The gods began by supporting Guo Jing to become emperor

Chapter 200: Su Ming meets Guo Jing, epidemic prevention method
Outside the Great Wall, camps sprang up one after another. The government organized people to distribute porridge and medicine here. Every day, many refugees poured in with their families.

The people who maintained order in the camp were soldiers who had contracted the plague or survived the plague. There were hundreds of thousands of civilians gathered here, and they had to be suppressed in an orderly manner, otherwise it would cause unrest and countless people would die.

Inside Luoyang City.

Guo Jing traveled outside every day, inspecting various camps and arranging officials from all over the country to organize disaster relief. The powerful people in each state and county contributed money if they had money, and grain if they had no money. No one was left out.

This time, he did not discuss with them, but gave practical orders. The common people at the bottom could not get any money out of them, so they could only get compensation from these big families. There was no need for him to show up in person for these matters, as the shogunate officials would come forward and meet with the powerful families. This year was a disaster year, and Henan and Hebei suffered from the disaster. If Guo Jing had not ordered people to guard the pass, Sanjin and Guanzhong would not have escaped.

As long as it is not a large-scale plague, government departments at all levels can handle minor epidemics themselves. Since it concerns their own lives, few people dare to be careless about it.

In the mansion, Hua Zheng personally brought the food to the room, "Guo Jing, eat first, you have been busy all day."

Guo Jing was bending over the desk, checking the report. He was wearing a loose-fitting single-piece garment, and his face looked even more square, revealing a sense of authority. He stood out among the crowd, and one could tell at a glance that he was different from the others.

After Hua Zheng placed the food in front of him, he slowly began to eat, saying, "I will be worried if I don't supervise the officials below. I don't know how much trouble will happen if I don't supervise them."

Hua Zheng covered her mouth and chuckled, with a hint of teasing in her voice, "You, you think too much and care too much."

After eating for a while, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "Where are Chengping and Chengan? Haven't they come back yet?"

Speaking of them, Hua Zheng looked troubled. "The two of them got into a fight in the school and were kept after class by the teacher."

Guo Jing put down his chopsticks immediately after hearing this, "They just make trouble! Hua Zheng, starting from tomorrow, they are not allowed to go out to play after school. Send them to me and I will teach them myself."

Seeing that what he said was true, Hua Zheng advised, "They are two half-grown boys, and they are at the age of being lively. There are many people in the school, so it is inevitable that there will be disputes. Just punish them. You are usually too busy. It will be too tiring to teach them again."

"It doesn't matter. This day will come sooner or later. They are almost ten years old."

……

"plague?"

After leaving the Great Snow Mountain, Su Ming left Tibet, crossed the Gobi Desert, and entered the Central Plains.

However, as soon as he stepped in here, he sensed a strange aura coming from the air. The natural aura of heaven and earth belongs to all things, but the aura of epidemic is separated from nature and is not exactly the same.

As he stepped into Guanzhong and entered Henan, he truly witnessed what it meant to have bones exposed in the wild, no roosters crowing for thousands of miles, large tracts of fields barren, a large number of villages disappeared, the plague spread, the people scrambled to flee, and corpses scattered in the wilderness and on the roads, with no one to pick them up.

The scorching wind blew across the fields and into the town. The ragged corpses rotted rapidly in the sun. Flies and insects crawled all over the flesh and blood oozing with pus. Occasionally, a staggering and swaying figure walked by, startling a large group of dense black shadows that flew into the air.

There were buzzing sounds all around. The plague had already swept in all directions and spread to farther places. Corpses crawling with maggots could be seen everywhere on the roads and in the mountains. The heat wave brought the stench of corpses.

It is now April, the time when the spring sun is at its brightest. The rising temperature accelerates the decay of corpses. Su Ming's mood becomes heavy as he walks on the road. Compared with the flu in later generations, the plague in ancient times could not be more terrible. In this era, the plague generally cannot be cured and can only disappear naturally with time.

Perhaps if we wait a few more months, the plague will disappear, but how many people will die in the meantime?

Looking at the collapsed corpses on the ground, Su Ming fell into rare silence. Such times were common in all dynasties. There might be winners in the war, but in the end it was still the people at the bottom who paid the price.

……

Outside Kaifeng City, under the wide city wall, there was noise and crying. The crowded crowd looked up at the city wall and let out heart-wrenching shouts. Behind the parapet, someone drew a bow and aimed downward, but the taut string was loosened and the shot was never shot out.

These are refugees from the north. They want to survive, and these big cities are their hope.

Since the plague broke out in the city, in just one month, the Jin army soldiers suffered heavy casualties. The Jin government could no longer maintain the situation in the city. The once prosperous Kaifeng became a place that the powerful and wealthy avoided. They fled the city for fear of contracting the disease.

