Climbing to the Top: A Reborn Queen's Journey-Chapter 418: Pingzhou (Part 1)
After Jiang Shaohua completed the inspection in Ye County, she deliberately stayed a few more days. Only after Lu Ruohua had fully adapted to the new life did she depart for the Nanyang Army Camp.
As soon as she entered the camp, Jiang Shaohua received a letter from Doctor Sun.
"Reporting to the Commandery Princess, Doctor Sun has sent a letter from Pingzhou." Ma Yaosong quickly delivered the letter, as usual, presenting it first to Chen Jinyu, who then handed it over to the Commandery Princess.
Jiang Shaohua swiftly took the letter, opened it, and began reading attentively.
Chen Jinyu and Ma Yaosong closely watched the changes in the Commandery Princess’s expression.
Doctor Sun and his entourage spent nearly two months on the road before arriving in Pingzhou. A plague had broken out there, with bodies lying everywhere and countless deaths, turning it into a living hell, unbearable to witness. Undeterred by danger, Doctor Sun and his group went straight to the Inspector Mansion of Pingzhou.
The Pingzhou Governor had already been killed, and the Inspector Mansion had been occupied by rebel forces, becoming the main base of the Pingzhou rebels. The plague broke out among the military and spread wildly through the camp, nearly decimating the Pingzhou rebel forces. Those who were fortunate enough not to die either went mad or were afflicted with severe illnesses.
The leader of the rebels, Tan Sheng, also died from the plague, and his body was burned by the frightened civilians. A vast portion of the Inspector Mansion was burned down, with the remaining part filled with the stench of corpses, making it uninhabitable.
Doctor Sun and his group set up camp five miles away from the Inspector Mansion.
"...Within Pingzhou, the surviving civilians are less than thirty percent. All the officials here were killed, and the rebels have disbanded, leaving chaos and disorder." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
"I dared to raise the flag of the Nanyang Prince Mansion after entering Pingzhou, using the prestige of Nanyang County to intimidate the remaining rebels and the panicked civilians. So far, it seems to have had some effect, at least slightly stabilizing the situation."
"This plague was caused by the consumption of human flesh. I have posted notices forbidding anyone from consuming human flesh and have called upon the surviving civilians to gather all the bodies for burning..."
After several months of rampant plague, countless people died in Pingzhou. Initially, there were people to handle the bodies, but later, whole families perished, leaving rotting corpses unattended. The pungent stench of decay permeated the air, making it nauseating.
After arriving in Pingzhou, the first thing Doctor Sun did was to calm the public mind, and the second was to rally all the survivors for self-rescue. The bodies of those who died from the plague couldn’t be buried; they had to be completely incinerated. In ordinary times, such a task would be impossible. With everyone in Pingzhou anxious and leaderless, Doctor Sun, who braved the danger with dozens of carts of medical supplies to fight the plague, became the savior in the hearts of the people of Pingzhou.
Doctor Sun, a Medical Officer with legitimate fifth-rank status from the Imperial Medical Bureau, appeared daily in his official attire, gradually bringing stability to the chaotic Pingzhou.
Though people continued to die from the plague, fear had been suppressed.
The letter concluded with the following passage.
"Since I have come to Pingzhou, I am determined to cure the plague here. I am prepared to sacrifice myself, as is Guangbai. Should that day come, Commandery Princess, you need not grieve for us father and son. We are doing what must be done and what we desire in our hearts to do."
For the resilient Doctor Sun to utter such words signifies that the current situation in Pingzhou is even worse than expected.
Jiang Shaohua felt a sourness in her nose and her eyes began to heat up as she turned her head aside. After a moment, she gradually regained her composure.
She silently handed the letter to Chen Jinyu. After reading it, Chen Jinyu’s eyes turned red, then he passed it to Ma Yaosong.
Finally, Song Yuan and Yu Chong also took a look. Each was weighed with heavy emotions, as silence filled the military tent.
"Ma Yaosong," Jiang Shaohua broke the silence: "The task I previously assigned to you was well done. From now on, you need not attend to me personally but continue to purchase medicinal materials. Should the Nanyang County’s supplies fall short, head to the pharmacies in Jingzhou for more, and send everything acquired to Pingzhou."
Ma Yaosong cupped his hands and acknowledged.
Jiang Shaohua then addressed Song Yuan: "The manpower sent before isn’t sufficient; supporting Doctor Sun’s efforts to maintain peace in Pingzhou is extremely challenging. Commander Song, go to the Personal Guard Camp and convey my oral order: dispatch two hundred more trusted aides to Pingzhou."
Song Yuan solemnly accepted the command.
Yu Chong suddenly stepped forward and said earnestly: "Commandery Princess, our Nanyang Army includes many valiant individuals who do not fear death. Please issue the order, and I shall immediately rally soldiers to Pingzhou."
"The Nanyang Army remains idle for now." Jiang Shaohua took a deep breath and quickly said: "Doctor Sun went to Pingzhou to treat the plague by my order, using the personal soldiers from the Prince Mansion, with the medicinal supplies and grain all provided by me. Such actions cause little stir; the court might turn a blind eye and not pursue the matter."
"Should the Nanyang Army get involved, it will certainly alarm the court. Engaging in a war of words does not daunt me, yet it would greatly impact Doctor Sun’s efforts."
Nominally, the Nanyang Army is stationed by the court; without official court documents, it must not act recklessly.
At the moment, Jiang Shaohua was indeed unable to contend with Prime Minister Wang.
Yu Chong could only remain silent.
With Jiang Shaohua’s command, everyone in the Nanyang Prince Mansion became busy.
Chief Historian Feng, upon receiving the order, said not a single word more, immediately allocating a large sum of silver to Ma and a substantial amount of grain to the Personal Guard Camp.
Everyone in the Personal Guard Camp was bold and unafraid of death, yet the journey to Pingzhou was perilous. Still, everyone was eager to go. Following the Commandery Princess’s instructions, Song Yuan selected members, avoiding only children, unmarried individuals without heirs, prioritizing those with siblings.
Sun Zelan also received letters from her father and brother, her heart filled with unease. Unfortunately, with the Personal Guard Camp several hundred to a thousand miles away from Pingzhou, it took a fast horse eight or nine days to bring a letter back from Pingzhou. What she could do was seize this opportunity to write a letter and send it along to Pingzhou.
...
Subsequently, news from Pingzhou gradually reached Nanyang County.
The collection and burning of corpses continued for nearly a month, only barely finished by then. During this period, Doctor Sun and others decocted and distributed medicine daily.
Because too many had died, those fortunate enough to survive either had stronger constitutions or exceptionally good fortune. The new medicine developed by Doctor Sun gradually took effect. The plague slowly subsided, no longer spreading rampantly.
Civilians already afflicted by the plague were gathered and placed in one location. Each day, people continued to die from the plague; however, some with milder symptoms improved after taking the medicinal soup. This gave everyone hope.
Amongst the good news, came some bad news of deaths.
For example, among the women who accompanied Doctor Sun and his son to Pingzhou, one died from illness on the road, while another had just entered Pingzhou before contracting the plague. Despite subsequent treatments, she soon passed away.
Additionally, among the two hundred accompanying trusted aides, some died from assaults by rebels, others perished protecting Doctor Sun, and a few contracted the plague and are actively being treated with medicine...
No matter what, the overall situation continues to progress in a positive direction.
