The county governor's mansion and the county lieutenant's mansion were in panic.
The government officials and soldiers sprinkled lime everywhere, burned mugwort and smoked every corner, thoroughly disinfecting the place inside and out.
"Your Highness," one of the guards suggested: "Longyuan City is no longer safe now, so we should go north to avoid it for a while."
Chen Xiuzhu was moved, but shook his head.
"Two months ago, I asked my father to stay in my ancestral land in the name of reassuring the people. The situation is unclear at this time, so it is really inappropriate to leave too early."
He said: "The news that Xingluo may be infected with the epidemic has been rushed to the Imperial Capital eight hundred miles away. I believe there will be a reply soon. Let's wait until the news comes from the Imperial Capital."
The guards' persuasion was ineffective, so they had to set up heavy barriers outside the hospital to prevent outsiders from approaching casually.
Ren Ning doesn't know this.
After Zhui Feng had eaten and drank enough, he took a small soldier and headed south.
Two hours later, the sun had turned westward, and the two of them arrived at the border between Xingluo and Yunzhong County.
Crackling.
The sound of firecrackers in front came one after another, continuously.
The sky in the south was filled with thick smoke from firecrackers.
Ren Ning didn't think it was strange.
The ancients were unable to explain the mechanism behind the occurrence of epidemics, and the illiterate people believed that it was caused by ghosts and gods or God punished kings for their misconduct. Therefore, they often exorcised ghosts or worshiped gods during treatment.
Like lighting firecrackers.
Ren Ning said nothing about this.
After all, the smoke produced after the explosion of firecrackers does have a certain disinfection effect. At the very least, it can calm people's minds a little.
As soon as they arrived at the county boundary, guards immediately came over to stop Ren Ning and the others.
"Who are you two? The situation in Yunzhong County is special. If you are not a doctor or an imperial envoy, you are not allowed to enter!"
Ren Ning unfolded the bright red Xingluo Legion and said in a friendly manner: "Ren Ning, the security commander of the Yancheng Fortress for sending souls back home, wants to go in and check the situation inside."
The guards quickly went to report to the advance guard.
Soon he found a short and stocky coachman.
"Lao Zhang is a famous rickshaw driver. He delivers relief supplies to Yunzhong County every day. He knows where is safe and where is not to be approached. Commander, please follow him in."
Ren Ning did not refuse.
Although his eyes could detect danger more accurately than the coachman Zhang in front of him, he could still come out after following the coachman in.
If he broke into Yunzhong County alone, no one would dare to stop him, but it would not be easy to get out.
Wearing scarves that smelled strongly of mugwort, the three of them crossed the fence and entered Yunzhong County.
"Lao Zhang, how is the situation inside?" Ren Ning asked.
I don’t know whether it was because he was not allowed to disclose it to others casually, or because Lao Zhang himself didn’t talk much. It took him a long time to hold back two words: “It’s very miserable.”
Not long after walking, we passed a small town with 800 households.
Ren Ning looked around.
The surroundings were filled with choking gunpowder smoke, and dots of scarlet lights could be seen in the distance in the vast expanse of white.
Those are the warning lanterns hung around the town.
"Lao Zhang, are there any living people in this town?" he asked.
"If the lantern is not extinguished, there will still be people alive. If it is extinguished, we will either die or be safe," the coachman replied.
"Can we take a closer look?" Ren Ning asked.
"Yes, but make sure you are three feet away from the lantern."
Ren Ning nodded, asked the two of them to stay, and walked over on Zhui Feng.
When he walked to the lantern, he noticed that there were people coming in and out of the room in front of him. Some were doctors and medicine practitioners, and some were apparently monks.
Monks at Longshou Temple.
"Master Hongguang," Ren Ning waved and shouted as the abbot walked out.
Amitabha.
The abbot recognized Ren Ning and chanted a Buddhist chant.
He didn't come close either: "The benefactor sent the spirit to Yunzhong County? I haven't seen you for half a month. Are you okay?"
