Three Kingdoms

Linhai County.

Yongning County.

The more something is missing, the more it is called. This is the same as someone's name. Yongning County also represents some simple hopes, but this hope often backfires.

After summer comes, it rains continuously in Linhai, and Yongning is no exception.

Maybe the typhoon hooked up with the flash flood, or the flash flood hooked up with the typhoon. Anyway, it was light rain at the beginning, then heavy rain, and then continuous heavy rain. Even if it stopped for a few days, it would continue quickly. rain.

Perhaps to people in later generations, too much rain is just a sign of humid air and moldy items, but to the people of Han Dynasty, continuous heavy rain is a disaster.

flood.

Desperate floods.

Zhuang He is planted in the field, but the water in the field is full. Zhuang He is soaked in the water, and people are also soaked in the water. The whole family is pouring water out of the field desperately, but people are pouring a spoonful of it, God. He smiled and poured a basin into it.

It might be easier to just pull up the field ridges and release water, but that would be even worse, because not all soil is suitable for farming, and as the water washes away, blindly releasing water will take away the soil on Zhuanghe, and then Zhuanghe will fall...

The scariest problem is not this.

Instead, he put in countless efforts and fought day and night, but still couldn't protect anything.

Little by little, I watched the water rise, and little by little I watched the hopes of the whole family rotting in the fields, just like my own body and soul also rotted in the water.

After feeling satisfied, God shook his legs, put on his belt, and took away the clouds.

The sun came out again, but the baking summer temperature, coupled with the extreme moisture on the ground, broke everything.

Several large county towns in Linhai County took the lead in closing their city gates and refusing to allow all refugees to enter.

That's right, in normal times, these people are ordinary people. When disaster strikes, these ordinary people transform into refugees.

The notice is also very simple. Refugees are not allowed to enter the city maliciously and undermine the stability and unity of Yongning.

The people affected by the disaster instinctively gathered together and asked for help, "Please have mercy, I can't survive!" 』

The gentry and gentry living in Yongning County were furious, "Who let you move around?" This is maliciously leaving home, disobeying management, and resisting orders! 』

The people cried, "We just want to live..."

The officials roared angrily, "You disobeyed orders!" 』

At the beginning, the officials came out of the city to drive them away, but soon, as more and more people were affected by the disaster, the officials stopped coming out. They allowed the refugees to gather outside the city, just closing the city gates, and then again and again. He sent fast horses to Wu Commandery to ask for support.

Under the city wall, the people were crying and howling all over the place, and the officials stood on the city wall with their hands folded.

Some officials spoke softly and coaxed, "We are in trouble too, you have to understand us!" We also serve people, right? We understand your feelings, but you must also understand our difficulties! We have all reported it. Didn’t you see that we have all reported it? We are going through the process. We are going through the process very quickly! You must understand, you must understand, it is difficult for you, it is difficult for us, it is difficult! 』

Some officials looked fierce and cursed, "Who dares to cause trouble?" ! Catch him! Are you going to cause trouble? still you? Whoever is tired of living, stand up! I represent the Lord of Jiangdong, General Han, talking to you! Who wants to cause trouble? ! Don't think we dare not take action! Give me some highlights! Be honest! 』

The people were at a loss.

The officials looked around, then with red and white faces they left the scene and went to a place where the common people could not see.

The red-faced man exhaled, "Finally, it's time to take the next step!" 』

"Let's go drink!" ” Bai Lian laughed and said, “The rabble can be dealt with casually! 』

The sun shines lazily.

One day, two days...

The whole world is wet.

Three days, four days...

Items are moldy.

Plant root rot.

People and animals are sick.

The plague smiled eerily and quietly appeared.

The officials and gentry in Yongning County were even more confused. They could coax the people and scare the head of Guizhou, but they could not coax the plague or scare the disease. After the first person fell ill, everyone knew that something big was going to happen. But not everyone reacted the same way.

The people just want to live, but the officials and gentry are afraid of death.

