Chapter 100

Chapter 100

While the tarpaulins were being counted and loaded, Huo Jilin stressed to Zhao Jinming again how serious this plague was and told him he had to make sure his water sources stayed clean.

The paper mill used a ton of water, and the paper it made was for close-contact use—whether it was toilet paper or the tung-oil paper wrapping meds and pastries, it all touched the body directly. They couldn't afford a single slip-up.

Huo Jilin said, "I'll get Chen Jue to send someone to test your water source."

Zhao Jinming knew what was at stake. He cared about his reputation, so he got why quality mattered. He clasped his fists and said, "Alright! I'll keep a tight grip on quality control, don't worry."

By the time the tarps were loaded, it was almost midnight. Huo Jilin got to camp and did a full lap around it.

Ever since the flood-fighting, Huo Jilin had tightened up the rules for every unit.

From discipline to behavior, everything was strictly enforced. It wasn't quite the special forces boot camp from his past life, but it was a whole lot stricter.

Rules were rules—no leaving camp unless on duty, strict adherence to regs while out on assignment, no taking so much as a needle or thread from the folks, including food, and no eating or drinking outside camp. A whole list of policies like that.

At first, they didn't get why eating outside was banned, but now they sure did.

It was late, and the soldiers were already asleep. Huo Jilin just walked the camp without waking them—they had to get up early for training the next day.

A strong body was key to fighting off the plague. This anti-plague battle was another test for them.

When he'd told Magistrate Liu this plague wasn't really his business as Regional Commander, that was just to dodge the magistrate's control. But in reality, there was no way he'd just sit back and do nothing.

Guarding the gates meant guarding the whole city.

The plague was a battle too—a war with no smoke or gunpowder—and nobody could dodge it.

His soldiers would have to lead the charge.

Huo Jilin just had Zhang Jun call in the unit commanders to go over the plague plan.

While waiting for them to show up, Huo Jilin had already sketched out a plan.

He pulled from his past-life experience with epidemics and mixed it with the current situation to come up with a strategy.

Once the Commander, Lieutenants, and Squad Officers were all there, Huo Jilin quickly filled them in.

They'd been through a lot lately—the three-month Northwest Campaign last year, then the flood-fighting. So when they heard about the plague, they were shocked and scared, but nobody complained or backed out.

"We'll get the job done, guaranteed!"

"We'll defend our home with our lives!"

That night, Huo Jilin bunked at the camp, where he had a place to work and sleep.

But maybe because Chen Jue wasn't there, he didn't get much sleep.

The next day, before sunrise, Huo Jilin was already up.

He talked to the troops about the plague again.

Maybe because Huo Jilin ran a tight ship and had shown his iron fist during the flood-fighting, the soldiers all answered in unison with a sharp "Sir, yes sir!"

But Huo Jilin gave a slight smile and said, "This anti-plague fight might sound less dangerous than flood-fighting, but disease is a war without gunpowder—it can take lives without a sound. So, three hundred soldiers will go out on this mission. Two hundred will stay to guard the camp and protect the city. Now, unmarried men, step out. Married men with no kids, step out."

The soldiers followed his orders. They hesitated for a beat, but then they filed out one by one.

Huo Jilin looked at the count and went on, "This anti-plague mission isn't a required duty for the garrison, so anyone who doesn't want to go, step out."

As long as they stayed in lockdown training inside the camp, the chances of the plague reaching them were way lower.

Huo Jilin respected these men too—their lives counted just as much.

Fighting the plague wasn't the garrison's main job; their top priority was defending the country from foreign invaders.

Nobody stepped out.

Huo Jilin looked at the three hundred-plus men, more than enough for the job, and let out a silent sigh. He didn't know whether to call these men naive or just loyal to the bone.

Huo Jilin walked up to a big, sturdy soldier in the front: "Li Jun, step out. I remember you're not married."

This was the troublemaker who'd been publicly whipped with thirty strokes of the rod during the flood-fighting. Maybe the beating wasn't hard enough, or Chen Jue's medical skills were just too good—he healed fast, only laid up for three days before limping back to duty. Now he was fully healed; the guy was seriously tough.

Li Jun's face twitched a little, and he stepped out reluctantly. Once out, he said to Huo Jilin, "Regional Commander Huo, I'm asking to join the anti-plague mission! My body's in perfect shape! I won't drop from some little plague! Please, Regional Commander, let me go!"

Huo Jilin ignored him and kept walking, picking out other soldiers who didn't qualify.

