Three Kingdoms

Plague, these two words are frightening even in later generations. When they broke out in the Han Dynasty, they were almost equivalent to nuclear bombs.

Regarding germs and microorganisms, from a certain perspective, these guys may be truly the masters of the earth, because all animals and plants, including humans, are their parasites and even their destination after death. Food nutrients.

Therefore, the word "plague" is definitely not something that is dispensable in history, or even an understatement that can describe "such and such a big epidemic, no reckoning of death"...

The earliest record of a plague is said to be in the 13th century BC. Large-scale influenza-like epidemics occurred in ancient civilizations such as Babylon and Mesopotamia. The ancient texts describe the tragic situation at that time, which may be regarded as human beings. The first record of a plague in history.

In later generations, people often combine ancient Rome and the Han Dynasty into red and blue CPs, and even turn it into a game to see whether the East overwhelms the West or the West overwhelms the East. But in fact, neither the East nor the West wins, and the winner is They are germs and microorganisms that permeate the air, water, and soil...

Before the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out in the Han Dynasty, the era of the Five Wise Emperors of ancient Rome had already ended due to the plague, and its external expansion came to a standstill, and the empire gradually declined.

The external expansion of the ancient Roman Empire in the 2nd century was undoubtedly very successful, and the legions as far away as the Tigris River and the Iranian Plateau were also victorious. Its old rivals, the Parthians, lost their important town of Seleucia, and their capital, Ctesiphon, was plundered by Roman generals. The army loaded with loot laughed and brought back countless gold and silver treasures, but it also brought back a terrifying virus.

Soon, infected people began to appear in the areas where the legion passed. The patients had fever, diarrhea, throat inflammation, and pus cells all over their bodies. Plagues broke out in Asia Minor, the Mediterranean coast, the Apennine Peninsula, and even Gaul and the Rhine River. Bodies lay everywhere in the city, and the dead piled up in the military camps. It is said that 2,000 people died of the disease in one day in Rome.

Recurrent plagues claimed the lives of one-third of the people in many areas of the Roman Empire, the tax economy completely collapsed, and the Roman legions that were good at fighting and strong in battle were also completely destroyed. When the sun is at midday, it will be waning, and when the moon is full, it will be waning. The era of the Five Wise Emperors of ancient Rome is gone and will never return. From then on, the barbarian aliens that emerged in various places made the empire, which was seriously injured, unable to cope with it. Ancient Rome inevitably slid slowly into the abyss of decline.

Since it is p, it seems that the fate is similar...

Now, while Emperor Liu Xie of the Han Dynasty was respectfully burning incense and praying in the Ancestral Temple of Xu County, a plague inevitably broke out among the Jiangdong army.

In Mr. Luo's Battle of Chibi, there was no mention of the plague. It was purely a tactical victory, because if there was more content about the plague, wouldn't it reduce Zhuge's bravery?

In actual history, Cao Cao committed suicide and went south to conquer Jiangdong. Naturally, he conscripted a large number of Jingzhou civilians. Firstly, he really needed manpower to transport materials. Secondly, he could invade the strength of the Jingzhou nobles. But in the process, A large number of people mixed together, dead bodies that were not disposed of in time, and completely disordered excrement have become the best breeding ground for germs. Coupled with the southeast breeze blowing, the temperature rises...

But now, it is Sun Quan's Jiangdong side who has left his homeland and is fighting in a different place. Compared to the warmer Jiangdong, the natural climate in Jingzhou is a little different. Coupled with the heavy rain in the past few days, the temperature suddenly dropped, and he is used to the severe cold. Northerners don't think much of such temperatures, but Jiang Dongbing, who wears only single clothes all year round, is naturally not used to it. Sneezing and runny nose are all mild, while more serious ones include headache, body aches, weakness in limbs, Vomiting, diarrhea, and even high fever and fainting.

At the same time, the Dangyang area was a relatively tragic area in the entire Jingzhou War. After the battle between the two sides, Jiangdong soldiers withdrew, and Cao Jun also withdrew immediately. This means that both sides basically did not clean up these corpses. If It's just that, it doesn't matter. After all, this area has almost become a no-man's land. As long as half a year passes, the danger will naturally decrease after the corpses are skeletal. As a result, Sun @Er Lengzi @has one hundred thousand @Quan is back with a large number of soldiers again!

Just in time for a hot bite!

