After rebirth, the Queen and I are on the run.

Chapter 1140 The Outbreak and the Start of the War [3]

"That's good." Qian Zongqi said, but he was not at all at ease, because four more people had been infected today.

Including the six people from yesterday, the number of infected people in the past two days has reached ten.

On May 12, three more people contracted the virus.

On May 13, five people contracted the virus.

May 14th.

"Report! The patient who had two lumps removed has not seen any improvement in his condition... The two doctors, both convicts, say that the problem is probably not the lumps themselves, but rather the unseen pathogenic energy, the kind of bacteria the Qin family mentioned that is causing trouble in the body. The only way to cure this disease is to kill those unseen bacteria!"

Everyone's face was so dark it was almost dripping with gloom.

But the scouts hadn't finished reporting.

"Doctor Li is dead, and Doctor Wang is also seriously ill, his body is badly infected with pus, and he has a persistent high fever... Doctor Wang said that he is afraid that this is all he can do to help the world and the court. He asked the court to remember to pardon him and Doctor Li and let both families live with a clear conscience."

"Tell Doctor Wang that I, Luo, guarantee with my life that I will report his words to General Liang, who will then report directly to His Majesty... We are very grateful for their merits." Magistrate Luo led the group and kowtowed in the direction of the barren mountain encampment.

Originally, it should have been General Ou who came here to lend his support.

However, since General Ou was responsible for the military defense of Dongming Prefecture, and Xie Tongzhi was too much of a scholar, Luo Tongpan volunteered to come and guard the city.

"The two doctors have made detailed records of the patient's condition, and they will be able to send the information down the mountain in the next day or two." The scout finished reporting the final matters before leaving.

On May 15th, news of Doctor Wang's death arrived.

On May 16, the scouts brought over a copy of the medical records.

Luo Tong assigned the case to the military doctors, instructing them to conduct the research.

By May 20, the number of infected people at the outpost in the desolate mountains had reached 193, and eight people had died from the plague.

"The deceased were all frail or had other pre-existing conditions."

Upon hearing this, the military doctors breathed a sigh of relief and said to Luo Tongpan, "The death toll is not high, but the number of infected people is relatively high."

The outpost in the desolate mountains had only 210 people in total, including soldiers, doctors, and serious criminals.

"Now, 90% of people are infected, making it highly contagious."

"Hang Baihu also contracted the disease. His suggestion was to wait two more days, until the morning of May 22nd, when we received the latest epidemic report, and then immediately... set fire to the mountain to cut off the epidemic on the mountain."

"Hang Baihu begs Judge Luo, and all his comrades, not to be soft-hearted and wait three or five more days, not even half an hour more, otherwise there is a fear that a death row inmate will rush up the mountain in his sick body, causing a great spread of the plague."

The hundred-household commander in Hangzhou was infected, and most of the soldiers were also infected. They were almost unable to control the serious criminals and had to kill them all as soon as possible.

“…Alright.” Luo Tongpan’s eyes reddened as he wrote a letter to Hang Baihu, omitting the fact that he wanted to burn the mountain to stop the plague.

We have to hide it, because we're afraid the letter will be snatched by hardened criminals. Once they learn that the mountain is going to be burned, they'll rush down the mountain in droves and perish together with everyone else.

He wrote another letter to the serious offenders, praising their righteous act and stating that the documents for closing their cases had been sent to the capital.

But the hardened criminals saw how gruesome Zhu and his gang had died, their bodies covered in pus, their necks and faces swollen like toads.

It's terrifying; they're almost out of control of their violent nature.

Fortunately, Hang Baihu managed to keep a dozen troublemakers under custody and talked about the people and things they cared about, which calmed them down.

On the morning of May 22, after receiving the latest epidemic situation report.

"ignition!"

Whoops!

The trenches dug around the mountain and irrigated with pine resin were immediately set ablaze by twenty torches.

"Archers prepare!"

The archers outside the trench drew their bows and aimed at the hillside, ready to shoot any patient who rushed down the slope.

"Catapults ready!"

Twenty catapults were already in formation, and the soldiers placed pine oil jars on the catapults.

Then, use a torch to light the sealing paper at the mouth of the pine oil jar, which is now soaked with pine oil.