Ren Ning looked at the old monk in front of him with his golden finger and saw that he was actually green, and couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you for your concern, Master. My health is fine. How is the situation in the town?"
Hongguang knew Ren Ning's identity and answered in detail.
"There is sufficient food, drinking water, clothing and medicinal materials in the town. Healthy people have been moved to safe places to live temporarily. At this time, there are 368 patients in the town, and they have all been isolated."
"Lao Nazheng and thirty-eight other doctors are trying to treat it, but they haven't made much progress yet."
Ren Ning nodded.
He was a warrior in his previous life and had some experience in healing wounds caused by fighting, but he had no idea about this epidemic.
"Take your time. I believe that with the efforts of the master and all the doctors, we will be able to find a cure."
"How can I help?" he asked.
The old monk laughed heartily.
Because his face was covered with a thick scarf, his laughter was dull and sounded like a drum.
"The commander is interested. However, the Yancheng Fortress and the Xiliang Prairie are the battlefields for your soldiers."
The implication is that this is our battlefield, and if you stay well and don't come in, it will be the greatest help.
Ren Ning understood clearly and said goodbye, "Master, take care. I'll go first. I have to go to the surroundings of Yunzhong Capital to see the situation with my own eyes."
He was about to turn around and leave when he suddenly stopped his horse again.
"Master, I usually like to read ancient books and learn some ways of spreading epidemics. Maybe the master already knows some of them, and some may not be known to the master yet. I wonder if you would like to hear it?"
The old monk was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said: "Please tell me, donor. Controlling the epidemic is a matter of collective efforts. It is good to know more ways of transmission and more methods."
"The most terrifying thing about the epidemic is that it can spread from person to person. As long as all transmission routes are cut off, there is nothing to fear."
Ren Ning breathed a sigh of relief.
He also mentioned this matter before in Yingchuan County.
The county guard and the county lieutenant were respectful and seemed to be listening attentively, but in fact they may not have heard a word.
In their minds, Ren Ning is just a top soldier who fights and kills. What does he know about the epidemic? He is just relying on his reputation as a security commander to show off his power in front of local officials.
"Epidemic can be regarded as a kind of poison," Ren Ning tried his best to explain in words that the ancients could understand. "Suffering from epidemic is equivalent to people or animals being poisoned. However, this kind of poison is not one-time, but can persist."
"Poison!" the old monk muttered.
This is a bold idea. Many doctors and even imperial doctors believe that the epidemic is caused by evil.
Ren Ning continued,
"At this time, all the saliva, feces and urine exhaled by patients and animals are poisonous. Among them, saliva is the most troublesome. Just talking, coughing or even breathing will contaminate all materials within a foot around it."
"At this time, any pedestrians or objects passing by will be infected one by one, thereby passing it on to other people."
Master Hongguang was refreshed.
"The donor's idea is quite strange, please continue."
He knew that there must be poison around the patient, but when Ren Ning said this, he understood where the poison around him came from.
Ren Ning smiled and talked about some experiences of later generations.
"At present, the patients in the town have been isolated, but the various poultry and livestock doctors in the town may not notice it. In addition, the birds in the sky and the beasts on the ground passing by unintentionally may also be infected with this poison. Others accidentally touch them
Or it may be poisoned if hunted and eaten. Some mice and flies can also bring this poison if they bite the corpse..."
He explained one by one how the virus spreads and how to cut it off.
At the end, a large number of doctors gathered under the lanterns in front. They listened to Ren Ning's words attentively, and then discussed various possibilities diligently.
"Listening to what you have to say is worth ten years of studying." A royal doctor said with emotion, "After listening to Commander Ren's words, it turns out that the isolation method we are so proud of is full of flaws like a sieve."
"Yes!" The doctors nodded in agreement and quickly allocated manpower to plug these loopholes that they had never thought of.
"I believe that by plugging these loopholes one by one, and then identifying each patient and isolating them, we will eventually be able to control this epidemic."