Chapter 411: He led everyone to win this seemingly unwinnable battle!
As the current Prime Minister, Lin Beifan personally issued orders, and the local magistrate and officials immediately took action.
The first thing they did was to post official notices, prohibiting anyone from approaching the river.
This matter quickly caught the attention of the people in the city. “Are they trying to make us die of thirst by not allowing us near the river?”
“That’s right! How can we survive without water? We need water for farming right now!”
“I need to fetch water for washing clothes and cooking. Are they telling me I can’t use water? What are we supposed to do?”
“Who gave this order? It’s so inhumane!”
“Is this how the government operates?”
There was widespread discontent among the people, and they voiced their complaints loudly. The official standing nearby spoke loudly, “Fellow villagers, please temporarily restrain your anger. We understand your concerns very well! But the reason for doing this is out of necessity. You see, our river water has been contaminated, and it contains parasites. Consuming it can make you sick, and without prompt medical treatment, it can be fatal!”
“This disease is known as parasitic infection, or what Prime Minister calls schistosomiasis. It has previously caused large-scale outbreaks in the Southern Jiang region, infecting tens of thousands of people each time. Once infected, symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and even life-threatening conditions.”
“Are you saying it’s that serious with hundreds of thousands infected?”
To ensure the safety of all the city’s residents, we have no choice but to take these measures. As soon as these words were spoken, people became even more alarmed.
“And people can die from it too? Don’t spread baseless rumors!”
“Don’t make things up; we’re not children to be scared easily!”
The official continued, “This matter has been confirmed by Prime Minister and several reputable doctors. It’s absolutely true! If you don’t believe it, you can visit the medical center and see for yourself; it will be clear.”
Gradually, people began to believe the official’s words.
“But even if the river is contaminated, we still need water to drink, or we’ll die of thirst!”
“That’s right, we can cooperate with the measures, but how will we solve the water problem?”
“We’d rather die of thirst than get infected!”
“Fellow villagers, we have already considered your water needs!” The official said loudly. “There will be clean, boiled water available for safe consumption. So, if any of you have the means to boil water, you can do it yourselves to solve the water problem. If not, the government will provide boiled water to everyone.”
Hearing that there would be water to drink, people’s anxiety began to ease.
“Fellow villagers, we are currently working diligently to clean the river, remove the parasites, and make the water safe for use. However, due to a shortage of personnel, we are now recruiting people with good swimming skills from the entire city to help us search for the parasite source and eliminate them. By resolving this parasite issue as soon as possible, everyone can return to using water normally!”
“Our work is not unpaid; during our operation, we will provide three meals a day. If you help us find the parasite source, there will be financial rewards as well. We hope you can support our efforts!”
As soon as they heard that the government would provide meals and rewards for finding the parasite source, many people’s eyes lit up. Since they couldn’t use the water right now, they thought they might as well get involved. The government was providing meals, and there were extra rewards for finding the source—this opportunity seemed too good to pass up.
So, many people enthusiastically volunteered.
“Count me in!”
“I’m good in the water, they call me ‘Little White Stripe in the Waves!’”
“I can swim, been swimming since I was a child!”
And so, this group of ancient version volunteers was taken to the river to search for the nail snails. Once they found them, they immediately dug up the surrounding soil and brought it to the shore for burning.
On the other side, the court organized a large number of people to boil water for the entire city. Although the workload was enormous and it consumed a significant amount of firewood, it was a necessary step during this challenging time.
Meanwhile, the medical center was already crowded, and the number of patients continued to increase.
Initially, there were less than a hundred patients, but now it had reached three to four hundred. When people saw this situation, they naturally felt panicked.
However, when they saw Prime Minister Lin Beifan was also present, and he appeared so calm, as if there was nothing he couldn’t handle, their emotions gradually calmed down as well.
Lin Beifan was indeed very composed, drawing from his successful experiences in another world, he had a deep sense of confidence that he could overcome this challenge.
This confidence was infectious, and at this moment, it was more important than anything else.
Empress, moving slowly, looked at the suffering patients with some concern and said, “Sir, can we really overcome this situation? Look, there are already so many people…”
“We can, and we will,” Lin Beifan said confidently. “We are currently in the outbreak phase. Those who are infected now are those who were already infected before. Fortunately, we have discovered them in time. Once we clean the river of nail snails and improve sanitation, we can resolve this schistosomiasis.”
“Good!” The empress nodded in agreement. “But, Your Majesty, we might need to stay here for a few more days, which could delay our journey.”
The Empress responded, “Sir, this is a small matter. As long as we can resolve the schistosomiasis and reduce the suffering of the people, what’s a few more days?”