"Release!" *Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Whoosh whoosh!
Twenty catapults simultaneously launched pine oil canisters at the Wei army's flag at their encampment on the barren mountain.

Boom boom boom!
Boom boom boom!
The pine oil jar exploded.

Whoosh! In the late fifth month of the lunar calendar, the weather was dry and the firewood piled up near the military flag was quickly set ablaze.

"Catapults ready!"

"put!"

Whoosh whoosh!
Boom boom boom!
The pine oil fire pots were fired in quick succession toward the barren mountain.

After five bombardments, turning the entire barren mountain into a volcano, the hardened criminals finally realized what was happening.

"Aaaaah! These corrupt officials want to burn us alive! Rush down the mountain and spread the plague to them, so their whole families will die from the disease!"

however……

Whoosh whoosh!
Hang Baihu, leading his still-mobile soldiers, fired arrows at the troublemakers.

He then shouted, "Gentlemen, we are all doomed to die. If we accept our fate honestly, we can at least benefit our families. If we act impulsively, we will not only die in vain, but also bring ruin upon our families."

After finishing his speech, Hang Baihu gasped for breath for a while before feeling a bit better.

His words were very effective for other patients.

The patients were lying there waiting to die.

Those who could still move hugged the troublesome patients, saying, "Don't leave... We won't let you... ruin our achievements."

"Let go, let go! My body hasn't festered yet, I can still be saved! I want to go down the mountain! There are many doctors and medicines down there, I can survive! Ahh, let go!" The thorny patient's calf was bitten by other patients, who tore off a piece of flesh, causing him so much pain that he could barely walk.

The other troublemakers were all in serious condition, and even if they managed to break through the sea of ​​fire under the military flag, they simply didn't have the strength to make it down the mountain.

Therefore, the burning of the mountain to cut off the plague went very smoothly. There were no patients in the trenches below the mountain, and the area below the mountain was temporarily safe and did not become an infected area.

The fire burned on the barren mountain for two days and one night before it slowly died down.

After Tang, the commander of the Thousand Households, sent his troops to patrol the area around the barren mountain several times to make sure that no patients had escaped, he sent the message to Luo Tongpan and his men.

After receiving the latest news, Luo Tongpan and his team composed themselves and began to gather information on the plague patients, sending people back to the prefectural city.

Upon hearing the report, Prefect Shao and General Ou breathed a sigh of relief, even with a hint of joy at having defeated the plague, and said, "Good, good, the plague has been eradicated. This battle has been a great victory for Dongming Prefecture!"

The plague can only be eradicated in Dongming Prefecture; in other places, patients with the Fire Sprout Poison have already appeared.

In order to give the poison of the Firefly a chance to spread, the Eastern Desert launched the war ahead of schedule.

At the foot of Dingmangtai on Wangdong Peak, 50,000 elite troops were stationed. Since the beginning of March, when the people of Dongmo refused to provide a useful letter of apology, the 50,000 Wei troops had been stationed here, confronting the eastern army of Dongmo.

They were at a standoff, but today, the 25th of May in the fourth year of Wuxing, has come to an end.

Boom boom boom boom!

"What's that sound? Thunder?!"

Boom boom boom!
Boom boom boom!
The war drums were pounded by General Zhao, formerly Deputy General Zhao, who shouted, "Assemble! Assemble! This is not thunder, but the sound of hundreds of thousands of troops and heavily armored cavalry launching a massive attack!"

"The Eastern Desert army is attacking! Assemble and form ranks to resist them!!"

Has the Eastern Desert army really arrived?

Let's not discuss the letter of credence anymore?
Resist the enemy?

With hundreds of thousands of troops, we only have 50,000, and many of them are new recruits just to fill the ranks. How can we possibly fight them?

Boom boom boom!
"The enemy is attacking! All battalions, assemble and form ranks to resist the enemy!" General Chi, who was also stationed there, rushed out upon hearing this, stood on the command platform, and issued the order to meet the enemy.

Of course...

Boom boom boom boom!

The enemy's army was so large that the sound of their marching was like muffled thunder, and their military flags were like dark clouds covering the ground. In just over a quarter of an hour, General Chi on the command platform saw the vanguard of the Eastern Desert army.

Those were rows of tens of thousands of Iron Butchers, their formation stretching for more than three miles, their bodies covered in heavy armor, wielding heavy hammers the size of cooking pots!