"My lords, for the sake of the people of the East Sea, please do your best!"
As Xu Ruyan and Huang Shirren left the Yellow Hall, Zhou Fugui suddenly clasped his hands and said to the two of them.
Zhou Fugui's request for money and grain was indeed a major matter. No matter what their status was within their families, Xu Ruyan and Huang Shirren could not make the decision on their own. They had to go home and discuss it with their family members. Therefore, no matter how eloquent Zhou Fugui was, and no matter how tempted Xu Ruyan and Huang Shirren were, they still had to report back to their families and discuss the matter carefully.
However, at this moment, Xu Ruyan and Huang Shirren had basically no intention of refusing or delaying any further.
Huang Shirren seemed a little moved, his eyes flickered, and he glanced at Zhou Fugui.
......
"Great Governor, only... five physicians came..." After Xu Ruyan and Huang Shirren left, Zhou Fugui continued to preside over the East Sea Prefectural Office, coordinating all matters related to epidemic control. Yang Xinhong of the Snow Bear Army's Sun Shooting Camp hurriedly entered the Yellow Hall and reported to Zhou Fugui.
Epidemic control, of course, could not do without physicians or doctors. So Zhou Fugui recruited physicians and doctors from the East Sea Commandery. But he did not expect that only twenty-five people would come.
"Five? Why only five?" Zhou Fugui asked in surprise when he heard this.
"The wandering bell bearers must be scared!" Yang Xinhong cursed.
Physicians who walked the streets ringing bells to practice medicine were thus called "wandering bell bearers."
"Scared? I'd like to see if they're afraid of my saber?" Zhou Fugui said angrily, "Xinhong, go and invite them over. Pi E, you go too. Remember, unless it's a last resort, do not be rude. If anyone dares to defy orders, tie them up for me!"
"Yes, Master!"
"Yes, Great Governor!"
Pi E and Yang Xinhong loudly acknowledged the order together.
Thus, the iron cavalry of the East Sea Commandery Prefectural Office spread out in all directions, apprehending all the physicians in the city. The East Sea Commandery city was also in chaos.
Within half a day, hundreds of physicians, doctors, and even coroners from the East Sea Commandery were "invited" into the Prefectural Office and stood on the steps.
......
"Why didn't you volunteer?" Zhou Fugui, the Marquis of Yanping Liang, General Jianzhong, Great Governor of the East Sea, and Prefect of the East Sea, looked down at the physicians and coroners below, who were sweating profusely, covered in dust, trembling, of all heights, weights, and ages, and asked coldly, "Do you dislike the money I offered?"
The crowd of physicians and coroners exchanged glances, and no one spoke for a long time.
"Great Governor, do you know what the illness is?" After a moment, an elderly physician surnamed Du with only a few sparse white hairs on his chin asked.
The sudden heavy recruitment of physicians by the East Sea government, how could the physicians not know what the government wanted to do? They wanted to recruit them to go to the epidemic areas to control the epidemic and treat the people. If something went wrong, and the epidemic was not controlled and the people were not treated, they might lose their lives in the epidemic area. Therefore, there were very few volunteers.
"I don't know!" Zhou Fugui replied coldly.
"Is it falciparum malaria or malignant malaria!" another physician surnamed Wu said loudly.
"So what if it's falciparum malaria or malignant malaria?" Zhou Fugui asked coldly.
"Malaria, it's like a tiger opening its big mouth!" Another physician surnamed Zhang sighed to Zhou Fugui, "Alas, Great Governor, when the miasma rises in May and June, newcomers will surely die; when the miasma worsens in September and October, even old patients will lose their souls. This disease is transmitted from Lingnan and is extremely ferocious. There is almost no cure for it!"
"Hmph, almost no cure? That means there's still a possibility of survival? A possibility of recovery?" Zhou Fugui coldly snorted like Huang Shirren... and pointed outside the hall, saying loudly, "Right now, my two thousand Snow Bear Army soldiers have rushed to Quyang, Shuyang, and Houqiu three counties. Aren't they afraid of falciparum malaria or malignant malaria? Aren't they afraid of death? I myself plan to go to the three counties to control the epidemic and provide relief to the people. Am I not afraid of falciparum malaria or malignant malaria? Am I not afraid of death?"
Zhou Fugui's words made many physicians show shame on their faces.
The Xianbei people drove away the Xia people and established the Yan state north of the Yangtze River. The Xianbei people, or the barbarians, were known for their brutality. And the Han generals and Han people who were the dogs of the barbarians, that is, the Han thieves, were even more brutal than the barbarians. They oppressed and extorted the people, and committed all sorts of evils. They didn't care about the lives of the common people, as if it were a matter of course.
And Zhou Fugui and his Snow Bear Army, who were also dogs of the Xianbei, not only did not ignore the lives of the common people, but also rushed to Quyang, Shuyang, and Houqiu three counties, where the epidemic was the most severe, to treat and relieve the people. Even Zhou Fugui, as the chief official of the East Sea Commandery, had to go to the three counties. How could this not make the physicians feel extremely ashamed?
"What is a physician?" Zhou Fugui then said loudly to the physicians, "A physician must have a benevolent heart, that is true medicine! To carry a pot of medicine to help the world, that is true medicine! To save the dying and heal the injured, that is true medicine! People often lose their way, not the way loses people; people often depart from life, not life departs from people. Therefore, physicians must be careful not to lose their way! Those without constant virtue cannot be physicians, those without constant virtue are not worthy of being physicians!"
Zhou Fugui's deafening roar made the physicians even more ashamed. Many of them wished they could find a hole to crawl into.
