Chapter 18: Measures for the Prevention and Treatment of Plague

  Yue Yun and Yu Yunwen were overjoyed when they heard the news, and hastily got up to welcome them.

  At this time, an old man in a green robe walked in with big strides. As soon as he came in, he shouted loudly: "Good minister (Hán Shìzhōng's courtesy name), I'm back!"

  Yue Yun looked intently and saw that Xu Shuwei was a man over sixty years old, with age spots on his face and many wrinkles. It seemed that he had also been busy with the plague for the past two days, and his eyes showed a hint of fatigue. He wore a green silk robe with gold trim, with a white medicine box hanging from his elbow, apparently having just visited a patient.

  Han Shizhong saw Xu Shuwei return and hurriedly went up to ask urgently: "Zhī Kě, has the patient's condition improved?"

  Xu Shu shook his head slightly and said, "It's still non-stop vomiting and diarrhea, but fortunately, except for those who were originally old and weak, most of the patients have no life-threatening worries."

  He glanced at Yue Yun and Yu Yunwen with his eyes, secretly thinking about who these two were.

  Yue Yun hastily stepped forward and bowed to Xu Shu, saying: "General Yue Yun pays his respects to Scholar Xu. I have long heard that your medical skills are exceptional, and I have always deeply admired you!"

  Xu Shu listened to these words, but felt that it was not a good taste. He himself had no way to deal with this plague, and the young general still claimed that his medical skills were superb, feeling as if he was being sarcastic.

  "Yue Yun... isn't this Yue Fei's eldest son?" Xu Shu murmured to himself for a moment before suddenly reacting, hastily returning the courtesy: "So it's Young Master Yue! I've heard that Young Master Yue led the charge in breaking through the Jin army's 'Iron Floating Tower' and 'Crooked-Horned Horse' at the Battle of Yan Cheng, beheading Xiang Jun's son-in-law Xia Jinwu under his horse, truly a great boost to our Song people's prestige!"

  Yue Yun saw his respectful expression and was delighted, thinking that Yu Yunwen's matter had been settled. He hastily returned the courtesy, saying: "Permit me to correct you, Mr. Xu, but I am just a rough and unrefined military man who only knows how to fight on the battlefield, whereas your medical skills are exquisite, and I truly admire them."

  The two of them complimented each other for a while, with a sense of regret that they had not met earlier. Yu Yun hastily took advantage of the situation and pushed Yu Yuren out, introducing him as her good friend, saying that her father had caught a cold and wanted to ask Xu Shuwei to treat him.

  Xu Shu nodded and agreed immediately, then followed Yu Yunwen to see his elderly father who was still resting in the guest room.

  After Wei Shu walked away, Yue Yun thought of his own experience during the SARS period and understood a bit about epidemic isolation measures. Although it may not be possible to eradicate this plague, it should still be possible to control it and prevent its spread.

  Then he said to Han Shizhong, "Uncle Han, after hearing Mr. Xu's description of the epidemic situation, I recalled that three years ago, I also encountered a plague and had some experience in prevention and treatment..."

  "Really? Does young master have a good way to prevent and cure it?" Han Shizhong heard this and was overjoyed in his heart, hastily asking. However, there was a hint of doubt in his eyes.

  Geng Zhuo and Han Yan value, who were sitting on the side, had an even more suspicious expression. In their opinion, Yue Yun might still be a brave general, but they had never heard that he also understood the art of medicine, so what good ideas could he have for this raging epidemic?

  Yue Yun also saw that the crowd was somewhat skeptical, so he smiled slightly and stepped forward, saying: "Although I am not a doctor, three years ago during a military campaign, I encountered an outbreak of epidemic disease in the army. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to meet a skilled itinerant physician who told me about a method called 'isolation' for preventing and treating epidemics. After trying it out, it proved to be effective, and no more soldiers were infected with the disease."

  Han Shizhong was overjoyed when he heard this and hastily asked, "Quickly tell me, young General Yue, how is this 'isolation' tactic to be carried out?"

  Yue Yun bowed and continued: This "isolation" method is actually to separate the sick from the healthy to prevent cross-infection. For the current situation in Chu State, I suggest that the infected civilians and soldiers be placed in the east of the city. All other uninfected civilians and soldiers move to the empty land in the west of the city to set up tents, with one thousand people per camp, and each camp is two hundred meters apart. Except for those who transport food and water, no one else can leave the camp. If there is a need to contact, use flag signals or secret codes. Once someone gets sick in each camp, they will be immediately removed from the tent and moved to the east of the city. At the same time, all drinking water and cooking water must be boiled before use...