Because of sudden changes in temperature, the body's immune function is disordered, and Jiangdong soldiers are rarely like Fei Qian or Cao Cao. They are restricted by military health regulations, and they can simply pull off their belts at any time and anyone to solve the problem...

The most critical thing is that all the direct leading generals of Jiangdong Army have become young men. Led by Sun Quan, Pan Zhang, Zhou Tai, Xu Sheng, etc., they are all eager for meritorious service and wholeheartedly seeking war. For these corpses around them, as well as the sudden appearance of His soldiers were unusual and he didn't take it to heart. Cheng Prusu and others were unhappy with Sun Quan because they had trouble with him before, so even if they spoke, no one might listen.

Under the combined effect of various factors, Jiangdong Bing's camp eventually became a huge hotbed of plague. Typhoid fever and dysentery were both attacked. The two ancient plague demons held Jiangdong Bing to death and engaged in a 3P attack, causing the disease to spread. Very quickly, by the time Sun Quan and others were finally alerted, most of the soldiers in the camp had already fallen ill...

The speed of this onset was beyond the imagination of Sun Quan and others. Even the soldiers who looked fine in the morning fell ill immediately in the afternoon, and an indescribable smell filled the entire camp.

Sun Quan and others did not dare to enter the camp. They just stood on the high ground outside the camp, looking at the lifeless camp. They all looked pale and looked panicked.

Even Pan Zhang and Zhou Tai, who claimed to be brave and brave, still felt powerless when facing this epidemic, just like holding a handful of water. The harder they used it, the harder it was to hold it...

Sun Quan frowned and gritted his teeth, his face completely devoid of the excitement and joy he had held up to the banquet.

"This is a major epidemic..." Lu Su also frowned and stood aside and said. He finally remembered the previous question that he had forgotten. "But people can clean up the ditches, bury the corpses, clear away the filth, and patrol the disease." Disciple, for the sake of medicine... In addition, this is also needed in the city, perhaps to prevent it from spreading..."

Lu Su glanced at Sun Quan and said, "My lord, for the sake of safety, it is best to withdraw our troops as soon as possible..."

"What? ! ” Sun Quan turned around and glared at Lu Su.

Although Sun Quan had said before that anyone who tried to persuade him to withdraw his troops would be as dead as a desk that he chopped down, but now Lu Su obviously slapped him on the butt again and mentioned withdrawing troops again. However, Sun Quan couldn't howl and let the soldiers drag Lu Su down and chop him down. He could only blow his beard and glare with some stern internal stubble.

"In the first month of the first year of Yuanjia, there was a great epidemic in Kyoto. In February, there was a severe epidemic in Jiujiang and Lujiang. In the fourth year of Yanxi, in the first month, there was a great epidemic... Then there was the second year of Jianning, in the fourth year, in Nanyang, Heluo, there was a great epidemic in March..." Lu Su did not look at Sun Quan and said with some sigh, "Originally, he was the Lord of Spring. The disease is growing, so there is a big epidemic. The killings in autumn and winter should lessen the disease, but now the yellow and white are unpredictable, the stars are disordered, and disputes are everywhere, causing heaven and man to be disordered, so it is difficult..."

Sun Quan was very angry. What he wanted to know now was how to treat or how to restore the current Jiangdong soldiers to health, rather than discussing the so-called cause of the plague. Therefore, Sun Quan ignored Lu Su's words and asked his guards. Said: "Where is the doctor?" Where is the doctor? ! 』

A general army will inevitably have some doctors accompanying the army, so Jiangdong soldiers are no exception. When Sun Quan asked, a military commander immediately stepped forward and said, "Lord, these... these doctors have all entered the camp..."

"A question came in!" ” Sun Quan shouted.

The Army Sima was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head and accepted the order, walked to the side, glanced around, and picked out a guy who usually had some trouble with him, "You!" The Lord wants to call the doctor for questioning! Go take a trip! 』

The soldier who was named frowned angrily, but when he saw the unfavorable gaze of the Army Sima, he could only grind his teeth in the end, turned around and headed back to the camp. After a while, he brought one person out from the camp. When he arrived, he knelt down in front of Sun Quan.