Along the way, tens of thousands of corpses were exposed in the wilderness, and many more people who are still alive will slowly die in the near future.

Under the dual fear of hunger and disease, the refugees who were driven crazy by the suffocation often attacked the city gates. If the Jin army generals had not issued a strict order to close the city gates, the consequences would have been even more serious.

Jiangnan, Jiankang.

Wanyan Honglie held a grand banquet in the palace to celebrate the victory of the Jin Dynasty.

In the past two years, he launched wars, defeated the Song Dynasty, gained the Jiangnan region, repelled the Mongolian army, and saved Kaifeng. Even though he lost Guanzhong, the merits outweighed the flaws, and this was still a rare victory for the Jin Kingdom.

Not long ago, news of the plague in the north spread across the river, and the Jin Dynasty's rulers and ministers suddenly realized why the Mongols suddenly withdrew their troops when they had the upper hand.

Under the hall, the ministers were feasting. Wanyan Honglie suddenly asked Yang Kang, who was standing beside him, "Kang'er, the epidemic is spreading in the north, and Mongolia is unable to move south. Do you have any plans?"

Yang Kang pondered for a moment and said solemnly, "Father, I think the most urgent task now is to block the Yangtze River to prevent the plague from spreading to us. Secondly, the plague is raging in the north, and they will definitely be short of food next year. As long as we block the outflow of food, Mongolia will definitely be unable to move south."

His voice was quite loud, and several important officials nearby also heard it.

Shuhu Gaoqi quickly stood up and saluted, "I congratulate your majesty. Your Highness the Crown Prince has carefully considered this. If it can be implemented, the North will definitely not be able to recover in a short time. By then, my Great Jin Kingdom will definitely be able to fight back to the north."

"Congratulations, Your Majesty."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wanyan Chenghui, Wanyan Saibu and others also echoed him.

The advantage of Jiangnan is that it has a dense population and is a land of fish and rice. Now it even separates the north and the south. If the Yangtze River is really blocked, it will be difficult for Mongolia to obtain food from the south to survive the disaster.

Wanyan Honglie sat on the throne, looking down at the ministers who were fawning on him. He narrowed his eyes slightly and said with a smile, "Kang'er, this strategy was proposed by you, so you are responsible for it. Don't let me down."

"My son, take your orders!"

In the hall, the sound of stringed instruments and orchestras continued, and the soft-spoken women from the south of the Yangtze River danced beautifully. Wanyan Honglie felt unprecedented satisfaction. Since he ascended the throne, he had been working day and night, planning painstakingly, and even risking everything. Now, the Song Dynasty was defeated by them, and Mongolia was trapped by the epidemic and could not go south. The Jin Dynasty could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Thinking of this, his brows relaxed, he raised his glass and said loudly, "Drink, everyone!"

……

In the courtyard, Guo Jing saw that figure, his body trembled, and he hurriedly stepped forward to salute, "Greetings, teacher!"

Su Ming stood in the pavilion, looking at the two children playing in the distance. Hearing this, he turned around and said, "The plague in the north, you, the Marquis of Han, must be very busy."

In front of the teacher, Guo Jing took off his mask and said with a wry smile, "Teacher, you are joking. I am just trying to do my best, but the epidemic keeps coming back. I have tried many ways but it is still difficult to alleviate it. If it continues like this, I am afraid that the food and medicine in the treasury will run out."

Su Ming looked at Guo Jing's mature and solemn face, and took out a letter from his pocket and gave it to him. "The plague cannot be cured, but it can be prevented. This is the method of epidemic prevention. When I came here, I saw that you had set up a similar method in your camp, but it was not perfect. You can take it and study it carefully."

"Teacher..." He was silent for a moment. Guo Jing did not expect Su Ming to come to his house for this matter. He was deeply moved and his eyes were slightly moist.

"Don't act like a little girl. You are the leader of a region and the backbone of the Han people in the north. Although this plague is a disaster, it is also an opportunity. Whether you can seize it depends on your ability."

"I would like to thank you on behalf of the disaster victims."

Su Ming nodded slightly, "It's okay, you can go and do your work first. I won't leave for a short time, you can come back when you have time."

He was not a person who would drag his feet. This matter was of great importance and he had to act as soon as possible. "Disciple, I'll take my leave." After saying this, he turned and left.

Su Ming's gaze followed his back, and in the end he was left with only a sigh. In the face of disaster, a person's strength is not enough, and he could not ignore it. The epidemic prevention method he just used was modified by him with reference to manuals and ancient books of later generations. As long as fewer people died, it would be enough.

The next day, Guo Jing summoned his shogunate officials to discuss ways to prevent the epidemic.