  What Yue Yun said is actually the prevention and treatment method adopted during the SARS epidemic in 2003, but with some adjustments made according to the actual situation of this era.

  Han Shizhong and his son, as well as Geng Zhao, were stunned by what they heard. They didn't know if this method would work or not, but they felt that doing so would bring many changes to the military's movements and the people's daily lives.

  Geng furrowed his brow and said, "Young Master Yue, soldiers are easier to manage. After all, the military discipline in our camp is quite strict. Once a military order is issued, I believe that although the soldiers may be unwilling, they will still follow it. But it's more difficult with the civilians. Many of them still need to do business, farm, and manufacture... It's hard for them to just go live in tents."

  Yue Yun sighed, "This is also an unavoidable thing! If you don't want the plague to spread, there's no other way to do it! Three years ago when my nephew led the army to fight and encountered the plague, it was only by this method that we managed to get through the difficult pass!" He had to make up a lie, otherwise he would have even less persuasive power.

  Han Shizhong's eyes flickered, revealing his hesitation. After all, implementing this would be too disturbing for the people. With the plague arriving, the city was already in a state of panic. If they were to forcibly relocate the people again, it might trigger a riot.

  Han Yan said to his father, "Dad, I think Brother Yue's method is worth a try!"

  "Oh? General, why do you think so?" Geng Zhe asked with some surprise.

  "For now, there's no better way! Even a famous doctor like Xu Xueshi is at a loss. Why not try the method of Yue Dage, after all, there are precedents to follow. At worst, even if it doesn't work, it'll just make people run an extra trip. As for the common people, as long as the local officials and police do some persuasion work, I'm sure it won't lead to a riot. After all, the common people are also afraid of the plague!" Han Yanzhi said.

  Han Shizhong listened and looked at Geng Zhuo, who also felt that now he had to treat a dead horse as if it were alive. So he said: "General, the young general's words are also correct! Anyway, we have no other good strategy, and General Yue's method is also a choice. As long as the notice of amnesty is posted, and the officials explain the pros and cons to the people, the people will know that this is to avoid them getting infected with the plague, and they won't be too resistant!"

  "Alright! Let's do it as General Yue said! Geng Zhong, you lead the troops to set up camp in the west of the city! There is a large square there, and the government office and temple are also in the west, so there should be plenty of space for the people to settle!" Han Shizhong finally made up his mind.

  "Obeying orders!"

  "Yanzheng, please inform the Magistrate to issue a public notice to reassure the people that this relocation is temporary and necessary to prevent the spread of the plague, so as to alleviate their anxiety!"

  "Yes, sir!"

  Just as Han Yan Zheng and Geng Zhuo were about to go out, they happened to run into Xu Shu Wei who had just finished treating Yu Yun Wen's father and was coming in. Seeing the two of them hurrying to leave, he hastily asked what was going on.

  After the two told him about Yue Yun's suggestion, Xu Shu immediately applauded and exclaimed. As a doctor by training, he naturally understood that this would effectively prevent the spread of the plague.

  "Master Yue, I didn't expect you to be well-versed in medicine as well! And this 'isolation' measure is truly ingenious! It makes an old man like me feel ashamed!" said Xu Shu, stroking his long beard with a hint of embarrassment.

  "Ah, I also learned from Master Youfang Langzhong's method, but it was only when the plague broke out three years ago that I tried it out and found it to be effective. Now, I'm afraid I have no choice but to bring it out and show off my skills in front of Master Xu." Yuke Yun hastily said with humility.

  "Oh? I wonder where this divine doctor is, what's his surname and name? Such a skilled doctor actually only works as a traveling doctor, it's really a waste of talent! Xu wants to see this divine doctor!" Xu Shu heard this and suddenly became very interested.

  "Alas, I also asked the divine doctor's name and residence at that time, but he firmly refused to reveal it, saying that he only wanted to wander around the world and did not want to be bound by worldly affairs. I had no choice but to let him go!" Yue Yun sighed.

  "It seems that these enlightened beings have long since departed from the mundane world, but unfortunately, we are still unable to escape the restraints of the secular world!" Xǔ Shū said with a sigh.

  "By the way, Xu Xueshi, about my uncle's illness..." Yue Yun asked cautiously, after all, this was related to whether he could move Yu Yunwen's heart.

