This epidemic is like drawing a circle, from Xuanning Palace to the entire royal city, from the royal city to the entire Ho Kyoto City, step by step outward, and the next step is the entire Wanggi. What kind of terrible scene would that be? The generals of the Great Zhou Dynasty had few invincible soldiers and few cultivated people------

No, he shook his head violently, this must not be allowed to happen again, it must be stopped!

"Report to Xiangguo: Please see you with the Ho Jing Order." A scribe enters the forest to report the newspaper.

"Call him in." Zhao Bohu's face sank.

Entering the hall, I saw a brocade-robed official with a beard and sideburns hurriedly arching his hand and saying: "Xiangguo, the four gates of the pickaxe capital have been closed, and all the officers and soldiers of the Governor's Mansion are patrolling the city day and night in accordance with the order of Xiangguo, without interruption. ”

"Good work!" Zhao Bohu sighed: "This is the position of Sima of Wangcheng, but now General Ziliang is trapped in Wangcheng, so you have to work hard for your army and people to pick it up one by one!" ”

"This is the duty of the minister, why does Xiangguo need to be like this?"

"By the way, what's going on in the city?" As soon as the city gate is closed, the hearts of the people in the city must be floating, which is what Zhao Bohu is most worried about and most concerned about.

"It's fine right now. If the supply of grain, grass and drinking water can be supplied, the city gate will be closed for most of the year, and it will not matter much. The people, as long as they eat and drink, they will not have much to think about. It's just that at this time, the epidemic ------" Ho Jingling's eyes were a little wandering, everyone knew that there was no solution to this disease, and this was a big problem. Who will sit in the city of sorrow and wait to die?

Zhao Bohu didn't seem to want to take this stubble, and asked, "How are the rats in the city?" Are there really that many? ”

"Speaking of which, it's really evil!" Ho Jingling frowned: "Overnight, there are rats running all over the city. They came out of the well, out of the gutter, like an army of rats running out of the ground. What an evil door! ”

"What do you mean, that someone did it on purpose?" Zhao Bohu raised his eyebrows thoughtfully.

"Minister------" Ho Jingling hesitated for a while, but still decided to tell the truth: "The matter of Xuanning Palace has spread widely in the city, since the Rat can set up a rat Gu to spread the epidemic once, how can you guarantee that it will not be set up again?" The most important thing at the moment is that this anti-epidemic prescription ------ Prince Tuge was released, but he only exchanged for a fake epidemic prescription, and I have no more bargaining chips in my hands. At this time, it is useless to rely on prevention alone, and it is still necessary to find a way to solve it. In the opinion of the ministers, it is better to gather those in the city who are proficient in the "Neijing" to study and test the medicine day and night in order to find a prescription for the epidemic. ”

Zhao Bohu replied lightly: "The Imperial Physician's Office in the palace has been thinking about it for more than a month, but there is still no progress. Perhaps, it is not necessary that there are masters in the people, you can do it! ”

"No!" Ho Kyung Ling departed.

The Prime Minister's Mansion strictly ordered Hokyo to become a fortress like an iron barrel that was not allowed to enter or exit. This city-wide closure caught people off guard, putting many unprepared people in a situation of sudden separation.

On the day of the implementation of the decree, it was only a few hours, and the Hokyo government office was overwhelmed, and countless people asked for it, each looking for their own way, and stating their own situation, but unfortunately none of them could be considered. It will take a few days for the people to understand that they have fallen into a situation where there is no room for maneuver, and that words such as "accommodation" and "care" have lost their meaning.

People found that the government-run post house that used to be busy with traffic has become a medical hall. However, none of the patients who went in made it out alive, whether they were carried in lying down and dying, or those who were struggling to be helped in. They are scared! Panic is spreading------

There are always a few crowds gathering from morning to night on all sides of the city gates, begging for mercy from the gatekeepers and asking to leave the city. Not surprisingly, each time they were disappointed. Occasionally, they would be whipped by the soldiers, and skirmishes would break out. Such things emerge one after another, and the Wang Shihu battalion, who is in charge of the guard of Hojing, is tired of coping, and it is already very difficult to deal with it, and he can't take care of other things at all.

Outside the official post house of the Yanzuo Medical Center, there are always some tearful women with baskets on their arms, staring at the door of the medical center, hoping to bring some food to their relatives inside. Of course, their wishes are impossible.

Of course, there are exceptions.

It was the height of summer, and the wind was blowing. The location of the pickaxe capital is high, there is no natural barrier, and the strong wind can drive straight into the streets and alleys, which is overwhelming. It had been almost a month, and there had not been a drop of rain in the city, and the whole city was covered with a thin shell of dust, which was lifted by the wind, and the dust and pieces of paper flew in the wind like waves, hitting the legs and feet of the increasingly scarce pedestrians.