The city gates were shut tighter and tighter, and even the temporary outings of the city for woodcutting were prohibited.

Food prices are high and supplies are quickly running out.

Not even a grain of rice or wheat can be bought.

The refugees outside the city began to fall ill one after another, and then suffered from vomiting and diarrhea, infecting more people, and the plague began to spread.

With the invasion of water, woodcutting was banned, which meant that making fire in the city was an expensive thing. Ordinary people began to drink raw water directly, and the disease quickly began to appear in the city...

"What if this is good!" The official shook his hands and stamped his feet, "Is there no news about my lord yet?" 』

"That's so fast!" It will take at least ten more days! 』

"Ten days!" 』

"It's over..."

Only at this time did these officials feel that this process might not be a good thing.

The squire huddled up, like a tortoise with its head inside its thick shell, the high-walled compound being its shell.

Fortunately, there are still some people who stand up and do something.

Ge Zuo stood up at this moment.

Of course, Ge Zuo was not the only one to stand up.

Before Ge Zuo arrived at Yongning City, several Taoist priests or monks who claimed to be some kind of god or Buddha had already arrived.

The Taoist priests and monks who had arrived earlier were drawing talismans and performing rituals while claiming that evil spirits were causing trouble and that the people should believe in their teachings to avoid disasters.

At the beginning, these Taoist priests and monks were very powerful, but soon these guys "disappeared" and disappeared without a trace.

It was under such circumstances that Ge Zuo arrived in Yongning County.

He just wore a Taoist robe of the God of the Five Directions, and did not bring any talisman. Instead, he brought a bamboo basket of herbs.

Ge Zuo stood under the city wall and called the city gate open.

Using his life as a guarantee, he boiled herbs and let a sick man in the city drink them.

The patient's diarrhea stopped.

Only then did Ge Zuo gain his freedom, and some officials were willing to obey Ge Zuo's arrangements.

Clean and bury dirt and do not drink raw water.

Sprinkle lime to create isolated areas.

Ge Zuo discovered that these things that should have been common in Chang'an, that anyone who has been to Chang'an or people who have lived in the Husband's refugee camp might understand, but no one here in Linhai Yongning knew about it.

Could it be that these people have never heard of the plague?

Ge Zuo didn't ask, but he speculated that it was probably the officials in Yongning who thought why the plague came here.

Ge Zuo also suggested to the officials in Yongning that they should come forward to discuss with the gentry and borrow food to provide disaster relief.

That's right, I borrowed it.

It cannot be said that the public warehouse is empty, but it is not much better. There is only one layer on the surface, and the rest has been stolen and sold by successive officials.

The current official jumped to his feet and cursed his predecessor, his face turned red, foaming at the mouth, and the curse was as unpleasant as possible.

Ge Zuo didn't answer a word.

If nothing happened, wouldn't these officials continue to sell it as usual?

Perhaps because he felt that Ge Zuo was indeed somewhat capable, or because the officials were jealous, or for some other reason, the squire from Yongning took out some old rice from the warehouse, which was black and yellow. Chen rice was lent to the government for disaster relief.

The current official readily issued the IOU.

He was familiar with it in one fell swoop.

It was stamped with the seal of Yongning County Magistrate.

His name was not written on the IOU, only the Magistrate of Yongning County.

No matter how you say it, no matter whether the old grain is yellow or black, you can still set up porridge sheds and let the victims work in exchange for porridge, which has promoted the prevention and control of plague in the refugee areas outside the city.

Ge Zuo knew that in fact, the nobles in Jiangdong were somewhat wary of him. After all, the Yellow Turbans used talisman water to benefit the people after the great disaster, and then gathered a large number of believers...

Therefore, Ge Zuo is very cautious. On weekdays, he hardly mentions any Taoist teachings, nor does he teach or teach any talismans or talismans. He only treats the victims of disasters.

Of course, Ge Zuo can do this, on the one hand, because Ge Zuo does have some medical skills. He collects herbs and cooks decoctions to save people, which have certain curative effects, rather than making some vain charms and talismans.

