Datang: Rebirth of Li Chengqian, the beginning of the treason interrogation

Chapter 43: Xuzhou Imperial Physician Zhen Liyan
On the tenth day of May, it is suitable to travel but not to get married.

The gate of Chang'an City slowly opened, and a group of soldiers in bright armor marched out of the city in neat steps, followed closely by carriages full of supplies. This scene attracted many onlookers and discussions.

The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty ordered: allocate one million coins and 300,000 dan of grain to provide relief to the epidemic area in Xuzhou.

After a brief preparation, the Tang Dynasty court finally launched disaster relief support operations in Xuzhou.

Xuzhou, formerly known as Pengcheng County, was under the jurisdiction of Henan Province. It was once the battlefield of the Chu-Han contention and is also a famous historical and cultural city.

On Jiangnan Road, a large ship was sailing against the wind and waves. Li Chengqian stood at the bow, his sleeves fluttering, facing the wind.

During the Sui Dynasty, the Grand Canal had already closely connected Chang'an with the south of the Yangtze River, but the route from Luoyang to Chang'an brought certain difficulties to transportation due to the terrain. However, this did not affect small-scale transportation activities between the two places.

Li Chengqian did not follow the grain transport team, but set out more than ten days in advance. Now, he has arrived in Jiangnan Road and entered Henan Road.

Jiangnan Road was one of the important waterways of the Grand Canal, while Henan Road was one of the administrative regions of the Tang Dynasty, equivalent to a prefecture in the Han Dynasty.

It is mainly divided according to mountains, rivers, and mainly based on standard mountains and rivers such as the Yellow River, Yangtze River, Taihang Mountains, Qinling Mountains and Huaihe River.

There are Gyeonggi Province, Guannei Province, Henan Province, Hebei Province, Jiangnan East Province, Jiangnan West Province, Qianzhong Province, Shannan East Province, Shannan West Province, etc.

If a military operation is to be launched, the commander-in-chief will be named after these regions.

Henan Province is a major grain-producing area, a land of fish and rice, and a granary for all dynasties. Even if a minor disaster or flood occurs, it can be resolved on its own.

However, in the early Tang Dynasty, the equal-field system was adopted, and land was nationalized. All fields were divided according to the number of people. If an area was hit by a disaster, the state had to pay and issue an order for the state to open its granaries and release grain.

Most of a country's grain would be transported to Luoyang and Chang'an.

Because of the large population there, Chang'an had a permanent population of one million during the Zhenguan period.

"Your Highness, we have now entered Henan Province, and it will take a few days to reach Xuzhou."

On the chopping board, Li Zhen was also looking out at the river.

There were many ships passing by, and the Grand Canal was always so prosperous, which also reflected the overall picture of the Tang Dynasty's commerce.

The opening of the North-South Canal promoted economic and cultural exchanges between the two places.

Bursts of singing can also be heard on many merchant ships.

"Is this an important person coming?"

The ship that Li Chengqian was riding on was so huge that it attracted the attention of all passing ships.

As the boat continued to move forward, the area became increasingly desolate and the river became increasingly turbulent.

"Your Highness, we are already downstream, the water is high, and it would be dangerous to go down by boat."

Wang Xun walked up and said to Li Chengqian.

"Then let's dock and take the land route."

Li Chengqian nodded and let the boat dock. After getting off the boat, he saw the devastated land with gullies and ditches.

The river bank area has been washed away by the river water, but you can still vaguely see people working in the fields.

"Old man, there are frequent floods here. Wouldn't you get no harvest from farming here?"

Li Zhen stepped forward and asked.

"Your Excellency may not know that this place does flood frequently, but the river silt here is excellent fertile soil. Besides, there is no convenient water source elsewhere, and we don't have any land." Seeing the appearance of Li Chengqian and his group, the old man did not dare to be disrespectful and immediately told them.

“If we could build a dam, flooding here wouldn’t be a problem.”

Li Chengqian squatted down, felt the mud, and was inspired.

"When the flood season comes, the water here becomes extremely turbulent. In serious cases, the river course may change, causing serious losses downstream."

Li Zhen shook his head. This was impossible. Even if it was possible, the imperial court would not invest so much money and grain in renovating the river channel.

But if this happens, the people who are allocated the land here will suffer a great disaster.

"My dear friends, please do not go downstream. There is a plague there. It is very dangerous. Many young people have fled there to escape the disaster."

The old man advised. Only elderly people like them who are unable to move around would wait to die here.

“Is the epidemic so serious?”

An old man stepped forward from the queue. He was the imperial physician Zhen Liyan. This time he went to the epidemic area, in addition to guarding Li Chengqian, he was also responsible for curing the epidemic.

Zhen Liyan was a famous doctor in ancient times. He was proficient in herbal medicine and good at treating parasitic diseases. His book "Ancient and Modern Prescriptions" has been passed down to later generations.

"The epidemic broke out in Xuzhou a few days ago, and it spread after a few days." The old man shook his head and sighed.

"Wang Xun, immediately have the Bad People notify all prefectures and counties to cooperate and set up roadblocks. Make sure that no one from Xuzhou escapes to other places. No one is allowed to go to other places, regardless of health or illness."

Li Chengqian immediately said that the epidemic prevention measures were still not perfect. They didn't know that there was still an incubation period. Generally, they would let healthy refugees go to other places, which further expanded the epidemic.

"Also, make sure that all the personnel conducting inspections wear masks made of fine cloth. When the epidemic is not being treated, the guards cannot be allowed to come into contact with anyone."

Zhen Liyan seemed to be thinking about something, but was still confused.

"Will this work?" Zhen Liyan asked. He didn't know the treatment principle of the epidemic.

"If you can take good precautions, the epidemic is not that scary."

Li Chengqian said that in ancient times, such plagues were very deadly, but in later times, a bottle of penicillin could solve the problem.

"Doctor Zhen, this is why I chose you from among the many imperial doctors this time."

"Plague is also an insect disease, but these insects are too small for us to see with our naked eyes."

Li Chengqian looked at the medical giant and said, he may not be as famous as Sun Simiao, but everyone has his own expertise, and his achievements in parasite treatment are unshakable.

"We cannot see many tiny insects. It turns out that the plague is the same. I wonder how Your Highness knew this?"

Zhen Liyan's desire to learn was aroused. He devoted himself to studying this subject and believed what Li Chengqian said more than anyone else.

"I saw these tiny bugs called bacteria." Li Chengqian said directly.

Zhen Liyan was stunned. Is the prince's eyesight so good?
However, this also opened a door to a new world for him. Along the way, Li Chengqian had instilled a lot of epoch-making medical knowledge in him, and he had become more sensitive.

This is also what Li Chengqian wants. All he knows is some common sense that transcends the times. As for overcoming difficulties, these professionals are still needed to accomplish them. The only thing he can do is to provide guidance.

The progress of an era is definitely the result of the efforts of a group of people.

A group has been set up, and interested book lovers can join the discussion.

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(End of this chapter)