Chapter 804 Shock! The man was actually killed by a group of men...
It is impossible for these prisoners to be directly returned to their places of origin.
Among them, the high-ranking officers are nobles, the middle-ranking officers are minor nobles, and even the ordinary soldiers are young and strong. Each one of them may become a violent element and cause trouble to the Zhao Kingdom.
If these people are directly released, various regions will easily fall into chaos, making it more difficult for Zhao to rule.
Only when various regions gradually settle down can these people be released one after another. By then, various regions will basically be stable and everyone can live their own lives.
Even if a small number of people wanted to rebel, they would not make any noise.
What the common people at the bottom pursue is to have enough to eat and live a life without war. No one wants to live in war all day long.
Without the support of the common people, the nobility would not be able to achieve success.
It would be better if someone was willing to move their whole family to the south of the Yangtze River. The south is vast and sparsely populated, and is in urgent need of large-scale population development. It can also alleviate the contradiction between the large population and the limited land in the Central Plains.
But if we want to develop the south, these are far from enough.
Farmland reclamation, road construction, industrial layout, popularization of education, changing customs, prevention and control of diseases and parasites, etc., all have to be done step by step. Without the efforts of one or two generations, it will be difficult to complete.
Three days later, Lian Po led an army to conquer Baiyue in the south.
Wei Wuji also led his men to pacify the remaining cities of Chu that had not surrendered.
Huang Xie summoned all the nobles of Chu State to discuss moving south, but Zhao Kuo did not participate.
After all the matters were assigned, Zhao Kuo took several guards and began to visit various places in the south.
At this time, the south was far less prosperous than the Central Plains, and it was even more different from the "Suhu and Huguang were well versed in the world" and "Huguang was well versed in the world" during the Song and Ming dynasties.
If we want to develop the south, it is obviously impossible to approve memorials in the palace. Only by going to the local area in person and understanding the real and specific situation can we adapt measures to local conditions.
And only Zhao Kuo can handle this matter. Others are far from being able to compare with him in terms of industrial chain layout and economic development.
If you let others do it, you won't be able to make any money in the end, and you will have to put money into it.
Gusu City was located on the bank of Zhenze, which was later known as Taihu Lake. However, Zhenze at this time was much larger than Taihu Lake. In addition to the lake, there was a large area of swamp around it.
Huang Xie has done a good job in Jiangdong in the past few years. He organized people to cultivate land around lakes, reclaimed a lot of land, and gathered a large number of refugees. He is quite famous among the people.
It was precisely with Huang Xie's help that Zhao was able to successfully take over Jiangdong without encountering resistance from the local people.
Perhaps it was because of the harsh winter and cold weather, or because of the change of political power and the uncertainty of people's hearts. There were not many pedestrians outside. After seeing Zhao Kuo and others, they all left far away, with vigilance in their eyes.
"There is a long way to go." Zhao Kuo sighed and waved to the man in the distance who was about to leave, "Brother, please wait a moment."
"My lord, are you calling me?" The man felt a little frightened when he saw several soldiers in armor and swords behind Zhao Kuo, but he still stopped.
You can't run away anyway, so you might as well be obedient and maybe you'll still have a chance to survive.
"Not bad." Zhao Kuo nodded.
The man was sure that Zhao Kuo was calling him and walked over cautiously: "What do you want to say to me, sir?"
"Are you sick?" Zhao Kuo asked with a frown.
"How do you know?" The man looked at Zhao Kuo in shock, "You... noble man know how to treat illnesses?"
"No." Zhao Kuo shook his head and pointed at the man's bulging belly. "A normal person can see it at a glance."
The man is thin, with a dark complexion and gray hair. He is wearing a Geyi that has been mended many times. It is obvious that his family is not wealthy, but he has a bulging belly, which is abnormal at first glance.
There is nothing wrong with being sick. There are so many sick people in the world. It is impossible for Zhao Kuo to just stop and treat a sick person when he sees one. Then he has nothing to do all day long.
But the man's illness was somewhat abnormal. Along the way, Zhao Kuo had seen several symptoms similar to the man's, including a skinny body and a bloated belly.
Zhao Kuo had an ominous premonition in his heart, and he thought of a disease that was raging in southern China.
"You...you won't kill me, right?" The man looked at Zhao Kuo in fear and backed away.
He heard from others that some tribes in the south like to burn men with big bellies alive on the fire.
"How many people in the village are like you?" Zhao Kuo shook his head and said he would not kill him.
"More than a dozen," the man said.
