Blessings are incomparable, and disasters are not singular. No pop-up window update fast // Just when the financial crisis in the south intensified, another invisible war quietly opened in the north.

It was the morning of late October 1910, in the backyard of Zhang's wooden shop on Erdao Street in Manzhouli, a small city on the border between China and Russia, a woman's terrible scream suddenly sounded, instantly breaking the silence before breakfast.

Zhang Zhangsu hurriedly ran over from the front and shouted, "What's wrong with the house?" What happened? ”

I saw his daughter-in-law fall at the door of the room, her face was colorless, her whole body trembled like chaff, her upper and lower teeth clicked, but she could not say a word. Apparently something terrible had happened to her.

Zhang Zhang's heart "chuckled": Could it be that a customer died in the store?

Before the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, the means of transportation were backward and the sanitary conditions were poor, and long-distance travel was always a dangerous activity. At that time, people's physical fitness was not very good, coupled with the bumpy and tired road, poor diet, the impact of climate change, poor accommodation conditions, and low medical standards...... It is very common to get sick and die during a journey, and almost everyone who runs an inn will encounter it.

Every time the innkeeper encounters this kind of thing, he will secretly scream "bad luck" in his heart. The inn where the dead have died, naturally there are no customers coming to the door in the short term, and the dead people in the store still need the shopkeeper to take care of the aftermath, such as asking the guards to come over for an autopsy, such as buying a thin-skinned coffin for burial, such as sending the coffin to the temple for storage, all of which cost money! Shopkeeper Zhang is in an unhappy mood, and it is precisely for this reason.

The people who got up early to wash up in the store also heard the screams of the shopkeeper's daughter-in-law, and they all gathered around.

The shopkeeper Zhang relied on his courage and stepped forward to push open the hidden door, allowing the morning sun to shine obliquely into the room. Rao is he was as bold as a fist, and he couldn't help but take a step back when he saw the scene in the house:

I saw that the walls, kang, and ground in the house were all covered with blood, and as soon as the door was opened, the smell of blood came to my face. The two middle-aged men froze motionless on the cold ground, thinking that they had been dead for a long time. They were purple, but there were no wisps, and there were two people on the kang, whose clothes had also been torn off, and they were gasping with difficulty, and from time to time they spat out a large mouthful of blood, which was left along the cracks of the kang and accumulated into small purple puddles on the uneven ground.

The onlookers couldn't help but exclaim when they saw it.

Shopkeeper Zhang calmed down, hugged his fists to everyone and said: "There is a big incident in the store, and if there is any rudeness later, I will look at Haihan." After that, he picked up the trembling mother-in-law and scolded: "What are you still doing in a daze? Hurry up and ask the chief and Langzhong! ”

The mother-in-law came to her senses and asked someone to go tremblingly.

After Lang Zhong was invited, he was helpless against the two people who were dying and struggling on the kang, and soon the two of them also died. Still, the truth of the matter is clear:

The two who died earlier were lumberjacks who had worked in the Russian Great Urals. Half a month ago, seven Chinese lumberjacks suddenly died in the shed. The Russians were so shocked that they not only burned the sheds and their clothes and luggage, but also drove the rest of the workers back to China. Six days ago, they came to Manchuria and settled in Mupu, surnamed Zhang.

As for the two people who died later, they were tenants who slept in the Chase bunk with them, and they suffered from the pond fish for some reason.

Since he died of illness, the shopkeeper and the armor were relieved. In these years, where are the people who do not die? Who can blame you for getting sick and dying? Of course, the few people who died in a small border town will not attract more attention from the central center to the provincial capital. After some examination, the body was hastily collected. But people never imagined that a plague that lasted for more than 6 months, swept half of China, and devoured more than 60,000 lives, revealed its hideous face!

This day is September 23 of the second year of Xuantong, October 25, 1910 in the Gregorian calendar.

In fact, as early as the turn of the spring and summer of 1910, an epidemic had already occurred in Siberia, Russia. But Siberia's sparsely populated and scattered populations, coupled with tight Russian controls, did not spread the epidemic. Who knows, the virus ended up infecting Chinese workers. For the Chinese laborers who were suspected of being infected, Lao Maozi would not say anything gentle and frugal, and directly deported them back to China. The laborers had no choice but to carry the virus and go south along the railway.

