The woman said the rooster crows, the scholar said "Medan", and the early 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 and close their eyes to meditate. If they find the smell unpleasant, they will also 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 cesspool, yawn, and think about the work to be done today, and these excrement will be directly
Feed it to the black-headed piglets at home.
The lowest-ranking people, common people and merchants, have small houses 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, and stick their buttocks out.
They would often meet with their neighbors to defecate. The two would sit side by side, gossiping and even sharing a toilet chip. The nobles of Xianyang had begun to use paper to wipe their toilets, but they had never even seen what the paper looked 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, when people in Xiangxian County are in emergency, they will find a place to relieve themselves on the street. 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, the filth 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 the heavy rain that the streets are filled with filth.
into the river.
The streets are a bit cleaner, but the river water is polluted. A few 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 are dissatisfied with the heat take off their clothes.
Jumping into the river to swim and play around, little did they know that countless tiny insects were shaking their bodies and burrowing 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 Xiang 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 in the upper reaches of Xiangcheng was moved dozens of miles upstream. The Changsha Prefecture, forced by the Marquis of Changnan, sent corvees to dig deep pits in the streets and alleys of the city, and built a building on top.
building.
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. The Qianshou of Xiangcheng still goes its own way. Among the people who urinate and defecate in the streets, there are even some
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 troubles caused by this 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, "Xianyang, Jiangling, and Anlu all have this method, and Wuchang and Liting camps have also implemented it."
Finally, Heifu once again blocked the mouth of the county guard by saying that Ziying was ill. 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 fined 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 Mr. Hei.
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, wearing a red armband on their right hand, which was 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 at 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 even the title of "Public Toilet General" was spread among the people. His reputation was really bad.
Who among the future generations of leaders involved in the field of creative, cultural, creative and public health has not been scolded to death by the people in the county?
"It's so stupid that I don't know that the Marquis of Changnan did this for their own good."
Ziying shook his head, feeling unworthy of 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, there are still people throwing feces on the streets of Xiangcheng at night to vent their dissatisfaction with the government.
In rural areas outside the city, few public toilets are even neglected. Local people still apply fresh manure directly to the paddy fields without composting and retting, and trample barefoot in the fields. As for the government-advocated practice
Drinking well water or storing river water for 3 days before boiling it for drinking is not done 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 military 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. Rice, soup, fish, mountains are full of fruits and vegetables, and rivers are full of clams. Therefore, the local people do not wait for business. 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 crops are coarsely planted and harvested, there are still two crops a year, 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 food and clothing without working hard day and night. Who would be willing to work hard and figure out how to make the land better?
Increase food production!
Lazy, this is the eternal nature of human beings. If you can sit, you will never stand, and if you can lie down, you will never sit. Thanks to the dense population of the Central Plains, the unpredictable droughts and floods, and the four distinct seasons, people's livelihood is difficult and they have to think hard to survive.
It has created the hard-working character in the bones of the nation, so that Chinese people can laugh at people in Southeast Asia and Africa for being lazy two thousand years later.
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, and edema disease with large abdomen and thin limbs can be seen everywhere.
"We still have to use severe punishments and force the heads 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 some considerations. The elimination of schistosomiasis in future generations will depend on the elimination of snails. This 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 the infection.
Therefore, preliminary prevention can only be carried out by cutting off the channels of infection. People in the epidemic area wash toilets by the river, defecate everywhere, apply fresh excrement and grazing cattle, etc., which will pollute the water source, control people's buttocks, and mix the excrement with
Mixing urine with compost and treating it harmlessly can greatly reduce the infection rate. And promoting drinking boiled water will not eliminate the disease, but it 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, which 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 excrement that fills the streets and the lingering mosquitoes and flies in Xiang County, but passers-by are accustomed to it and turn a blind eye.
Ignorance means knowing that you are suffering from 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 insects 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 follow the methods of the Yin and Shang Dynasties: cut off the hands of those who abandon Taoism. Use the method of tattooing characters on the buttocks to punish those who persist in admonishment.
Heifu praised his fantastic idea, but then said: "Can the government just come forward and impose severe punishments to solve the problem once and for all?"
The harsh punishments include strong drugs, tattooing of people urinating and defecating everywhere, having their hands chopped off in toilet bowls at water sources, and having their feet chopped off when swimming in rivers. This will indeed scare away many people.
But this cannot win their gratitude. There is only resentment in the hearts of the people. I cut off your hands and feet for your own good. Who can understand? Once the government loses its dominance, they will happily overthrow the evil law. What happened in the past will remain so in the future.
Same as before.
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 at stake in life and death. 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 the arrival of Heifu, paper began to become popular in the world. Four years ago, he even 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 right away, but if it persists, it will nourish the blood.
Give birth to a healthy body...
Studying medicine cannot save the people from the ignorance disease, 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 people of our generation, even in rural areas, have been told since childhood that we should wash our hands before eating, diseases come from the mouth, and we should not drink raw water.
Of course, these things did not pop up out of thin air from the minds of the elders. Where 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"
Doctor'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.
This matter may not see any results 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!"