"How are the injuries in the camp?" What exactly is the disease? Sun Quan was not polite and asked directly, "What's the number of diseases among the soldiers?" Is there anyone who can be cured? Hurry up! 』

The doctor was also in a state of embarrassment. His yellow robe was stained with blood or something else. There were spots of gray and black color, as if something was moldy. Hearing Sun Quan's question, he smiled bitterly. After a while, he said: "My lord, I was originally a doctor from Jin Chuang... Now there are countless patients in the camp, and there are many people with vomiting and diarrhea. I imitated Jianning's recipe, grinding ephedra stone essence and other things into medicine... However, the effect is slightly... 』

"Is there a cure?" ! 』

Sun Quan is most concerned about this matter. As long as there is a cure, it means that the disease is still within the controllable range. On the contrary...

The doctor shook his head. He didn't know whether it was because he was too tired, or because he was worried because he failed to cure the patient, or for some other reason. Suddenly his body started to shake, and then he fell to the ground!

Everyone present was startled, and then a soldier stepped forward and touched it tentatively, "Lord!" Doctor, doctor... he seems to be sick too! 』

Sun Quan's face finally turned pale, "This, this... this matter still needs to be discussed..."

……ヽ( @o @)丿……

In Xiangyang City, not far from Dangyang, this prosperous place that was supposed to be the land of fish and rice in the Central Plains, in this bleak autumn day, no longer has the bustle and sparkle of the past.

Although the Han River in the north of the city has returned to its original color and is not as red as the Yellow Spring, which is heart-stopping, the broken limbs and broken arms washed out from the river from time to time, the fingers and bones bitten by fish and shrimp, etc., are still reminders. People around you should not forget what happened.

The towering Xiangyang City Wall seems to be still the same as it was when Liu Biao was in his heyday. It has not become smaller or dilapidated. However, the city that was originally built in the hearts of Jingzhou people has collapsed. The gray and white colors exaggerate everything, and occasionally The red color with flames doesn't look bright either.

In every household, many people have their own sorrows and pains during the war. In the halls and rooms, there are a few more simple or prosperous spiritual tablets.

On the mass graves outside the city, the well-fed crows stared with blood-red eyes and screamed. On the contrary, in the city, the mournful sounds gradually became less and less, because the sorrow reached the depths, and even the cries could not be heard. Can't pronounce it. Some elderly people and women, after hearing the news of the death of their children or husbands at home, either became too sad, or lost their source of livelihood, or died subsequently, or their families collapsed and sold their children and daughters...

Even the children of the gentry, under such grief and desolation, witnessed the unprecedented decline and desolation of Xiangyang, and they couldn't help but feel a little more touched in their hearts. Although the battle to attack and defend Jingbei has stopped, and the tension inside and outside the city has relaxed a little, it is also heard that Fei Qian and Cao Cao are preparing for peace talks, but after all, they have not yet settled down, and no one knows whether this war will happen again. Lifted up and ignited.

Undercurrents surge quietly in this silence.

A few withered yellow leaves withered from the trees in the corner of the yard. There were no servants to clean them up, because in this courtyard, two people were sitting in the hall talking. The one on the left was Cai Mao. Sitting on the right is Kuai Liang. The charcoal fire was burning in the beast-patterned copper furnace, and the warm wine was fragrant. The two of them talked in low voices, as if there were not many disturbances.

"The Battle of Jingzhou, so far, there have been countless casualties..." Cai Mao said slowly, "It is really sad... However, if you take a long-term view, it will be like a place with withered leaves in autumn. The place where new shoots will sprout again in spring is...』

"If the foundation is destroyed, there will be no new branches in the next spring..." Kuai Liang's face was calm, and his voice was like the ice cold under the water in autumn and winter. Although it didn't seem to cause much harm, if it was infiltrated, it would naturally be very serious. So delicious.

How many ordinary people died was not of great concern to the gentry children such as Cai Mao and Kuai Liang. This was also the biggest point of difference between the old-style gentry native to Jingzhou and the emerging Jingzhou gentry headed by Pang Tong Zhuge Liang.

In the eyes of the old-school nobles, most ordinary people belong to the category of "Bai Ding", that is, people who have nothing but their strength. Such people are like leeks growing in the ground, well, weeds. Wild fires cannot burn them out, but they grow again when the spring breeze blows.

Therefore, Cai Mao and Kuai Liang did not care about how many weeds were killed or injured on the ground in Jingzhou, but they were sad about the loss of industry on their own land and the skilled craftsmen and labor experts who could bring them profits...

There are also a lot of ownerless lands that have been created due to war.

Just like Cai Mao, he has not been idle at all in the past few days. Not only has he reorganized the original Cai's Island, he has even taken the opportunity to incorporate many storefronts and courtyards in Xiangyang City. Anyway, most of these storefronts and courtyards All the original owners have run away, and Cai Mao only needs to pay a few dollars to turn it into his own property.

