There was a dead atmosphere in the Jinjibao Council Hall in Ningxia, and all the leaders sat dejectedly, and no one said anything."
Is the plague really out of control?"
Ma Hualong asked in a low voice, and overnight, his hair turned gray again.The leaders all shook their heads helplessly, their faces full of loss.It has been more than half a month since Ma Yaobang came back, and the Hui people have not yet come out of the joy of getting food.A plague that swept through the horses in Ningxia made this winter even worse.The plague began in Shizuishan, the northernmost part of Ningxia, and at the beginning of the outbreak, only a dozen war horses showed fever all over their bodies, red eyes, and swollen mouth and tongue.The veterinarian didn't take it to heart, but boiled some herbs and treated the sick horses with a prescription for typhoid fever.As a result, only a night later, not only did a dozen horses not heal, but the entire herd broke out with the same symptoms.The problem is far more than that, there have also been large-scale outbreaks of plague in other places, and the symptoms are the same as those in Shizuishan.Sick horses seem to have typhoid fever, but the onset is extremely fast, and usually before they can be treated, they show the characteristics of the decline of the life system.Half a month later, the situation has developed to the point of no return.Not only did the more than 100,000 war horses sent by the Mongols die, but even the local war horses in Ningxia began to die one after another.The vast snow was full of the corpses of war horses, and because the ground was frozen like stones, it could not be hollowed out and buried for the time being."
Thirteenth Master, you said that this plague is not man-made, why didn't it come early or late, but it came at this time.We have lived here in Ningxia for half our lives, and we have never seen such a terrible plague," Ma Zhaoyuan from the Yinchuan Department suddenly reminded, he had been doubting this question these days."
That's right, Thirteenth Master.I have carefully consulted the veterinarian, and there is no problem with our forage and water supply.Although there was heavy snow this winter, the temperature was far less cold than last year, and it was impossible to cause such a plague all at once. ”Ma Qianling of the Guyuan Department is also thinking the same way.This plague happened to break out after Ma Yaobang returned from escorting grain, which had to arouse his vigilance.But he didn't say it explicitly, after all, Ma Yaobang is Ma Hualong's son."
Yaobang, what do you think about this matter" Ma Hualong naturally knew the meaning of their words, and stared at his son with his eyebrows, wanting to hear his opinion."
Father, the child has been thinking about it for the past few days.There were no problems along the way, and the team had no contact with any outsiders.If someone really makes it bad, then they don't have a chance at all" Ma Yaobang defended himself, completely confused."
Alright, you all go back first.Gather all the sick and dead horses together and burn them with fire, so as not to infect other livestock.I will go to the mosque and pray to Allah and ask Allah what he means. ”Ma Hualong waved his hand tiredly, and after signaling everyone to go out, he sighed lightly with blank eyes, "Is it really that we killed too much, and Allah sent down punishment" The matter of Ningxia's horse plague spread rapidly, and it was already blocked by the Huaxing Army on both sides.Now even Mongolian cattle and sheep traders dare not set foot in Ningxia, for fear of bringing the plague to the Mongolian steppe.Qiao Zhiqing had already sent a letter to Wang Shijie, asking him to strictly order the Huaxing army to patrol the border.No merchant was allowed to enter Ningxia, especially if anyone was found to be selling horses from Ningxia without permission, they were immediately shot on the spot.The plague is no joke, if it spreads in Shaanxi, it is estimated that horses in the whole province will be infected.In fact, there is no need for Qiao Zhiqing to say that at this time, even the most insatiable businessman will not dare to venture into Ningxia again.This was not a small plague, and almost all merchants were the first to hear about it after the outbreak.No one dares to take this risk by being cheap.Ningxia is now as if abandoned by Allah, and all the herdsmen kneel in front of the mosque and pray sincerely to Allah, hoping that Allah will forgive and benefit his people."
Doctor, can these war horses still be saved" Ma Yaobang was standing outside the horse farm, looking at the corpses of the war horses dragged out from inside, and his heart was like a knife.This is the last horse farm in Yinchuan, with more than 30,000 horses and more than 10 horse farms, and now only one remains."
Dear lord, please forgive me for my incompetence, these war horses have been infected, and I am afraid they will not live for a few days."
The veterinarian saluted with one hand on his chest and shrugged his shoulders helplessly, looking embarrassed."
Alright, you can keep observing."
Ma Yaobang sighed, his eyebrows locked outside the isolation place, and he stepped on his war horse and rushed towards Jinji Fort.The other leaders were also summoned by Ma Hualong, and after dark, Ma Yaobang rushed to Jinji Fort, and as soon as he entered the council hall, the room was full of gunpowder."
Ma Zhaoyuan, I salute you before I call you big brother.But what kind of bad idea did you come up with, let the rest of the war horses go in vain If the Huaxing army calls, what resistance do we have" Ma Diankui no longer needs to think about it, just after attending the meeting today, he heard Ma Zhaoyuan's suggestion, and immediately exploded."
