Son of Song Dynasty

Chapter 106 Plague and Miasma

Originally, the trick Zhao Dezhao came up with to persuade the emperor's father was really a "scheming trick". He spent a lot of time making Lingnan terrain sand table in the past two days, just to show off himself in front of the emperor's father. Talking about the ability to use soldiers on paper, so that the emperor's father has confidence in himself.

But after being awakened by Wang Xiuzhi's words, Zhao Dezhao immediately realized that this way of thinking was totally wrong!

Let the father have confidence in his son, far less important than making the father feel at ease in his son!

How can we make people feel at ease?Don’t gamble, don’t take risks, just play it safe, step by step, it’s that simple.

If he spoke according to his earliest thoughts, Zhao Dezhao felt that he might really be kicked out by his father!

At this moment, seeing that Zhao Kuangyin was in a good mood, Zhao Dezhao quickly came up with a stick and said, "Father, since you think your son's strategy is safe enough, do you agree with his son taking command of the Southern Expedition?"

Zhao Kuangyin didn't answer right away, he walked back and forth slowly for a while, stopped in front of the window and looked at the bushes and flowers sprouting buds in the yard, and suddenly said, "It's the beginning of March, and it's already warm in spring."

"Daddy?" Zhao Dezhao didn't react for a moment.

Zhao Kuangyin's expression was serious, with worry in his eyes:

"It will take more than half a month to prepare for the dispatch of troops, and it will be April."

"The journey to Lingnan is [-] miles, and the army will travel [-] miles a day, which will take forty days. If there is continuous spring rain on the way and the road is difficult, there will be a delay. Then relax a bit, and the marching time will be counted as [-] days."

"When we arrived at Wuling to start the battle, it happened to be the scorching heat of June. Even if the war went well, we would still have to fight in Lingnan for three months. It happened to be the entire scorching summer season. You had to go over the mountains and lead the troops there. It was not easy to get through."

"You are going to the land of miasma in the south, where the weather is hot and humid, and the disease is rampant. People from the north migrate to the south, and they are often infected with the disease or miasma. Often, two or three out of ten people die. There are quite a few people who died there and couldn’t come back!”

"Erlang, daddy knows that you are determined to build up military exploits and win prestige so that you can gain a foothold in the army. Your plan is correct. You practice your hand with that poor and weak country in the Southern Han Dynasty, and daddy is actually not very worried about you I can’t come down, but I’m really afraid that you won’t be able to come back once you go! Dad is even thinking about whether to send troops in autumn, because the weather will turn cold and the disease will be much better.”

Zhao Dezhao couldn't help being stunned when he heard his father finish counting the days and then express his worries. It turned out that what his father was really worried about was not the war, but "epidemic, miasma" and the like.
For these worries of his father, Zhao Dezhao was both moved and dumbfounded.

In this era, even the south of Jingxiang still has a large area of ​​undeveloped land, which is one of the routine exile places of the Song Dynasty, not to mention the Lingnan area further south, which is generally regarded as a daunting place. , the main reason is the so-called "disease and miasma". It is no exaggeration to say that everyone changes color when they hear it.

Zhao Dezhao knew that there was such a thing as epidemic disease. Tropical and subtropical infectious diseases, mainly malaria and schistosomiasis, that is, bloating and abdominal disease these days, are also incurable diseases these days, and often one death can kill a large number of people, the old man said. The "twelve out of ten dead people" is true in some places.

Miasma is said to be a so-called damp and poisonous evil in the southern mountains and forests. If it touches it, it will kill people. Zhao Dezhao can imagine it with his butt, but there is really no such thing!

It is likely to be the gnats gathered in the mountains, forests and water ponds. It looks like a cloud of fog from a distance. If you are bitten by mosquitoes too much, you will easily die from malaria. It should be like this. The so-called "miasma".

As for the old man who said to wait until autumn to send troops, that is absolutely not considered, time is not enough, if it is true that if you start after autumn, you will be in the second half of next year when you return to the court. It has only been two months since the change, so there must be no time to make any arrangements.

After thinking for a while, Zhao Dezhao looked up at Zhao Kuangyin's frowning side face, and said with a smile:
"Daddy, there are actually ways to prevent the so-called diseases and miasma in the south. As long as you march and set up camp, try to choose an open, ventilated and dry place, away from mountains, forests and water, and you can take precautions. At the same time, you can bring some medicine cakes to smoke the cage Placed around the camp, it is also effective against miasma, and this kind of medicine cake son just knows how to make it."

"Coping with these two methods, the plague and miasma are not enough to cause great harm to our army. As for your precious son, I will inherit the destiny and the heir of the emperor, and I will be safe from poisoning!"

Zhao Dezhao was not stupid enough to talk to a tenth-century Song Dynasty about the popular science that mosquitoes rely on parasites to spread malaria. Instead, he directly talked about the measures to prevent mosquito bites, adding a layer of mystery, which would make him appear It's easier to accept.

But Zhao Kuangyin was obviously not that easy to fool, and stared at Zhao Dezhao suspiciously: "Erlang, where did you get the idea? Why have I never heard of it? The imperial doctors in the imperial hospital didn't say that either."

Zhao Dezhao was scratching his head trying to figure out how to round up the words, and Zhao Kuangyin had already come up with the answer himself, and said with a half-smile on his face: "Erlang, can't it be the same as last time, and you read it from an ancient book? Right? You just forgot the title of the book again, right?"

Zhao Dezhao could only laugh dryly, which was his tacit consent.

But in this way, Zhao Kuangyin believed it instead, and his frowning brows were relieved immediately. After pondering for a while, he waved his hands and said, "Go, report your name in these two days!"

He didn't say what name he was giving, but Zhao Dezhao was just slightly stunned and immediately overjoyed: "Thank you, dad!"

……

After leaving the palace gate and galloping all the way back to the mansion, Zhao Dezhao immediately wrote a letter, and just about to seal it and order it to be delivered, he suddenly calmed down and called Qian Niuer to let him go to the State Administration of Taxation to arrest Shi Yuanliang. call over.

Qian Niu'er left in a hurry, and Shi Yuanliang came even more hastily. He didn't bother to bring any of his followers, and came directly from the yamen on horseback. In less than a quarter of an hour, he appeared in the study of King Tianshui, sweating profusely. .

Zhao Dezhao took a look at Shi Yuanliang's clothes and found that he was wearing an official uniform. He said with a smile, "Brother Liang, your fourth-rank official uniform still fits you well. Are you reluctant to take it off?"

"It's all His Highness's appreciation and flattery." Shi Yuanliang bowed respectfully and saluted, and said with a smile, "Your Highness summoned me, but the officer came too hastily, and I didn't care about changing clothes. I didn't intend to dress in front of Your Highness to show off."

Zhao Dezhao laughed a few times, and then said lightly: "Then I want you to take off this clothes now and do a hard job for me!"

(End of this chapter)