked Dao Cheng who was standing beside him.
Perhaps the enemies did not expect that the plague could not take away most of the people in the city. Except for a few days ago when they led people to shoot arrows under the city wall and attack the city gate, they disappeared after that.
The cavalry's mobility is much stronger than that of ordinary soldiers, and they can reach other cities from here in just a few days.
"There's no other news yet, but we've been in touch with Fengyi. They did encounter a similar carriage over there, but the general and several officials had already made preparations, so they weren't affected."
The construction of Fengyi naturally did not stop. I heard that in the past few months, many places in the north had been cleared and rebuilt, and even a platform high enough to see far away was built with the soil.
This period was a crucial time for crop planting, and the fields needed daily weeding. Even with the waterwheel, many corners were still overlooked and needed irrigation with buckets. Last year's disaster still had some impact, and this year the people in the city were particularly concerned about the plants. Even when the city gates were closed, some people were willing to go out and tend to the fields themselves, but they were eventually stopped.
"It seems that things are going well over there." Wen Yi nodded, thinking that the enemies' main targets were probably not Fengyi and other places, but more prosperous places like Changyu.
After all, they didn't want to occupy the city, but to plunder its supplies and population. Places like Fengyi were not very cost-effective compared to the cities in the south.
"There are also letters delivered here." Dao Cheng handed over the letter delivered by Meng Xi's manager. Of course, this letter could not be opened casually.
Wen Yi took it and saw that this person invited her to his hometown. The things that Wen Yi had asked him to find before seemed to be found.
“You actually found it?”
Wen Yi stood up, her tone rising slightly. Although she knew Meng Xi was a well-known businessman, describing these things before only increased the possibility. She never expected to hear the news so soon.
She had found not just one, but many things similar to it. Perhaps many of them weren't necessary, but it was better than nothing. What surprised her most was finding a crop similar to garlic. This could provide a treatment for certain illnesses, eliminating the need to wait patiently for them to die.
"If it's really what you need, I'd like to thank you very much." Wen Yi refolded the letter and put it away. "Go prepare a gift and send it along with the visiting card."
"By the way, please keep an eye out outside the city. If anyone comes again, remember to be careful."
The enemy that Wen Yi and others were thinking about was having a very difficult time at this moment.
Wang and the one-eyed man, who were full of vigor and vitality a few months ago, were now lying on simple mats. There were still a few people around who brought in some hot water, as well as some barely cooked meat and vegetables.
In a short period of time, several people were tortured beyond recognition. Coughing sounds could be heard from time to time in the room, and the abdomens of several of them became even more swollen.
The one-eyed man, who had been lying on his side, didn't care that the water was still scalding hot. He drank it all in one gulp, suppressing the discomfort and chewing the food that tasted terrible. After eating, he tried to get up, but ultimately failed and could only stare at the door.
At first, red spots appeared on the skin, accompanied by burning, followed by soreness and a low-grade fever. At first, I thought someone had accidentally brought back the "sky plague", but the symptoms didn't seem to be the same, so I didn't take it seriously and just found a shaman from the tribe to do some exorcism.
But the symptoms did not improve. Even the king was infected with similar symptoms at some point. His brave generals gradually fell and he was finally trapped in this empty village.
If there were not a few people who were able to go into the mountains and forests to get some food, they might not have been able to hold on until now.
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