Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 35 Eradicating the Harm of Smallpox (Please continue reading)

It got light on the seventh day.

The figures of the village protectors were seen again in Peach Blossom Spring.

After seven days of quarantine, fortunately, most of the young men did not show any symptoms of smallpox infection.

Unfortunately, the dog got infected.

The traumatic infection eventually led to smallpox.

I have a fever, a cough, and blisters on my body.

These past two days, Zhang Xian has devoted most of his energy to curing the dog's smallpox.

However, since there was no medicine specifically for smallpox, he could only try to reduce the fever and cough to alleviate the side effects of these two symptoms and thus increase the dog's chances of survival.

"Cough cough... Brother Xian, don't worry about me. I know this is smallpox, which is very contagious. You are a good person, and I... don't want to harm you."

The dog in the hospital bed had several blisters on the corners of its mouth, and its voice was trembling with tears.

Zhang Xian removed the bandages and checked the wound's recovery. It was alright; with the anti-inflammatory medication, the knife wound was healing smoothly without any pus.

"Rest assured, the smallpox virus will avoid your brother Xian. Haven't you noticed that I've been in contact with you every day these past few days, but I haven't shown any signs of infection?"

The dog paused, then thought, "Yeah, that seems right."

Zhang Xian smiled, took the thermometer from under his armpit and looked at it: "It's alright, the fever has stopped, so don't worry, you'll be full of energy again in ten days."

"Really?"

"Of course, don't forget what your brother Xian is good at."

"Brother Xian." Gouzi's eyes welled up with tears. He suddenly felt that, apart from his parents, only Brother Xian treated him with true sincerity in this world.

He sniffed and turned to look at Zhang Xian: "Brother Xian, we'll repay you with our lives!"

He spoke with great seriousness, but Zhang Xian just smiled and touched his forehead: "You have to live first before you can repay me."

After saying that, he stood up: "There are many things to do in the village. Get well soon. Brother Xian is short of manpower."

After leaving the secluded courtyard, Zhang Xian took off all his clothes and boiled them in a ceramic pot. He then washed himself thoroughly and changed into new clothes.

There were many people on the estate, each doing their own thing.

Of the 400 mu (approximately 66 acres) of Taoyuan, 40 to 50 mu (approximately 6.6 acres) were used for construction, while the rest was farmland.

One hundred and eighty mu of cultivated land is watered and birds are chased away daily.

The roughly cultivated 180 acres of wasteland are also being plowed, and stones and grass roots are being cleared from the ground.

Dozens of able-bodied men and women were doing this, while the elderly and children helped pick out the stones and grass roots.

The attacks by mountain bandits were not all bad.

As a result of their commotion, Taoyuan now seems to be united in spirit.

Perhaps for the refugee villagers, stability is more important than anything else, and the fact that the head of the Peach Blossom Village can protect them is enough.

Once you've experienced a period of displacement, you won't want to go through it again.

"Brother Xian!"

"Brother Xian!"

"Brother Xian!"

After changing into new clothes and sprinkling some lime, Zhang Xian revealed his own courtyard gate.

Outside the courtyard gate, a group of twenty-odd young men stood in neat rows, with Zhao Yun, dressed in hemp clothing, standing at the very front.

When Zhang Xian came out, they greeted each other with beaming smiles.

"quiet!"

Zhao Yun shouted, and the group of young men fell silent at his command. It was no wonder they were excited; they had been confined to their rooms for days and were finally able to get out and about.

Then Zhao Yun clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhang Xian and said, "Brother Xian, the brothers have finished their training!"

"How are the brothers doing?"

"Full of energy and vigor, capable and efficient!"

"That's good."

Zhang Xian smiled and nodded in satisfaction.

Zhao Yun smiled, looked around, and then cupped his hands in gratitude: "Brother Xian, we will repay your life with our lives!"

"I'll repay him with my life!"

The young men responded enthusiastically.

