knife

Chapter 786 Epidemic
"snake?"

Jiang Qian was somewhat surprised: "The thing that forced Kang Zhenke and Wuji to defend their stronghold was actually a snake?"

“The methods of the Witch Cult!” Zhang Qingyun shook his head and said, “It’s not just snakes, but also other poisonous insects. The Witch Cult is indeed quite skilled at these things. Now our camp is besieged by these snakes and insects every night. These things are everywhere and impossible to defend against!”

“These things also need to be controlled!” Jiang Qian asked, “Find the controller and kill him!”

“Kang Zhen and his men did just that. They almost killed the leader the first time, but he got away. But this turned out to be a trap!” Zhang Qingyun said. “The other side used this to lure our experts over, and Elder Ke was seriously injured!”

"Tens of thousands of troops, trapped by snakes and ants?" Jiang Qian found it hard to believe.

“We’re not afraid of snakes and ants on their own, but when these things are combined with tens of thousands of Southwest Wolf Soldiers, they become difficult to fight!” Zhang Qingyun said with a wry smile. “We’ve never encountered this kind of thing before. Now that Kang Zhen has sent people back, we need a lot of medicinal herbs. The prescription written by Gan Zhan, the doctor accompanying the army, can effectively suppress snakes, ants, and poisonous insects.”

Jiang Qian could discern the underlying meaning from the sound of the music; just by looking at Zhang Qingyun's expression, she knew where the problem lay!
"Can't gather such a large quantity of herbs in a short time?"

"It will take at least two to three months to gather so many herbs!" Zhang Qingyun frowned. "We'll need to mobilize all our resources. The main problem is that while these herbs aren't rare, they're not commonly used, and pharmacies don't usually keep large quantities of them!"

"There's no other way but to wait!" Jiang Qian said.

Zhang Qingyun nodded, glanced at Jiang Qian, and hesitated before speaking.

"Do you have any other ideas?" Jiang Qian asked.

Zhang Qingyun said softly, "After this happened, I asked Kong Yuan if there was any way to use their own methods against them! Oh, Kong Yuan was also from a large medical clinic, but he later joined Zhi Qiu Academy!"

"What idea did Kong Yuan come up with that actually put you in a bit of a dilemma?" Jiang Qian asked with great interest.

Zhang Qingyun whispered two words: "Epidemic!"

Jiang Qian's expression changed slightly.

“Back then, Changchun Valley, under the leadership of Valley Master Fu, had been researching epidemics in order to develop Changchun Powder. After Changchun Powder was successfully developed, these research results were sealed away. However, a few people continued to work in this direction, and Kong Yuan was one of them,” Zhang Qingyun said. “He even did some dirty work against some forces in the Black Domain. Later, when Valley Master Fu found out, he expelled him from Changchun Valley.”

"How come I heard that Valley Master Fu used those evil bandits from the Black Domain as test subjects in order to develop the Everlasting Spring Powder?" Jiang Qian asked back.

"No, it was Master Fu who did this to protect Kong Yuan and the others. Otherwise, if the outside world knew the truth, Kong Yuan and the others wouldn't survive. Master Fu can bear this responsibility, but they can't. Besides, Changchun San later saved countless people from three countries, and these things have gradually been forgotten!"

Jiang Qian pondered, "Could this Kong Yuan have artificially created a plague?"

Zhang Qingyun nodded: "Yes, he told me it's possible. Holy Maiden, there aren't many ordinary people left in Liyang County now; it's basically just those Southwest Wolf Soldiers. I think we can give it a try!"

Jiang Qian paced back and forth in the room, her expression one of struggle. After a long while, she finally said, "Is this epidemic easy to control? How great is the risk of it spreading? Liyang is too close to Danyang, and it's not far from Tong'an County either. If it can't be controlled, it could really cause a catastrophe if it spreads!"

“Kong Yuan said that this epidemic can be completely controlled. Liyang is already surrounded by the army. As long as we don’t let the people inside escape, we can prevent the virus from spreading!” “We can stop ordinary people, but can we stop those guys with high martial arts skills? Once they find out about this and escape from Liyang County, not only will there be a risk of the epidemic spreading, but the news will also leak out. What will the world think of us?” Jiang Qian said.

“Holy Maiden, historically, when a city is besieged, there is a high chance of disease outbreaks. Moreover, the transition from spring to summer is the peak season for disease outbreaks, and with the city filled with southwestern wolf soldiers, the possibility of an outbreak is even greater!” Zhang Qingyun gritted her teeth and said, “Even if someone escapes, it can be prevented with proper measures. As for the news leaking, who can prove that we did it? Holy Maiden, if we don’t take action, the battle for Liyang County will likely be delayed. To completely capture it, we will have to wait until we gather enough medicinal herbs. A lot can happen in two months!”

"Let me think about it some more!" Jiang Qian took a deep breath. "Let me think about it some more. This is no small matter. Qingyun, if we really do this, can we keep it from others, or from Master Fu and the others? Can we keep it from the great doctors at the medical clinic? To be honest, I can't bear the infamy!"

Zhang Qingyun glanced at Jiang Qian and nodded: "Then I'll have Kong Yuan do some preliminary preparations first. Once the Holy Maiden makes up her mind, we can start immediately!"

"Collecting medicinal herbs is our top priority! I will also have He Jiong and Han Zheng do their utmost in the local area!"

"Understood!" Zhang Qingyun bowed and turned to leave. As she walked out of the hall, she turned back to look into the room and saw Jiang Qian pacing back and forth. A slight sneer appeared on her lips.

Jiang Qian has changed.

She was no longer the ruthless and decisive Empress Dowager of Chu who only cared about the result and not the process. If it were someone else, Jiang Qian would probably have made a decision on this matter immediately.

Now, they're actually worried about their reputation.

It seems she still has some concerns and ties.

It's hard to say whether this is a good thing or a bad thing; perhaps Xiao Changche was putting too much pressure on her.

General Xiao Changche, though somewhat bloodthirsty, was primarily responsible for killing Northern Yuan people. In other aspects, she was truly impeccable. Now, as the power of the Northern Protectorate grows, her air of imperial authority is becoming increasingly pronounced, which is undoubtedly putting immense pressure on Jiang Qian.

As for myself, I didn't have that many thoughts.

What's a few deaths compared to the great cause of our Protectorate? Especially since they were enemies.

It's acceptable for the other party to use snakes, insects, and poisonous ants, but not for one's own family to use diseases?
"Headmaster, what did the Holy Maiden say?" Kong Yuan greeted him as soon as he stepped into the gate of Zhi Qiu Academy.

"Let's make the necessary preparations first, and then we'll talk about it later!" Zhang Qingyun said.

"Alright!" Kong Yuan said excitedly. He knew Zhang Qingyun's temperament. Since she said so, it wouldn't be long before they took action.

Just as they were about to leave, they heard rapid footsteps outside, and a burly spy rushed in like the wind.

"Master, an urgent report has arrived from Huaiyang Prefecture!"

(End of this chapter)