On the other hand, Ge Zuo had some reputation in the fields before. Many farmers knew him and knew that there was a Taoist priest who knew Zhuang He who traveled around. He would not only guide them how to farm for free, but sometimes even Work in the fields together.

So Ge Zuo was here in Yongning, practicing medicine for free and helping people, and gradually won the reputation of a "living god". Not only the refugees, but also the gentry, soldiers, government servants and so on in Yongning City, there were also many I got his help and respected him quite a lot.

Ge Zuo wore a worn Taoist uniform of the Five Directions God and walked among the refugees. The surrounding refugees greeted him and saluted from time to time, and he nodded slightly in return.

"My child took the medicine from the Living God, and it really stopped the diarrhea..." A woman in ragged, dark and dirty clothes bowed in front of Ge Zuo and kowtowed in thanks, "Oh, Living God... Many thanks to the Living God..."

Ge Zuo nodded, "Now that the diarrhea has been stopped, there is a little more vitality... Remember, adults and children are no longer allowed to drink raw water. It must be boiled before drinking, and the utensils must be clean to avoid contamination." You need to wash your clothes quickly..."

Ge Zuo gave instructions carefully, then looked at the woman's face and felt that she was not infected, so he rummaged out a few medicinal materials from the bamboo basket beside him and gave instructions on how to use them. Afterwards, the woman thanked her so much. Walked over.

This kind of thing happened to him from time to time along the way.

He was very careful when treating patients. When treating patients, he only talked about the condition. He did not exaggerate, did not sensationalize, and did not preach too much about doctrines. At most, he said "Infinite Five Directions Heavenly Lord" when greeting him.

He drank wild vegetable porridge cooked with old rice together with the victims, and then went to see a doctor.

The number of herbs in the bamboo basket decreased little by little, and then victims of the disaster collected new herbs in the mountains and brought them.

The Taoist boy who followed Ge Zuo also tried his best to help.

Ge Zuo took in three or four half-year-old children to serve as Taoist boys and helpers.

In later generations, there will inevitably be some "chivalrous people" who will stand up and criticize Ge Zuo for abusing children. But in fact, at the moment, if Ge Zuo doesn't let these Taoist boys do things, it will make these Taoist boys fearful and even ask for help. die……

Because among the refugees, if there is really nothing to eat, then the meat of children is the most popular.

Fortunately, there are still some wild vegetable barks available.

There is also some old grain from the squire.

In the face of natural disasters, if someone has nothing to do, it means that he is useless, will not get food, and will have no way to survive.

Regardless of gender, age or child.

The day passed quickly, and when the sun began to set, Ge Zuo walked back.

Ge Zuo lived in a dilapidated mountain temple outside Yongning City. He goes to the porridge shed under Yongning City every day to diagnose and treat patients, but in the evening, he will leave the porridge shed under the city and go to the mountain temple.

Most of the refugees would dig earthen nests and build straw huts under Yongning City.

Maybe it's because Yongning City is closer to the porridge shed, or maybe the city walls can give them more hope. But some refugees also gathered at this mountain temple.

This mountain temple is in dilapidated condition and was once home to beggars. Then the plague came and even the beggars could no longer survive, leaving only the refugees who were worse than beggars.

After the flood, the temperature rose quickly, and the dead livestock and people rotted under the temperature, polluting all water sources. This was the root cause of the Yongning plague, so in fact, they lived in the mountain temple on the hill. , it will be far away from low-lying and humid places, so it will naturally be safer.

When Ge Zuo arrived at the mountain gate, many victims came to greet him, and some refugees presented Ge Zuo with some wild fruits and vegetables they had picked in the mountain.

Although they have suffered from floods, these refugees can still find some food at the moment, because there are still some wild vegetables and fruits in the surrounding mountains and forests. However, in autumn, the plants dry up, and the farmland that is flooded is There will probably be no harvest, at that time...