"Where are the surrounding villages?" Zhao Kuo asked.
"Most villages are like our village." The man scratched his head.
"Have you had any adverse reactions? For example, cough, diarrhea, skin edema, etc.?" Zhao Kuo asked again.
"How do you know? Are you really a doctor?" The man looked at Zhao Kuo in shock.
"Immediately write a letter to Handan. Tiao Xiangzi, Song Zhong, Xia Wuqi, and Tao Cheng rush to Suzhou. In addition, we will mobilize fifty doctors who are relatively knowledgeable in parasites and infectious diseases. I am here.
Wait for them in Gusu." Zhao Kuo's expression changed instantly. If he guessed correctly, the man was most likely suffering from schistosomiasis, which has plagued China for thousands of years.
This thing spread extremely widely, throughout the Yangtze River Basin and areas south of it, and was not curbed until the late twentieth century.
Even so, in the 21st century, people still often get schistosomiasis in Dongting Lake and its surrounding waters.
"No." When Liu Ping saw Zhao Kuo's expression, he knew that the matter was serious and did not dare to waste time. He quickly got pen, ink, paper and inkstone, wrote a letter, and sent it back to Handan via Xinying.
"Come and see if it can be cured." Zhao Kuo said to Bi Ming. Xiangzi and Song Zhong were both old, and this time Bi Ming went out with the army.
Bi Ming studied under Song Zhong, and also studied under Xiangzi, and obtained the true teachings of the two. He, Xia Wuji, and Tao Cheng were the best medical practitioners among the young generation of Zhao State.
Bi Ming stepped forward and grabbed the man's arm. The man did not dare to resist and allowed Bi Ming to check.
Zhao Kuo calls himself a widower. No matter how stupid he is, he still knows who is standing in front of him and how dare he have any objections.
Of course, Zhao Kuo would do whatever he said.
Bi Ming carefully checked the man's pulse, checked the edema on the skin, tongue coating, and eyes, and even asked the man to take off his clothes to show him.
It was winter at this time. Although there was no wind or snow and it was impossible to be warm outside, the man did not dare to say anything and took off his clothes obediently.
The more Bi Ming looked at him, the more he frowned.
"I am incompetent, and I can't think of a treatment for the moment." After a while, Bi Ming let go of the man and said a little decadently.
Although it is said that even doctors with great medical skills can still have diseases that cannot be cured, but seeing the patient standing in front of him and being unable to do anything about it, Bi Ming still felt a little uncomfortable.
Master Song Zhong gave him this name not because he wanted him to kill the patient, but because he hoped he could kill the disease. Just like Song Zhong, he also wanted to kill the disease.
"It's not urgent. I'll think about it after I get back. According to my guess, what they are suffering from is probably not an ordinary bug, but a parasite. If you can find a treatment and make it popular, I will give it to you."
You make a marquis." Zhao Kuo patted Bi Ming's shoulder and signaled the man to put on his clothes.
Schistosomiasis is so harmful that the number of people who die from schistosomiasis every year far exceeds that of a single war.
If Bi Ming could find a treatment method that could be popularized, it would not be an exaggeration to be granted the title of Marquis.
"If we can save the world from the suffering of diseases, what does it matter if we are granted a title or not?" Bi Ming smiled bitterly and shook his head. He followed Zhao Kuo, not because only Zhao Kuo could keep everyone fed and clothed.
Live an ideal life?
Only Zhao Kuo could bring corresponding status to doctors and promote their development.
Otherwise, no matter how much money Zhao Kuo gave him, he would not stay in the court.
After returning to Gusu, Zhao Kuo ordered to recruit some doctors from Chu, including former imperial doctors of Chu, but they had little experience with this disease.
But this is normal. If schistosomiasis was so easy to deal with, it would not still exist until the 21st century.
Zhao Kuo kept them anyway and told them that whoever can develop a treatment method that can be popularized will be granted the title of Marquis!
The pie painted by Zhao Kuo greatly inspired these doctors to study day and night.
After all, not everyone is like Bi Ming, who regards fame and fame as nothing.
Half a month later, the four Xiangzi people arrived in Gusu from Handan.
After learning about the situation, I immediately joined the research.
When the local people learned that Zhao Guo was here to rescue them, they also cooperated one after another and gradually recognized Zhao Guo in their hearts.
Over the years, Zhao State was the first to organize doctors to help them. Before this, no country or government had even looked at them.
Regardless of whether it can be cured or not, this gesture alone is enough to warm their hearts.