“Of course, Your Majesty! However, I may be too busy dealing with this matter and may not have time to review reports. I hope Your Majesty can understand,” Lin Beifan added with a hopeful expression.
The empress rolled her eyes. This guy was still thinking about slacking off even now. However, he was indeed working hard, so she decided to let him have a few days off.
As a result, on that day, another three hundred patients were added.
On the second day, four hundred more patients were added.
On the third day, there were another three hundred patients.
The rate at which the number of patients increased was alarming, and people began to feel extremely anxious.
However, Lin Beifan remained resolutely confident. “Hold on, everyone! The sun always shines after the storm, and victory will come soon!”
Perhaps it was the effect of Lin Beifan’s words. By the fourth day, the number of patients had dropped to just over two hundred.
On the fifth day, there were only a hundred patients left. On the sixth day, there were only a few dozen.
In the following days, there were only sporadic cases with fewer than twenty patients.
Finally, everyone saw the dawn of victory. All of this indicated that Lin Beifan’s policies were working, and he had effectively contained the spread of schistosomiasis.
At this point, the people who had contracted schistosomiasis were gradually recovering under the care of the doctors. Some of the younger patients with stronger bodies had already fully recovered.
All of this strengthened everyone’s confidence.
Lin Beifan once again shouted loudly, “Fellow villagers, hold on a little longer, and we will soon achieve victory!”
“Prime Minister is right!”
Seeing hope, everyone’s mood improved significantly, and their emotions became stable.
At this moment, there was good news from the outside—the Jinsha River.
After two thorough searches and collections, almost all the nail snails had been removed and burned.
Now they were conducting the third search, and they couldn’t find any more nail snails.
“Prime Minister, can we reopen the Jinsha River now?” the magistrate asked eagerly, representing the sentiments of the common people.
His suggestion was met with great enthusiasm.
Lin Beifan was very pleased and smiled, saying, “Don’t rush. First, try using some livestock and poultry to test the water. If there are no problems after a week, it means the water here is safe, and we can proceed with confidence.”
“Yes, Prime Minister!” Everyone replied joyfully.
And so, a week passed.
During this week, the livestock and poultry that had been continuously drinking from the river showed no signs of unusual conditions. This essentially confirmed that the water here had been purified and was safe to drink.
On the other side, there were no new patients in the medical center, but the number of recovered patients was increasing. Everything was improving.
So, two weeks after the discovery of schistosomiasis, as the last patient recovered, Lin Beifan, amidst great anticipation, announced the end of the schistosomiasis crisis, and everyone could return to normal life.
People were overjoyed and extremely excited. “This is great! The schistosomiasis is over!”
“We only took two weeks to eliminate the parasites! Haha!”
“We can finally live like before!”
One elderly doctor, overcome with excitement, shed tears of joy. “This is truly a miracle! Throughout history, no one had a solution for schistosomiasis, but today, right before my eyes, it has been eradicated!”
“Yes, it’s truly unimaginable. The impending schistosomiasis outbreak was actually stopped in its tracks! Thanks to the heavens for their blessings!” another doctor exclaimed.
“It’s not just the heavens’ blessings, but the wisdom and leadership of the Prime Minister! He discovered the disease symptoms in time and led us all to victory over the parasites. From now on, we won’t be helpless against waterborne parasites anymore!” Various doctors and informed individuals looked towards the young man who had remained calm throughout, their hearts filled with admiration.
It was he who led everyone to win this seemingly unwinnable battle.
He was a miracle worker!
The empress was also very excited. “My lord, this method is excellent and should be spread throughout the country, especially in the disaster-prone regions of Jiangnan. With this method, Jiangnan will no longer suffer from schistosomiasis!”
Lin Beifan smiled and said, “Your Majesty is absolutely right! However, prevention should be the primary focus. Detecting nail snails and symptoms in a timely manner, and then promptly eliminating them, is the true way to prevent it.”
“You’re absolutely right!” The empress nodded, instructing that Lin Beifan’s method for prevention and treatment be recorded and disseminated to the various provincial government offices for implementation.
“My lord, you’ve achieved another great feat. How should I reward you? Apart from a vacation, I can grant you anything!” The empress smiled warmly, as if she could see through Lin Beifan completely.
“Your Majesty, I only want a vacation! I don’t need much, just ten days or two weeks will do!” Lin Beifan said with hopeful eyes.
The empress responded with a teasing tone, “You’re dreaming! You’ve already had a long break; it’s time to get back to work!”
Once again, the fleet set sail, this time with the goal of heading to Northern Hebei.
