"The livestock can't endure it, so humans... probably can't either...?" In the grand hall of the Grand Governor's mansion, Wei Xiazi stammered.
"Indeed, advisor. Where is the messenger? What did he say? What is the situation of the epidemic in the three counties?" Zhou Fugui glared at Wei Xiazi, then turned to Li Qing and asked, "General, where is the messenger? What did he say? What is the situation of the epidemic in the three counties?"
"Reporting to the Grand Governor..." Li Qing replied, "I have already ordered the messenger to rest. According to him, this plague is fierce and has infected people in all three counties, especially in Shuyang County. Many have fallen ill, with every household suffering sickness and every home experiencing mourning. Grand Governor, at first, the situation was manageable, with only sickness and no deaths. But it progressed, and people began to die, with the number of deaths increasing."
"This is terrible..." Yi Jisheng, the Xue Pi army's artisan officer, shivered at the words and exclaimed.
"Old Yi, what do you want to say? What is terrible?" Zhou Fugui asked with a frown, seeing Yi Jisheng's reaction.
"Grand Governor..." Yi Jisheng, who had been kneeling, stood up and replied, "Thirty years ago, that great plague, Old Yi experienced it firsthand. Even now, the memory fills me with dread. Old Yi remembers that at that time, great plagues were rampant in Hedong, Heinei, Guanzhong, and Guandong. Old Yi doesn't know how many died, but I know that entire villages, towns, and cities were wiped out by illness. Some cities, towns, and villages were completely depopulated, with gruesome deaths. Not only did people die, but livestock and poultry also did not escape this terrible epidemic."
More than thirty years ago, most people in the hall had not yet been born, including Zhou Fugui.
"Indeed, that great plague in Guanzhong, I have also heard of it, which is why many monks and nuns appeared," Xue Wentai, a man from Guanzhong, nodded.
"Why is that?" Wu Tianqi asked in surprise.
"Why? Under the protection of the Buddha's lamp, one can ward off evil spirits," Xue Wentai replied.
Everyone present found this amusing, yet no one could bring themselves to laugh.
Silence fell upon the hall, and everyone felt a chill run down their spines.
"Oh my heavens..." After a long pause, Xu Mancang shivered and said, "Grand Governor, we should leave. If we hesitate further, we brothers will die at the hands of evil spirits, our bones scattered."
As soon as Xu Mancang spoke, everyone present nodded in agreement.
The Xianbei had fled in terror. What was their purpose in staying in Donghai Commandery? To wait for death? The Xianbei had fled; why shouldn't they? This was the thought on many people's minds.
"Xu Mancang! You scoundrel, do not disrupt morale!" Zhou Fugui remained silent, deep in thought, but his deputy general, Suo Dacheng, was furious. He stood up and shouted, "Since the founding of our Xue Pi Army, when have we ever fled without fighting?"
"You dark-skinned fellow!" Xu Mancang retorted angrily, "When have I, Old Xu, ever shied away from charging into battle? But is this charging into battle? Is this fighting? This is a plague, evil spirits! Where is the plague? Where are the evil spirits? If I could see them, I would cleave their heads with a single sword."
"Cowardice is cowardice, why find so many excuses?" Suo Dacheng raged.
Suo Dacheng and Xu Mancang glared at each other.
They were all heroes of the battlefield, having fought their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, so their tempers were naturally fiery. Xu Mancang's words also held some truth; they feared not powerful enemies, but these invisible "evil spirits."
"Generals, please cease your argument..." Seeing that the two were about to fight, Bai Ma Wu quickly rose to mediate, "Why don't our forces withdraw from Donghai Commandery and station ourselves in Beihai and other areas, awaiting the imperial decree?"
The occurrence of an epidemic meant that disaster relief was not only the responsibility of local prefectures and counties but also of the imperial court. Bai Ma Wu's suggestion was considered prudent. Leaving Donghai Commandery and awaiting the imperial decree would also shift responsibility, so many secretly nodded in agreement.
"Captain Bai Ma Wu's words are reasonable. Our army came here to suppress rebels, not to provide disaster relief."
"Precisely, precisely. The rebel leader has fled, but we have captured Donghai Commandery and eliminated the rebels. What does their fate matter to us?"
"It is already our utmost benevolence that the Grand Governor strictly enforced military discipline and did not plunder or harass them. Why should we wade into this muddy water?"
"Grand Governor, let us withdraw before this 'Maojiao Plague' spreads further."
Generals like Hu Tieniu also voiced their agreement.
"Absolutely not, by no means!" Yang Hu, a strategist for Zhou Fugui, who had initially remained silent, could no longer bear the pain in his heart. Seeing the situation, he couldn't help but stand up and question Zhou Fugui loudly, "Grand Governor, how can you bear to abandon the people and leave?"
Yang Hu had wept on the city walls of Youzhou and was saved by Zhou Fugui. He had still intended to die for his lord, but Zhou Fugui had ordered him to be guarded day and night, preventing him from fulfilling his wish. Later, Zhou Fugui reasoned with him and appointed him as a strategist for the governor's mansion. Yang Hu had intended to be like Xu Shu entering Cao Ying's camp, remaining silent and offering no counsel.
But at this moment, for the sake of the people of Donghai Commandery, Yang Hu spoke up righteously.