Most of them, from the day they entered the medical profession, were first taught medical ethics and the way of medicine by their masters. But when the East Sea Commandery was struck by a severe epidemic, they all hid like tortoises.
The physicians were now speechless and dared not and could not argue with Zhou Fugui.
"The Great Governor cares for the people and blesses them, which is the greatest benevolence!" After a moment, an old man from the crowd of physicians exclaimed loudly.
Everyone turned to look, including Zhou Fugui. They saw an old man about sixty years old standing in the crowd, wearing a bamboo hat, a coarse linen tunic, a rice straw cloak, and hemp shoes with exposed toes. He had a medicine basket on his back and a medicine hoe in his hand. The exposed calves were covered in mud, giving the impression that he had traveled a long distance.
"You flatter me, old sir!" Zhou Fugui saw that this man had white hair, a youthful complexion, and extraordinary bearing, and guessed that he must have an unusual background. He clasped his hands and asked, "Who is this old sir?"
"This humble one, Qingzhai, pays his respects to the Great Governor!" The old man bowed and stroked his white beard, smiling and saying, "I have traveled a thousand miles, only to meet a virtuous and heroic man of the East Sea. It has not been in vain, it has not been in vain!"
"Little Immortal Master?" Everyone was shocked and turned to look at the old man. The people standing next to the old man also moved aside, leaving an empty space.
The old man's surname was Deng and his name was Qingzhai, with the title "Little Immortal Master," a renowned physician from Jiangnan.
"Little Immortal Master? Who is that?" Zhou Fugui had never heard of Deng Qingzhai's name, so he asked the people around him.
"Great Governor, Elder Deng is a great physician from Danyang in Jiangnan, with the ability to bring the dead back to life..." The physician surnamed Zhang stepped forward and whispered in Zhou Fugui's ear.
A great physician from Danyang in Jiangnan? Bringing the dead back to life? Zhou Fugui was overjoyed and quickly clasped his hands again and bowed, "I have long admired you, I have long admired you. Since you have traveled from afar, why didn't you inform this governor in advance? This governor could have hosted a welcoming banquet for you!"
"This humble one's reputation is insignificant. Do you truly admire me, Great Governor?" Deng Qingzhai smiled, "However, I and my twenty disciples are indeed hungry. I will have to trouble the Great Governor for this meal."
Deng Qingzhai's humorous words greatly increased Zhou Fugui's favor towards him. He smiled and said, "Certainly, certainly. How can this governor refuse when you honor me with your presence? However, my humble meals are simple, and I fear I will offend you."
"Oh? The Great Governor's meals are simple? Are you mocking this humble one?" Deng Qingzhai said with a smile.
"My governor's dishes are no more than three a day, his wine no more than two types, and his rice no more than five bowls," a personal guard said with a cold snort.
"Few dishes and little wine, yet five bowls of rice?" Deng Qingzhai chuckled, then his expression became solemn, "Your reputation, Great Governor, is indeed well-deserved?"
"You flatter me, Immortal Master," Zhou Fugui smiled. "I have dishes, wine, and rice, but the common people are barely clothed and have little to eat. Whenever I think of it, I find it hard to swallow."
"Great Governor, why are you rambling? Is there food? Is it enough to eat?" At this moment, a young man with a delicate appearance asked loudly.
"He... who is he?" Zhou Fugui asked in surprise.
"My youngest disciple, Zi Qing," Deng Qingzhai replied.
"Zi Qing, do not be rude," Deng Qingzhai then turned to his disciple, Gongshu Zi Qing, and said.
"Master, after we eat, we still have to go to the epidemic area!" the impatient Gongshu Zi Qing grumbled.
"Look, look!" Zhou Fugui was overjoyed and gave a thumbs-up. Then he said to the physicians, "Immortal Master and his disciple are from Jiangnan, aren't they? They have traveled thousands of miles, yet they are going to the epidemic area. How do you, as people of the East Sea Commandery, feel? Are you ashamed? You may leave now. Those who are willing to go to the epidemic area will be richly rewarded by this governor. Those who are unwilling, this governor has nothing to say. However, your future situation... think about it when you go home."
As soon as Zhou Fugui said this, even those who were unwilling had to go, otherwise, if they angered this barbarian great governor, they would surely not have a good ending.
"Immortal Master, please come inside for a chat. Someone, serve wine and food, and entertain the righteous warrior who has traveled from afar!" After the physicians left the Yellow Hall, Zhou Fugui shouted orders to his subordinates.
"Great Governor, you don't need to bother. Simple tea and plain food will suffice, as long as it's enough to eat," Gongshu Zi Qing said to Zhou Fugui.
Before Zhou Fugui could reply, a large group of people entered the Yellow Hall, standing densely on the steps. Most of them were monks, but there were also Taoist priests, and even nuns. The leader was the young Taoist priest Ge Rufeng.
"The Immortal Master is here? Where is the Immortal Master?" Ge Rufeng asked, pushing his way through the crowd.
"Do you know this humble one, young Taoist priest?" Deng Qingzhai asked in surprise.
"So you are the Immortal Master?" Ge Rufeng saw Deng Qingzhai as if he were his father or grandfather, and rushed to him with a fawning smile, "I, Ge Rufeng of Maoyuan Temple, am honored to meet the Immortal Master. It is a great fortune for three lives!"
Deng Qingzhai was not only skilled in medicine and knowledgeable in the way of medicine and drugs, but also a Taoist alchemist who practiced alchemy. He was regarded as a master of elixirs by the world.
Zhou Fugui was greatly surprised to see this, and looked at Deng Qingzhai and Ge Rufeng.
Did he come from Maoyuan Temple? Could he be a Taoist priest from Maoshan? Zhou Fugui thought to himself.