Qin Official

The woman said the rooster crows, the scholar said "Midan", and the morning in Xiangcheng, the county seat of Changsha, was as usual.

Near the Guansi District, what Xiangxian magistrates, prime ministers and other officials do after getting up is to ask their attendants to bring commodes, sit on them with their eyes closed and meditate. If they find the smell unpleasant, they will have people light spices and create a cloud of smoke. , convenience becomes enjoyment.

Ordinary clerks are not so particular. They go to their backyard where some vegetables are grown, untie their belts, squat in front of the cesspit, yawn, and think about the work they have to do today, and these excrement will be directly Feed it to the black-headed pigs at home.

The lowest-ranking people, common people, and merchants all have a small house and a place to stay, but there is no convenient place at all. They can only open the door of the mat, go to the sewage ditch in the corner of the house, raise their buttocks to defecate, and often meet their neighbors. They sit side by side, chatting while pulling, and even share a toilet chip. The nobles have begun to wipe with paper, but they have not even seen what the paper looks like.

But their wives and daughters, who were wearing torn skirts, did not dare to do this in broad daylight. They could only deal with it in the toilet, carry it out the door, dump the dirt by the ditch, and then go to the river branch not far away to wash it.

Here, they will meet the servants of the officials' families. There is a difference in status between the nobles and the leftists, but their excrement is washed away by the water together regardless of the high or low.

This is considered a time of high quality. Most of the time, people in Xiangxian County find a place to relieve themselves on the street when they are in a hurry. Although some women have toilets, they also like to dump the contents of the bucket on the street.

The entire street is filled with human excrement, coupled with cow and horse urine, which continues unabated. The filth is heavy and filthy, and mosquitoes and flies are buzzing. After summer, the smell evaporates and becomes even more disgusting. It is not until after heavy rain that the filth in the streets flows into the river.

The streets are a bit cleaner, but the river water is polluted. Several miles downstream from the city, there are people washing clothes, washing rice, and even drinking water directly from ladles. At noon, a group of children who were dissatisfied with the heat took off their clothes and jumped into the river to swim. While they were playing, countless tiny insects shook their bodies and penetrated into their skin...

In this way, the schistosomiasis eggs complete the cycle and travel from the patient's body to the water. After hatching, they enter the snail temporary residence, grow into cercariae, and float in the water body, waiting for new targets to accept parasitism.

Life in Xiangxian County has been like this since the city was formed in the Spring and Autumn Period, and their coexistence with schistosomiasis will continue for more than two thousand years.

However, this situation changed in the early summer of the 35th year of Qin Shihuang.

First, the Qin army camp upstream of Xiangcheng was moved dozens of miles upstream. Under the pressure of Changnan Hou, the Changsha County Government sent corvees to dig deep pits in the streets and alleys of the city and built buildings on them.

After hearing that the toilets were being repaired, the villagers burst into laughter and felt unreasonable.

"How can this convenient place be better than my home? At least it has rain-proof tiles and wind-shielding walls."

Although the public toilets have been built, no one uses them. People are lazy animals. They can take one step but never ten steps. The Qianshou of Xiangcheng still goes its own way. Among the people urinating and urinating in the streets, there are even a few. The Changsha County Sheriff doesn’t think this is a big deal because of the officials who are in charge.

In early April, after being frightened again by the Marquis of Changnan, the Changsha County Sheriff reluctantly issued an order:

"Those who discard excrement in the street or defecate on the ground shall be fined one shield! Those who wash excrement buckets at the water intake shall be fined one armor!"

With the promulgation of this law, it was posted all over the city, and the whole city of Xiang was scolded. People in Southern Chu muttered that these Qin officials had a lot of troubles, not only heavy taxes and harsh administration, but also heavy corvee. Everything has to be taken care of!

The three local elders went to the county governor and stated the inconvenience caused by this decree to the local people, as well as the trouble caused by the regulation to the local officials. Changsha County simply did not have that many officials to guard the city. The feces and urine of three to four thousand households!

The governor of Changsha was also bitter because this was all forced by the Marquis of Changnan. He kept saying that "Xianyang, Jiangling, and Anlu all have this method, and Wuchang and Liting camps have also implemented it."

In the end, Heifu once again blocked the mouth of the county guard because of Ziying's illness. Hearing that there was a shortage of officials in Changsha, he enthusiastically sent a team of soldiers to Changsha City to help.

At the beginning of April, the people of Xiangxian County watched in amazement as five hundred Qin soldiers wearing red sleeve bands on their right hands marched into the city with high spirits...

…

"Anyone who defecates in the open will be punished with a shield. What about you? Stop, don't run!"

In Xiangcheng, a cat and mouse game began.

Most of the five hundred soldiers were patients with chronic schistosomiasis. They were waiting to die in despair in the military camp. After the Marquis of Changnan brought Chen Wujiu to Changsha, he treated them. Although the root cause of the disease could not be eradicated, their health improved a lot. , be grateful to Heifu.

