met free Chapter 1281 After a great disaster, there will inevitably be a great plague.
Chapter 1281 After a great disaster, there will inevitably be a great plague.
Chapter 1281 After a great disaster, there will inevitably be a great plague.
Although the drought in Zishui County was relieved, an epidemic quietly arrived.
The epidemic first broke out in the slums on the outskirts of the county. At first, there were only sporadic cases of vomiting, diarrhea, high fever, and delirium. The county government, preoccupied with post-disaster reconstruction, did not pay much attention, attributing it to a cold or acclimatization issues.
However, within ten days, the terrifying disease spread like wildfire, carrying the chilling winds of death. The town's pharmacies were overwhelmed with customers, and groans replaced the nascent signs of recovery.
The situation was even worse in the countryside. The already weakened bodies were like rotten dams, collapsing at the slightest touch in the face of the plague.
White banners were hung in every village and hamlet, and there were more people carrying coffins and digging up graves than working in the fields. The air was no longer filled with the stench of earth, but with a heavy sense of despair and the cloying, sweet stench of rotting corpses.
"Three more have collapsed! The Wang family on East Street, all five members... are all bedridden!"
"The porridge stalls in the south of the city had just opened when several people fainted and vomited all over the place while queuing to get porridge!"
"I heard that in Old Li Village... the family line has ended..."
"Good heavens, this is driving people to their deaths!"
Panic, like the plague itself, was eroding people's hearts at an even faster pace. In the county government office, County Magistrate Hao, who had just been awarded the title of hero of post-disaster reconstruction, looked even worse than a wilted eggplant and paced anxiously in his office.
His desk was piled high with urgent reports of the number of infections and deaths, each one weighing heavily on his heart. Beads of sweat streamed down his temples, and his usually neatly combed hair was disheveled.
"Isolate them! Enclose all those who are infected! Where are the doctors? Have all the doctors in and out of the city been summoned?" County Magistrate Hao's voice was exceptionally hoarse.
“It’s fenced off… but there’s not enough space, not enough people to look after it, and even the food delivery people don’t dare to get too close… and the doctors… some of the doctors have caught it themselves…” The secretary’s voice was choked with sobs as she held up another latest death notice.
County Magistrate Hao slumped into his armchair, feeling utterly dejected, when suddenly he remembered something.
"White Deer Plain! How many people have been reported infected with the plague there?"
The secretary was taken aback by his question. After thinking carefully for a moment, she hesitated and replied, "Well... it seems... I haven't heard any urgent reports from Bailuyuan. It's just... just like usual, reporting things about security and spring planting. Could it be... that someone is deliberately concealing the extent of the disaster?"
"Concealing the extent of the disaster?" County Chief Hao slammed his hand on the table, the mahogany surface making a dull thud. "Bullshit! How could such a massive epidemic be concealed?!"
The secretary trembled with fear and dared not utter a sound.
"Phone! Quickly! Call Guanzhong University, find Mr. Bai! No, find Principal Bai! Immediately! Right now!"
Inside the president's office at Guanzhong University, the phone rang urgently, shattering the tranquility of the academic hall. Qin Hao picked up the receiver, and County Head Hao's voice, distorted with excitement and fear, immediately burst forth:
"Zihan! It's me, Hao Weicheng!" County Chief Hao stammered, rapidly describing the devastating outbreak and loss of control of the epidemic, his words earnest, even pleading: "...It's extremely urgent! I know you're in Bailuyuan... Last year, even with such a huge disaster, Bailuyuan remained unscathed! You...you must have a way! For...for the sake of last time...for the sake of the hundreds of thousands of people in Zishui..."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. Qin Hao knew perfectly well what County Chief Hao meant by "last time"—Lu Zhaopeng's plan to cover up the execution at the execution ground would never have succeeded if County Chief Hao, this local strongman, hadn't taken such a huge risk to cooperate, providing the venue and manpower to handle the "corpse" and transport it. This favor had to be repaid.
"County Chief Hao, don't panic. Although the epidemic is severe, it is not insurmountable. I cannot come in person right now, but I can tell you about a set of epidemic prevention and control methods that Bailuyuan has been using since last year. However, whether you can get through it depends on your execution and luck."
County Magistrate Hao was overjoyed: "Go ahead and tell me! Go ahead and tell me! I'll write it down! I'll write it down word for word!"
"The first and fundamental rule: water!" "All drinking water must be boiled for at least 15 minutes before it is safe to drink! No matter if it is well water, river water, or rainwater, no matter how clean it looks! This is a matter of life and death, and it must be enforced! Set up hot water supply points in the county town, major resettlement sites, and village entrances, with dedicated personnel on duty to ensure that everyone has access to boiled water. Control the water sources at the source, assign personnel to guard them, and prohibit direct access."