"Zhang Cheng, step out. Married three months—doesn't qualify."

"Cheng Jinzhou, step out. You've got a seventy-year-old mom at home and a three-year-old kid. The kid's already lost his mom; he can't lose his dad too. Step out."

"Chen Jiayu, step out. Not married..."

"Zhou Cheng, you hurt your shoulder in the Northwest Campaign. Step out."

...

Huo Jilin made a full loop, calling out everyone who didn't qualify. His garrison only had five hundred men. He hadn't been tight with them before, but he'd gone through all their basic files.

"Everyone who stepped out, about-face! Keep training!"

The soldiers filed off, but Li Jun stayed put. Huo Jilin looked at him: "As a squad leader, you're disobeying orders—you want another thirty strokes?"

Li Jun stepped up and saluted: "Reporting to the Regional Commander, you can give me another thirty strokes, but I still want to join this anti-plague mission. I hope you'll give me a chance to make up for my mistakes! Please!"

He truly admired Huo Jilin. Huo Jilin was a year younger than him, yet he had already achieved such great military merit at this age.

Most importantly, there was a calm composure about him that Li Jun couldn't quite understand.

It was that kind of strategic poise—the unflappable steadiness even when the sky seemed to fall—that he admired.

Whether it was the previous flood or the current plague, Huo Jilin could accept the situation and quickly formulate an action plan in such a short time. That was the fundamental reason for his admiration.

So he was willing to follow Huo Jilin through life and death, to defer to his every command.

"What merit do you have? What merit can you earn?" Huo Jilin asked coolly, unmoved by this display of loyalty.

Some soldiers nearby chuckled, but a glare from Li Jun made them stifle their laughter.

Li Jun stood ramrod straight and said, "I have strength—whether it's carrying the sick or hauling timber to build shelters, I can do it. Also, I'm a native here; I know every corner of Dongling County. I can help investigate the source of the outbreak you mentioned! Regional Commander, please give me a chance. I want to follow you!"

"Aren't you afraid of death?" Huo Jilin continued to ask.

Li Jun shouted loudly, "No! I chopped off twenty enemy heads in the Northwest battlefield!"

Huo Jilin stared at him for a long moment,

A real soldier is one with guts and the nerve to charge into battle.

Huo Jilin waved his hand toward him: "You can rejoin, but my men have to follow orders! This time, anyone who disobeys will be court-martialed!"

"Yes, sir!" Li Jun said loudly.

He now understood that Huo Jilin had his reasons for everything he did, and that all his actions were based on the bigger picture. From now on, he would follow him without question.

Before sunrise, Huo Jilin had handed out all the assignments.

Group one: shut the city gates, lock down the walls, cancel the market, and bar anyone from entering or leaving; coordinate with the government clerks to post notices and maintain order within the city.

Healthy people with no symptoms were sent to every village and home to tell the village chiefs to keep their people in line.

Group two: work with Jishi Hall and the big pharmacies to count the sick; read the prevention handbook aloud to every household.

Group three: help the doctors clean the drinking water and find the source of the outbreak.

Everyone else was sent to the foot of West Mountain to build the medical tents.

Before heading to the tents, Huo Jilin stopped by Jishi Hall to wait for Chen Jue.

It was just starting to get light.

The streets were already filling up with people. Some were gathered in front of the government office, and soldiers were already breaking up the crowds.

They were reading the notices aloud as they went.

The notices had been put up overnight, and the city gates hadn't been opened that morning. Chen Jue had left with a pass last night, and now he used it to get back in. Once he was in, he wouldn't be able to leave again for a while. He wondered whether Huo Yu had cried.

Huo Jilin waited at Jishi Hall for a while. Manager Chen was sorting herbs in the back yard. Jishi Hall didn't have much cash on hand, but they could supply the herbs.

Huo Jilin thanked him. He hadn't even brought up donating herbs, but Manager Chen was already getting them ready.

Jishi Hall really did have a heart for healing the world.

Manager Chen sighed and said to him: "As long as we get through this outbreak, it won't all be for nothing. By the way, Commander Huo, can your prepared medicines keep up? The numbers are going to explode in the next few days. There might be times when we can't keep up with brewing the medicine."

This was when the downside of brewing fresh medicine became obvious—three bowls of water boiled down to one bowl of medicine, simmered over a low flame. Way too slow.

If Chen's Pharmaceutical hadn't stocked up thousands of packets beforehand, Jishi Hall wouldn't have lasted more than a few days. But they'd probably need even more down the line.

