"If I want to go back to the Great Song Dynasty, the old route passes through the epidemic area, why don't I just take the desert road of Dakuhu Lake?" The Great Song mission was doing paper work on the map.

In addition to receiving support for the sanitary and epidemic prevention technology of the Eastern Romans, there were also requests to retreat from Europe and return to the Great Song Dynasty. The reason is very, very high-sounding, Mongolia moved to the Lianghe River Valley, and the Great Song envoys stayed in Europe to be very worthless. Everyone has experienced so much work, and they are all rare talents in Dasong.

As for the reason behind the scenes, it is very simple, Zhao Jiaren didn't have any other thoughts when he first heard about the plague in Europe, but he just felt that the Europeans would not be in personal hygiene. Later, after receiving the news of the plague rampant in the Mamluk territory, Zhao Jiaren suddenly remembered the history of black disease in the Middle Ages. Although he can't remember the specific time, Zhao Jiaren still remembered that there was such a thing. In Zhao Jiaren's state of mind, he could not accept that thousands of people would stay in Europe and wait for death, so he ordered the Great Song Mission and the personnel of the Mediterranean fleet to prepare for a full evacuation.

Yang Congrong, who was in charge of intelligence gathering rather than the Great Song ambassador to Eastern Rome, did not participate in the discussion, but only made up his mind to leave. The Yang family had a confrontation with Zhao Jiaren, and finally ended in a miserable defeat. Yang Congrong was more inclined to listen to Zhao Jiaren's orders.

Living in a distant foreign land, facing an unfamiliar city and an unfamiliar crowd, Yang's calm way to solve his sadness is to read. Reading can re-experience familiarity in one's spirit, and familiarity will bring peace of mind. He had already finished reading the book he had brought with him, and now he sat in his chair and looked at the newly brought "Social Contract Theory", and the words "Zhao Jiaren" were printed in lead on the author's place.

Even in a foreign country, the little book itself is a bit boring to read. This kind of mere concept transmission is always boring. Yang calmly and patiently looked into it, because Zhao Jiaren discussed the 'rights and obligations' between the state and the people, and also talked a lot about power.

'The state came after the people...... Individuals of humanity gather into tribes to provide security and survival for their members...... The rights and duties of the tribal alliance were institutionalized into power and obedience...... The monarch's power is granted by heaven, or the people's will is the will of heaven...... When the Great Song Dynasty was unable to fulfill its obligations, to resist foreign invasion in the mode of ruling the world together between officials and scholars, and to protect the rights of the people of the Great Song Dynasty, the state system of Lin'an began to disintegrate...... With the complete incapacity of the system, the surrender of Lin'an became an inevitable result'

The part about Zhao Jiaren's seizure of power is the part that Yang Congrong can understand the most, and it is also the part that he can understand, but he can't help but choke. The Yang family, like the Empress Dowager Xie Daoqing at the time, felt that their identity represented everything, but they did not expect that the foundation that supported their power would have collapsed long ago.

Zhao Jiaren, who was regarded by many of the Yang family as a usurper, constructed a new system with additional rights and obligations from the beginning, and the Yang family only used the cockscomb to decorate the rooster. The aim is not to immediately provoke a violent contradiction. After all, Zhao Jiaren was only one of the many Zhao clan relatives at that time, and if he established himself as emperor, there would immediately be a deep rupture within the Great Song Dynasty.

Putting down the book, Yang calmly sighed deeply. When you really look back at history, you will feel a kind of emotion, what you thought was unbelievable at the time, and when the dust settles, you will feel that the ending has already been decided.

As a result, this sigh attracted everyone's attention, and the ambassador immediately greeted, "Head Yang, do you have any route here?" Or do you think there's something wrong with what I just said? ”

Yang was stunned for a moment before he realized that his actions had been misunderstood, so he hurriedly explained: "It's just that I feel it when I read the book." ”

The ambassador glanced at it and said with a smile: "It turned out to be an official book." ”

Everyone had been discussing for a while, and some people wanted to divert their minds and distract themselves, so they said, "I have tried to read this book several times, but I still don't understand the main point. ”

"The point is that the scholars are unreliable, and the officials are ready to go back to the old way and rely on the people." The ambassador decisively stated his opinion. After finishing speaking, he continued to greet everyone, "Now the retreat route has been roughly determined. One is to pass through the area of the Great Bitter Lake, walk a hundred and ten miles, and go directly to our base in the Red Sea. One is to go east, past the Mongols, to our site in Basra. The third is to sail to the west and circle around the south Zhanbu Continent to meet Tianzhu Ocean. ”

Yang Congrong didn't listen to this, but felt that the ambassador's judgment made him suddenly feel like he had seen the sun. Originally, this system between rights and obligations had already existed, and now Zhao Guanjia wrote "The Theory of Social Contract" with the aim of overthrowing the old system and establishing a new one. Contacting Zhao Jiaren to replace Song Lizong as the royal family of the Great Song Dynasty, this explanation made Yang calm and suddenly enlightened.