The bubonic plague, also known as the Black Death, had two worldwide pandemics in history: the first occurred in the 6th century AD, killing a quarter of the population of the Roman Empire and directly leading to the decline of the Roman Empire; The second occurred in medieval Europe, killing 25 million people and reducing the population of Europe by nearly a third. If the Qing Dynasty officials knew that the epidemic that was currently circulating in the Northeast was the "Black Death" that made Europeans talk about it, I wonder if they would be able to continue to keep the eggs fixed?

However, Qing officials apparently had little understanding of the dangers of infectious diseases, and in fact, almost all of the medical knowledge of those people in that era was about blank. Therefore, when the plague broke out sporadically, the government departments did not pay much attention to it at all, resulting in the epidemic spreading like water and fire.

By the beginning of November, more and more people were dying of the disease, and in fact, the three eastern provinces had already fallen by this time. Outbreaks also occurred in Hebei and Shandong, and Beijing, which was encircled, became precarious for a while. It was only at this time that the epidemic officially appeared in the government's official documents.

Beijing officialdom is also afraid of the plague, but only in writing and small talk. When it comes to the understanding of the maintenance of virulent infectious diseases, no one can compare to Sun Yuanqi, who has experienced the ** battle of 03 years. After learning of the outbreak of the plague in Northeast China, Sun Yuanqi didn't care whether he overstepped his responsibilities or not, and once again took the initiative to give an excerpt to the military aircraft department, and put forward seven suggestions for the epidemic: cremation of the remains of the deceased; Closed treatment of infected patients; Isolation and observation of contacts; Regular disinfection for the general population; Doctors and nurses should take precautions; laboratory analysis of viruses; The yamen and others investigated and killed the root cause.

Obviously, the Military Aircraft Department disdained Sun Yuanqi's recitals, believing that it was just a scholar's theory, and there was no follow-up after Zhu Pi "knew". What else can I do, I can't go to the Northeast to relieve the disaster alone, right? Even if Sun Yuanqi had a thousand clever plans, he could only turn into a long sigh at this time.

Regarding the epidemic situation in Northeast China, the Qing government's measure was to order local officials to strictly do a good job in epidemic prevention. As for how to do it, figure it out for yourself! But the epidemic is getting worse and worse, and more and more people are dying. By early December, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs received notes from Russia and Japan, which respectively requested to independently preside over the epidemic prevention affairs in the three eastern provinces under the pretext of the Qing government's inability to control the epidemic.

Regardless of whether the content of the demands of Russia and Japan is benign or malicious, the demands themselves alone have already poked the G spot of the Qing government. The Qing government was like a frightened cat, and the hair all over its body immediately exploded: Who said that we are powerless to control the epidemic? Who says we need foreign help?

Stimulated by this, the Qing government was obviously much more concerned about the epidemic prevention affairs in the northeast. According to the past practice, the imperial court will send ministers to take charge of this kind of affairs. Generally speaking, the ministers of the Qincha are all fat poor, even if they review cases and inspect river works, they can also get a lot of oil and water, and many people flock to them. Now I heard that it was the minister of epidemic prevention, but they all flinched a little: water and fire are ruthless, and the plague is even more ruthless! When the water and fire come to the front, there are guards in the way, how to stop the plague? Money is good, but you have to have a life to enjoy it.

The Military Aircraft Department thought about it for a long time, but it didn't think of a suitable candidate. When he was struggling, Na Tong suddenly said: "It seems that someone has been on the show before, and he also put forward a few opinions on epidemic prevention. Since he has a lot of ideas, then the minister of the Qincha should be him! ”

Several others nodded in agreement: "Good post!" "Top!" "Yes!"

