Chapter 255: A Monstrous Crime

"W-what?"

Qingyang Shuo was woken up in the middle of the night.

Before this, no one had held much hope for this Method of Liu Zheng's. But now, had someone actually started to recover?

That Stinking Mugwort was actually a Divine Medicine specifically for treating Malaria?

Qingyang Shuo took a deep breath.

Could this young master of his truly be a divine being descended from the heavens?

He immediately put on his clothes; at this moment, the camp outside was already filled with joy.

"Another one has recovered!"

"Yet another one!"

"Young Master, I don't have a fever anymore, Young Master!"

"My chills are gone too!"

Everyone present was in high spirits, and the Military Medical Officers treated this Stinking Mugwort like a precious treasure. A healer's obsession with a Divine Medicine is beyond doubt. If this Stinking Mugwort had such a powerful effect on Malaria, then this could be considered the greatest breakthrough in the medical history of the Longyan Dynasty!

A discovery that would benefit all of humanity!

Only then did Liu Zheng heave a sigh of relief and slowly drift off to sleep.

By the time he woke up, another day had passed.

"How is the situation?"

The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Jiang Xuan sitting nearby.

Jiang Xuan was already so excited he was incoherent, dancing and gesturing: "Young Master, hahaha, it's too miraculous, you are truly too miraculous! Out of one thousand people, only thirty have died; the others have basically recovered today, and for the remaining few, their symptoms are easing—I'm afraid they will all be completely well in two or three days!"

Liu Zheng smiled and nodded: "Use the same Method for the remaining Stinking Mugwort; every person in the entire Yinzhou Army must drink it!"

"Ah?"

The faces of the few people in the tent changed drastically, and they ran out as if fleeing.

However.

This was something no one could escape.

For the sake of safety, everyone had to drink the Stinking Mugwort juice; with ninety thousand people, the stench was overwhelming, and complaints were everywhere. But compared to the past two days, there was much more joy in the ranks, and the despair was gone.

How could they not drink it?

The virus was still there.

Something like Malaria could recur.

And so.

The ninety thousand "Stinking Army" set off again, full of joy.

Furthermore.

Although this Stinking Mugwort was hard to swallow... it could save lives, so it had become a treasure in the eyes of these ninety thousand Yinzhou Army soldiers. Along the way, whenever they encountered rivers, mountains, or valleys and saw Artemisia annua, they were eager to pull it all up and take it with them. Liu Zheng naturally did not stop them...

His mind had already begun to calculate.

The yield of this Artemisia annua within the borders of Liangzhou was truly not low—therefore, he had to monopolize its management rights! The idea of founding a pharmaceutical company suddenly popped into his mind.

Just kidding.

Medicine—how much money could that make?

In later generations, could there be anything more profitable than medicine? More importantly, he knew that this Malaria did not just torment the people of Huaxia; the Malaria over in Africa was even more terrifying. Europe had it too. If he sold his Stinking Mugwort juice there, wouldn't he make a fortune?

No, wait...

Does "Stinking Mugwort juice" sound good?

Thinking this, he laughed out loud.

Qingyang Shuo smiled from the side: "The Young Master has another brilliant idea."

Liu Zheng slapped his thigh and laughed heartily: "The military expenditures for Yinzhou for a year—it's in the bag. What does Sir think?"

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Qingyang Shuo sighed: "Military expenditures are a small matter; the Young Master's Stinking Mugwort curing Malaria benefits the common people of the world—Shuo would like to kneel and thank the Young Master!"

Liu Zheng was startled and smiled bitterly: "Sir, you absolutely must not; it was just luck, pure luck. I just happened to hear a folk remedy once when I was a child, I didn't expect it to be so powerful."

This was the only excuse he could come up with.

Qingyang Shuo smiled without a word.

This made Liu Zheng feel a bit uneasy, and he gave a dry cough.

At this time.

Liu Chang had already ridden his horse to Changzhou.

The Changzhou of before could be considered a relatively wealthy place in Liangzhou, a large city with a population of five hundred thousand. But the Changzhou of today was a place that made anyone who heard of it change color and flee in haste.

