In March, Li Shen was finally about to leave the customs. The compound crossbow and compound bow he developed have been successful, although they are much worse than those of later generations, but they are a lot better for this era. The steel balls used for pulleys are mass-produced and the same size is found from the middle. There must be flaws in the quality.

Just when Li Shen was about to leave the customs, he ushered in bad news. An epidemic occurred in Zezhou (present-day Jincheng City, Shanxi Province). Li Tang raised troops from Taiyuan, Shanxi Province to seize the world, so Shanxi's position in the political map of the Tang Dynasty was very prominent, and it was regarded as the "land of dragon prosperity", and it was not trivial for the epidemic to appear here. Moreover, Chang'an, which is close to the political, economic and cultural center of Shanxi, is in danger of approaching the capital if it is not careful.

Li Shimin ordered the dispatch of imperial court medical officers to carry medical supplies to various prefectures and counties to treat the infected people, and the imperial court directly dispatched the prevention and control of the epidemic, so that the source of infection could be quickly cut off at the beginning of the epidemic.

During the Tang Dynasty, he still had a lot of experience in epidemics, and knew how to set up separate medical institutions to isolate and concentrate on the treatment of sick people, and many monasteries were used as places for shelter and treatment; bury the bodies of people who have died due to the epidemic in a timely manner to avoid re-infection of the epidemic; Allocate food to help the people in the epidemic areas, reduce or reduce local and even national taxes, and vigorously crack down on witchcraft and superstition.

Li Shen also received news from the palace. Let the clans of each province try not to go out. Avoid external sources of infection. The people of Chang'an were nervous for a while. Li Shen summoned all the stewards of the palace. Commercial Wang Hongfu, Wenchen Wang Xuance, military general Xue Rengui, and the palace housekeeper Wei Fugui.

"Xuan Ce, do you have any news about what kind of epidemic it is?" Li Shen is still not at ease with the unknown.

"Lord Wang. I heard it was smallpox. Many people have developed maculopapular rash, fever, pain and other symptoms. His Majesty has sent court physicians to the states and counties to heal the sick people with medical supplies. It's just that smallpox is extremely dead. The main thing is prevention and control. "Wang Xuance has received the news.

"Smallpox?" Li Shen began to think. The smallpox virus has been eradicated. The method is also very simple, plant cowpox. In the early days, I heard that cattle were infected with smallpox and had chickenpox on their bodies. Cut the human skin and apply the liquid from the chickenpox on the cow. It was only later that the method of injection began to be simple and effective.

"Xuan Ce, you go and send someone to Zezhou to find a few cows with smallpox to come back. Be quick, and it's better to find someone who has had smallpox before. As long as you have smallpox, you will not be infected in the future. Li Shen wanted to see if the cowpox was good.

"And Uncle Fugui, you arrange for someone to prepare food, and if there are people who have fled, we will give porridge at the city gate."

"It's the prince." Wei Fugui went out after receiving the order. Everyone is getting moving.

Half a month later, Wang Xuance informed Li Shen to bring back three infected cattle from Zezhou. Li Shen had the cattle brought to the barracks. Grab the tools and lead the people straight to the barracks.

The Higashiyama Barracks is now known to nearby villages. The entire Dongshan belongs to the Ji Wangfu. Strangers are not allowed to enter or hunt. When Li Shen arrived, the cattle had already been quarantined. Li Shen and Xue Rengui came to the barracks, he needed a few experiments.

Although the method of planting cowpox is very simple. But it's still important to be on the safe side. Li Shen asked people to find a few craftsmen who had been robbed before. After a while, the kung fu people will be there.

In the frightened eyes of this group of craftsmen, Li Shen said: "There is one thing that you want to do voluntarily when you are called here this time. I'm going to experiment with a disease. It takes several people to verify. However, there is a certain danger.

Who of you volunteered to do the experiment. When I succeed, I promise to let your family go. Even if it fails. I will also guarantee that your family will have land to survive on me. Stand up if you are willing," Li Shen looked at them after speaking.