  "Are you referring to the young scholar with the surname Yu? His father's illness was not severe initially, but it has been prolonged for too long, and as a result, the cold has penetrated deep into his internal organs. Although I have already prescribed several doses of medicine for him to take, I'm afraid it will still take some time to completely eliminate the root cause. And besides..." At this point, Uncle Xu's voice trailed off, and his expression seemed somewhat hesitant.

  "What's on your mind, Master Xu? Please speak plainly!" Yue Yun noticed that Uncle Xu seemed to have something difficult to say.

  Xu Shu thought for a moment, then nodded and said: "To thoroughly cure his father's wind chill is not impossible, but this requires taking large amounts of ginseng to dispel the internal cold. However, ginseng is mainly produced outside the pass, our Great Song Dynasty is located in the south, and the amount of ginseng sold within the borders of the Great Song is small and expensive, and most of it is unaffordable for this scholar surnamed Yu."

  Xu Shu said this, and Yue Yun also fell silent. He naturally knew the preciousness of ginseng, and he also knew that ginseng was not produced in the Song Dynasty's territory at all. Moreover, since the two countries of Song and Jin were at war, even normal border trade did not exist, let alone buying ginseng, which would be even more difficult.

  It seems that curing Yu Yunwen's father's illness is not an easy task. Yueshen thought to herself.

  Just then, Xu Shu asked hastily: "Yue Daxia, you said that the Taoist doctor left behind some medical books or prescriptions?"

  Yue Yun couldn't help but secretly laugh at himself, he casually mentioned a "cloud-wandering divine doctor", and yet this Mr. Xu actually believed it. However, now that Mr. Xu had said so, he suddenly remembered that they were currently in the midst of an epidemic period, but apparently masks hadn't been invented yet in this era. If those soldiers and doctors who came into contact with patients all wore masks, wouldn't that greatly reduce the chance of infection?

  Yue Yun then pretended to recall something with great difficulty and said: "Xu Xiansheng, your question reminds me of something that the divine doctor told me. It's called a mask, made by layering gauze on top of each other, which can effectively prevent the spread of infectious diseases. At the same time, when doctors wear it while treating patients, they can also avoid infection."

  "What? Such a divine object exists?" Xu Shu heard this and his eyes lit up instantly, even Han Shizhong on the side perked up with interest.

  Yue Yun then took a piece of paper and drew the shape and style of the mask for Xu Shuwei. However, he was really not used to using that brush, and his drawing was crooked and twisted, but it was enough to let Xu Shuwei understand what was going on.

  Xu Shu was not surprised at all. Among the ten marshals, nine of them couldn't even write their names, so it's already quite good that Yue Yun can recognize characters and paint.

  Han Shizhong was also amazed after understanding the use and production method of masks, and immediately asked Xu Shiwei to conduct trial production, and the required gauze and tailoring can be called in within the city of Chuzhou.

  "Oh, right! If there are still leather gloves in the warehouse of Mr. Han's house, they can also be taken out for the military doctors and soldiers who need to come into contact with patients frequently. Although wearing them cannot guarantee that they will not get sick, it can reduce the risk of infection. They can be used together with those masks!" Yuke Yun said this, and then thought of rubber gloves which can effectively isolate bacteria. Although there are no rubber gloves here, leather gloves can also be used.

  "Ah, all right! Young Master Yue, you've rushed here and must be tired. Why don't you go rest in the guest room for a while?" Han Shizhong had not rested since Yue Yun arrived, and he had even come up with so many ideas to help him, making him feel deeply indebted.

  "Hmm! Alright, thank you Uncle Han!" As soon as Han Shizhong said this, Yue Yun also felt a bit of numbness and fatigue in her body.

  At that time, Han Shizhong immediately summoned a servant and had him lead Yue Yun to the guest room. Along the way, the servant talked about this plague, and was extremely frightened.

  But he said with a lucky face: "I heard that the plague god is also bullying the soft and fearing the hard. Many ordinary soldiers and civilians have fallen ill, but our Han Mansion has no one infected! It seems that our General Han is a martial god descending to the world, and the plague god knows that it can't defeat the martial god, so it doesn't dare to come to the Han Mansion!"

  "What did you say? Not a single person in the Han household is infected?" Yue Yun stopped in his tracks upon hearing this. He certainly didn't think it was some kind of divine intervention, but he vaguely felt that he had grasped something about the transmission method of this plague.