Zhou Fugui's expression was impassive. He looked coldly at Yang Hu, who, unafraid, continued to speak loudly, "The epidemic is raging, people are scattered, there is no smoke for a hundred miles, and countless deaths follow, mostly among the poor. Grand Governor, the ravages of war have already led to famine, and famine followed by more famine leads to epidemics. How are the people supposed to live? What is even more serious is that prolonged famine and epidemic will breed rebellion. Thieves and bandits will incite the masses to rise up and plunder, taking advantage of hunger and illness. In this way, the suffering of the people will be even greater. Grand Governor, you do not provide aid or relief, but you cannot simply abandon the troops and leave! The army's presence in Donghai can also prevent bandits from taking advantage of the chaos!"
"Yang Hu, if you make the army stay in Donghai and not leave, what happens if they too contract this terrible epidemic? What is your true intention?" He Lilang exclaimed in anger, pointing at Yang Hu.
"Grand Governor, the words of this pedantic scholar are truly detrimental to the army," He Lilang then said to Zhou Fugui.
Yang Hu glared back angrily.
"Tap, tap, tap... Tap, tap, tap... Tap, tap, tap..." Zhou Fugui remained silent, his brow furrowed, tapping his fingers on the low table, mimicking the sound of galloping horses.
Zhou Fugui indeed had the thought of leaving.
The imperial court had ordered Zhou Fugui to lead troops to suppress rebels. At the same time, he was appointed as the Grand Governor of Donghai and the Prefect of Donghai, essentially the local official for Donghai Commandery, the "father and mother official" of Donghai. The imperial court's intention was not only to eliminate the rebel Murong Hong but also to govern Donghai Commandery, at the very least to appease it.
Empress Dowager Murong Qing seemed to have intended to hand over this mess of Donghai Commandery to Zhou Fugui, to see how he would govern it.
At the same time, Zhou Fugui wished to make a name for himself, but unexpectedly encountered such a troublesome situation. As Xu Mancang, He Lilang, and others had said, one wrong step could lead to the entire army being destroyed here. If that were the case, it would be better to leave and hand this mess back to the Yan imperial court.
However, if Zhou Fugui did this, firstly, his carefully laid plans would be in vain; and secondly, as Yang Hu said, how could he bear it?
"Grand Governor, if you dare to leave, Hu will die before you today!" Yang Hu then stared fiercely at Zhou Fugui and roared.
Yang Hu then lifted the hem of his robe and was about to dash himself against a wooden pillar in the hall.
"Stop him!" Zhou Fugui hastily ordered Pi E and Hu Jue upon seeing this.
Pi E acted upon hearing the order, grasping Yang Hu with one hand. Yang Hu struggled desperately but could not break free from the immensely strong Pi E's grip, like an eagle catching a chick...
"Your teeth are already gone, and you still want to crash?" Zhou Fugui glared at Yang Hu and said resentfully.
Zhou Fugui was aware of Yang Hu's past deeds and greatly admired him.
Even the upright officials of antiquity were no more than this.
Zhou Fugui's words immediately made the generals burst into laughter, but Zhou Fugui glared fiercely around, causing them to stifle their laughter.
"Who said I was leaving? I'm not going anywhere today!" Zhou Fugui, who had been kneeling, placed his hands on the low table and said to the generals, "This commander was ordered to march south to suppress rebels. On the way, I encountered something. What was it? It was about a young girl."
The generals exchanged whispers, murmuring amongst themselves.
People said Zhou Fugui was lecherous, and now it seemed to be true. Many thought to themselves, why was he bringing up a young girl in the context of an epidemic? Was this girl so beautiful as to surpass celestial beings? So much so that he would mention her in public, disregarding the epidemic and military affairs?
"The young girl is from Pingqu in Donghai Commandery, only nine years old," Zhou Fugui continued expressionlessly, looking at everyone. "Why did she attract my attention? Because her parents are both dead. Her father died in the war, and her mother died of illness. Her relatives have scattered, and there is no one left to raise them. Why them? Because she has two brothers. Her parents have passed away, leaving behind her and her two siblings. Her two brothers are merely infants, crying for milk."
As Zhou Fugui spoke, a tear trickled down his eye. Seeing this, not a single person dared to speak, nor did they dare to mock Zhou Fugui.
"The young girl is only nine years old. To raise her two brothers, she works as a helper for others, carries coal up the mountain, and begs everywhere. Her small, frail body tries desperately to bear the burden of the family, but how can the burden of a family be borne by her, a nine-year-old child? Yet she struggles on... I estimate that she will not last long before being crushed by the weight of life. She and her two brothers will either starve to death, work themselves to death, or die from this great epidemic!" Zhou Fugui said slowly.
At this moment, everyone stared intently at Zhou Fugui, the hall in dead silence.
Zhou Fugui paused and then continued, "I took pity on her and gave her some money and food. However, I can only save her for a while, not for a lifetime! Moreover... moreover, there are countless people in the world who are as miserable as she is! Even if I had three heads and six arms, I could not save them all."
"Bang!" Zhou Fugui slammed his fist heavily onto the low table, startling everyone.
"The people are in such dire straits, from the lords in the imperial court above to us generals below, we all deserve to die, and should commit suicide to atone to the world!" Zhou Fugui then said angrily.
At this moment, everyone understood Zhou Fugui's intention.