Teasing the First Dragon at the Start

The northern desert region.

At this moment, there was only deathly silence, and morale was almost completely extinguished.

The soldiers guarding the camp gate couldn't help but look into the camp. Seeing the patient being carried out, whose skin was black and festering, they felt a chill run down their spines.

Those who were a little braver turned pale and instinctively rolled up their sleeves to check if they had been hit. Only after seeing that they were unharmed did they breathe a sigh of relief.

As for those who were timid, their foreheads were covered in cold sweat, and they hurriedly put their hands together and kept begging for the protection of God and Goddess Nuwa.

This shows just how low the morale of the three armies had fallen at this point.

Inside the large tent.

A female general dressed in black skirt armor was removing her helmet, revealing a beautiful and heroic face. She was Meng Tian, ​​the Protector-General of the Northern Desert.

Her face was covered in sweat, and her messy black hair clung to her cheeks, making her look very tired. But she had no mood to tidy herself up. She put the helmet on the table, sat heavily in the main seat, and closed her eyes.

She has had a really tough time lately.

After receiving the order from Xianyang to launch a northern expedition against the Xiongnu, Meng Tian led his troops northward. Under his leadership, the general's soldiers were brave and skilled in battle, like tigers and wolves leaving the border and entering a flock of sheep, sweeping all before them.

But perhaps she was just unlucky. She was only one step away from defeating the Xiongnu and the Donghu coalition. She had accepted many scattered tribes in the area and was preparing to continue her advance.

Some soldiers in the army began to fall down for no apparent reason. At first, Meng Tian guessed that they might be enemy spies who had infiltrated the herdsmen and poisoned them.

However, despite rigorous investigation, no results were found, and the number of infected people continued to increase.

At this point, she gradually realized that this might be a contagious disease like a plague, so she hurriedly reorganized the army and tried to avoid drinking raw water from the river, instead boiling the water before drinking it.

However, it still didn't have much effect, which made her extremely anxious, but she was helpless.

She could only personally show her face in the military camp every day, relying on her personal prestige to stabilize the morale of the troops, but this was ultimately only a temporary measure.

As the number of infected people gradually increases, and the soldiers see scenes of blackened skin and festering sores, their morale will only continue to decline.

Worse still, she had to keep these soldiers here in the name of the Northern Expedition, and she couldn't let the soldiers' homesickness sway her. She had to lead the three armies back to the Beiting Protectorate.

After all, all we know right now is that this infectious disease is dangerous, but we don't know how to deal with it.

If the infected soldiers were brought back to the Beiting Protectorate and then to the densely populated Central Plains, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Therefore, even though she knew that the army's morale would collapse sooner or later, she still tried her best to stabilize the situation and hold on for as long as possible.

Until Bai Su came to their aid.

She had complete trust in Bai Su's abilities.

After all, if even Bai Su, who is hailed as a pillar of strength and His Majesty's right-hand man, is helpless, then others are probably also at a loss.

Meng Tian sat in the main seat, facing the screen in the weary tent, and murmured, "Lord Bai, when will you be able to come? The army is in a state of panic, and morale is getting lower and lower. If this continues, even I will not be able to control the situation."

"Report..."

A guard hurried into the tent, his face beaming with joy as he clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "General, the Grand Marshal's reinforcements have arrived."

"What?! Lord Bai is here!!!"

Meng Tian immediately stood up from his seat, grabbed the guard's hand, and stared intently at her: "Is what you're saying true?"

She had been waiting for this news for more than half a month.

I've been eagerly anticipating this day and night, and now it's finally here. For a moment, I can hardly believe it's real.

The guard nodded: "It's true. Not only has the Grand General arrived, but he's also brought over five hundred cartloads of goods and three thousand doctors conscripted from various regions. They've come in a grand procession, and the entire camp is cheering. General, listen..."

Meng Tian lifted the tent flap and looked over, only to see that the soldiers, whose morale had been low, were now excitedly raising their weapons and cheering to the sky.

"Mr. Bai is here! We're saved..."

"Very good……"

In an instant, a deafening roar shook the heavens.

Meng Tian was stunned by the scene before him. He hadn't expected that Bai Su's name alone could boost morale to such an extent, even before Bai Su had arrived.

It's worth noting that even after guarding the frontier for many years, it would be difficult for her to command such prestige within the military.

However, after thinking about it carefully, she wasn't surprised at all by Bai Su's actions over the years.

Many of these soldiers were illiterate and knew nothing about world affairs or the various schools of thought, but they still knew who could feed them.

The Central Plains were prone to floods and blizzards, and famines frequently broke out. The greatest dream of countless people was to have enough to eat.

Under Bai Su's leadership, agricultural reforms have been implemented, including the cultivation of hybrid rice and the use of fertilized soil for farming. This has ensured that no one in the world has gone hungry for a long time, and even on grasslands thousands of miles away, people can still enjoy fresh vegetables.

How could one not feel grateful?

In addition, Bai Su pioneered the imperial examination system, opening the door for scholars from poor families, and promoted papermaking and printing techniques, benefiting the world.

His achievements over the years have earned him immense prestige among the people, making him comparable to a contemporary saint.

Even illiterate soldiers would willingly address Bai Su as "sir" upon seeing his portrait.

Right now, this renowned Grand Master of Ceremonies has traveled thousands of miles to the northern desert to treat the illnesses of the three armies. Such an act cannot help but move and inspire people.

The guard looked at Meng Tian and tentatively asked, "General, shall we go to greet him?"

"Of course, please come in quickly, no... I'll go greet them myself."

