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

Chapter 993 Smallpox (Part 1)

The waves repeatedly wash over the beaches on the north shore of Qiongzhou Island, leaving behind whitish foam.

Not far from the coast, there was a long stretch of Qing army camps, with towering fences and numerous watchtowers.

The atmosphere in the camp lacked the grimness of wartime; instead, it was deathly silent.

A patrol of soldiers walked carefully along the edge of the camp, keeping a great distance between each other, showing no signs of camaraderie.

One of them couldn't help but lower his voice and say, "Have you heard? The Third Battalion next door was apparently completely sealed off yesterday."

The other man shivered, his voice strained, "I heard about it too. Apparently, it was one of the brothers who delivered grain to the prefectural city a few days ago. He came back with a high fever, so he probably caught it..."

"How long are we supposed to stay in this godforsaken place?" a younger soldier couldn't help but complain. "We might as well just go back sooner or later. If we stay any longer, we'll all eventually..."

"Shut up!" The veteran leader turned around and shouted sternly, his eyes bloodshot. "What nonsense are you spouting? Trying to undermine morale?!"

"This disease is so contagious, and there are no warning signs when you first get it. You think you can escape and save your life, but aren't you afraid of harming your wife and children?"

The young soldier shrank back at the shout and dared not say another word, but the fear on his face did not diminish at all.

Just then, from a distant coastal watchtower, a loud, excited shout, its tone distorted, suddenly rang out:

"A boat! A boat is coming!"

The sound was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, instantly shattering the silence of the camp.

All the patrolling soldiers rushed to where they could see the sea, standing on tiptoe to peer out at the horizon.

Sure enough, on the misty sea, several black dots were gradually growing larger, and they were clearly visible as ships flying the Qing Army dragon flag.

"Is it someone from the imperial court?!"

"I knew His Majesty wouldn't abandon us!"

"Great, we're finally here! Can we go home now?"

"Quickly! Go and report to the commander!"

Upon seeing the imperial reinforcements, the soldiers felt reassured, and much of their fear from the past few days dissipated.

Everyone is afraid in the face of the ever-present plague, but as long as His Majesty does not abandon them, they are the invincible Feng Army!

The news spread like wildfire to the central command tent.

Before long, a weary-looking Yang Zhongsi arrived at the dock under the protection of his personal guards.

His general's robe was wrinkled, his eyes were sunken, and his hair was messy, clearly indicating that he hadn't had a proper rest for many days.

The landing ship slowly approached the shore, and the gangplank was lowered.

The first to step down was the sharp-eyed Ma Zhong, followed closely by Hua Chang'an, dressed in a plain cloth robe.

Upon seeing the two men, Yang Zhongsi's tense nerves finally relaxed slightly.

As Li Che's father-in-law and the Grand Marshal of the Daqing Army, he was naturally very familiar with the key figures around the emperor.

Hua Chang'an was a divine physician whose medical skills were unparalleled, and Ma Zhong was a trusted and fortunate general of the emperor; both were the emperor's confidants.

Their arrival means that, while the pandemic may not have ended on its own, at least I no longer have to bear such immense pressure alone.

Neither of them had the heart to exchange pleasantries upon meeting; the heavy reality weighed heavily on them, making it hard to breathe.

Hua Chang'an and Ma Zhong bowed to Yang Zhongsi with clasped hands, saying, "Commander Yang!"

Yang Zhongsi stepped forward and said in a hoarse voice, "You've finally arrived. What are His Majesty's orders?"

Hua Chang'an said, "General Yang, please rest assured, His Majesty has already issued an order to do everything possible to rescue the disaster-stricken people."

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhongsi breathed a sigh of relief: "Good! The lives of tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians in this prefecture are now entrusted to you, Divine Physician Hua!"

"Just give me any orders you need, and I and the entire army will cooperate fully without hesitation!"

Hua Chang'an didn't stand on ceremony and immediately got to the point: "Commander Yang, please tell me in detail what the situation is."

Yang Zhongsi took a deep breath and forced himself to speak: "Since the outbreak was discovered, I have ordered a complete lockdown of Qiongzhou. All villages and military camps where patients were found were isolated and people were prohibited from traveling to and from them. Those who had already developed symptoms were also strictly isolated."

Hua Chang'an nodded slightly. This was a very quick response, at least it could effectively slow down the large-scale spread of the plague.

But that's all there is to it; ancient administrative efficiency was limited, making it impossible to completely isolate the source of disease.

Unless a large number of soldiers are sent out, but then the safety of the soldiers cannot be guaranteed, Yang Zhongsi, as the commander of the army, naturally has to ensure the safety of his soldiers first.

Yang Zhongsi's face showed even more fatigue as he continued, "Many of the troops that were sent to control key routes in various places have already had contact with the local people."

"Now, these soldiers are also showing symptoms and have to be isolated on the spot."

"In some remote areas, medical care and medicine are scarce, making it impossible to recuperate. Some soldiers, unable to bear seeing their comrades suffer, risked their lives to care for them. As a result, some of them also..."

He paused, his voice heavy: "Without any other choice, we had to turn Qiongzhou Prefecture into a centralized quarantine site and send all the patients there."

"Currently, the exact number of patients cannot be counted, but it is at least over 10,000, and hundreds of people are dying every day."

Hua Chang'an's expression was extremely grave: "What are the patient's specific symptoms?"

Yang Zhongsi immediately replied: "Initially, he had a sudden high fever, felt weak all over, had a severe headache, and vomited incessantly."

"After two or three days of this, the high fever will subside temporarily, but then a rash will appear all over the body, starting on the face and mouth, and quickly spreading to the trunk and limbs..."

As Hua Chang'an listened to Yang Zhongsi's description, his expression grew increasingly grim, and finally he forced out two words through gritted teeth:

"Smallpox!"

Yang Zhongsi nodded heavily: "The military doctors also made the same judgment. They also said that it is an incurable disease, and four or five out of ten people who are infected will die. Moreover, there is no cure, and the patient can only rely on himself to tough it out."

"I wonder... if Physician Hua has a good way to cure this disease?"

Hua Chang'an remained silent for a moment, then shook his head and nodded.

“If we follow the traditional medical approach, there is the method of ‘variolation’ inoculation, which involves taking the scabs from those who have recovered from smallpox, grinding them into powder and blowing it into the nose of a healthy person, or applying the semen to the skin in order to induce mild symptoms and gain resistance.”

"However, this method is extremely dangerous. If one is not careful, it can cause an epidemic, and the mortality rate is not low."

He changed the subject, a glint in his eyes: "And if we follow the new method developed by the medical school of Bongkol University... we might be able to try smallpox vaccination."

"Smallpox?" Yang Zhongsi and Ma Zhong both looked puzzled.

“That’s right,” Hua Chang’an explained, “Cows can also get a disease similar to smallpox, called ‘cowpox’.”

"If a person is infected with cowpox, the symptoms are very mild, or even almost harmless. After recovery, they will also gain the same resistance to smallpox."

"This method was mentioned by His Majesty in his early years. After preliminary research by the medical school, it is far safer than 'variolation'."

"However, this is a new method and has not yet been tested on a large scale. I dare not guarantee its effectiveness or risks."