The man's legs were shaking as he stammered,
"General Lin, you... what do you need me to do?"
Lin Qi's voice was cold and flat, carrying an air of unquestionable authority,
"Be obedient, and you won't die."
The man didn't dare to resist. With a dagger pressed against his lower back, he knew that if he tried anything, someone with Lin Qi's skills could kill him instantly.
"Fine, fine, I'll cooperate. Just don't kill me, don't..."
Lin Qi led the man outside. Qin Sang thought for a moment and followed them. Although it was conspicuous for a woman like her to follow a military squad, this matter was about to reach its conclusion. There was no reason for her to vanish when it was time to claim credit after she had sacrificed so much.
Fortunately, this uncle and nephew were used to acting high and mighty. Although the soldiers on guard along the way noticed something was off about Qin Sang following them, no one dared to stop them.
They reached the most luxurious residence in the compound without any obstacles. Lin Qi gave the man a nudge with the dagger, and only then did the man nervously say to the two teams of guards at the door,
"I need to see the Chief Officer."
The man was allowed through, but the guarding soldiers reached out to stop the Zhenbei Army soldiers behind him.
"They cannot enter."
With a single look from Lin Qi, the Zhenbei Army soldiers stepped forward and subdued them in short order.
The Zhenbei Army soldiers immediately took action, restraining the unprepared Southern Army.
Then, the Zhenbei Army took over the duty of guarding the residence, standing at the door with expressionless faces as they let Qin Sang and the others inside.
The man's legs went soft as he thought about what was about to happen. Hearing the commotion, the person inside the room shouted sternly,
"What's going on? Why haven't you come in yet? Is the matter with Lin Qi handled?"
Hearing his uncle's voice, the man was on the verge of tears,
"Uncle..."
Appearing along with his voice was a beautiful parabolic arc.
With a loud bang, Lin Qi threw the man toward the door. The man smashed the door open and rolled right to the feet of the Chief Officer inside.
The Chief Officer was a middle-aged man with a Mustache. Dressed in a Scholar's robe and holding a folding fan, he looked very refined. He didn't look like a general leading troops into battle, but rather like a teacher educating students.
If one didn't know that he was the one who ordered the massacre of civilians to claim military credit, it would be truly difficult to tell from his appearance that his heart was pitch black.
Looking up to see Lin Qi standing at the door with a spear, the man was stunned. He immediately kicked his nephew beside him.
"You... didn't you say they were almost dead? How are they..."
"Uncle, they were faking death. I was tricked by them. Uncle, save me... I don't want to die."
Lin Qi flicked his spear, the tip pointing directly at the man's face.
"Hand over the tiger tally, and I will spare your life."
The captain scrambled to his feet in a panic,
"Uncle, just give it to him! The people outside are all his now; we can't win."
The Chief Officer knew Lin Qi was a man of his word, but was living really better than dying?
Lin Qi might let him go, but what about the commoners?
They would probably want to skin him alive and drink his blood before they were satisfied.
In that case...
He turned around to grab a longsword from a rack.
But before he could draw the sword, Lin Qi's spear thrust forward, piercing through him from behind.
The spear left a bloody hole. As the spear was withdrawn, the Chief Officer collapsed to the ground, his eyes wide open, unable to die in peace.
Lin Qi expressionlessly glanced at the captain, who was kneeling on the floor and had wet himself in fear. He coldly uttered two words,
"You speak."
Hearing those words, the captain nodded frantically,
"I know, I know where my uncle put it. I'll get it..."
He immediately lunged toward his uncle's corpse and pulled out half of a tiger tally from his robes.
This was originally the tiger tally for Lin Qi's Zhenbei Army. Because he had been seriously injured, the tally had been taken by others. Now that the tiger tally was back in his hands, one of the major burdens on Lin Qi's mind was finally settled.
"Throw him into the dungeon for trial at a later date."
The man looked at Lin Qi in surprise. "You said you wouldn't kill me if I handed over the tiger tally!"
Lin Qi said with a calm expression,
"I said I wouldn't kill you, but I never said I would let you go."
Qin Sang knew there would be no more surprises in the remaining details. She stepped forward and said,
"Zheng Yuan, I've been away for half a month and it's time for me to go home. I'll leave this place to you. As for those deceased civilians, I hope you can give the people of Songbai Town an explanation."
Lin Qi nodded.
"Seven days from now, I will hold a public trial for these soldiers who killed civilians for credit. I will have all the people of Songbai Town come to watch and report this to the Imperial Court.
I plan to invite high monks to perform a ritual to pray for the souls of those who died tragically, hoping they can rest in peace.
Additionally, I will request a shipment of grain to be distributed to these severely affected commoners, so they can sow their seeds, survive the autumn famine, and settle their hearts."
Qin Sang knew that Lin Qi must have thought through all these aspects while he was imprisoned, but there was still something he hadn't considered.
"All of that can wait.
The most important thing right now is plague prevention."
Lin Qi frowned deeply.
"Sister-in-law, do you think an epidemic will occur?"
Qin Sang nodded solemnly.
"Actually, the main reason I was so anxious to come to Songbai Town was this.
It is recorded in books that a great disaster is inevitably followed by a great plague. Now that the disaster has passed, the commoners are still struggling to find food. Their living environment is filthy and dangerous, and many are competing with rats and birds for food.
After the flood, corpses are everywhere. Although the temperature has dropped, it is still very hot. Decaying bodies contaminate the water sources, and this water flows into rivers and wells before being consumed. In such conditions, how could an epidemic not spread?"
Lin Qi had previously been stationed at the Northwest frontier. That place was bitterly cold and not suitable for the spread of viruses. He had only read about what Qin Sang was saying in books. Now that Qin Sang mentioned it, even if he didn't know the specifics, he understood the gravity of the situation.
"Then does Sister-in-law have a way? Can you treat the plague?"
Qin Sang shook her head.
"There are many types of plagues, but they are all highly contagious. Once it spreads, it's very likely the entire South will be affected.
My personal ability is limited. Even if I can save people, how many can I save?"
Lin Qi gripped his spear tightly.
"Is there really no way? The commoners have already endured successive natural and man-made disasters; how can they withstand the devastation of a plague..."
Qin Sang didn't beat around the bush and spoke directly,
"Although I have no way to cure it, prevention is key. As long as prevention is handled well, the plague can be controlled. This way, as long as there isn't a large-scale outbreak, the burden on doctors will be reduced, making it further manageable."
Lin Qi's eyes brightened.
"Sister-in-law knows how to prevent it?"
Qin Sang nodded and pointed to the writing materials on the desk.
"I'll speak, you record."
Lin Qi immediately set down his spear, walked quickly to the desk, spread out the Xuan paper, and looked at Qin Sang with his brush ready.
Qin Sang already had a plan in mind.
"The first rule of controlling a plague: Exterminate the rats..."
When Qin Sang decided to risk entering Songbai Town, she had intended to inform the Chief Officer here about plague prevention.
Having seen too many dead people during this time, Qin Sang truly didn't want these poor and struggling commoners to encounter another wave of suffering.
She would do her best to inform those in power, hoping to save a few more lives.
This lecture lasted for an hour. Once the main points were covered, leaving only some details, Qin Sang's voice became hoarse. She stopped to rest for a moment when a soldier ran in from outside.
"General, Sister-in-law's son is here."
Startled, Qin Sang immediately turned to look outside...