We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Chapter 997 The Impact of Smallpox on Appearance

"Yes, Your Majesty! I've got it!" Ma Zhong grinned as soon as Hua Chang'an agreed.

He then clasped his hands in acceptance of the order and turned to select his men.

At this moment, Yang Zhongsi, who had been listening silently, slowly spoke up: "Dr. Hua, if we want to find immune individuals on a large scale, screening our army camp alone is probably not enough."

"The epidemic was first discovered in Qiongzhou Prefecture and its surrounding areas, where a considerable number of people have died. Those who are lucky should have survived."

Hua Chang'an's eyes lit up: "General Yang is absolutely right, the prefectural city is indeed the key."

But he immediately realized that entering the city meant facing the most concentrated source of disease, which was even more dangerous than finding a diseased cow.

Fortunately, there were immune individuals in the medical team, so we had to send them over to make contact first.

. . . . . .

The next morning, before dawn, Ma Zhong personally selected fifty elite soldiers.

The group donned robes, masks, and gloves, left the camp, and headed towards the villages inland on Qiongzhou Island to search for the sick cattle.

Meanwhile, another team also set off.

A middle-aged medical officer with pockmarks on his face, carrying a handwritten order from Yang Zhongsi, arrived in Qiongzhou Prefecture under the escort of a small squad of soldiers.

Before even approaching the city gate, a smell mixed with lime, herbs, and a faint stench wafted towards us.

The city gate was heavily guarded, and the soldiers on guard all had solemn expressions and numb eyes.

When they saw the pockmarked physician approaching, they immediately became alarmed, raising several muskets and pointing their dark muzzles at him.

"Halt! Who goes there? Don't come any closer!" the leading sentry shouted sternly, his voice sharp with tension.

The physician immediately stopped, raised his hands, and shouted, "Brothers, don't panic! I am a physician from the Imperial Medical Academy, here on the orders of Commander Yang and Dean Hua."

A soldier said, trembling, "You have pimple scars on your face; you're sick!"

The physician nodded and said, "The pockmarks on your face are from smallpox I had as a child. Once you've had this disease, you'll never get it again, so I've come to help with the treatment."

The soldiers were skeptical, but they did not lower their guns.

This disease is truly terrifying; the number of people who die every day could pile up into a small mountain. Now, if a patient openly approaches them, everyone would be afraid.

But judging from the physician's strong and energetic appearance, he certainly didn't seem like a patient.

The squad leader dared not act on his own authority, so he ordered his men to keep a close watch on the area while simultaneously sending someone into the city to report to Wang Sanchun.

Before long, an order came from within the city, allowing only this physician to enter.

The physician walked into the city gate alone, and the guards made way for him.

The scene inside the city was much better than he had imagined; the streets were deathly silent, with no pedestrians in sight.

The entire city was divided into isolated zones of varying sizes by fences and barricades, like a giant chessboard.

Squads of fully armed soldiers patrolled between the various areas, keeping a considerable distance between each other.

The physician nodded to himself. This Duke of Dingguo did have some ability; by managing the epidemic area in this way, he at least ensured that the plague would not get worse.

Soon, he was led by the soldiers to the outside of a large tent.

To his surprise, there wasn't a single soldier on duty or guarding the camp; it was unusually quiet.

Just as he hesitated whether he should go in directly, a hoarse voice came from inside the tent:

Are you sure you really won't get this disease again?

The physician bowed respectfully to the tent flap and replied, "Your Excellency, I suffered from this disease when I was young and was fortunate enough to survive. The scars on my face are proof of that."

There was a moment of silence inside the tent before the voice rang out again: "In that case... come in."

"However, let me make this clear from the start: if you utter even the slightest lie and end up contracting a disease and losing your life as a result, don't blame me for not warning you."

"Your humble servant understands; there is absolutely no falsehood in this!"

Silence returned to the tent.

The physician took a deep breath, composed himself, and then slowly lifted the curtain.

The tent was dimly lit, and a general of exceptionally burly stature sat in the main seat.

However, when the physician saw the other person's face clearly, his pupils contracted and he gasped.

The man was dark-skinned and ugly, with a hideous scar on his face that added to his fierce appearance.

At this moment, the scar was covered with dense, still-unfaded acne scars, a mix of red and black, making the whole face look like a demon, terrifying beyond compare!

The physician's heart pounded, and his voice trembled as he asked, "You...you are the Duke of Dingguo in person?"

That ugly man was none other than Wang Sanchun; it would be hard to find another person in the world who could be so ugly.

Upon hearing this, Wang Sanchun forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "It is indeed I, the Duke. What, did I frighten you?"

The physician quickly lowered his head, not daring to look any longer, but his voice carried a hint of concern: "Has the situation in the city become so dire? Even... even you, Duke..."

Wang Sanchun waved his hand dismissively, interrupting the physician: "My lord is fine. His fever has subsided, and most of the pustules have scabbed over and fallen off. He's just very itchy all over, but I reckon he'll pull through."

Although smallpox has a high mortality rate, it is not 100%.

A warrior like Wang Sanchun, whose physique far surpasses that of ordinary people, certainly has a much higher chance of surviving than the average person.

As for the few freckles on his face...

For him, it was simply a matter of going from 'two points of good looks (out of 100)' to 'one and a half points of good looks'.

Anyway, he has never been proud of his appearance, so this loss is almost negligible.

Wang Sanchun asked directly, "Since Doctor Hua sent you here, what does Your Excellency need to do?"

The physician composed himself and recounted Hua Chang'an's plan in detail.

After hearing this, Wang Sanchun nodded slightly: "I see. In fact, even without Doctor Hua saying it, I had a vague feeling that those who survived the ordeal of death would not be reincarnated."

"But since this matter is of great importance, I wasn't sure either. Now that the miracle doctor has confirmed it, things will be much easier."

He slowly stood up, his figure slightly unsteady from recovering from a serious illness.

The physician was so frightened that he hurriedly stepped forward: "Duke Dingguo, shall I examine you first?"

Wang Sanchun shook his head: "I'm fine. You wait here for a moment. I will post notices throughout the city and gather enough men for you as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, the physician was overjoyed and quickly asked, "How many men does the Duke expect to be able to gather?"

Wang Sanchun pondered for a moment and said, "It's hard to say the exact number, but it's not a thousand people, there are definitely seven or eight hundred."

"The main problem is that there are too many patients in the city who need care, and we have always been short-handed."

"Seven or eight hundred people?!" the physician exclaimed in shock.

It wasn't that the number of people was too small, but rather that the sheer number of people was astonishing.