Huo Jilin said to him: "Chen Jue took care of it when he went back last night."

And right then, Chen Jue showed up.

Chen Jue told Manager Chen the pharmacy was running two shifts and would do everything it could to crank out the medicine packets.

Manager Chen let out a sigh of relief. That was great news.

Chen Jue turned to Huo Jilin. "I need to talk something over with you."

He told him that Chen's Pharmaceutical would supply all the pharmacies and medical tents at cost. Huo Jilin looked at him and smiled. He'd known Chen Jue would be one of the first to donate on his own.

He hadn't told Magistrate Liu directly earlier because he wanted to put maximum pressure on him—he couldn't just do all the heavy lifting himself.

He'd do his part, but Magistrate Liu had to step up too. If he didn't go all in this time, they were all dead.

Manager Chen overheard and let out a sigh too: "You've still got workers to pay. Can you really afford to sell at cost? This isn't going to be over in a few days—it could drag on for months."

Even if the outbreak gets contained, it'll take a while to fully die down, and they'd still need medicine to keep people stable during that time.

Chen Jue nodded. "I ran the numbers last night. At cost, we can keep it going."

Huo Jilin was getting ready to leave. He'd come this early just to check on him.

Chen Jue walked him to the door. The streets were eerily quiet that morning, emptied out by the soldiers.

Huo Jilin stood by his horse. "Did Huo Yu cry?"

Chen Jue glanced at him. So Huo Jilin was worried about Huo Yu crying too. So he smiled. "Nope. When I left with my pack and waved goodbye, he was too busy chowing down on sweet potato strips to notice."

Huo Jilin smiled, then let out a barely audible sigh. "He's going to have to put up with a lot during this time. I can't even go back to see him."

Chen Jue handed him the bundle. "I packed you some clothes and toiletries."

He paused and looked at him. "Take care of yourself."

The flood had barely ended, and Chen Jue's heart was heavy. He knew they'd get through the cholera, but disasters—natural or man-made—were just too unpredictable.

Huo Jilin pulled him into a hug. "You take care too."

His arms tightened on their own. Chen Jue worried about him, and he worried about Chen Jue just as much. Chen Jue was the one who really needed to look after himself—he was on the front lines, staring the plague right in the face.

Cholera could be treated, but this was ancient times—there were too many things beyond their control.

Chen Jue was only human, after all.

Chen Jue froze for a second in his arms, then rested his chin on his shoulder and smiled. "I know. Don't worry—I'm a doctor. I know how to protect myself. You all need to stay careful out there too. I put a few sterilized scarves in the pack along with the clothes. The rest of the scarves will be sent over with the medicine once you set up camp at West Mountain today. Once the alcohol's boiled, make sure every soldier wears one."

Huo Jilin said okay, took a deep breath, and let Chen Jue go. "Sleep whenever you get the chance. Grab it while you can."

It sounded like a joke, but he knew Chen Jue wouldn't get a single full night's sleep for a long time.

Chen Jue watched him swing up onto his horse and only went back inside Jishi Hall once he'd ridden off. Before long, he was swamped.

The back yard of Jishi Hall had turned into a patient holding area. The medicine was already boiling, and the whole yard reeked of herbs.

The shelters Huo Jilin built didn't even take three days—by the evening of the second day, the first patients were already moving in.

Chen Jue, Doctor He, Imperial Physician He, Doctor Zhu, Doctor Qu, and other doctors sent from the pharmacies all moved into the shelters too.

The weather had gotten hot by now. The shelters were made of tarpaulin, with soldiers piling branches and bamboo leaves on top for shade. At the breezy foot of West Mountain, conditions were way better than anyone expected.

Imperial Physician He gave a quiet nod as he looked over the shelters. They really could count on Huo Jilin. He never expected him to get dozens of shelters up this fast.

And he'd thought of just about everything: every shelter was disinfected, with lime powder in the corners to keep out dampness, snakes, and bugs.

They'd picked this up during the last flood relief, so the soldiers knew exactly what to do.

Once the shelters were up, Magistrate Liu came to take a look. He even brought in an old master from the Taoist temple to light incense in person. The incense smoke, mixed with the herbal smell of mugwort and poria, gave everyone a quiet sense of comfort.

The Zhuyou Ritual was part of traditional Chinese medicine too, and burning incense and praying was one of its practices.

Seeing how fast Huo Jilin had gotten the shelters up, Magistrate Liu's face looked a little better—not so deathly pale anymore. He finally pulled himself together and started raising donations, supplies, and grain.