After hearing that feces and urine on the streets of Changsha were the reason for the perennial prevalence of water bugs, malaria and other nasty diseases, they were disgusted and became very active in their work.

Five hundred people were dressed up by the black husband. They wore red armbands on their right hands, which were very eye-catching. They were patrolled in the city in teams of five. If they were caught, they would be fined. If they had no money to pay the fine, they would be taken to the upper reaches of the Xiang River. Work in the military camp until all is paid off...

As a result, the behavior of open defecation and flushing toilets in water sources in Xiangcheng has been curbed a lot.

But this group of soldiers wearing red armbands were called the "Red Arrow Army" by the people of Changsha County, and Heifu's title of "Public Toilet General" was also spread among the people. His reputation was really bad.

Who among the future generations of leaders involved in the field of creativity, culture, creation and health has not been scolded to death by the people in the county?

"It's so stupid that I don't know that Marquis Changnan did this for their own good."

Ziying shook his head, feeling worthless for Heifu. As the commander-in-chief of the Southern Expedition, he could just fight the war, but Heifu passed by Changsha County and was willing to do this for the sake of the local Guizhou leader. It was completely unnecessary.

"If Changsha remains an epidemic area for a long time, it will also be detrimental to the armies traveling from south to north."

Heifu smiled and gave a reasonable explanation: "Nanjun and Changsha are separated by a river and separated by a strip of water. They speak similar languages ​​and have similar customs. The people of Changsha are also considered my township party. How can I ignore death?"

In later generations, he was really a native of the two lakes. He loved this land deeply. Even if he didn't save those ungrateful adults, at least he had to save the children.

And Heifu always thought.

"A civilized and mighty division can bring not only death and thorns, but also civilization and progress..."

…

Having said that, the situation is still not optimistic. Even with this improvement, some people still throw feces on the streets of Xiangcheng at night to vent their dissatisfaction with the government.

And in rural areas outside urban areas, some public toilets are even more neglected. Local people still apply fresh manure directly to paddy fields without composting, and then trample around in the fields with bare feet. As for the government's recommendation of drinking well water or storing river water for three days before boiling it for drinking, no one implements it at all.

"Don't they know that composting can make the land more productive?"

In mid-April, Li Cang returned to the military camp again to report on the current situation, and even the supervisor, Ziying, raised confused questions.

“I also asked some old farmers about this, but they didn’t take it seriously.”

Li Cang explained: "The land south of the Yangtze River in Changsha is different from Guanzhong and Nanjun. It is vast and sparsely populated. The mountains are full of rice, fish, fruits and vegetables, and the rivers are full of clams. Therefore, the local people do not wait for the merchants. It is different from the Central Plains where farming is intensive and meticulous. , in Changsha, even if the fire is plowed and the water is plowed, and the rough sowing and rough harvesting are carried out, there are two crops a year anyway, and there is no danger of famine. Therefore, although there is no rich family, there is no one who is cold and hungry..."

This is the reason why temperate zone civilizations are long-lasting and prosperous. Although the tropical zone has a large population, there are very few advanced civilizations. Without him, there are many resources, and we can have enough food and clothing without working hard day and night. Who would be willing to work hard and figure out how to increase the food production in the fields!

Laziness is the eternal nature of human beings. If you can sit, you will never stand. If you can lie down, you will never sit. Thanks to the dense population in the Central Plains, the unpredictable droughts and floods, and the distinct four seasons, people's livelihood was difficult and they had to think hard to survive. This created the industrious character of the nation. Two thousand years later, the Chinese could laugh at the laziness of people in Southeast Asia and Africa.

This is why compost retting, which is very popular in Nanjun and Guanzhong, has not been imitated in Changsha. Therefore, similar to cities, in rural areas, schistosomiasis can also complete its life cycle unimpeded. Because farmers plant paddy fields and fish in rivers, the infection rate is higher than in cities. Edema disease with large abdomen and thin limbs can be seen everywhere.

"We still have to use severe punishments and force the head of Guizhou to pile up manure in every household."

Ziying suggested this. When he thought that the water he washed his feet in the Miluo River was actually the smelly water from a farmer's dung bucket in the upper reaches, he was so angry that he felt that he must take good care of these Southern Chu and Guizhou leaders.

But Heifu shook his head:

"Soldiers can still be sent to inspect and regulate the city. After all, the population is concentrated and it is easier to manage, but it is impossible to do so in rural areas with scattered household registrations."

In this invisible war, Heifu has something to consider. The elimination of schistosomiasis in future generations will depend on the elimination of snails, which requires the mobilization of the whole people. But at the moment, he has neither the means nor the manpower to eliminate snails. There is no chance at all. If it is implemented rashly, it will increase infections.

Therefore, preliminary prevention can only be carried out by cutting off the channels of infection. People in the epidemic source area will pollute the water source by washing toilets by the river, defecating in the open, applying fresh feces, and grazing cattle, etc., controlling people's buttocks, and combining feces with Urine mixed with compost for harmless treatment can greatly reduce the rate of disease infection. If we continue to advocate drinking boiled water, although we cannot eliminate the disease, we can at least increase the average life expectancy of the locals by one or two years.