However, we must first live the present moment before talking about anything else.

A little Taoist boy ran out from the inner courtyard and came to greet Ge Zuo.

"Master..." The little Taoist boy saluted respectfully, and then saluted the older child next to Ge Zuo, "First senior brother, second senior brother..."

The open space in the inner courtyard is filled with various medicinal materials. There are also bamboo racks for drying medicinal materials, guillotines for cutting medicine, stone mortars for pounding medicine, earthen pots for boiling medicine, and wood for making fires. , there is only a small road in the middle that can barely settle down.

Another Taoist boy, who was slightly older, was sorting medicinal materials in the courtyard. These Taoist boys who followed Ge Zuo were all teenagers, the youngest was less than ten years old. Their parents and relatives died in the disaster or were separated. It was Ge Zuo who saved them from starvation or death. They were saved from the tragic situation of being eaten, and then given food and space to rest and recuperate, they were saved from death.

Ge Zuo looked at the medicinal materials he was processing and nodded, "Very good, just do this...those that are dried must be turned over, otherwise they won't be fully exposed..."

"By the way, Qingfeng..." Ge Zuo said before entering the room, "Test them to see how many medicinal materials they recognize..."

The Taoist boy around every Taoist priest is called Qingfeng Mingyue, and Ge Zuo is no exception.

Listening to the sounds of children arguing about identifying medicinal materials outside, Ge Zuo smiled slightly, entered the inner room, then climbed up the shelf on the side with great skill, and then took down a wooden box from the beam.

Ge Zuo took out a pen, paper, and a special jar of ink from the wooden box. Because it had not been used for a long time, some of the special ink had dried up. He added a little water, then dissolved it slightly, then dipped it in with a brush and quickly wrote on a piece of paper.

The letter was written to General Fei Qian of the Hussars.

Thanks to the increasing trade between Guanzhong and Guanzhong, paper gradually became popular and the price was no longer prohibitively high.

Ge Zuo felt that the plague near Yongning might spread and even affect the entire Linhai County. He wanted to know whether General Fei Qian had any plans and whether he would use this plague to do anything. Of course , Ge Zuo also hopes to get some support from the hussar general.

After all, the only thing that can protect Ge Zuo at the moment is his false reputation. The few Taoist boys around him can still be used to prepare medicinal materials, decoct and cook medicine, but in other aspects...

He blew on the letter he had written, then picked up another brush, dipped it in some normal ink, and wrote some insignificant things on the paper at intervals, just like an ordinary letter home.

After a while, the earliest words gradually faded away, leaving only the later ink words.

Ge Zuo put the letter away and then put the wooden box back on the beam.

He plans to enter Yongning City tomorrow to send a letter, taking the most normal route and asking the postman at the post station to help deliver it.

In the face of a plague, what is the problem with sending a letter to your family or relatives and friends in panic?

Even if it is opened and inspected, if you don't know how to reveal the hidden handwriting, you will only be able to see an ordinary letter from home reporting safety.

After all, those who practice Taoism do not just pop out of the cracks in the rocks. They also have brothers, sisters, relatives and friends.

Although this method of delivery may be lost halfway and is not the fastest way, it is better than simplicity. As long as it is not lost halfway, it will basically be sent to the large trade market outside Wujun City...

As long as you get to the market, there will be a mixed crowd, there will be a lot of merchants coming and going, and there is no need to go through the city gate inspection, so it is natural to send a message or something.

Now there is no peace in Yongning, and there are disasters near the sea. If we take advantage of it, there will definitely be another chaos in Jiangdong.

Although Ge Zuo can't bear it, this is the responsibility of Youwensi.

He must report it, and it is up to the Hussar to decide how to use it.

Ge Zuo slowly walked out of the room and watched several Taoist boys distinguishing the medicinal materials and arguing about their effectiveness. Then he raised his head, watched the setting sun set over the mountain, and recited softly, "The Infinite Five Directions Heavenly Lord..." …』