"Secondly, isolate filth: Immediately designate areas in the county town and all villages, far from water sources and residences, and dig deep pits to serve as designated public toilets. Excrement must be centrally buried. All filth must not be dumped at will! Every household must provide its own chamber pot and dispose of waste in the designated locations. Personnel will be dispatched to patrol, and violators will be severely punished! This step cuts off the source of pollution."
"Thirdly, clean up the source: corpses! County Chief Hao, these are extremely ominous objects! Immediately organize reliable personnel to conduct centralized and unified cremation! Execute immediately! No burial is allowed, no temporary resting of the body! Anyone who disobeys this order, no matter who they are, will be forcibly disposed of! Diseases spread most widely among rotting corpses, so there is no room for hesitation! The cremation site should be located far from residential areas and downwind, with a deep pit dug, and the body thoroughly burned before burying. Those handling the corpses must wash their hands and change clothes for disinfection with lime water."
"Article 4, disinfection of sources of infection: In the county town and all villages affected by the epidemic, all ground surfaces, ditches, garbage dumps, and the interior and exterior walls and floors of the homes of patients should be splashed with large amounts of lime water twice a day, morning and evening! Sufficient lime must be purchased, as it is a life-saving substance! Patients' vomit and excrement should be covered with a thick layer of quicklime."
"Article 5, Isolation and containment: Existing patients will be centrally relocated to open areas outside the city, where independent, simple shacks will be erected and guarded by designated personnel. Asymptomatic individuals should also reduce their movement. Unless absolutely necessary, inter-village and inter-village interactions should be temporarily reduced. All gatherings in the county will be suspended."
"Sixth, replenish fluids and strengthen the body: Patients who vomit and have diarrhea lose water and salt from their bodies extremely quickly, dying even faster than the disease itself! Give them diluted salt water! Drink plenty of it! Add just a little salt to the water, just enough to make it salty, and keep giving it to them! This can keep them alive! If possible, also get some sugar, making sugar-salt water even better! This is a method that can save a large number of people!"
On the other end of the phone came County Chief Hao's heavy breathing and the scribbling of a pen on paper, clearly indicating that he was remembering things very quickly.
"Principal Bai, you...you are the second parents of Zishui! I, Hao Weicheng, kowtow to you on behalf of all the people of the county!" He really wanted to kowtow into the phone.
"County Chief Hao, you're exaggerating. Execute it as soon as possible; time is of the essence. Remember, execution must be thorough, swift, and strict! When the people are in a state of panic, a firm stance can actually stabilize the situation. The key is to give them hope for survival."
After hanging up the phone, County Chief Hao felt as if he had been given a shot of adrenaline, and his dejection vanished.
"Quickly! Notify all department heads to assemble in the lobby immediately!"
The fight against the epidemic in Zishui County unfolded with near-military efficiency under the unprecedentedly tough measures of County Chief Hao.
Government officials, local militia, conscripted laborers, and even some of the remaining able-bodied disaster victims were mobilized. Truckloads of quicklime were urgently purchased and piled up along major transportation routes. The air in the county town and the hardest-hit villages began to fill with a strong, dry, and pungent smell of quicklime.
Hot water supply points were quickly set up on main streets and at city gates. Public toilets, dug deep into designated areas outside the city, were hastily constructed. Even more chilling was the cremation ground outside the city, where fires burned day and night, billowing thick smoke. Though desolate and cruel, it served as a steadfast firewall, attempting to stop the continued rampage of death.
Wearing masks, the officials patrolled door-to-door, strictly enforcing the drinking of salt water and designated defecation points. The county also organized salt supply points.
Initially, the coercive measures triggered widespread panic and resistance. In particular, the burning of relatives' bodies challenged the bottom line of traditional filial piety, with some families wailing and even attempting to snatch the corpses.
But County Chief Hao was determined this time, and dispatched a small number of guards he could still control to maintain order. Under the blood-stained slogan "Execute immediately, those who disobey military orders will be killed without mercy" and several deafening gunshots, the chaos was forcibly suppressed.
As the measures were gradually implemented, especially for those patients who were vomiting and having diarrhea and had given up hope of dying, many of them actually did not experience a rapid deterioration in their condition after drinking saline solution for a few days. Some were even able to open their eyes and drink some thin porridge! These examples of survival were more powerful than any preaching. Fear was gradually replaced by a glimmer of hope for survival.
While the outside world was ravaged by plague and people were filled with fear, Bailuyuan seemed to be blessed by the gods, becoming a peaceful and tranquil paradise.
Thanks to the earth-shaking "work-for-relief" road construction project last year, the villagers of Bailuyuan, under the leadership of Qin Hao, not only had enough to eat, but also pooled their labor to dig and build a network of irrigation canals.