But he ignored one thing, the most important thing!

Heifu watched a movie in his previous life.

It says that there is only one disease in the world: the disease of poverty!

But Heifu believes that there is another disease that is not only more terrible than the disease of poverty, but also more stubborn than schistosomiasis. It lingers in the world and is passed down from generation to generation.

Heifu murmured to himself: "The name of this disease is 'ignorance'!"

…

Ignorance is like the feces and mosquitoes and flies that fill the streets in Xiangxian County, but passers-by are accustomed to turning a blind eye.

Ignorance means knowing that you are deeply troubled by illness and have a swollen belly, but you are indifferent when you see your child drinking dirty water.

Ignorance means that when Hei Fu sent people to help clean up the city and save their lives, he still bit Lu Dongbin and did not know the good people's hearts.

Heifu can find herbal medicine to treat malaria and a good way to prevent schistosomiasis, but is there any medicine to treat ignorance?

In the camp, Chen Wujiu suggested that the prescriptions for treating water poisonous bugs and malaria should be made public and known to the people of Changsha. Heifu nodded in agreement, but shook his head and said something incomprehensible to him.

"Studying medicine cannot save the Chinese people."

Ziying fiercely suggested that he should write to the court to intensify the punishment and imitate the Yin Shang method: those who abandon ashes in the Tao should have their hands cut off. Use the method of tattooing words on the buttocks to combat those who persist in admonition.

Heifu praised his wonderful idea, but then said: "Can the government just come forward and impose severe punishments, can it be solved once and for all?"

The harsh punishments include strong drugs, tattooing of people urinating and defecating everywhere, having their hands cut off when washing toilets at water sources, and having their feet cut off when swimming in rivers. This will indeed scare away many people.

But this cannot win their gratitude. The people only have resentment in their hearts. I cut off your hands and feet for your own good. Who can understand? And once the government loses its dominance, they will happily overthrow the evil law. What happened in the past will remain the same in the future.

Neither herbs nor punishment can cure the disease of ignorance.

So, is there any medicine that is more effective and can cure it in the long term?

some!

While everyone in the camp was discussing, Heifu stood up and silently walked to the table.

As early as thousands of years ago, Chinese ancestors had already invented it.

It's called text.

However, the original writing was monopolized by aristocratic wizards who were one ten thousandth of the population. They were carved on precious tortoise shells and bronze vessels with a knife and were not easily revealed to others.

It was not until later that bamboo slips appeared, and the scholar group came into being. Through constant exchanges, their ideas began to explode, and a hundred schools of thought began to contend. However, knowledge was only spread among the elites of one percent of the population.

More than ten years ago, the officials of the Qin State simplified the writing and turned it into official script with smooth strokes. Meng Tian also made a better pen. The time required to write an article was several times faster than in the past. The Qin Dynasty Only a system of laws, orders, and books can be established. After all, the law is of vital importance. Under the tireless preaching of Qin officials, at least one in ten people has a rough understanding of the laws and orders.

And because of Heifu's arrival, paper began to become popular in the world. Four years ago, he added the last piece of the puzzle: woodblock printing.

Text, pen and ink, paper, printing, and medicinal materials are all here. Next, all it takes is a thoughtful doctor to mix these materials and make a medicine that warms and nourishes the blood. It may not take effect immediately, but if you persist, it will nourish you. Give birth to a healthy body...

Studying medicine cannot save the people from the disease of ignorance, but knowledge can!

No one is born knowing, and no one is born smart.

Our ancestors were once ignorant, and like the people in Qianshou in Xiang County, they lived a life that had not changed for thousands of years: plagued by diseases, precarious, and the average life span was only more than thirty years.

But for our generation, even if we live in rural areas, we have been told since childhood that we must wash our hands before eating, that diseases are transmitted through the mouth, and that we cannot drink raw water.

Of course, these things did not pop up out of thin air from the minds of the elders. How did they learn about it? When did these hygiene habits form?

It was an era that was full of idealism despite being poor in material resources. There was a group of doctors, who were not even doctors. Under the call of the party, they went deep into remote villages. On their left hand were *** quotations, and on their right hand were "Barefoot". Physician's Handbook.

They read the easy-to-understand words in the book and told farmers some common sense of hygiene that modern people take for granted, reversing bad habits that had lasted for thousands of years. They also almost eliminated schistosomiasis, which had been raging for decades in the south, and sent farmers to The god of plague is gone...

In the Qin Dynasty, this matter might have taken several generations or even hundreds of years.

There may not be any results in this matter in the near future, and Yu Heifu will not benefit at all.

But someone has to write the prescription.

"Then let me start, starting from today!"

Heifu spread out the paper, picked up the pen, and knocked on the counter, causing several people in the tent to stop arguing.

"Brother Wujiu."

Heifu smiled and said, "I want to ask you to help me write a book!"