Chen Mo handed Chen Li over into Xia Zhiqing’s arms, then took Chen Nian Mo from Xiaolu, sighed, and said, "This came from the Imperial Study—something big has happened in the North."
"Waa waa waa..." As soon as Chen Nian Mo left his mother’s embrace, he started crying loudly, crying his little heart out.
Xiaolu had no choice but to take him back again, and Chen Nian Mo immediately stopped crying.
Chen Mo: "..."
"Your Majesty, what has happened in the North?" Wu Mi hurriedly asked.
The matter of the plague was classified, and Chen Mo had been keeping it secret, so Wu Mi still didn’t know.
"A plague has broken out in Youzhou, and even Cangzhou and Gaozhou have been affected. Our preliminary assessment is that the infection came from the beef and mutton supplied to the Fu Ze Restaurant in Youzhou. After investigation, these cattle and sheep were from Jin Xia. So I judge that this is very likely a Jin Xia conspiracy." Chen Mo said in a low voice.
"What?"
Hearing this, all the women present shuddered.
Plague—whether among the common folk or in the Court—there was hardly anyone who didn’t know of it, and all turned pale at its mention.
To show reverence and fear toward the plague, people even gave it the title "Plague God."
In some remote places, people even offered incense to worship the Plague God, hoping to bless their families with freedom from illness and disaster.
"Doesn’t that mean many people have died?" Han Anniang said in a worried tone. "Even Gaozhou has been affected, then isn’t Qingzhou..."
"Qingzhou hasn’t yet. The first reported death toll already exceeded a thousand, and there are no fewer than ten thousand infected. The Court has already dispatched Imperial Physicians ahead. We don’t yet know the current numbers; they haven’t been reported." Chen Mo said, sighing. "I’ve already issued a decree for Geng Songfu to act as regent. I will entrust the Capital’s Imperial Guard to Ru Yan, and the Imperial Guard will be temporarily taken over by Mi’Er."
On hearing this, Wu Mi understood something, forcibly pressed down the turmoil in her heart, and asked anxiously, "Your Majesty, you’re also going to the North?"
Chen Mo nodded slightly. "Those Jin Xia Barbarians were already slaughtering our Central State people in the previous dynasty’s Xuanhe and Yong’an eras. Now they’ve resorted to such utterly inhuman means as plague. If we don’t eradicate them, how can the souls of the people and Warriors they’ve tormented in the underworld rest in peace?"
"You still plan to send troops to attack Jin Xia?" Xia Zhining was stunned.
Seeing Chen Mo nod, she continued, "Didn’t you just say the plague is raging in Youzhou and other places? If you send troops now, won’t the army also get infected?"
"For now we’re just deploying the troops first. Speed is the soul of war. Once the plague subsides, we’ll strike Jin Xia with a surprise assault at the first possible moment." A cold light flashed in Chen Mo’s eyes.
"Another war..." Han Anniang was full of worry. "Then, Erlang, when do you plan to leave?"
"Tomorrow."
"Ah? Erlang, you’re not waiting until the plague is gone before going? If you carelessly get infected, what will become of me and Chong’Er?" Han Anniang was on the verge of tears.
"With something this serious happening, I have to go see for myself. Besides, Yiren will be going with me. Mi’Er knows her Medical Skill—there won’t be a problem. An Niang, don’t worry." Chen Mo said.
"But, but..."
How could Han Anniang not worry? It was the plague, after all. She’d heard elders in her village say that once someone caught the plague, none survived.
No matter how superb Nalan Yiren’s Medical Skill was, there were exceptions to everything.
"Your Majesty, An Niang is right. You’d better wait until the plague is over before going." Wu Mi was also worried. If anything were to happen to him, what would they do?
"I’ve already decided, and everything has been arranged."
Chen Mo moved a cushioned stool over, sat beside Han Anniang, pulled her slender, fair hand into his own and held it tightly. "Rest assured, nothing will happen. Once Jin Xia is wiped out, the realm will truly be at peace, and then we’ll have all the time in the world to be together."
"You say that every time." Han Anniang sniffed.
"An Niang, really, nothing will happen. With my strength, the plague would flee from me if it could."
"You’re just bragging." Han Anniang leaned her head on Chen Mo’s shoulder, tears still swirling in her eyes. After a moment, she said, "Erlang, you can go, but I want to follow you as well."
"I’m going for serious business. What would you do if you came along? You’d just be making things harder."
Han Anniang was merely a Ninth-Grade Martial Artist, and her temperament was soft and indecisive—just like a sheep.