"Head Yang, which path do you think is more suitable?" The ambassador asked Yang Congrong.

Yang calmly hasn't returned here for the time being, and this important matter has also been considered before. He casually said, "I think the key for us is to avoid the plague and avoid the Mongols." If it weren't for the very good hygiene model that was adopted when this embassy was established, and we were all vaccinated. Where to go is not a problem, the official family asked us to retreat, naturally so that we can return to the Great Song Dynasty safely. ”

Hearing this, the ambassador's eyes lit up, and it seemed that he had come up with something. Yang calmly shut up with interest, not that he didn't want to take credit, but that all the considerations had already been put together. He didn't really know what path to take.

"I originally thought that the official family wanted us to retreat, but now I think that the official family wants us to be safe. If so, we will go through the territory of the Mongols. The ambassador gave the answer.

"Go to the territory of the Mongols?" Yang was stunned.

"The Mongols did not intercept caravans. I can't evacuate all at once, so we have to evacuate in batches. The ambassador gave the answer.

"Isn't it close to Egypt?"

"On one side there is the plague, and on the other side is the Mongols who killed them when they heard that someone was coming over there. If you go to the side of the Mongols, you will have to fight with the Mongols. More than 1,000 of us have a casual mistake, which is a lot of lives. What if you get sick on the Egyptian side? ”

When they heard that they were going to go through the territory of the Mongols, some people immediately objected, "We will bring water and dry food, and we will not drink local water or eat local food on the way." Just get through Egypt quickly. This should be fine. Walking in Mongolia, will there be no mistakes if it is difficult? We don't have a reliable caravan. The Mongols found out that we were Song people, but I was afraid that we would not be able to leave. ”

Yang Congrong agreed to take the Egyptian route, and there were thousands of people in the Great Song Dynasty, and in the previous wars, the Mongolian army encountered the army of thousands of people in the Great Song Dynasty, and there was basically no way. Everyone is not really going to fight, but marching. After walking the 100-mile road, you can reach the military station at Honghaikou. Everyone can take the boat and sing and go home.

Originally wanted to participate in the crowd of opposition ambassadors, Yang Congrong soon found that the number of opponents was much higher than that of supporters, so that Yang Congrong did not have a chance to interject at all. Just when the ambassador's brows were furrowed and his face was not good, someone came to report it. The Eastern Roman Emperor sent eunuchs over.

When the Eastern Roman eunuchs arrived at the embassy, they only saw the ambassador and a few people such as Yang Congrong. The eunuch's expression was a little angry, and he said bluntly: "His Majesty the Emperor wants you to solve the plague, how did it become a city cleanup." ”

"If the city is very dirty and the air is filled with dirt, how can you expect everyone to be okay." The ambassador unceremoniously pushed back.

Seeing that the ambassador had no intention of backing down, the eunuch couldn't help but say angrily: "Your Majesty asked you to ensure the safety of the princes and nobles first, if the princes and nobles are panicked all day long, where can they still have the heart to govern the country." ”

Yang Congrong was wondering why the ambassador's attitude was suddenly so tough, and he felt that the ambassador probably wanted to make this matter yellow, and then he could retreat smoothly. If the Eastern Roman Empire cried and shouted and hugged the legs of the Great Song Mission and begged for help, the Great Song Mission really had to stay in Constantinople to help deal with the plague.

Listening to the eunuch's speech now, he felt unhappy for a while. In the past ten years, the Great Song Dynasty has often written slogans, and officials and cadres have held meetings at every turn. Hangzhou, like Constantinople, is a waterway. There were many people coming and going from the south to the north, and there were many plagues. Eruptions occur once every year or two, sometimes with the same plague in quick succession. Sometimes the plague is different every time.

It was not until the new epidemic prevention theory came out and the imperial court launched the 'Patriotic Health Month', coupled with various vaccinations, that infectious diseases were effectively restricted. After these officials had to admit that there was no difference between officials and civilians in the face of the plague, they were very disgusted by the practice of not governing the people. The upper classes are generally in good health, but it is precisely the people who are really at risk.