There were twenty or thirty people in all. You look at me, I look at you. are very hesitant. In the end, a total of six people came out and were willing to fight.

Li Shen didn't talk nonsense either, and brought people to the quarantine area. The person who brought the cow back was called Li Erwa. It was a person from Huangzhuang who had smallpox when he was a child, but luckily did not die. Li Shen told Li Erwa to make a small cut on the arms of several people, not too deep. The pus from the blisters on the cow's body is sucked out with a needle and injected into the mouth.

Li Erwa followed Li Shen's method of alcohol disinfection and props disinfection. Then a small cut was made in the arm of the six people. Inject pus into it. After everything was done, several people were isolated in the quarantine area, and food was brought every day. Because there are no masks. Li Shen has been commanding remotely. He didn't want to die young. (In order not to bar.) Say it. There are six knives for the cut. The pus is injected without touching the wound. Go straight in. This one is fine. ）

The next day, Li Erwa observed the situation of the six people. Six people developed symptoms of varying degrees. There are acne. Those who have a fever. In this way, on the third day, when Li Shen went to observe the situation again, he found that the six people had recovered.

Li Shen is very happy, which means success. In fact, planting beans is very simple, and China is the first to use the method of planting beans. It was only later that it was introduced abroad. Li Shen and the people in the palace also began to grow pox, but Li Shen injected it directly into the epidermis with a needle. He didn't want to be stabbed.

Three days later, everyone in King Ji's Mansion finished planting beans, and Li Shen asked Wang Xuance to buy more than 20 cows and send them to the quarantine area to let them be infected naturally. Then he instructed Xue Rengui to take turns planting beans, and to train a thousand people to learn to plant beans.

Ganlu Palace: "Your Majesty, King Ji came into the palace with a cow. A guard came in and reported to Li Shimin

"Got it," Li Shimin said without much delay. I wondered if this guard wanted to show his face in front of him. Li Shen's entry into the palace is nothing new. But soon he got to the point.

"Wait, what did you just say King Ji brought into the palace?" Li Shimin asked uncertainly

"Back to Your Majesty, a cow. And people keep a distance of ten zhang and can't get close. The guard replied

"A cow? You said Li Shen pulled in a cow? What did he do with the oxen. Do you want to eat cows. Eating cows in the palace will be worth it if it gets out. It is illegal to eat cattle, and when the time comes, it will be effective to go up and down. ”

"Let's go to the Great Ji Palace." Li Shimin couldn't sit still.

Li Shen pulled the sick cow to plant beans for Wei Guifei and them. He also didn't know how long it would take for the germs to wear off when they left the cow's body. Therefore, it can only be planted on the spot in a stupid way. Li Shen moved the cow to the gate of the Daji Palace, and asked the guards in the palace to guard it ten meters away from letting people approach.

After Li Shen entered the Daji Palace, he summoned his mother and sister. "Mother and concubine came today to plant pox for you and your sister, and after the pox, you won't get smallpox."

"Smallpox again?" Li Mengjiang said in surprise.

"Yes, sister, haven't you read the medical books and said that as long as you have smallpox, you will not have smallpox." Li Shen looked at Li Mengjiang and explained.

"Isn't that still necessary to be done later? Are you going to let us get it once? It's dangerous. Wei Guifei said

"Mother, it's not dangerous. All the people in my house have planted it. It's been seven days. Don't worry, it's okay in three days. As he spoke, Li Shen pulled Wei Guifei out and asked Li Mengjiang to wait.

When he arrived at the door, Li Shen saw a lot of guards in the distance, and Li Shimin stood in the middle. He also knew that there must be a reason why Li Shen said that he would not let it. So just wait here.

Li Shen went over to greet him, "Aye, I'm here to plant cowpox for my mother and sister, and I won't get smallpox after planting cowpox." ”

"What kind of pox do you have, you won't get smallpox in the future? Li Shen, are you sure what you said is true? Li Shimin's eyes lit up after hearing this.