"I... I can take care of you. Though Miss Nalan has excellent Medical Skill, she doesn’t look like someone who’s good at attending to people, and the army is full of rough men. In short, if only Miss Nalan is accompanying you, I won’t feel at ease." Han Anniang said.
"Ms. An’niang, I’ll go with him then." Xia Zhining spoke up.
"No. Xiaoli’Er and Xin’Er are still so young; they need you to look after them." Chen Mo rejected her outright.
"Then Elder Sister will go. Nu’Er and Youyou are already grown." Xia Zhining said.
"Zhiqing can’t either—she’s never marched with the army. Xiaolu even less so." Seeing Xiaolu itching to volunteer, Chen Mo spoke quickly.
"It’s a pity Ru Yan is pregnant; otherwise she’d be the most suitable." Wu Mi said.
Then she thought of Xiao Yunxi.
Has a child—so, no.
Yang Qingqing would do.
But the matter of the Marquis of Hongdu County still hadn’t been settled.
"Let Yu Zhu come along." Seeing that An Niang insisted on someone going with him to take care of him, Chen Mo, helpless, thought for a moment and chose Yu Zhu.
Yu Zhu’s strength was decent.
She was decisive, not prone to dithering.
She had previously been Xuelan’s maid, could take care of people, and was obedient.
But Han Anniang was still somewhat dissatisfied, hoping Chen Mo would bring one more person.
"An Niang, I’m going to fight a war, not to enjoy myself." Chen Mo said with a wry smile.
Seeing that Chen Mo’s determination was truly set and couldn’t be changed, Han Anniang stood up and headed toward the hall’s exit.
"An Niang, where are you going?" Chen Mo was taken aback.
"I have some things to say to Yu Zhu—tell her to take good care of you." Han Anniang said without looking back, quickening her steps.
Chen Mo: "..."
...
With the orders given, Chang En, who had long since drilled a force of ten thousand, swiftly led his troops to the Vermilion Bird Guard’s territory to receive equipment.
Each man was issued a Compound Bow.
One hundred Red Coat Cannons, with Flower Bullets in unlimited supply.
Numerous Pottery Bombs.
By the following morning, Chang En’s side had finished all preparations.
Chen Mo took the three thousand Imperial Guard Personal Soldiers under Commander-in-Chief Sun Meng, as well as Yu Zhu, Nalan Yiren, and Chang En’s ten thousand troops, and set out for the North.
Late August.
They arrived in Qingzhou.
Chen Mo ordered Chang En and Sun Meng’s men to await further orders in Nanyang, Qingzhou.
He took Yu Zhu, Nalan Yiren, and nearly a hundred Personal Guard Warriors and headed lightly equipped toward Youzhou.
Passing through Gaozhou and Cangzhou, Nalan Yiren deliberately went to see the commoners infected by the plague.
From this she obtained one answer: this plague was not cholera.
Chen Mo asked her if she had confidence.
Nalan Yiren said that the problem was not too great, but if they wanted truly targeted remedies, it would be best to first examine the cattle and sheep that had spread the plague.
...
Mid-to-late September.
Chen Mo and his party arrived in Youzhou.
The Prefect of Youzhou, Guo Ning, County Magistrate of Maguan County, the County Magistrate of Sheng’an County, and the border garrison officer Zhao Liang came out to receive them.
On learning that the emperor had personally come, the Prefect of Youzhou broke out in a cold sweat down his back, knowing this matter had indeed blown up.
From the Prefect of Youzhou’s mouth, Chen Mo learned that since the plague’s outbreak, the recorded death toll in Youzhou alone had reached thirty thousand, and those infected had exceeded one hundred thousand.
Cangzhou had controlled things very well; the number of deaths was no more than a thousand, and infections also no more than a thousand.
Gaozhou had only a dozen cases.
Hearing these numbers, Chen Mo’s expression darkened on the spot.
From Jin Xia’s earlier invasions, Youzhou had already suffered devastation. "Ten households, nine empty" was somewhat of an exaggeration, but "ten households, five or six empty" was not. Now the plague had carried off tens of thousands more; this undoubtedly dragged Youzhou—just as it was beginning to regain vitality—back down to rock bottom.
Seeing Chen Mo’s reaction, the Prefect of Youzhou trembled all the more violently.
But this was not yet the time to assign blame.
To quell the plague as quickly as possible, Chen Mo and Nalan Yiren headed straight for Sheng’an County.
To control the spread of the plague, although the corpses of the commoners who had first been infected and died were all burned, several were preserved to uncover the truth.