The news of the plague in Songzhou soon spread to Chang'an as the trust eagle spread its wings.
This was something Guo Song did not expect. He thought the two sides would confront each other for a year or two, but he did not expect that the epidemic would end the war in just a few months.
But what Guo Song is more concerned about is the epidemic itself. Will Zhu Si's army bring the epidemic to Bianzhou? Will the epidemic break out in Songcheng County, and then the people of Songcheng County will bring the epidemic to nearby prefectures and counties, and even bring the epidemic to Bianzhou?
to the refugee camp.
Thinking that the epidemic would spread in the refugee camps, and the consequences would be unimaginable, Guo Song became extremely worried. He immediately sent an order to Li Bing, ordering him to take all measures to prevent the spread of the epidemic. At the same time, he ordered Jiangnan and Jianghuai to collect lime and transport it to Yanzhou and Bozhou by ship.
, and at the same time, thousands of experienced doctors were recruited in Jianghuai and Jiangnan to support Yanzhou and Bozhou.
In the political hall, Guo Song and the seven prime ministers urgently discussed the countermeasures. Everyone expressed their opinions one after another.
"Your Highness, I think it is necessary to set up a halfway isolation camp and an observation camp."
Pan Liao participated in the fight against the plague in Hexi more than ten years ago and has rich experience. He knows that isolation is the most important. The key is not to allow patients to enter healthy people, so all people must be screened for disease-free.
"A large number of cavalry must also be sent to intercept the refugees and drive them to isolation camps and observation camps."
Guo Song looked at the map and said: "It's really hard to guard against. What if someone in Bianzhou and Caozhou is infected and flees to Yanzhou? We must evacuate the refugee camps to the east and south, and we must also find effective medicine to prevent the epidemic.
"
Prime Minister Zhang Qianyi said from the side: "Your Highness is right, prevention is very important. We should tell the people to wash their hands frequently, boil the water for drinking, it is best to boil the bowls and chopsticks before eating, and go to the toilet far away from where they live, so they should practice these habits
, can greatly reduce the spread of the disease."
Guo Song took a few steps with his hands behind his back and said decisively: "We must do the following things immediately. First, establish four isolation camps and observation camps in the east, west, north and south a hundred miles away from Songcheng County, and send 50,000 cavalry to Bozhou and
Yanzhou provides support.
Second, move two refugee camps to Chuzhou south of the Huaihe River, build five refugee camps, and mobilize all ships in Jiangnan and Jianghuai to provide relocation support.
Third, the imperial court allocated 500,000 yuan to purchase medicinal materials from various places.
Fourth, start delivering supplies to Chuzhou, including all reserve tents in Chang'an.
Fifth, immediately stop ferries on the Yellow River, Huaihe River and Yangtze River, except for ships going to Chuzhou for support.
Sixth, seal the borders and strictly prohibit the people of Bianzhou, Huazhou, and Caozhou from entering our territory."
Du You immediately objected: "Your Highness, it is inappropriate to block the border. It will cause serious human disasters in these three states. We should send troops to guide them to Puzhou and establish a new refugee camp in Puzhou. We will transport supplies to Puzhou through the Yellow River."
."
"Wei Chen supports Du Xiangguo's opinion!"
Cao Wannian said: "Isolation camps and observation camps can be established at the Puzhou border. Only after making sure that there is no infection can one go to the Puzhou refugee camp."
Guo Song waved his hand, "Let's talk about it, everyone! Let's put together all the opinions and divide them into three plans: urgent, serious and slow, and then implement them step by step."
Everyone discussed until late at night, and finally drafted a detailed plan. Their details even considered how to transport coal from Yanzhou to the Chuzhou camp as fuel for boiling water. Finally, Guo Song appointed Right Minister Pan Liao.
Serve as commander.
Everyone is aware that this epidemic has a major impact. If it is not handled well, it will bring a long-term heavy burden to the court. The court must go all out to fight the epidemic.
On the morning of the next day, as Guo Song's handwritings flew to Bozhou and Yanzhou, to Jiangnan and Jianghuai, various places began to take emergency action. More than one million refugees from the two major refugee camps in Yanzhou and Bozhou began to travel along the Surabaya and Bian Rivers.
The evacuation to the south was huge and spectacular. At the same time, tens of thousands of ships from the Yangtze River, Huaihe River and Jiangnan moved northward, transporting supplies, food, the elderly, the weak, women and children.
Yang Meng led 15,000 cavalry into Songzhou and established two large camps in the south and east of Songzhou. These two camps were further subdivided into two, one was an isolation camp and the other was an observation camp.
You can go directly to the isolation camp and take medicine for treatment. If you have no symptoms, you can go to the observation camp. If you are fine for three days, you can continue to go south.
At the same time, Li Bing sent General Zhang Wentao into Songzhou with 15,000 cavalry and established isolation camps and observation camps in the north and east.
