"The plague?"

In the hall of the castle, Alves, who had heard the news, exclaimed in surprise.

His already thick brows were squeezed together, and his expression was exaggerated.

However, Rhodes was calm, even if he was not calm, he had to pretend to be calm, and there were not only Alves but also others. The entire hierarchy of Blackhammer Castle came, including Yeskovich, the High Priest of the Bear Temple, Celta, the Norsca, the Governor of the North, the Quareara representative of the Chamber of Commerce, Darlock Hammer, the representative of the Guild, the Dean of the Medical School, Lyanna, the Minister of Engineering, Brown, and so on.

"Yes, the plague. However, it is not clear what kind of plague it is. According to Roberts, it was most likely rat fever. Sitting at the conference table, Rod said with a serious expression. "Lyanna, you're a physician, tell us about this disease. ”

"Well, okay. Murine fever is a common infectious disease. If it is transmitted to humans by rats, as long as it is bitten by a diseased rat or eats food contaminated by rats, it is possible to get the disease. Patients with murine fever develop fever and general cramps. Redness, swelling and ulceration of the skin may occur. Although it is not fatal, it can make people incapacitated, and it is not easy to get better. In general, it takes a long time for a sick person to recover on their own, sometimes months, sometimes years. In severe cases, the root cause of the disease may be burned for the rest of the life, and the body may be weak and weak. ”

Lyanna explained earnestly.

"Can the disease be spread through person-to-person contact?"

Celta asked.

"As of now, no. But it's not 100 percent. You know, even the best doctors in the empire don't understand a lot. ”

Lyanna turned her head and replied.

"So it's imperative to stop all dealings with the Empire?"

Celta turned to Rhodes and asked.

"Well, yes. Everything!"

Rod replied in the affirmative.

"But if it's just a simple murine fever, it doesn't seem like there is a need for full isolation. After all, it only spreads through rats, and the rats of Osterling do not escape into our towns. Cutting off trade would be a big loss for Blackhammer. ”

The representative of the Chamber of Commerce, Quareala, proposed. As a noble merchant, he only cared about money, in fact, rat fever did not affect the nobles much, they had enough gold to buy an antidote, only those poor people who did not have enough to eat were to worry. Because the medicine to cure murine fever is very expensive, and if one member of the family catches the disease, the family is finished. The loss of a source of income can lead to the collapse of some poor families.

"Your Excellency Quareala, please pay attention to this issue. We're just speculating now, not for sure. Plague is certain, but rat fever is only our speculation. What if this plague that broke out in Osterland wasn't rat fever, but something more powerful? Also, even if it's just rat fever, there's a danger of spreading to Blackhammer Castle. We can't guarantee that rats will be on board from Oster Collar to Fort Blackhammer. Once these rats infiltrate urban areas and into sewers, they can infect other rats, which is a potential risk. Moreover, this situation is still very common, and no one dares to guarantee that there are no rats in his cargo ship. ”

Rhodes turned his head to stare at Quarella, and asked him in an almost harsh tone. The latter then quieted down. It can be said that if trade with the empire is really cut off, the biggest losses will be Rhodes and Quarella. But the security of the territory is what Rhodes values most.

"Rod, let's get to the point, what are you going to do with this. ”

Bogur asked impatiently as he tapped his fingers on the table.

"From this day onwards, cut off all trade with the Empire. All ships that are about to leave the port, unloading. Seek new ways to exit. Or sell it to Dulong City at a low price. In short, the port forbade all ships from going out, and all ships from the Empire were prevented from docking. Wait until this turmoil is over. ”

"What about the loss of the merchants?"

Alves asked, looking up.

"If there is a breach of contract, compensation shall be paid to the parties in accordance with the losses in the contract. If not, explain the situation to them and let them choose their own trade partners. ”

Rhodes said.

"Well, in this case, I guess there will be a lot of fake contracts coming out. ”

Alves shrugged.

"It's your business, find a way to settle these merchants. "School bag

Rod looked at Alves, winked at him, and threw the black cauldron to the little gnome.

Alves could only sigh and silently take on the task. The head of Blackhammer is not that easy to do......

"Next is the inspection team, Seedorf, from now on, I will double the number of inspectors, you will give me daily patrols, and the merchants will not be allowed to obtain a piece of meat from illegal sources. Whether it's rat fever or other plagues, foodborne transmission is the main route of transmission. These channels must be curbed at the source. The devil knows if these vendors have rat meat or some kind of unclean meat mixed into their meat. ”

At the conference table, Rhodes continued to arrange tasks. Seedorf nodded, feeling the pressure on his shoulders.

"Virgil. ”

"I'm here, sir. ”

"Immediately after the meeting, you took fifty soldiers to the whole city to spread the word and tell all residents that they should not throw garbage into the Dongquan River. All garbage must be collected and handed over to the sanitation team for disposal. It is not necessary to tell the inhabitants what the reason is, just say that it is the latest request of the lord, in order to improve the sanitary situation. If anyone is found to have dumped garbage into the Dongquan River without authorization, they will be arrested and severely fined. ”

"Yes, sir. ”

Virgil returned loudly.

"Potlem, as the captain of the sanitation team, you know what to do, right?"

Rhodes turned to the captain of the sanitation team, the future minister of health.

"Understand, I will collect it all together and burn it on the same day. ”

The squad leader replied earnestly.

Rod nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright, you go down first, I have something to say to Lyanna. ”

After arranging the main matters, Rhodes adjourned the meeting. And the most important person, Lyanna, the dean of the medical school, remained. Everyone stood up one after another, looking melancholy. Some things are easy for the lord to say, but it is another thing to do. Of course, this is also the time to test their ability to execute. A high salary is not so easy to get......

"Lyanna. ”

"Huh?"

The priestess turned her face sideways, and responded gently.

"Are there any doctors in the medical school who are good at treating the plague?"

Rod walked over to Lyanna and inquired earnestly. When it comes to resisting disease, the most important thing is the doctor. If there is such a thing as a modern vaccine, why should you be so nervous. There will be no loss of a large amount of foreign trade income. Therefore, the development of medicine is actually related to the revitalization of Black Hammer Fort.

"Not at the moment. Truth be told, Blackhammer is a small place, and researching the plague is a dangerous move. Even the capital of Kislev has few experts in this area. There are a few such doctors who specialize in plague on the Empire's side, but there aren't many. ”

Lyanna replied earnestly.

"Okay, I see. ”

Rod pondered for a moment and continued—

"I wondered, could we set up a special plague research institute to study the origins of various infectious diseases and find out the antidote or anti-epidemic medicine?"

"Uh...... Yes, but we don't have many doctors right now, and I guess even fewer are willing to devote themselves to plague research. Even if it is established, we do not have enough medical devices and research samples, and it is estimated that it will be difficult to make any effective progress in the short term. ”

Looking at Rod, Lyanna whispered back. The priestess was telling the truth, Rhodes knew, and in this case, only a dedicated physician would study the plague, after all, anyone who studied it was at risk of being infected, and the risk was much greater than that of ordinary people. for they will come into contact with the plague every day. In this era when there are no good disinfection tools, the risk of infection is still very high.