Before even entering the city, Liu Chang seemed to smell the scent of death.

The city gates were already sealed, and the bustling scenes of merchants coming and going were gone. Some soldiers began carrying the dead from the city and throwing them into the valley outside. There were already quite a few corpses there...

From time to time, people would flee from the city with their families, but they were quickly caught by the soldiers and dragged back. A round of brutal beatings, various wails, and various cries of despair.

"Let us out..."

"My Lord, we aren't sick, we aren't sick! I don't want to die!"

The soldier said coldly: "Do you think you're the only ones who want to live? This is the imperial decree of death!"

"Once Malaria is discovered, seal the city!"

"Anyone who tries to escape will be executed without mercy!"

"Take them back!"

"My lord, my lord, have pity on the child, the child is not sick..."

Very quickly, these people were forcibly dragged back. The entire city, from the inside out, exuded an aura of death.

"Hehe, my lord, once these people are released into Dunhuang, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

A subordinate of Liu Chang chuckled.

Liu Chang heard this and laughed heartily as well, a sinister look flashing in his eyes as he gritted his teeth: "Liu Dahao, oh Liu Dahao, aren't you very capable? Don't you want Dunhuang? Then, Liangzhou Prefecture shall gift you a dead city!"

He gave a wink to several of his men.

Those few men, faces covered, each carrying blades and swords, snuck off toward a forest on the outskirts of Changzhou city. Over there, several people had already been waiting.

These people were members of some Powerful Clans within Changzhou city.

As soon as the Malaria began, they had wanted to flee Changzhou. Who would have thought that Changzhou would seal the city so quickly, which made them very anxious. No matter how much silver they spent on bribes, this Changzhou simply would not let people leave.

And so.

Money can make the devil turn the millstone.

They had not managed to bribe the officials here in Changzhou, but unexpectedly, people from Liangzhou had arrived.

One of the wealthy landowners, seeing the newcomers, looked respectful: "The lords have finally come, the lords must save us!"

"That's right, we are all perfectly healthy!"

"My lord! About the matter of the silver..."

A group of Powerful Clan members were very anxious and very humble.

One of the masked men sneered coldly: "Remember, once you leave the city, head for Dunhuang. There are many medical clinics there; even if something goes wrong, they can help treat you, understand?"

The group nodded in panic.

The masked man asked: "Are you all prepared?"

The Powerful Clan members nodded one after another.

"At the second quarter of the Hour of the Ox, the West Gate!"

After saying this, the Powerful Clan members crawled back through a dog hole; there were a few soldiers in the city, but the Powerful Clan members had long since bribed them with gold and silver, so they turned a blind eye.

What they did not notice was.

Every action of these people was seen entirely by a passerby carrying a bundle. This person was none other than a subordinate sent by that Envoy, Ma Yong, to track Liu Chang.

"What is this Liu Chang intending to do?"

This person took a deep breath.

With the plague in Changzhou, everyone was avoiding it as best they could, yet they had come here without any hesitation?

However...

He then saw those few masked men take some black objects out of their bundles and secretly bury them beneath the West Gate city wall...

This...

Could it be a Cannon?

This person was startled.

These people... could they be?

What is this Liangzhou Prefecture trying to do!

This is a capital offense!

Terrified, he hid in the tall grass, not daring to move a muscle.

Time slowly ticked by.

Finally, it reached the second quarter of the Hour of the Ox.

In the quiet night.

Boom!

With a loud explosion, a hole was blown into the West Gate of Changzhou.

Immediately following, chaotic sounds came from within the city.

"Run!"

"This way!"

"They can't stop them over here!"

The Horse Carriages of the Powerful Clans, carrying the wealthy populace, quickly broke through the blockade of the flustered Changzhou soldiers and fled like madmen.

The person in the grass felt his scalp tingle, his face full of horror.

Chen Ping...

Is he tired of living?

Could it be that he doesn't know this is a heaven-defying crime?

"Damn it!"