Chapter 319

Killing rats was a traditional technique that had appeared thousands of years ago in human civilization. The earliest rat poison could be traced back to the pre-Qin era.

In the Classic of Mountains and Seas, the West Mountain Classic, there was a white stone on Gaotu Mountain. Its name was Ju, and it could poison rats. There was a grass that looked like a herb, its leaves were like sunflowers, and its back was red. Its name was Wutiao, and it could poison rats.

At first, it used plant toxins or mineral toxins. By the 19th century, there were hundreds of different types of rat poisons.

The reputation of the Black Death was too great. After receiving a note from the Government of Vienna, the European governments expressed their support in a daze.

Boatloads of rat poison were sent to the Asia Minor Peninsula one after another. The Austrian army that carried out the mission of killing rats had a mental breakdown due to all kinds of strange uses.

The attention of the European world was focused on this. Every country sent medical experts to investigate on the spot.

Of course, there were always reporters for this kind of hot news. After visiting the terrible state of the Russian Army camp, all doubts were gone.

No matter what the Anti-Turkic Alliance did, it was impossible for them to sacrifice the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers. The name of the Black Death was confirmed.

The Black Death had been ravaging Europe for hundreds of years, but it had also broken out in stages and regions. It had lasted until the 18th century.

It was the worst from 1347 to 1353. It started from Sicily, then Italy, Austria, France, England, Central Europe, Northern Europe …

It was followed by the Italian plague from 1629 to 1631, the London plague from 1665 to 1666, the Vienna plague in 1679, the Marseilles plague from 1720 to 1722, and the Moscow plague in 1771.

Although it was considered the Black Death, there were still differences. Whether it was a mutation of the plague virus or a new virus was still an unsolved mystery.

The plague in the Near East had just started to show its power, but it had already exploded with shocking lethality. It was normal to conclude that it was the cause.

…

Ever since the plague spread in the army, Marshal Ivanov, as the supreme commander, had not been in a good mood. Other people could find an excuse to escape to their country, but he could not.

It was not easy to be a military leader. In addition to military achievements, one must also have a trustworthy character.

The conservative Marshal Ivanov was undoubtedly a qualified soldier. After receiving the news of the outbreak, he rushed over from St. Peter Castle and assumed the responsibility of the supreme commander.

Ivanov asked with concern, "Have the medicine promised by the Austrians been delivered yet?"

For this batch of medicine, he was willing to risk it all. In St. Petersburg, he even had a big fight with the top government officials, mainly to prevent the Tsarist government from interfering.

It was an old habit of the of the Tsarist government.

During the reign of Alexander II, he was still able to intimidate the bureaucrats by relying on his iron and blood methods. During the reign of Alexander III, the governing philosophy became more moderate, and the bureaucrats became bolder again.

The quantity of medicine was already low. If they let the local people take advantage, they would get even less.

These medicines were all in high demand on the market. It was fine if some of them were deducted, but if someone was bold enough to directly exchange them, it would be fatal.

Marshal Ivanov never had any confidence in the integrity of the country's bureaucrats.

Lieutenant General Ozgur replied, "We've only received 5,318. The rest will arrive next week at the earliest."

Marshal Ivanov's mood became even heavier when he heard this answer.

There were more than 50,000 sick Russian Army soldiers, and the medicine was less than one-tenth of that. Who should use it and who shouldn't use it? This was a problem that gave him a headache.

"Generate electricity for the country and let the government find a way to purchase it. No medicine is a big deal!"

What Ivanov regretted most was that he did not return to the country to attend the celebration party. He had wasted the best time to react.

In theory, the war was over. As the victorious country, the Russian Army could withdraw at any time. Unfortunately, reality did not allow it.

Not to mention the deal between Russia and Austria, the key was that there were so many infected soldiers. If they returned at this time, wouldn't they implicate the homeland?

Moreover, they could still ask for help from their allies in Asia Minor. Once they returned, there would be no hope.

Even if there was medicine, it would be divided up by the rich and powerful in the country. There would be no chance for the ordinary soldiers who really needed it.

Lieutenant General Ozgur reminded, "General, I'm afraid this is difficult to do. These medicines are all laboratory produced and have always been in short supply.