With his order, the Luoyang government began to operate like a machine. Officials at all levels worked hard to carry out orders from their superiors, and resources from various states continued to flow into Luoyang.

A few days later, soldiers were seen walking around on the plain outside Hulao Pass. They were wearing white clothes, white masks on their mouths, and carrying lime and spreading it everywhere. There were also many boilers on the riverside where they boiled water and washed clothes.

Soldiers and civilians were strictly forbidden to drink raw water or eat cold food, and their clothes must be washed at least once every three days.

Each measure was carried out in an orderly manner. At the beginning, the people thought that the government was making a fuss. Those sick people were dragged out and forced to take a bath. The camp was kept dry and clean, even cleaner than a military camp.

As time went by, people found that fewer and fewer people around them were suffering from the disease. Even though there was no way to cure the plague for the time being, the less likely ordinary people were to get sick, the greater their chances of survival.

For a time, the people in the camp praised the Luoyang government.

While gathering the victims, Guo Jing also established military farms in Henan and Guanzhong and continued to expand the size of the government troops. Without food, nothing could be done. The grain in Hebei and Henan had been destroyed. He had to increase the grain production in Guanzhong and the Three Jins as soon as possible to prepare for the future.

It is worth mentioning that after proving that the epidemic prevention method was effective, Guo Jing copied a copy and gave it to Mu Huali without saying a word.

Compared to him, Mu Huali has the most difficult life.

After the army returned, he stayed in Hebei and tried his best to contain the plague. However, Mongolia's control over the grassroots was too weak, and coupled with the failure of this expedition, signs of rebellion in various places were growing. In order to restore stability as soon as possible, he recruited many Han local leaders and promised them autonomy.

He knew that Guo Jing had been absorbing refugees from Henan and Hebei, but the situation in the north was deteriorating and he could not control it even if he wanted to. The plague brought great trauma to the north. Only half of Mu Huali's 200,000 troops survived, and the rest died in the plague.

More than a dozen Mongolian generals were killed and the losses were heavy. He had to stop and recuperate. At this time, Guo Jing's move of absorbing refugees helped him to relieve the burden to some extent.

But the powerful people were not happy. If everyone went to Guo Jing, who would be their tenant? Therefore, they tried to probe Mu Huali many times, but he stopped them every time.

In their view, Guo Jing has evil ambitions and will sooner or later have a war with Mongolia. However, Mu Huali ignores this and has no intention of interfering. They really don't understand the Mongolian train of thought.

But they didn't know that Mu Huali didn't care about his foundation here at all, his heart was always on the grassland.

……

Time passed quickly and it was already late autumn. More than half a year had passed since the outbreak of the plague. After the summer, the plague was suddenly contained and many people who were sick recovered without any medicine. The number of people infected with the plague also decreased significantly.

After the beginning of autumn, a plague that had swept across the north gradually came to an end, but there were only a few mentions of it in later history books: In the spring of the 12th year of Jiading, the Mongols attacked the Jin Dynasty, and a great epidemic broke out in the army, killing more than half of the people in the north.

Every time he saw the report below, Guo Jing couldn't help but sigh, thinking how many people had been saved by his teacher's anti-epidemic method.

Ever since Su Ming came to the mansion, he would come to pay his respects every day and was very respectful. Apart from that, he would often talk to him without disturbing him with government affairs.

Su Ming was naturally happy about this. He sent the epidemic prevention method just to prevent fewer deaths in the Central Plains. He was just doing his best. In the end, the one who could implement it was still his disciple.

In this year, Huang Rong also gave birth to a daughter for Guo Jing, named Guo Jianjia.

On this day, Qiu Chuji of Quanzhen Sect came to Guo’s house to pay a visit.

Guo Jing met Qiu Chuji in person and said, "Master, I am so sad. Master Ma has passed away. I was busy with official duties and was unable to go to pay my respects. Please forgive me."

Qiu Chuji is now the head of Quanzhen Sect, but he still keeps a low profile in front of Guo Jing. "My Lord is very busy, so I don't need to worry about it. My senior brother praised me many times when he was alive. It is enough for me to see my Lord rise in this life, and the Han people will not be able to continue the incense."

Guo Jing took a sip of tea and said calmly, "Your Quanzhen Sect has made a lot of efforts in this plague. I have seen it all. In the future, your Quanzhen Sect can build a Taoist temple in Luoyang and ask the Mongolian Khan for an official position through the Marquis' Mansion. How do you think?"

"Thank you, my lord." This sentence made Qiu Chuji ecstatic. This was exactly what their Quanzhen Sect had been dreaming of, to obtain the legitimacy of their missionary work and, more importantly, the recognition of the Mongolian rulers. That was the most important thing.

"It's just a small matter, but I guess Master Qiu's visit today is not just for these things, right?"

(End of this chapter)