Soon, the military machine Zhang Jing and the pen post style turned out Sun Yuanqi's memorabilia a month ago in the old file, so there was such a holy decree: "Sun Yuanqi, the left attendant of the school, is awarded the title of minister of the Qincha, and handles the affairs of epidemic prevention inside and outside the customs." All provinces where there is an epidemic below Fudao are subject to moderation. The officer is to be a prompt and conscientious manager without any infection. It must be eliminated as soon as possible to protect the people's livelihood. Chin this! ”

Sun Yuanqi was very surprised when he received the holy decree, but he didn't expect to excuse himself. Since you have the ability and the opportunity to reduce the number of infections and deaths, why don't you do it? On the contrary, it was the people around him, from Vera and Lilith to Lao Zhao and his wife, from the uncles and brothers in the old man's mansion to Zhang Yuanji and Luo Zhenyu, who came to persuade Sun Yuanqi to refuse this errand. Sun Yuanqi, who has always been easy to talk to, wants Wang Ba to eat the scales this time - he is iron-hearted, and he has to stop this dirty work.

Yang Du praised Sun Yuanqi's attitude: "If the country lives and dies, how can it be avoided because of misfortune and fortune?" Bai Xi is prejudiced this time and insists on going his own way, which is worthy of being a big husband! ”

Sun Yuanqi looked at Yang Du in disbelief: "Huizi, are you praising me or scolding me?" ”

Yang Du was proud: "Naturally, I praised you." Baixi has always been tepid in doing things. After a long time, it is inevitable that people will be regarded as mediocre. Wouldn't it be better for you to stand up and turn the tide and let the world know that you are not only a scholar, but also an extraordinary person in handling government affairs? 'Ordinary invisible, occasionally revealing', this is the true nature of a husband.

"Besides, wealth is in danger. This time, you can think of serving as the minister of the Imperial Mission, which is indeed a wonderful move. Staying up in the school department, when will you be able to stay up to Shangshu? When will I get the opportunity to release it? As long as you perform well in Beijing this time, you will definitely be promoted to the second grade when you come back, and there will be many opportunities to be promoted to Shangshu and Governor in the future! ”

Sun Yuanqi lamented in his heart: "Big brother, you want to go wrong again, this job is not something I took the initiative to recruit!"

Sun Yuanqi is not a reckless person, after receiving the holy decree, he divided the epidemic prevention into three links: before, during and after the event, carefully pondering the key points and what conditions need to be proposed to the imperial court.

When the consideration was mature, Sun Yuanqi brought in his staff, dictated the general idea, and asked them if there was any obstacle: "Since we have been involved in this matter, we must be fully prepared and not fight an uncertain battle." The main measures are still in accordance with the previous letter, and the key part still needs to be brought forward by the imperial court. The first is policy support, such as the closure and isolation of all possible infected people, regardless of gender, old and young, rich and poor; In view of the fact that the weather is cold in the northeast now, and it is not easy to dig pits, it is recommended to burn the main thing; If possible, it is also hoped that the imperial court will allow scientific researchers to dissect several corpses so that anti-disease drugs can be developed as soon as possible. ”

As soon as the words fell, Liu Shipei interjected: "It is reasonable and reasonable to isolate the possible infected people, and it should be no problem; But the burning and dissection of the remains will not be agreed to by the imperial court. China has always paid attention to the deceased as the greatest, and the burial is safe, so the destruction of the remains of the ancestors is not only difficult for the family of the deceased to accept, but also strictly prohibited in the "Great Qing Law".

"The law expressly states that even if a family member obeys the last words of his superior and burns a corpse, he must have a hundred rods; If someone destroys a body that has not yet been buried, he needs a hundred rods and three thousand miles of exile; If the family members have hastily buried the body, and then dug it up and burned it, the minimum is hanging! ”

Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, people's awareness of the protection of ancestral remains was deeply rooted in the bone marrow. Digging up people's ancestral graves is definitely a hatred deeper than killing their fathers and taking their wives. This is one of the fundamental reasons why the University of the World did not establish a Department of Western Medicine.

Sun Yuanqi was helpless about this: "If the body is not buried deep or incinerated, it is itself a huge source of virus infection. If we don't deal with it, no matter how good the other work is, it will be in vain. If the body is not autopsied, how can we develop a drug to treat the disease as soon as possible? ”