Meng Tian hurriedly got up and walked out of the tent, not even bothering to take his helmet. The guard quickly picked up the helmet and chased after him.

When she arrived outside the camp gate, she saw Bai Su dressed in plain clothes, walking slowly towards her.

Meng Tian strode forward and bowed to Bai Su, saying, "Since our parting in Xianyang, Lord Bai, you are still as dashing as ever. With you here today, my army is at peace."

Faced with Meng Tian's warm welcome, Bai Su quickly returned the greeting, not forgetting the purpose of his trip.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he asked, "How is the situation now?"

Meng Tian's face immediately turned grim: "After I realized something was wrong, I hurriedly took control. The scale of the disease is not very serious at the moment, with fewer than two thousand casualties. However, the blow to morale is far too severe."

"I sent a military doctor to check on the patient, but the patient was not cured, and the doctor himself also contracted the disease."

"Young master, do you know that the gruesome deaths of these infected people send chills down my spine? Do you know what this thing is?"

Bai Su frowned slightly, his expression grave, and said, "If I'm not mistaken, this should be the plague."

"plague?"

Meng Tian was taken aback when he heard this unfamiliar word.

Bai Su explained the principles of the plague to her in a simple way.

Upon hearing that the plague, if not properly controlled, could cause hundreds of thousands, millions, or even tens of millions of casualties, Meng Tian broke out in a cold sweat.

She hurriedly asked, "Young master, what should we do?"

Bai Su said, "Fortunately, General Meng managed to stabilize the army and prevent them from retreating to the Central Plains. Otherwise, if the scale had expanded, it would have been difficult to control."

Meng Tian nodded: "I have read the Treatise on Febrile Diseases written by you, young master, and I know the consequences of the spread of this plague. So I have tried my best to control it, but I have no clue what to do."

Bai Su stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and then said, "It's normal that you can't find any clues, because the plague is not spread through corpses or rivers, but through those inconspicuous rats."

"mouse?"

Meng Tian was completely stunned. She never expected that the thing that threatened the lives of countless people was actually a tiny mouse.

Bai Su nodded and said, "In the Central Plains, there has been a saying of five domestic animals since ancient times: cattle, sheep, chickens, dogs, and pigs. These domestic animals, which have been domesticated for thousands of years, have adapted to human contact after living with humans for a long time. Therefore, whether they are raised or used as food, there are usually no problems."

"But rats are different. Humans have not domesticated rats, and they carry a lot of diseases that are harmful to humans. If you get too close, you will be bitten by lice on the rats or eat them."

"If the meat is not fully cooked, it can easily cause various infectious diseases after consumption..."

After hearing Bai Su's explanation, Meng Tian's face immediately showed a look of realization: "So that's why those people who often eat wild animals all have short lifespans and die from diseases so easily. Then, according to your advice, young master, how should we deal with this?"

Bai Su said, "After finding out the source, the rest is simple. From now on, we must strictly avoid eating wild animals raw, pay attention to hygiene, and not come into contact with animals that died from the plague. The bodies should be cremated directly to avoid large-scale transmission."

"In addition, the plague can be transmitted through close-range respiratory transmission, so you should wear a mask to cover your mouth and nose to prevent infection."

"At the same time, sulfur was sprinkled in the camp to prevent the spread of disease."

"As for the timing, the plague mostly breaks out between June and September, mainly due to the breeding season of rats and fleas. Once this period is over, it will gradually subside."

Meng Tian nodded: "Very good. Without further ado, I will gather the troops and begin our response..."

Chapter 327 The young master is truly a divine being!

"Young master, is this thing really useful?"

Looking at the thick white cloth in her hand, Meng Tian couldn't help but have a strange look in her beautiful eyes.

These things look like items worn during traditional funerals.

Bai Su picked up a piece of white cloth and said with a solemn expression, "Don't underestimate this thing; it can save your life."

This thing is none other than a mask to reduce infection.

The materials used are extremely exquisite; just looking at so many items, you can tell they are very valuable.

This was the emergency supplies he had gathered from most of the northern lands, along with over 200,000 people, who worked through the night on spinning machines, producing hundreds of cartloads of them.

Most of them were delivered to the merchants voluntarily without even being charged.

It's not that they are particularly selfless, but when natural disasters like the plague are not controlled properly, they cannot remain uninvolved.

Since Bai Su is going to the front lines to combat the plague, those of them in the rear should naturally do their part.

Firstly, it was to become acquainted with the high and mighty Grand Chancellor and gain his favor.

Secondly, Bai Su has a high reputation in the industry over the years and is even known as the God of Wealth. Not only does he never default on his debts, but he has also never mistreated his partners afterward.

This kind of sure-fire business naturally attracted responses from all sides.

Therefore, just as Han Xin commented, Bai Su only posted a notice and rallied the troops, and without spending a penny, he was able to quickly raise a large amount of supplies to go north.

Even some local doctors followed the northward-bound teams to come and provide assistance.

This scene of people of different backgrounds—officials, commoners, and merchants—working together with one heart and mind, offering help to those in need, deeply moved Meng Tian.

Even though she had faced countless life-and-death situations on the battlefield without changing her expression, her nose felt slightly sore at this moment.

She wiped her slightly moist eyes and said immediately, "Okay, I'll have someone distribute the supplies as soon as possible and try to stabilize the situation as quickly as possible."

Bai Su nodded and bowed to Meng Tian, ​​saying, "Then I'll leave it to you, General."

As he watched Meng Tian's retreating figure, he subconsciously clenched his fist, feeling a sense of uncertainty.