These water conservancy projects, which were measured and designed by students from Guanzhong University, cleverly guide and store the streams and ditches flowing through the plateau.
The pain of waterlessness during last year's drought was still fresh in Bai Jiaxuan's mind, so he knew that the irrigation canal was the lifeline. Before winter, he used his authority as clan chief and his organizational skills to mobilize all the labor force in the village to maintain and dredge it.
At this moment, the abundant spring rain nourishes the parched land, and through those wide and sturdy irrigation canals, like blood vessels, it evenly delivers the water of life to every field.
"Brother, your wheat is growing really well! It's better than my two acres!" an old man said to his neighbor, leaning on his hoe.
"Thanks to God, and even more so to our clan chief and Zihan! Look at this water, wow, it flows right down the ditch, something we wouldn't have dared to dream of last year!"
The neighbor couldn't hide his smugness.
"That's right! Brother Bai's family must have had some incredible luck to produce such a capable person as Zihan! Not only can he build roads and provide disaster relief, but he can also irrigate the fields! This irrigation canal is the lifeline of our plateau!"
The man next to him loudly echoed.
Bai Jiaxuan had heard these words so many times that he was practically numb to them these past few days. No matter where he went—in the village alleyways, in the fields, or under the old locust tree at the village entrance—he could always hear the villagers discussing these things with respect and gratitude.
Bai Jiaxuan stood with his hands behind his back, his back ramrod straight, wearing a clean, starched Chinese-style jacket, a melon-shaped hat on his head, and his chin slightly raised.
His face remained calm and dignified, with a slight nod and the occasional polite remark such as "hmm," "all good," or "we're at the mercy of fate."
But upon closer inspection, a barely perceptible smile was hidden in his deep eyes.
Time flies. While Bailuyuan was peaceful and striving to recover, the plague battlefield in Zishui County, which was like a purgatory, finally saw the dawn after months of fierce fighting, thanks to the strong implementation of Qin Hao's "six measures" by County Chief Hao.
The death toll has grown at an extremely slow pace, with almost no new cases. The thick smoke from the crematorium has died down, the pungent smell of lime water has faded, and although there are few pedestrians on the street, the atmosphere of sorrow and despair has finally subsided, and a glimmer of life after the disaster is gradually emerging.
In the simple and quiet study of Bailu Academy, an old friend who had been "sleeping" for a long time finally recovered from the near-death experience he had just escaped half a year ago.
As his health improved, his heart, destined to wander through the turbulent world of war, could no longer be restrained. One late spring evening, Lu Zhaopeng packed his extremely simple belongings and slowly walked to Mr. Zhu's study.
"gentlemen."
Mr. Zhu put down the book in his hand, raised his head, and in his insightful eyes, there was no surprise, only deep concern.
"Is the injury healed?"
“Alright, thank you for your concern, sir.” Lu Zhaopeng straightened up, his gaze earnest and firm: “Sir, your student… should be going now.”
“Go,” Mr. Zhu said softly. “I know you are destined for great things. This world needs people like you to fight and forge ahead. I won’t ask where you’re going, nor what you’re going to do. I only have one piece of advice for you to remember: —”
"The road ahead is treacherous, fraught with danger at every turn. You only have one life. Think thrice before you act, plan carefully before you move. As long as you're alive, you can always rebuild."
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhaopeng felt a surge of warmth in his heart, and a lump formed in his throat. These past six months of recuperation had been a time of healing, but also a period of profound learning. Mr. Zhu hadn't lectured him on grand patriotic ideals, nor reprimanded him for his unorthodox ways; he had only urged him to cherish his life and to be discreet. This concern moved him more deeply than any grand encouragement.
He took a step back, brushed aside the hem of his robe, straightened his back, knelt down heavily, and slammed his forehead against the cold, hard blue brick floor.
"Sir, your teachings are as precious as gold, etched deep within my heart, and I will never forget them! Furthermore, please, sir, convey a message to Zihan for me... The two acts of saving my life are as deep as the ocean. I fear I can never repay them in this life, I can only... repay them in the next!"
There were no more words. Lu Zhaopeng took one last look at the elegant courtyard and his teacher, who was like a father to him, his eyes filled with complex emotions. He clasped his hands deeply in respect, turned around, and strode out of the study.
Time flies, and the wheat fields of Bailuyuan, under the diligent care of the farmers, turned from green to yellow. The golden sea rolled and surged under the warm autumn sun of 1931, filled with the joy of surviving a disaster and the anticipation of a bountiful harvest. This autumn harvest was of extraordinary significance to the people of Zishui County, who had experienced a severe drought and plague; it was a real way to survive and a source of hope.
However, this tranquility is destined to be as fleeting as crystal.
On a seemingly ordinary autumn morning, a huge headline, as red as a blood-red javelin, exploded across the land of China like a thunderclap.