Chapter 265: Pubei County

Chapter 265: Pubei County

Song Tingzhou walked to Xia Yuan's carriage and said, "Vice Minister Xia, something's going on in Pubei County."

Xia Yuan lifted the thick curtain at the front of the carriage and got off, then looked with Song Tingzhou toward the scene at the city gate.

"Even if Qinzhou has suffered a disaster, why have they closed the city gates?"

"The Qin River is very likely flooding." Song Tingzhou told Xia Yuan about the incident when the dam in Xiwu Prefecture collapsed and floating corpses were discovered.

Xia Yuan had already guessed, "You mean these refugees outside the city are carrying the plague."

Song Tingzhou admitted, "I don't know yet, but closing the city gates because of an epidemic is clearly an unwise approach."

There was no use saying more now; Pubei County was clearly suspicious. Either they would have to bypass it or get the people inside to open the gates.

Song Tingzhou wasn't backing down—he clearly wanted to figure out how to open the gates.

"Godfather, let me go take a look." Chu Ci hopped off the carriage and walked over to Song Tingzhou, making gestures.

Xue Sheng also got off the carriage with him. "Sir, I'll go with Xiao Ci."

A Xun also wanted to get off, but Chu Ci pushed him back. He handed Xue Sheng a thick mask, and the two covered their mouths and noses as they walked toward the wall at the base of the city, followed by two squads of soldiers protecting them.

The sound of footsteps and signs of life stirred the fading crowd below the city. Some of them opened their eyes and weakly looked at Chu Ci and the others.

They couldn't even lift their heads, just stared with half-open eyes as they gradually approached.

Chu Ci looked closely and saw the refugees did have pustules on their faces, which had already burst and oozed pus. The pus spread across their faces, drying and flowing again, layer upon layer covered with thick yellow scabs.

"Xiao Ci, be careful." Xue Sheng also noticed something unusual.

Chu Ci waved his hand, applied a layer of ointment on his hand, then crouched down and took the pulse of a refugee at the edge. His heart sank.

Too late. He was beyond saving.

They quickly retreated to find Song Tingzhou.

Chu Ci gestured a few times. "Godfather, the illness is too severe; we probably can't save any of them."

Song Tingzhou's face went dark, unreadable emotions in his eyes. "Chi Yu, go in and check it out."

Chi Yu was even quicker and more skilled than Xue Sheng. Since no one was guarding the city wall, he found the lowest climbing spot at the gate and scrambled up in seconds.

Both outside and inside the city was silent. A few moments later, Chi Yu opened Pubei County's north gate from the inside. From the carriage, Meng Wan could see seven or eight soldiers lying on the ground, their mouths gagged with hemp cloth.

The carriages, which had been stopped for a while, finally moved again. But when they got to the gate, Xia Yuan hesitated at the sight of the horrifying boils on the refugees outside.

"Governor Song, this plague looks horrible. If we rashly enter, might we also be infected?"

Song Tingzhou explained to him, "Vice Minister Xia, rest assured. I've brought several physicians who have previously treated patients with impetigo in Xiwu Prefecture. If you're really worried, you can wait here while I go in first."

He didn't want Meng Wan or the kids going in either, so he used Xia Yuan's concern as an opening.

To his surprise, Xia Yuan hesitated only a second before saying, "Forget it. We're here to inspect the disaster—I can't let you go alone. We'll all go in together."

Song Tingzhou had no choice but to tell his men to watch over Meng Wan. The group entered the county town under the refugees' fixed, desperate stares.

City entry was everything they'd once craved, but now they couldn't even lift a foot.

Most Lingnan towns were run-down with few shops—nothing like the bustling Xiwu Prefecture. At this moment, every shop in Pubei County was shut, making the place feel even more desolate.

They headed straight to the county yamen, its gates also firmly closed. The whole town felt like a ghost town.

Chi Yu, knowing the way, scaled the wall and swung the gates open. Probably because of the racket, this time voices finally came from inside.

"Stop right there!"

"Who are you? How did you get in!"

"Go tell the magistrate! Someone's broken into the yamen!"

Chi Yu acted like he didn't hear a thing, pulled off the threshold, and let the whole convoy roll straight into the courtyard.

The guards beside Xia Yuan and Song Tingzhou stood at the front, imposing in demeanor.

Xia Yuan got off his horse. Seeing actual people in the yamen, he breathed a little easier. He took charge and told the confused clerks, "Go fetch Fu Xiao. Tell him to come out."

Meng Wan climbed out of the carriage, and each man carried a child, warning them not to wander off. Compared to the calm Tong'er, that warning was clearly for A Yan.