Yang Congrong was unhappy in his heart, and the Great Song Ambassador replied unhappily: "Do you think the plague still divides people?" If you get sick, you will die. ”

"How many people have died, as long as the emperor is still there and the nobles are still there, Eastern Rome will not perish!" The eunuch's answer was equally unpleasant.

Yang Congrong was shocked. The core question discussed at the beginning of the book is 'whether the country is the existing state or the people first', and Zhao Guanjia is clearly the inheritor of Chinese culture, which believes that there are people first and then there is a state. Mencius even advocated that the people should be the most important, and the society should be secondary, and the king should be light. In the upper echelons of the Eastern Roman Empire, the understanding was the exact opposite of Mencius. Obviously, 'the monarch is the most important, the community is secondary, and the people are light'. It seems that the Lin'an court, which surrendered to Mongolia, thought the same thing......

"It's not that no one has been to the Great Song Dynasty in Eastern Rome, our Patriotic Health Month is held every year, and you should know a thing or two if you want to come to Eastern Rome. For us, there is no wasteland for urban sanitation. If you can't use our methods, then be wise. We're going to do this to include the whole city. ”

Having said that, there is no room for negotiation. The eunuch went away angrily, and the Great Song Mission was also in a very unhappy state. Yang Congrong couldn't help but ask, "Is this intentional?" ”

"Deliberate fart." The ambassador said angrily: "Five members of my family died in the plague, and the last thing I can stand is this kind of face!" ”

Yang calmly didn't dare to say anything. If it is about other people's relatives, then there is nothing to talk about. In the past, I thought that the plague was brought by the plague god, and everyone had to succumb to the divine power of the plague god. Now that we know that the plague is just the result of some bacteria invading the human body, humans are fully capable of saving themselves. At this time, many people have a strong attitude towards hygiene and epidemic prevention. Yang Congrong has classmates like this. This kind of emotional thing is not to be discussed, that is, any disagreement will erupt into conflict.

After that, the group continued to discuss how to evacuate. Most of them supported going to Egypt, but in the end the ambassador was unwilling, and everyone had to send a message to Da Song. When Zhao Jiaren received the news, it was already in April 326 of the Great Song Dynasty, which further stimulated Zhao Jiaren's imagination of the Black Death.

Whether the Black Death in history was plague or a variant of the plague is debated in the medical community. But the terrible nature of the black disease itself is terrifying. It is said that the Black Death was brought to Europe by the Mongols during their western expeditions. However, it is also said that the Eastern Romans had long suffered from the plague and suffered heavy casualties.

When the plague began to break out in the port of Messina, a Franciscan friar named Mike was working as a priest in the church there. According to his records, "if anyone were to die of the plague, all those who had visited him, had done business with him, and even carried him to the grave would soon follow in his footsteps." "The plague spread so quickly that carts full of corpses flooded into churches for the final Christian rites.

According to another monk, the scene in the city of Venice was equally horrifying: "Because this disease is transmitted through the respiratory tract, it is transmitted from one person to another when people talk." All patients felt excruciating pain, some trembling all over; As a result, bean nucleated pustules appear in the arms and thighs, which become infected and penetrate the body, causing the patient to vomit blood violently. The horrific symptoms were ineffective and lasted for three days before death. It's not just that talking to a sick person can lead to death, it's that anything you buy, touch, or get from a sick person can be infected and die."

In the face of a sudden plague, people cannot explain it, let alone treat it. In search of sustenance, people flock to churches in anticipation of the protection and comfort of the gods. Led by the pastor, they prayed together and prayed to Heaven to stop the spread of this plague. But nothing came of his prayers. On the contrary, there are more and more dead, and people bury the dead who are sent day and night, and the ceremony becomes very brief. In order to stop the spread of the plague, the houses of the dead were sealed so that no one dared to step into them. However, the plague continued to spread like a flood of beasts, and then it spread to the surrounding villages, and no one was able to escape it. The monk named Mike came to believe that the plague was God's punishment and that humanity was powerless to fight against it. So he began to travel around Sicily, hoping to give people spiritual sustenance along the way. He saw that every evening, people pushed wheelbarrows and shouted everywhere with bells in their hands: "Collect the dead bodies, collect the dead bodies", so every household carried out the bodies of the deceased, loaded them into the cars, and pushed them outside the city to be burned. There is no intention of sending the dead to church for funerals, and in fact many pastors have died.

Twenty or thirty million people died in the whole of Europe. Zhao Jiaren found that if this was the case, the Great Song Dynasty's strategy of developing into Europe was itself wrong.