However, things did not go so smoothly. Although Zhao Kuo summoned a group of doctors with the best medical skills in the entire Zhao Kingdom and gave them all the help they could, no treatment method was found.
There is not even a way to alleviate it.
The good news is that through several months of research and investigation, Xiangzi and others have determined that everyone is indeed suffering from schistosomiasis, and have found a way to reproduce and spread schistosomiasis.
Their eggs hatch into larvae in the water, burrow into the snails to reproduce, and give birth to more schistosomiasis floating in the water. When they encounter people or animals, they burrow into their bodies, causing schistosomiasis.
Oncomelania are an indispensable part of the reproduction and spread of schistosomiasis. Without snails, schistosomiasis cannot reproduce and people will not get schistosomiasis.
After Zhao Kuo learned about it, he immediately ordered the reclamation corps to stop reclaiming wasteland and instead build water conservancy projects, fill in old ditches, dig new ditches, and kill snails to curb the proliferation of schistosomiasis.
At the same time, officials in various places were ordered to organize local people to capture snails, open ditches, and fill the ditches where the snails were overflowing. Schistosomiasis must be contained at all costs.
Not only that, Zhao Kuo also issued notices to the world through slanderous newspapers, announcing the ten parasites that are most harmful to humans, including schistosomiasis, roundworms, Toxoplasma gondii, hookworms, tapeworms, and pinworms.
He also promised that no matter who could solve a parasitic disease, he would be granted a title.
There are too many parasites that are rampant these days, and schistosomiasis is just one of them. There are many other parasites, especially in the south. Due to the warm climate and dense water network, it is very suitable for the growth of parasites.
People everywhere are suffering from parasites and suffer unspeakably.
Chu State has never developed southward, and the nobles of Chu State are unwilling to go south. This is not only because the south is uncivilized.
If it was just uncivilized, relying on abundant precipitation, warm climate, and fertile soil, it could develop in a few decades at most. Why risk your life and go against the Chu royal family?
In fact, moving to the south is also life-threatening, and the risk is not small.
Taking the total success rate into account, it is better to set the table with the Chu royal family.
This is also why in history, the development of the South occurred after the Five Husties, the An-Shi Rebellion, and the Jingkang Disgrace. Only when the Hu people moved south, the Northerners were forced to move south, and the South was gradually developed.
Normally, no one would want to come here.
In addition, Zhao Kuo also ordered legions stationed in various places to go into the mountains to hunt ferocious beasts.
There are many mountains and forests in the south, and there are many ferocious beasts in the mountains and forests. The ferocious beasts often come down from the mountains and harm the local people, forcing the people to flee to other places.
It is no exaggeration to say that there are more beasts than people these days.
It is difficult for individuals to fight against large-scale ferocious beasts, so they can only send large armies to encircle and suppress them.
The army can also benefit from it. The meat of ferocious beasts contains a lot of essence, which is of great benefit to the human body and may also improve the state of internal energy.
The two armies with the highest average internal energy level in the Zhao Kingdom are the Navy and the Great Wall Army.
The navy was made by eating fish, and the Great Wall Army was made by eating ferocious beasts in the Northeast.
When they were fighting in the Northeast, even ordinary soldiers of the Great Wall Army had the opportunity to eat the meat of extraordinary beasts.
Unfortunately, everyone has different talents. Some people have eaten a lot of human flesh, but their strength has not improved at all.
During this period, all parts of Chu State were completely pacified, and at least on the surface, all forces had surrendered to Zhao State.
Zhao Kuo built docks and shipyards at the mouth of the Yangtze River as another starting point for maritime trade routes. He also built a series of fishery-related industries.
Then a ceramics factory was built in Jingdezhen. The soil here was suitable for firing ceramics. The fired ceramics were more beautiful than those from other places and were easier to sell at a higher price.
In some mountainous areas where farming and sericulture are inconvenient, tea gardens are planned.
Tea during this period had just begun to develop and was not really popular yet, but this did not affect its importance.
In fact, Zhao's tea is particularly popular in the northern grasslands and Western countries.
Nutritional value aside, tea has a very important role, which is that it can make unpleasant water taste better. Once you get used to it, it has a certain degree of addiction, so you don't have to worry about sales.
Zhao State used to be located in the north, which was not suitable for growing tea. There was not much tea produced every year, and it could not become the mainstay of Zhao State's industry like silk and paper.
However, after the tea garden is planned, it will not be long before Zhao Guo's tea production will be increased and it will become Zhao Guo's new cash cow.