A Yan was stubborn, sharp, and loved showing off and taking risks. Fortunately, he was good at reading adults' expressions and knew when he could play freely and when he should obediently listen.

They made a big commotion arriving at the yamen, and the clerks could tell these visitors were no ordinary folks. They quickly called for their own county magistrate.

The magistrate of Pubei County was ancient. When he heard strangers had shown up at such a crucial time and called him by name, he had a hunch.

"Are you two gentlemen from Shengjing?" White-haired and leaning on a cane, he spoke to Song Tingzhou and Xia Yuan, who were surrounded by attendants.

Neither answered. Xia Yuan's attendant pulled out some official papers from a pack and said, "Our master is a second-rank court official, the Vice Minister of Works. It was Governor Song, the Governor of Lingnan, who detected anomalies in Qinzhou and reported them to the court. His Majesty then sent Vice Minister Xia and Governor Song here together to investigate."

"Governor Song? Is he Governor Song from Xiwu Prefecture?" Fu Xiao's voice rose.

Song Tingzhou was puzzled. "It is I."

"Governor Song! I never thought you'd actually come!" Fu Xiao burst into tears and lurched forward to grab Song Tingzhou's hand, but Chi Yu cut him off.

Didn't he see their husband was standing right there? How dare this old man touch the governor's hand?

"Forgive me, my lords, I was careless. Vice Minister Xia, Governor Song, please follow me to the rear office to settle in. It is not safe to move about freely in the city right now." Fu Xiao wiped away tears, and his forced smile couldn't hold, making his face look even more sorrowful.

They had traveled a long, dusty road and were naturally tired. No one refused, and they all followed Fu Xiao into the rear office to settle down.

The yamen gates were closed; order in Pubei County was clearly broken. There were very few clerks in the entire office, leaving many rooms empty.

In the rear office lived Fu Xiao's family. He had intended to arrange for Meng Wan to stay with his wife and daughter-in-law, but Song Tingzhou politely declined.

The West Flower Hall was arranged for Xia Yuan and his attendants, while Song Tingzhou took his group to stay in the courtyard of the Registrar Hall.

Bearing the emperor's orders, Song Tingzhou and Xia Yuan dared not delay. They soon summoned Fu Xiao to the second hall for discussion.

"What about the refugees outside the city? Has an epidemic broken out in Pubei County?" Xia Yuan asked first.

Fu Xiao looked bitter. "Vice Minister Xia, please see clearly. Pubei County does have an epidemic, but it came from Qinzhou City."

Song Tingzhou hit the nail on the head. "Is it because the Qin River flooded, causing the people to suffer the disaster and thus the epidemic?"

Fu Xiao, who seemed to have heard of Song Tingzhou somewhere, had been very convinced by his words since they met. "Governor Song is correct. The Qin River flooded, and all the large and small dikes connected to it burst. Almost all the people in Qinzhou have been affected by the disaster!"

"How could this happen? The Qin River is wide and runs through several prefectures. It would probably take months of continuous heavy rain to cause it to flood, right?" As the Vice Minister of Works, Xia Yuan was very knowledgeable about all the rivers and water conservancy projects in Yu Kingdom.

On this matter, Fu Xiao felt even more aggrieved, "I, your subordinate, truly have no idea!"

It turned out that since the end of last October, the water levels in rivers and canals across Qinzhou had suddenly surged, catching everyone off guard. At that time, only a few days of rain had fallen, and no one expected the Qin River to suddenly flood.

Xia Yuan felt there was more to the issue and pressed Fu Xiao further, "After the flood, did the prefect of Qinzhou ever issue any directives to Pubei County?"

Fu Xiao's face was like a bitter gourd, full of helplessness, "At first, after the flood, there was chaos in the county's villages. The prefect did send someone to the county seat once. After that person reported the situation back, there was no further news from above."

Qinzhou had a unique geographical position. Its three subordinate counties were more like towns in reality. The city of Qinzhou stood at the forefront, facing off against Annam, like an unyielding final line of defense. Moreover, the prefect of Qinzhou was also a martial artist with kung fu skills.

In recent years, conflicts between the front lines and Annam had been constant. It wasn't the first time the prefect of Qinzhou had lost contact, so Fu Xiao didn't take it seriously at first. Unable to rely on his superior officer, he could only envy neighboring Xiwu Prefecture while cleaning up the mess himself.

But soon, things began to go wrong.

First, a large number of corpses washed down from upstream, then villagers living near water sources started falling ill. Pubei County had only one medical clinic, and even the physician there didn't know how to treat this disease.

In the early stages, Fu Xiao was focused on resettling the victims and repairing the dams. By the time he realized it, it was too late.

Entire villages were infected. Among the victims, and even within the county seat, people began to develop sores.

