"Could this be the reason why the plague keeps spreading in the city? It's not people biting each other, but rats biting people and infecting them."
Jiang Ling frowned and said in a deep voice, "Isn't this the most troublesome thing? When I killed the rat just now, I saw the red silk thread in its body."
"This general speculates that it might be this red thread that controls the rats, making them ferocious and daring to come out and bite people in broad daylight."
"And that red thread was alive. It burrowed into the mouse's flesh in that instant. If we compare that red thread to a bug, then perhaps this bug just likes living human flesh."
"They enter the body through bite wounds and rapidly reproduce using the flesh and blood of living people. This means that the infected person's body is already filled with countless red silken threads..."
Gu Chen couldn't help but shudder when he heard this. If this was true, then did the infected people in the dungeon still have blood in their bodies, or had they all been eaten by insects?
Jiang Ling glanced at the long sword burning in the brazier and said indifferently, "General Gu, bring out the people who were infected in the dungeon. I want to verify something."
"...Yes, Major General, please follow me."
Soon the three men were brought out, their hands and feet tied under the scorching sun. They were not as ferocious as they were at night, but instead looked listless as if they were afraid of the sun.
He looked at them with dull eyes, like a corpse that had lost its soul. Jiang Ling walked forward, took out a dagger and quickly cut a wound in his body.
His eyes were fixed on the stare, and soon blood dripped onto the ground. The red thread squirmed in the blood, and soon became motionless as if it was dead.
All three of them tried it, and Jiang Ling indeed found some problems. The blood of the people who were infected at the beginning was red, and the red silk thread was also red, making it difficult to be discovered.
But for people who have been infected for five days, the blood will be a little black and the red threads will be very obvious. As for people who have been infected for ten days, it can be seen at a glance.
Gu Chen saw it clearly from the side and said in a deep voice: "Major General, there really are bugs in this blood, but it seems that these bugs died as soon as they hit the ground."
"Is it because you are afraid of the sun?"
Jiang Ling shook her head and said softly, "No, the mouse in the house was like this just now. Once the red silk thread is not inside its body, it is always soaked in blood."
"They die in a very short time, and the dead silk threads can no longer infect people. This may be why infected people only become ill after being bitten."
"Infected people have silk threads in their mouths, and the threads rely on blood to survive. So, if they want to infect more people, they have to bite them."
Gu Chen understood and couldn't help but gasp.
"So, these threads are parasitic and can't survive outside without blood. But if there is blood, it means they will continue to infect people."
Jiang Ling nodded and felt inexplicably relieved. It was better to know what this thing was afraid of than to know nothing at all.
"General Gu, this discovery is good for us. It means that as long as we don't get caught or bitten, we can avoid being infected."
"Let the doctor continue his research and see if there are any further discoveries. Since this thing is afraid of the outside world, let's try to see if there are any herbs that it's afraid of..."
Gu Chen nodded and whispered, "Okay, I understand."
On the other side, several villages near the battlefield began to migrate. The officials who came with notices gave money to each household and promised that they could come back after the situation here stabilized.
The villagers silently packed up their things and looked at the closed courtyard door. Tears rolled down their cheeks unconsciously, and suppressed sobs were heard.
The officer didn't say anything after seeing this, but the young general had already instructed them to be patient with the people and that it was normal to feel sad and reluctant to leave home.
The old village chief trembled as he got on the donkey cart. He took one last look at the village, sighed deeply, suppressed his reluctance, and said respectfully, "Sir, can we go home after the war is over?"
Fang Zhihe nodded and said softly, "Don't worry, old village chief. We'll be back after we've defeated the Huns. The young general is also worried that you're getting too close to the battlefield. If you get caught in the crossfire, the consequences will be disastrous."
The Huns were brutal and if they attacked, the whole village would be massacred. The villagers knew this, so no matter how sad they were, they had to leave.
"Yes, yes, we believe Lord Jiang. You can leave now."
Seeing how cooperative they were, Fang Zhihe sighed inwardly. It was all because of that damn plague. Otherwise, they wouldn't have to leave their homes and go through so much trouble traveling back and forth.
In order to evacuate as quickly as possible, the officials brought a lot of donkey carts to help the people who had no donkey carts to carry their luggage. People from various villages met on the official road.
They started talking in low voices: "Are you guys moving away from your village too?"
"Yes, our village is too close to the battlefield. Isn't your Wangjia Village farther away from the battlefield? The whole village must move away anyway."
"I don't know. The official came with a notice and gave each household ten taels of silver as resettlement allowance, saying that we could come back within a year. We thought that was a good deal."
"We can't earn more than ten taels of silver a year, and they feed us, help us move, and even have a doctor accompany us on the journey. What a blessing!"
Upon hearing this, the other people nodded, their faces full of relief.
When they first heard that they had to move, their hearts sank into an ice hole, despair lingered in their hearts, and they thought someone would definitely die on the way.
I didn't expect the official to be so thoughtful. Now moving is not so painful. With a doctor here, I don't have to endure any discomfort on the road.
The people chatted and the atmosphere soon became harmonious.
Fang Zhihe was riding slowly on the horse. After an unknown amount of time, a scolding voice was heard, followed by crying.
Turning his head, he saw an official scolding someone. His brows furrowed, "Liu Er, what are you doing?"
The official who was scolding someone was stunned, gave the man a sharp look, and hurried over with a flattering look on his face: "My lord, there is nothing wrong. It's just that the disobedient thing just dropped it and insisted on picking it up."
"It's just some junk. It doesn't matter if it's lost or not. I just scolded you a little. Don't worry, sir, it's nothing serious."
Fang Zhihe winked at the people around him and whispered, "Go and see if there are people in need of help. Help them without delaying your journey."
"If you are delaying your trip, please speak up and don't bully the people. Don't forget what the Major General told you before you left."
"Yes, sir."
Liu Er craned his neck to look at him, and said somewhat awkwardly, "Sir, I've had a loud voice since I was a child. I didn't mean to yell at you. I hope you can forgive me."
Soon the official came back, glanced at Liu Er, and said bluntly: "Sir, just now Liu Er asked the old man to give the silver, and only when he didn't give it did he throw the things in the basket away."
"This is bullying the people. I hope you will understand and not encourage this trend. Otherwise, the resettlement allowance that the young general gives to the people will end up in the pockets of the escorting officials."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
