Mass graves
The next morning, Fu Zhiqiao went to the clinic to find a doctor and rushed to the winery wearing a mask and gloves she had made.
According to Xie Zhuo, those infected with the plague would have symptoms such as rapid pulse, persistent high fever, and difficulty breathing. The doctor diagnosed all the workers in the winery and only felt relieved after confirming that the workers were all fine.
"You can't go home for the next few days. You have to stay at the winery. The winery will provide all your food during this time. The only requirement is that you can't leave the winery. Understand?"
"clear!"
Fu Zhiqiao gave a strict order: all workers in the winery must avoid contact with outsiders, and everyone must wear masks and gloves. Anyone who refuses to comply will be immediately expelled from the winery.
While sealing off the winery, Fu Zhiqiao also had Liu Pinggu lock down Liu Family Village. Until she gave her permission, the entire village was only allowed to leave, not enter.
Fu Zhiqiao had a high reputation in Liujia Village, and the villagers listened to her.
Liu Pinggu said with deep emotion, "Without the support of our employer, we wouldn't be living a good life. We just do whatever our employer tells us to do."
Everything that could be thought of had been arranged. On the way back to the city, Fu Zhiqiao pulled Cheng Yexuan from the caravan and took him with her. A plague had been discovered outside the city, and she estimated that chaos would soon ensue. Having a martial arts expert by her side would give her a lot of peace of mind.
As the carriage passed along the official road, Xie Zhuo was leading a group of soldiers searching for something in the bushes. He obediently put on a mask, but there was no sign of gloves on his hands.
Fu Zhi Qiao's face immediately darkened, but in the end she did nothing and let Cheng Ye Xuan drive the car into the city.
If someone doesn't cherish their own life, what right does she have to criticize them?
*
In the council hall of the Qingzhou government office, everyone held their breath, awaiting the final result.
"Are you sure?"
The imperial physician's face was grave: "It's confirmed."
Qin Zhao felt all his strength vanish instantly, and he slumped into the chair.
"grown ups!"
"Sir, are you alright?"
Qin Zhao took a couple of breaths and waved his hand, "I'm fine, go and invite General Xie here quickly."
Xie Zhuo already knew the outcome on his way there, and the entire council hall was silent; no one dared to speak.
His expression was extremely grave. "Why did the plague suddenly break out?"
The imperial physician Gao replied, "According to historical records, this is not the first time that a major epidemic has followed a major disaster. As for the source of the plague, I am still searching for it."
The first suspicion was that the water source was the problem. After the flood, drowned people, livestock and poultry and all kinds of filth could be seen everywhere. Such an environment is most likely to breed diseases.
After re-examining all the clues, Xie Zhuo had an idea and instructed Wang Qianxin: "Call Li Wenkang over. I think I know the reason now."
When Li Wenkang heard that Xie Zhuo had summoned him alone, he thought that Xie Zhuo was going to punish him, so he hunched over and dared not raise his head.
Xie Zhuo said, "Take me to the mass grave."
"Huh?" Li Wenkang was stunned for a moment before replying, "Your humble servant obeys."
Outside the city, in a mass grave, the ground was covered with withered branches and fallen leaves, with occasional scattered human bones, creating a quiet yet terrifying atmosphere. Even before the group got close, they could smell the stench emanating from the corpses, which could not be blocked even through thick masks.
Xie Zhuo forced himself to endure the discomfort and walked closer to take a look. A deep pit about ten zhang wide appeared before him.
The sight before them sent chills down everyone's spines.
The bodies in the pit were in varying degrees of decomposition. Due to the thin layer of soil covering them, most of the bodies were exposed. Some bodies that were not yet fully decomposed were being eaten by wild dogs, and flies and crows hovered above the pit.
It was tragic and horrifying.
Even though Xie Zhuo had experienced the battlefield, he still felt very uncomfortable with the scene before him.
"Quickly, go and fetch Lord Qin and Imperial Physician Gao." Xie Zhuo ordered the soldiers to hurry and bring the two over, as the cause of the plague was most likely these corpses.
When Imperial Physician Gao arrived and saw this scene, he was so angry that he glared at Qin Zhao and cursed, "Your Excellency, is this how you handle things? You just throw the body into the pit without burying it?"
The corpses were highly decomposed, eaten by wild dogs and crows, and crawled over by ants and insects. Not only was the land polluted, but the nearby water sources were also contaminated.
The failure to bury the bodies in time was the main cause of the plague.
Qin Zhao frowned. He knew that leaving a corpse for too long without proper treatment could easily lead to an epidemic, so he had immediately ordered a pit to be dug and the body buried.
He looked at Li Wenkang and asked, "What happened?"
Li Wenkang pointed to the yamen runners who were still carrying the bodies of the victims ahead, "Your Excellency, it's not that the yamen runners are being lazy, but because there are too many unclaimed bodies, the yamen can't handle them all. The one-person-one-pit burial method is simply not feasible, so we can only dig a large pit to bury them all together."
In the fields, in the ditches, on the official roads, on the paths... everywhere there were the bodies of the victims, and some of them had become gigantic due to being submerged in water for a long time.