Brother Diankui, now all our war horses in Ningxia are infected with the plague, and they will die in a few days.Only by letting go of all the remaining horses and letting them wander around can the plague spread to other places.In this way, although our strength is damaged, if this kind of plague also appears in the place ruled by the Huaxing army, their strength will also be greatly reduced.Only in this way can we hope to resist the invasion of the Huaxing army. ”Ma Zhaoyuan explained to him anxiously."
You two don't argue first, Yaobang, how is the situation there in you, is the plague still under control" Ma Hualong waved his hand at the two and twisted his head towards his son."
Father, the child has failed to live up to your trust.The veterinarian tried all the drugs, but he still couldn't control the outbreak.According to the children's construction, we can't keep these horses. ”Ma Yaobang shook his head helplessly, and lowered his head gloomily."
Qianling, what do you mean" Ma Hualong turned his head to Ma Qianling, he hadn't been angry for a long time, and he didn't know what he was thinking."
Thirteenth Master, I agree with Brother Zhaoyuan.If Allah had cared for his people, he would not have left us alone to suffer this plague.As long as these war horses are released, the plague god will be sent out of our Ningxia. ”Ma Qianling agreed with him, he knew what the consequences would be when there was no war horse facing the Huaxing army.At this time, it is death, and I want to pull a cushion again."
Yaobang, what do you mean" Ma Hualong turned his head back to his son."
Father, what Brother Zhaoyuan said is very right, and I can only fight like this at present.We have suffered from the plague, and we cannot make the Han people comfortable.The only thing the child fears is that these horses will flow to the Mongolian steppe, and all the friendship we have worked so hard to build with the Mongolian people will no longer exist.At that time, if we can't take Ningxia, except for the Gobi Desert in the west, we will have no way to retreat. ”Ma Yaobang was a little hesitant in his heart, but he still agreed with Ma Zhaoyuan's opinion."
Now we can't take care of the Mongols, and after the plague, they hide farther than anyone else.Since all three of you have made the same decision, don't worry about it.Carry out the order, release all the remaining horses from the stable, and set them free. ”Ma Hualong looked at Ma Diankui, gave a faint command, and finally made up his mind and prepared to break the net with Huaxingjun."
Yes, we all listen to the orders of the Thirteenth Master."
Ma Diankui saluted with his chest crossed and did not make any further refutations.After the meeting ended, the four major tribes of Shizuishan, Yinchuan, Lingzhou, and Guyuan drove all the remaining war horses out of the horse pen, with a total of more than 10,000 horses, and let them scatter.Half a month later, Jingbian County, northern Shaanxi, Huaxing Military Brigade Department."
Hey, have you heard, a lot of folks have been trapping a lot of wild horses recently.I heard that they all ran out of Ningxia, and a large group of people had no owner. ”Wang Erba, a personal soldier at the headquarters sentry, whispered to Zhang Dabao, a personal soldier beside him."
Really, how can this be possible, how can people give us such a good thing," Zhang Dabao's eyes widened in disbelief."
Lying to you is a dog, the day before yesterday, my second uncle caught three horses, and wrote to tell me, saying that they would be sold for me to marry a wife."
Wang Erstick proudly straightened his chest."
How is this possible, can it be filled in, and the pie will not fall," Zhang Dabao still had an incredible expression."
If you don't believe it, I'll tell you secretly, we're good brothers.You hurry up and find a way to inform your family, you have been around the border a lot recently, and you may have been hit by pies" Wang Erzhu grinned and winked at Zhang Dabao."
That brother will believe you once, and he will write to inform his family as soon as he finishes his shift."
Zhang Dabao is also very excited, you must know that at this time, a batch of horses can be sold for more than a dozen taels of silver, no one can resist this temptation, and if you don't catch it, you won't catch it."
What are you two muttering so happy about" At this time, the brigade commander Liu Heiwa happened to come back from patrolling outside, and when he saw the excited appearance of the two, he asked casually."
Brigade commander, do you say that there is such a good thing, there have been a lot of horses near Sanbian County recently, all of which are unclaimed.Otherwise, let's catch some back, just act as a military horse, and we won't be afraid of returning cavalry when the time comes. ”Wang Erzhu touched his head and responded with a smile."
Is it" Liu Heiwa smiled, took two steps, suddenly froze in place, turned around and asked Wang Erstick urgently, "Erba, where did you get this news from, is it reliable" "It's true, my second uncle has caught several horses recently."
Brigade commander, are you tempted" Wang Erbao saw Liu Heiwa's face suddenly change, and thought that he had listened to his own opinion, and also wanted to catch some war horses and come back."
It's a big deal, Wang Erba, you can take me to your second uncle's house now.Zhang Dabao, you go and gather all the three regiment commanders for Lao Tzu, and ask them to bring a veterinarian and a regiment of soldiers to Wangjiazhuang to find me. ”Liu Heiwa let out a loud sigh, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead.Hurriedly ordered Wang Erstick to prepare a carriage and take him to his second uncle's house
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