Even if the government is willing to spend money to buy them, they can only buy a small portion from the black market at a high price. It still won't be able to meet the demand. "

…

Ankara. Ever since the withdrawal of the Russian army, the city had been completely abandoned.

As the birthplace of the epidemic, it became the top priority of the rat extermination work. The Austrian airship fleet had dropped dozens of tons of rat poison from the sky.

The former anti-Turkish alliance command center was now the epidemic prevention command center. Albrecht, the commander-in-chief of the destruction of the Osman Empire, became the commander-in-chief of rat extermination.

This was inevitable. The soldiers were all on the peninsula. If the high-ranking officers ran away, the morale of the army would also be broken.

Albrecht said, "The current efficiency of rat extermination is too low. It is winter now, and the rats have stored enough food. The frequency of activity is not high.

In order to eliminate the rats as much as possible before the end of winter, we must adopt more aggressive measures.

No one knows how many underground rat breeding vaults the Osman Empire has prepared. The current situation is not suitable to send soldiers into the city to search. I suggest burning the city with fuel. "

Naturally, it was impossible to object. These places were all Austrian territory. In order to prevent the epidemic, Albrecht wanted to burn down his own city. No one had any objections.

If it was someone who didn't know the truth, they might be very touched and think that Austria had made a great sacrifice.

After all, the burning of the city was their own property. Even if there was some damage during the war, the general framework was still good. After some repairs, it was restored to full health.

Albrecht was an insider. He knew early on that the Government of Vienna's development plan for the Near East did not include the plan to restore the old city.

They could either choose a new area to build a new city or carry out large-scale reconstruction. In any case, it would be beyond recognition in the end, so adding another fire wouldn't hurt.

Russian Army Marshal Ivanov said, "Your Excellency's proposal is very good. The Russian Empire is willing to provide 200,000 tons of fire oil."

Britain's representative, Sheryl Emberly, said, "Britannia is willing to provide 300,000 tons of fire oil to eliminate hidden dangers."

…

This wasn't a matter of one country or one country. For the sake of their own safety, the European countries didn't undermine each other this time. No matter how strong or weak they were, everyone more or less contributed.

The countries provided a lot of fuel, but that was a theoretical value. When it would be in place still depended on the integrity of the bureaucrats.

As the host, Austria had to bear the responsibility. Fortunately, electricity had been popularized in most cities in the country. Otherwise, people wouldn't even be able to buy lamp oil.

Since the epidemic prevention headquarters made the decision to burn the source of the disease, Austria began to lack oil.

There was no way around it. Austria did have a lot of oil, but the problem was that it was buried underground and couldn't be dug up in a short time.

Relying on the production capacity provided by the few oil fields in Romania couldn't meet Austria's needs.

From five years ago until now, Austria had been the world's number one oil importer.

Prime Minister Felix said, "The government has done its best. The fuel that can be raised in the country has been sent to the Near East.

The international stock has also been swept away by us, causing the international fuel price to rise significantly.

However, this is still a drop in the bucket. The European countries promised to provide a lot of fuel, but unfortunately, their efficiency is too low.

By the time their supplies arrive, it will be almost summer. The epidemic in the Near East cannot be delayed. "

After hesitating for a moment, Franz slowly said, "Then use our strategic reserves to eliminate the source of the disease in Ankara first."

If it was another time, Franz would never give up the country's strategic reserves so easily.

Today, oil has become an important source of energy in Austria. The internal combustion engine industry that emerged during the Second Industrial Revolution was entirely driven by oil.

Without enough oil supply, half of the industrial advantages that Austria had established in the Second Industrial Revolution would be destroyed.

However, it was different now. With the easing of the international situation, the European continent wouldn't have a war for a while.

Especially after the annexation of the Osman Empire, Austria's strategic security had been guaranteed. The government could boldly develop oil in the Middle East with confidence.

As long as they survived the most difficult period of time, the oil in the Middle East would be extracted, and they would no longer have to worry about the lack of oil.

…

Ankara became the first city to be set ablaze by fire. Billowing smoke rose, and endless sins turned into ashes in the flames.

This was just the beginning. In areas where large-scale epidemics occurred, nearby cities became the targets of purification.

Throughout 1884, the work of the epidemic prevention headquarters was to set fires and spread rat poison. By the end of the epidemic, twenty-three cities had been baptized by fire.