Those victims whose faces could be identified were placed in mortuaries, waiting for their families to claim them and give them a proper burial. Those victims whose faces could not be identified were buried by the government.
There were too many victims, so many that the mortuary couldn't hold them all. The officials couldn't provide individual burials for each of them, as that would be time-consuming, laborious, and exhausting.
The only option is to dig pits and fill them in.
Even after hearing Li Wenkang's explanation, the Imperial Physician Gao's anger had not subsided: "Then why not cover it with soil? Why leave the corpse exposed in the wilderness like this?"
Li Wenkang lowered his head and explained helplessly, "The bodies of the victims are still being sent over in a steady stream. We can only bury them with soil once the pit is filled."
The first large pit has already been covered with soil, but the second large pit is not yet full and will be covered after it is full.
This statement is both cruel and true.
As they were talking, two constables came from the other side of the pit. They pushed a three-wheeled wooden cart to the vicinity of the pit and quickly threw the corpses wrapped in straw mats from the cart into the pit.
The vehicle was carrying a total of six corpses.
After leaving the pit, the constable ripped off his face mask, gasped for breath, and cursed, "Damn it, getting stuck with this kind of job is really bad luck!"
Seeing this, Physician Gao was speechless, and the others could not utter any words of criticism.
Back in the city, Qin Zhao, Xie Zhuo, Imperial Physician Gao, and a group of officials gathered in the council hall.
Qin Zhao asked, "Now that the source has been found, Physician Gao, in your opinion, what should we do next?"
"It is still unknown how many people have contracted the plague. All those infected with the plague should be isolated and removed from the city as soon as possible, and all their belongings should be burned and rendered unusable."
Is there a cure?
Imperial Physician Gao shook his head. "This plague is painless and does not cause swelling or bleeding. It only causes high fever and coma. I have studied medical classics extensively and practiced medicine for decades. I have never seen any medical book that records such symptoms."
Xie Zhuo had no doubt about the physician Gao's medical skills; if he said no, then no.
"This is a matter of great importance and must be reported to His Majesty immediately." Qin Zhao gave a signal, and someone immediately went out to deliver the message.
Li Wenkang's face turned pale with fright: "Once the plague breaks out, it will spread throughout the city. I believe that all those carrying the plague should be executed."
"If we find all those infected with the plague, then kill and burn them, wouldn't we be able to stop its spread?"
“That’s right, only by killing them can we prevent more people from getting infected.” Many people agreed with Li Wenkang.
The method was ruthless, but it was an effective one.
Physician Gao disagreed, saying that doctors should have a benevolent heart and how could they kill someone who was still alive on the spot?
Everyone turned to Xie Zhuo, asking for his opinion.
Xie Zhuo gripped the armrest of the chair: "They only contracted the disease, they didn't kill anyone. Without His Majesty's decree, we cannot decide the life and death of the people."
Li Wenkang was agitated: "General Xie! This is no ordinary illness; it's a contagious and deadly plague! If the plague really spreads to the capital, we will all lose our heads!"
Xie Zhuo rebuked him: "Enough! Right now, we should move all the people infected with the plague out of the city and prevent them from coming into contact with other people."
Upon hearing Xie Zhuo's plan, Imperial Physician Gao immediately agreed: "That's right. The plague is spreading too fast. I'm afraid it has already left Qingzhou and infected other places."
After listening to everyone's discussion, Zhao Junhui asked, "There are no signs at the beginning of the plague, so how can we identify who has been infected?"
Right? How do we identify infected individuals? We can't just kill innocent people indiscriminately.
Another silence followed.
Xie Zhuo glanced at Zhao Junhui. As expected of the learned scholar, he got straight to the point with just one question.
Li Wenkang also realized what was happening and said tremblingly, "We all went outside the city today, could we have been infected too?"
The faces of those present paled instantly, and they involuntarily swallowed. They had not only been outside the city, but had also stayed near the mass grave.
"We're wearing masks, so we should be fine," Xie Zhuo reassured everyone, then asked, "Imperial Physician Gao, can masks and gloves reduce the spread of the plague?"
"Yes, I am still experimenting with whether the plague is transmitted through skin-to-skin contact or through droplets. However, covering your mouth and nose and wearing gloves can indeed reduce contact with patients."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after hearing what Physician Gao said.
"However, just to be on the safe side, those who went outside the city today must steam their clothes with vinegar after changing them."
Upon hearing this, someone immediately shifted their body, as if they had something unclean on them.
"Lord Li, please send more men to guard the city gates. No one shall enter or leave without my token."
"Your humble servant obeys!" Li Wenkang's eyes lit up instantly. Currently, the plague was only outside the city, while the city itself was safe. He was the first to agree to the plan to block the spread of the plague from both inside and outside the city.
"Imperial Physician Gao, how long will it take for the medical clinic to prepare an effective treatment?"
"It's hard to say. There's no cure at the moment. I suggest we gather all the doctors in the city and come up with a solution together."
As orders were issued one by one, the council chamber quickly emptied.
"General, a bounty has been issued for all doctors in the city."
"General, quicklime has been sprinkled all around the houses of those infected with the plague."
"General, the embroiderers are making masks and gloves, which will be available for everyone to use tomorrow."
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