It was already twilight, and the night was descending faster with the help of the wind, and the streets were empty, except for the wind that continued to howl. The waves of pickaxe water outside the city also seemed to be raging in an invisible place, rolling up a smell of dampness and aquatic plants. The city, uninhabited, gray-yellow with dust, echoed with the howling of the wind, wailing like an island of suffering.

In front of the inn, there are no more women with sad faces and dishes, which can be regarded as a fortunate thing. A young student walked into the door of the post house in the breeze, which attracted the attention of the gatekeeper and hurriedly asked about the intention. Either the patient or the patient's family came here, and it was difficult for such a sturdy young man to walk in without attracting attention.

The young man pointed to the sheepskin sign hanging on the outer wall and said, "I am here to apply." ”

"Enlisted?" The gatekeeper was very surprised, this notice to recruit folk apricot forest masters has been hanging for a few days, and there are few applicants, why is it ------that he looked the young man up and down today, his eyes are keen, his body is light, and he doesn't seem to be a person with medical skills at all. He shook his head involuntarily: "------ you know how to heal?" ”

"A little bit of it."

"What medical books have you read?"

"The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon is at a glance, and there will be a few grass heads when I am in the countryside." The young man replied lightly: "Although I am young, I have seen the people in the city suffering so much, and I have no strength to repay it. I see that you are here when you need to hire people, so why do you bother to refuse me from the door? ”

The doorman thought about it, even if this young man was not skilled in medicine, he seemed to have a lot of strength, and he must be a good hand at carrying a stretcher, so he nodded: "In this case, you can stay!" By the way, what's your name? ”

"In Xia Chongli."

When people have a clear understanding of their situation, the atmosphere of the capital city has undergone a strange change - the city's wine shops and teahouses have become unusually prosperous. Instead of caring about the gains and losses of a pound of millet, the common people flocked to the city's most famous and high-end liquor stores in droves, and the few restaurants on the long street were overcrowded.

Correspondingly, the advocates are gradually getting busy. At that time, diminutive dwarfs were born to be good material for the entertainment industry. It is precisely because of their physical limitations that they can't be soldiers and can't hold hoes, so they can only make a living by doing this lowly job that makes people laugh.

The teahouse that Zhao Bohu once frequented on Long Street was full, and people were listening attentively to the singing of the two excellent people. A woman dressed in white, with a face so white that she couldn't see her original skin color, was singing "Xinglu": "If you are tired of dew, don't you sleep all night, and you will dew more." Who says that the finch has no horns, why does it wear my house? Who is said to be a woman without a home, why should I be imprisoned quickly? Although I am in prison quickly, the room is insufficient! Who says that rats have no teeth, why do they wear me? Who is said to be a woman without a home, why should I sue quickly? Even if I sue quickly, I will not follow the woman! ”

It was done by an unknown woman to refuse to marry a married man. The singing is like flowing water, and the female advocate also adds a trill, which is even more mournful, and uses tears to win the pity of the audience.

"Good!" A series of cheers erupted from the teahouse seats. People are talking about each other, no wonder the merchants on the long street invited this pair of excellent people to sing in the store, and they were extraordinary and tear-jerking.

This is a duet between a man and a woman, the woman refuses to marry, and the man is out of the horse. People pricked up their ears to hear the shocking sound. The actor is also dressed in white, with a jade crown------ although it is powdered, it is not as thick as the female advocate, vaguely revealing an unnatural flush------ he seems to be encouraged by the audience's applause, and walks in the direction of the woman with an exaggerated and funny action.

He didn't care about his appearance anymore, and he spread his arms and legs, and openly collapsed to the ground in the middle of the sheepfold------ which seemed very out of place, and people began to feel that something was wrong. The musicians' sheng accompaniment also came to an abrupt end, and the tea guests stood up one after another, looking at the ground with fear on their faces, and some began to retreat and leave slowly.

Gradually, the crowd moved faster, whispers turned into loud shouts, and everyone rushed to the exit. Behind them, there was a shrill exclamation from the female advocate: "Ah——,hhh

The teahouse owner hid behind the counter, pinched his nose, and shouted at the woman angrily: "What are you crying about?" I'm all infected with the epidemic, and I have come out to harm people, so that I can't do this business! It will have to be closed tomorrow. Why don't you get him out of here? ”

"Wait!" With a low shout, the female advocate raised her head, saw a dark and clear face in her teary eyes, and instinctively asked for help: "Sir, can you help?" Despite this, the woman did not have much hope, after all, who would touch the infected people?

The visitor didn't respond, leaned down and poked out a finger to try it under the actor's nose, and asserted: "He's not dead yet, he just contracted the epidemic and fainted for a while." Store! ”

"What for?" The shopkeeper said angrily.

"Bowl of cold water."

"Do you still want to save him? What does it matter to live or die as an advocate of excellence? "Since ancient times, agriculture and industry, even rich businessmen have not entered the stream, let alone advocate excellence for people's amusement? Isn't that the lowest of the pariahs?