For Cai Mao, he was able to recover a little bit, but for Kuai Shi, basically everything was damaged. The Kuai family, whose main business is in Jingnan, can be described as a bloodletting. Not only were their apparent assets plundered and destroyed, but also many years of savings were plundered. Every time I think of this, the Kuai family is in pain. In my heart, my hatred for the people of Jiangdong becomes more and more intense. If I talk about it, I want to eat their flesh raw and drink their blood.

Kuai Liang's performance was pretty good, so when he was talking to Cai Mao, his face remained calm, but his voice inevitably revealed some flavor. Seeing that Cai Mao had some intention of avoiding talking, he simply made it clear. Said, "Brother Degui has learned a lesson. Now that Cao Fei has reconciled, Jiangdong will not dare to move rashly, and he will not be able to stay for a long time, so he will retreat... The importance of the hussar is in Guanzhong, so he will not stay in Jingzhou for a long time. After the peace talks, Most of them will also return to Guanzhong..."

Cai Hao nodded slowly, but he didn't say it was right or wrong.

"Jiangdong..." Mentioning the word Jiangdong, Kuai Liang couldn't help but pause for a moment before continuing, "Dangyang is the main road between the north and the south of Jingzhou. Now it has fallen into the hands of Jiangdong... Now Fei and Cao have an army." Now, Jiangdong may not dare to act rashly. If the two of them return to the army separately, the safety of Jingzhou will be in danger... Even the land of Caizhou, Degui's brother, may not be safe..."

Cai Mao glanced at Kuai Liang, "It's a pity that someone didn't have the final say on this matter..."

"Brother De Gui is so polite... In this battle, Brother De Gui was the only one who contributed the most in Jingzhou... Liang was very ashamed. Hearing about the chaos in Jiangling, he was disturbed and failed to make any plans, which led to the defeat. In this situation... I would also like to ask Brother Degui to help you more, out of the friendship between drinking the water of the Han River and living together in Jingzhou... If you have offended me in the past, I will apologize for it! From now on, in the Kuai family, only brother Degui will follow suit! If you are given an order, obey it! 』

When he was under Liu Biao, whether intentionally or unintentionally, whether it was Liu Biao's instruction or Kuai's own intention, Kuai was originally at odds with Cai, but now Cai still maintains a certain degree of strength, and Kuai is obviously It was no longer possible. Under such circumstances, Kuai Liang naturally had no way to continue to fight with Cai Mao, and instead expressed his attitude of kneeling down and licking Cai Mao.

Cai Mao smiled slightly.

It's not that Kuai Liang didn't go to the Xiahou clan of the Cao family to kneel and lick him, but for the Xiahou clan of the Cao family, the most important thing is still themselves, and then it will be their turn to decide whether they are in the mood to deal with Kuai's problem. At the same time, for the Cao family As far as the Xiahou family is concerned, they already have a figure like Cai Mao as their comprador, so why bother to find another Kuai family whose foundation is damaged and who doesn't know how to help?

After Kuai Liang finished speaking, he left the table and bowed.

Cai Mao is willing to meet Kuai Liang this time, and even sit alone, which actually shows a certain attitude. After all, for Cai Mao, he also needs some fools to travel around the countryside. Although Kuai has been his opponent for so many years, But precisely because of this, Cai Mao is also very aware of the capabilities of the Kuai brothers...

"People who are in the same Jingxiang area should be in the same boat!" ” Cai Mao walked around the table and helped Kuai Liang up, “Now is a difficult time for the country and the people, even though there are tens of millions of people, I will go! Back then, because of Zhan Hezhi, you and I had many disputes, but the disputes were only for family and country, not personal grudges... Now that Brother Xian's home has been damaged, Brother Yu feels the same way. Even if Brother Xian doesn't mention it, for the sake of the people of Jingnan, I am also going to admonish General Cao to go south as soon as possible and recapture Jiangling..."

The two held hands with each other, obviously moved by their high integrity for the country and the people.

"Brother Degui..."

"My dear brother Zirou..."

After stopping for a moment, they let go at the same time, and then everyone returned to their seats.

"This matter still needs to be discussed..."

Outside the high wall of the courtyard, the sound of wind became stronger and stronger, followed by a few violent coughs, and then seemed to disappear without a trace...