After the battle with the mountain bandits, the last trace of estrangement between them and Zhang Xian disappeared.

From now on, everyone in the small mountain village will be under Brother Xian's tutelage!
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Zhen Ding County.

Zhao Yun, Zhang Xian, and the others rode side by side. Now that the young men of Taoyuan had recovered, he finally had time to go out.

In front of the Guo residence.

Guo Fu had been waiting there for a long time, having received a calling card that Zhang Xian had sent in advance.

Zhang Xian's name card.

Several horses arrived, and Guo Fu happily stepped forward to greet them.

"Mr. Zixu, it's been a long time. Please come into my residence."

Zhang Xian and the others dismounted, and the servants from the Guo residence immediately came forward to take the reins.

"Steward Guo, this is an urgent matter, I have important business to discuss with the head of the Guo family!"

"Yes, yes, the patriarch is already waiting in the manor, please!"

"please."

The main hall of the Guo family mansion.

Guo Huai and Guo Tang knelt on either side of Zhang Xian, and as Zhang Xian arrived, they both rose to greet him.

"Brother Zixu, you finally have time to visit your foolish elder brother." Guo Huai said with a smile.

"Tang'er greets Uncle Zixu." The little boy, his face flushed, bowed respectfully to Zhang Xian.

"Greetings, Brother Ziren."

Zhang Xian also bowed, and then patted Guo Tang's little head.

"Brother Zixu, how have you been lately? I heard that your estate is quite busy." Guo Huai led the man to a seat, and then waved his hand, and servants brought out wine and meat.

"Thank you for your concern, brother. I am doing well, but..." Zhang Xian hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Guo Huai was a sensible man; with a wave of his hand, the servants and maids all dispersed.

"Tang'er, go to the inner courtyard to play with my elder sister."

"Yes, Father, I pay my respects to Uncle Zixu."

The little one obediently got up and left.

Seeing that everyone in the hall had left, Guo Huai asked Zhang Xian with a heavy expression.

"Brother Zixu, has something important come up?"

Zhang Xian shook his head: "This is not my own business. Please listen carefully, elder brother, and do not make a fuss about it."

“Good, you may speak.” Guo Huai waved his hand in acknowledgment.

"My brother discovered smallpox in the countryside!"

Clang! Porcelain bottles and bowls collided on the low table.

"really!?"

“Indeed, there was a case like that on my estate, but you were taken into custody.”

“Brother, you don’t know, but a few days ago my Zhuangzi was attacked. One of the attackers was infected with smallpox.”

Guo Huai's expression was grave, his eyes darting around: "This is a matter of utmost importance!"

The danger of smallpox lies not in its difficulty to treat, but in its extremely rapid spread.

Guo Huai was not a country bumpkin, and the Guo family's wealth was beyond the reach of ordinary people. He understood the horror of smallpox better than the people in the small mountain village.

In the twentieth year of Jianwu, General Ma Yuan led his army to quell the rebellion in Jiaozhi. On the way back, he encountered smallpox for the first time. Nearly half of the soldiers in the army died from the smallpox, as recorded in the record: "Four or five out of ten officers died from the plague."

In the 25th year of Jianwu, a smallpox epidemic occurred in the Wuling Wuxi area, causing a large number of deaths.

In the fifth year of the Yanxi era, when Huangfu Gui was fighting in Longyou, three or four out of ten soldiers died from smallpox.

The alarming records of smallpox plague caused even the usually composed head of the Guo family some distress.

He was taken aback.

"Zixu, do you say your village also has smallpox? How can it be controlled?"

"Brother Zixu, do you have a way to cure this?!"

Zhang Xian nodded and then shook his head: "There is no cure, but there is a way to avoid it, or even to eradicate the harm of smallpox forever!"

"really!"

"Brother, I don't like jokes."

"Great!"

Guo Huai stood up excitedly.

(End of this chapter)