Li Bing knew that he was not being alarmist. He had already received news that the situation in Songcheng County was not optimistic.
Songcheng County was not spared by Qiu Jingzhong's fire, and the epidemic still broke out among the army.
The source of the disease was not in the tents or food, but in the tents and the removal of tents. The soldiers who carried the goods hid a large amount of property found in the rear army camp. They all had a sense of luck, and their greed overcame the fear of the disease.
Another group of soldiers were infected when the camp was dismantled, so the disease outbreaks in the military camp did not occur one after another, but occurred simultaneously, and thousands of soldiers fell ill.
The sudden outbreak of the epidemic almost always occurred at night, which caught Qiu Jingzhong off guard. He urgently ordered thousands of sick soldiers to be sent to isolation camps.
Although the military doctors tried their best to prevent it, they still could not stop the rapid spread of the epidemic. Two days later, more than 5,000 soldiers were infected, and the condition began to get out of control. At the same time, thousands of patients also appeared in the city, and the entire Songcheng County was enveloped.
In fear.
Qiu Jingzhong was also distraught. Apart from ordering the city gates to be closed and no one allowed to leave the city, he could not think of any other response. He fell ill, isolated, died of illness, buried, fell ill again, isolated again, died of illness again, and buried.
This plague lasts only two to three days from onset to death. Basically, it is endless diarrhea, and finally death from dehydration.
At night, hundreds of men and women, dragging their families and elders, secretly climbed up to the south city. They used the yard close to the city wall to set up long ladders to climb up. After climbing up, they used rope ladders to climb down from the other end of the city.
After climbing up dozens of people, they were finally discovered by soldiers on patrol.
"Someone is fleeing the city!"
The soldiers rushed over, and dozens of people on the top of the city were in chaos. Some people jumped directly into the moat, some ran away, some knelt down and begged, and a few people thought they were smart and shouted: "I have been infected, you are not allowed to touch me."
I!"
The soldiers really did not dare to touch them, so they stabbed several of them to death with spears.
Qiu Jingzhong's eldest son Qiu Yuan was on duty tonight. After receiving the news, he also hurried over.
"Don't kill indiscriminately, let them all go!"
Dozens of people knelt in front of Qiu Yuan and cried loudly, "Master, please let us out of the city! We are not infected with the disease, but if we stay in the city, we will not survive!"
Qiu Yuan sighed, "Where can you go after you leave the city? There are hundreds of miles of desolate people outside, and there are corpses of soldiers who died of illness everywhere. There is no food, and it is easy to get sick. It is better to stay in the city, at least there will be some food."
"We have dry food and can escape to Bozhou. There is a refugee camp there to accept us."
Qiu Yuan was in a dilemma, so he had to say: "You go home first, and I will ask the coach. If the coach is willing to let you go, let's go! I won't stop you."
Dozens of people had no choice but to return to the city. Qiu Yuan hurried to the military camp and found his father.
Qiu Jingzhong sneered and said, "I won't stop them from leaving, but I will leave the grain and livestock behind."
"Father, without food, they can't survive even if they leave the city!"
"Then I don't care. Since they want to betray me, why should I care about their life or death?"
Qiu Yuan was speechless, and he asked in a low voice: "Then what should we do in the future? Father, do you have any ideas?"
Qiu Jingzhong looked out the window with his hands behind his hands, and said slowly for a long time: "I got the news that Xiao Wanding's army stopped in Bianzhou, and his condition is very serious. I speculate that they are likely to withdraw to Luoyang. Once there are no troops stationed in Bianzhou, I will directly
Capture Bianzhou, Caozhou and Puzhou, and give up Songzhou!"
"What should we do about the epidemic in Songcheng County?"
Qiu Jingzhong turned around and glared at him fiercely, and said with a sarcastic face: "I didn't expect that you are really a living Bodhisattva. Take care of yourself first! We are just like mud Bodhisattvas crossing the river, and we can no longer protect ourselves."
Qiu Yuan sighed in his heart, bowed and retreated.
Four or five days later, the epidemic in the city became more and more serious and was completely out of control. More than 10,000 soldiers were infected, and it was impossible to count the number of civilians who were infected. Many people buried corpses at will, causing groundwater to be contaminated, so that the epidemic spread throughout the city.
There was a big outburst, and there were cries all over the city.
At this time, Qiu Jingzhong finally got the news he wanted. Xiao Wanding returned to the capital with 50,000 healthy soldiers, leaving Li Ji to deal with tens of thousands of sick people.
Qiu Jingzhong decided to abandon Songcheng County and led his army to Bianzhou. He simultaneously opened the city gates and let the people out of the city. At the same time, he sent troops to drive a large number of people to flee north.
This was Qiu Jingzhong's purpose. He had long known that the Jin army had blocked the road to the north. He first released the people to contain the Jin army, so that his army could take the opportunity to break out.
Hundreds of thousands of people, as if trying to escape from hell, flocked out of the city with their families and fled in all directions.