Chapter 531: Inoculation

The latest website: "Smallpox?"

On the Hot Air Balloon, the squad leader standing in the middle frowned.

He held the highest rank and knew a few characters.

"Perhaps it is just a coincidence," a soldier said.

He did not believe these slaves could read, let alone intentionally form two characters.

"Whether it is a coincidence or not, this news must be reported." The soldier on the right stared at the camp and discovered Northern Di Archers drawing their Curved Bows; he pointed at them.

Seeing this, the squad leader immediately ordered them to sprinkle carbon powder onto the fire basin.

The Flame suddenly surged, the Hot Air Balloon rose continuously, and they stared at the flag, searching for a direction at different altitudes.

When the tail of the flag pointed east, they maintained altitude.

Before long, they saw the Warship anchored on the sea.

The Black Shark Sea Bandits' Warship was over fifty meters long and about eighteen wide.

The foredeck had a very spacious area, enough for them to take off from the Warship.

It was just that going up was easy, but coming down was not.

But for the sake of this leaflet distribution, Yan Wang had made up his mind.

Even if the Hot Air Balloon were damaged, it would be worth it; after all, building a Hot Air Balloon did not actually cost much Silver.

Along the way, eight Hot Air Balloons had taken off, but three had fallen into the sea.

However, there were no casualties among the soldiers on the Hot Air Balloons.

The soldiers on the Warship rescued them in time.

"Lower the altitude, prepare to drop the ropes." As the Warship drew closer and the altitude became lower, the squad leader shouted.

Two soldiers immediately braced themselves, staring fixedly at the Warship.

Just as the Hot Air Balloon flew over the Warship, the soldiers threw the long ropes down.

Soldiers were already waiting on the deck.

They lunged for the ropes.

They pulled hard to stop the Hot Air Balloon from continuing its flight.

Seeing the ropes held fast, the soldiers on the Hot Air Balloon breathed a sigh of relief.

They extinguished the Flame in the fire basin and, under the pulling of the soldiers, slowly descended.

At this moment, on the opposite side of the Warship, the Northern Di soldiers who had been chasing the Hot Air Balloon could only gaze at the sea in frustration, helpless.

When the Hot Air Balloon landed, the Warship's sails were hoisted, and the Warship slowly headed south.

Three days later.

The news discovered by the Hot Air Balloon Troop was sent to the Prince's Mansion.

"Smallpox?" After Xu Ke told Zhao Xu about the Hot Air Balloon Troop's discovery.

Zhao Xu immediately frowned deeply.

"Your Highness, could this be a coincidence?" Xu Ke felt this matter was somewhat absurd.

In his understanding, something like Smallpox was extremely terrifying.

Often, if one person in a village caught it, the people in that village would basically all die out.

Therefore, if the news conveyed by the slaves in the Northern Di camp was true.

Then the person in Tiemuta's carriage was a Smallpox patient.

But if so, was Northern Di not afraid of playing with fire and getting burned, of Smallpox spreading within the Northern Di army?

"Better to believe it exists than to believe it does not," Zhao Xu said in a deep voice.

In contemporary history, such things had not failed to happen.

During the Han Dynasty, in the war between the Great Han and the Xiongnu, this kind of extremely vicious method had been used.

At that time, the Xiongnu threw livestock infected with plague into the water sources along the Han army's marching route, which led to large numbers of Great Han soldiers falling ill and dying.

Moreover, currently in the Northern Di army, there was also a Missionary from the country of Ross.

In the Age of Discovery, what Westerners were best at was genocide.

To eliminate the indigenous people, they adopted every method they could use.

Including sending the clothes and bedding of Smallpox patients to the indigenous people.

Thereby causing the indigenous people to die out, tribe by tribe.

After all, Northern Di, like Da Song, did not understand things like Smallpox.

Therefore, he did not believe Northern Di would rashly adopt this method.

Unless someone guided them, pointing out a safe path for them.

"Your Highness, if this is really the case, then we are in trouble." Seeing the grave expression on Yan Wang, he suddenly became nervous.

If Northern Di really spread Smallpox to Yanzhou, a major problem would follow.

Even the entire Da Song would suffer.

Because as long as they did not achieve their goal, Northern Di would continuously throw sources of poison over.

Even if they isolated the infected soldiers, there would still be soldiers continuously becoming infected.

Thinking of this, for the first time in his life, he felt a thorough chill, "Northern Di, this is truly trying to destroy my Da Song."

Zhao Xu's expression had not changed from beginning to end.

It was not that he was indifferent, but precisely that he was angry to the extreme.

In his eyes, the Northern Di people were no longer human, but despicable and shameless beasts.

Like the Western nations of the Age of Discovery, for their own selfish interests, they were committing inhumane acts, which was the extermination of a race.

Of course, Zhao Xu had never held any hope for the Northern Di or the Western nations of this era.

The jungle of the world is just this cruel.

It is either you die, or I perish.

Looking up at the cold-sweat-drenched Xu Ke, he said, "You need not be so nervous; this method of the Northern Di is something this Prince has a way to resolve."

The Northern Di calculated everything, yet they overlooked one point.

He is Zhao Xu, not only the Ninth Prince of the Great Song but also a soul from the modern era.

If they had chosen a different place to implement this plan, they might have succeeded.

But they just had to choose Yanzhou.

"His Highness has a way?"

Xu Ke could not help but be startled, his gaze toward Zhao Xu suddenly filled with reverence.

Smallpox is something even the Imperial Physicians are helpless against.

He had not expected that their Yan Wang, besides understanding various crafts, also understood medicine.

"Do not be happy too early; although there is a way, it depends on the cooperation between the Government Office and the Prince's Personal Army, otherwise, Yanguan is in danger," Zhao Xu said sternly.

From ancient times to the present, smallpox has had a fearsome reputation, known as the number one plague, with no way to cure it.

Even in modern medicine, one can only reduce the mortality rate.

The most fundamental way to resist it is still the Vaccine.

In the modern era, it was not until the whole world had basically received the Cowpox inoculation that smallpox was officially eradicated.

Therefore, once the Northern Di truly spreads smallpox to Yanguan.

With current medical conditions, he has no way to treat it.

Now, the only way he can break this poisonous scheme of the Northern Di is to administer the Cowpox Vaccine to the Prince's Personal Army.

Otherwise, once the soldiers at Yanguan are infected, he would only be able to heartlessly seal the pass, isolate the infected soldiers, and watch his soldiers slowly die.

And this is something he absolutely does not want to see.

"Go, call Liu Fu over, and have someone summon Chang Wei back," Zhao Xu said.

During this time, Chang Wei had been patrolling between the Lengbao and Yanguan, guarding against attacks from the Northern Di.

He would not have thought that the war the Northern Di might be brewing was one he had never seen before and could not cope with.

Acknowledging with a 'yes', Xu Ke ran out at top speed.

Mounting his horse, he headed straight for the Government Office.

After Xu Ke left, he began to ponder the actions to be taken next.

The first thing was to find a cow infected with Cowpox.

In his memory, humanity's control of smallpox in the modern era started with a milkmaid.

Because milkmaids at that time needed to milk by hand, they would be infected with Cowpox when coming into contact with cows suffering from it.

And just at this time, a doctor discovered that milkmaids who had been infected with Cowpox were likewise immune to smallpox.

Thus, this doctor conducted an experiment, finding a youth to infect with Cowpox, then letting him come into contact with smallpox; the youth was indeed immune to smallpox.

Because humans only develop a mild reaction from Cowpox infection, this ancient method of Smallpox Inoculation was born.