Fu Xiao could be considered dedicated to the people, but the speed at which the situation developed left him stunned. He didn't know how to respond and could only think of the crudest method—ordering the people to stay in their homes and not go out.

Song Tingzhou and Xia Yuan exchanged a glance. It was indeed a foolish approach. Even if they avoided infection, some would likely starve to death.

"Lord Song, you've managed Xiwu Prefecture well, preventing the epidemic from spreading. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to handle the situation in Pubei County. I need to write a memorial to His Majesty about the epidemic in Qinzhou." Xia Yuan, as the imperial commissioner appointed by the emperor, had to report everything about Qinzhou to the throne.

With that, Xia Yuan left, clearly trusting Song Tingzhou. Song Tingzhou picked up on a vague hint from his attitude.

The situation in Pubei County was precarious. Song Tingzhou composed himself and focused on taking over the county's official affairs.

"For now, we must first gather all those infected with the disease in the city and quarantine them together. The dead should be burned outside the city as soon as possible."

Fu Xiao hesitated, "But, my lord, most of the victims are infected. We don't know how many in the city have already contracted it. If we gather them together, won't it infect more people..."

Song Tingzhou looked at him sharply, "From now on, all official business of Pubei County will be handled entirely by me. Any objections can be discussed later."

Fu Xiao felt the pressure of the prefect, famous throughout Lingnan, for the first time. He lowered his eyes and replied fearfully, "Yes, my lord. I will send people to search the city immediately."

Song Tingzhou issued further orders, "The county school within the city can be temporarily requisitioned to house the patients. Outside the city, we need to set up shed tents. For both temporary and permanent arrangements, each tent should accommodate no more than twenty people, and the distance between tents must be greater than five zhang."

Fu Xiao, elderly and not quick on the uptake, only remembered the first part of Song Tingzhou's series of instructions. His secretary, however, was quick-witted and grabbed a brush and inkstone to jot everything down.

Seeing this, Song Tingzhou slowed his speech a little, "Build plenty of shed tents outside the city, with at least three sides shielded by straw mats to block the wind. After the bailiffs finish their search, uninfected women and children in the city can be hired to weave straw mats. The men and bailiffs will go outside the city to build the tents. The county government will pay wages..."

Before he could finish, he saw Fu Xiao's face filled with a troubled expression. Apart from the government offices in Xiwu Prefecture, all of Lingnan owed money to the court. They were dead broke. Where would they find money to hire people? In the past, they would simply conscript labor without pay.

Song Tingzhou thought of a compromise. He tapped his fingers on the table a couple of times and said in a deep voice, "With the floods and major epidemic in Qinzhou, the court will certainly exempt the people from taxes for several years. The county government can't come up with money, but that's fine. We can give labor credits to the workers. This spring, the county's mountain land will be allocated to the people based on their credits, allowing them to farm it for free for one year."

Hearing that no money was needed, Fu Xiao said happily, "That's excellent."

The county government's gates were wide open, but none of the bailiffs dared to step outside. They were all afraid of catching the disease.

Chu Ci burned some medicinal incense at the ceremonial gate and fumigated each of them, but still, no one dared to make the first move.

It wasn't until Chi Yu and his men went out first that some local bailiffs, worried about their families, followed. Only then did the rest dare to go out.

Since Song Tingzhou and his party had suspected the situation, they came prepared. Meng Wan had brought five or six carts of medicinal herbs for treating impetigo, and two more carts for common colds and fevers. Chu Ci, along with Elder Miao and his grandson, waited at the entrance of the county school, ready to diagnose the plague victims.

The situation in the county seat was indeed grim. Some houses already emitted the stench of decaying corpses. Even after fumigation, entering such places was extremely dangerous. At a time when medicinal herbs and food were most critical, it was unrealistic to waste herbs fumigating every house. The only option was to burn the houses and the bodies together.

The bailiffs worked through the night without rest and only finished inspecting the entire Pubei county seat by the afternoon of the next day.

"My lord, within the city, there are seventy-three people not infected, two hundred and forty with mild cases, six hundred and fifty-one with severe cases. As for the dead... countless." The bailiffs had changed clothes and washed with the medicinal powder solution developed by Elder Miao before coming to report to Song Tingzhou.

A heavy sigh escaped Song Tingzhou. He closed his eyes, his expression pained, "Understood. You men, rest for a day in the clerks' quarters first. Then have the other bailiffs come to receive orders."

Next, A Xun and Elder Miao set up a clinic outside the county school. The mild and severe cases were housed separately within the school. Two temporary huts were built outside the school. Those whose condition improved could move outside, and once fully recovered, they could return home.