The source of horse plague was spread by insects and flies, and the host's physical constitution directly affected the incubation period.
Northern Borderline advocated sky burial, and the corpses of the Ferghana horses were left to rot on the ground and become food for insects, birds, and beasts.
The stud farm was not a clean and dust-free place, and the slaves would not be on guard against those small insects.
It was conceivable how terrible the horse plague would be if it really spread.
The royal court of Northern Borderline was cheated of a huge sum of ten million strings of coins by the horse dealers of Shalan. Fortunately, all the mares had been bred, and more than a thousand mares were found to be pregnant successfully, barely recovering some losses. Otherwise, the royal court of Northern Borderline would have really suffered a great loss this time.
However, the bad luck did not end there.
About half a month later, the previously pregnant mares had a high fever, and their whole body seemed to be swollen. They breathed like a cow, and occasionally coughed violently. Their nostrils were wide open, and a lot of "mucus" with foamy liquid flowed out. It was obviously seriously ill.
The slave taking care of the pregnant mares was so scared that he hurriedly reported the matter.
The slave trembled, and his body shook like a sieve. He kept begging for mercy, for fear that he would also be secretly dealt with.
"Could it be that the disease of the mares was caused by the Ferghana horses?"
The owner of the stud farm looked gloomy. The mares lay on the ground of the stable, breathing heavily, but their bodies were swollen as if they had been filled with water. They were so sick that even a blind man could see that the pregnant horse was seriously ill. "Can it still be saved?"
The veterinarian shook his head helplessly with a bitter face.
Ordinary minor diseases could be treated, but it was really impossible to save a fatal disease like this.
The owner of the stud farm secretly clenched his teeth, and his eyes seemed to be shooting venom.
They had already lost too much money on the Ferghana horses. Fortunately, the chances of the mares getting pregnant were relatively high. If they could successfully give birth, the losses on the Northern Borderline would be even. After breeding and breeding for three to five years and training them into powerful warhorses, they would be able to recoup their previous losses.
What about now?
The pregnant mares that had been carefully taken care of like gold were sick, and the condition was so serious that even the veterinarian could not save them.
The mares died, and the fetus in their wombs could not be saved. They had lost a mare of good bloodline and a colt with more potential.
Thinking of this loss, the owner's heart was about to break.
Before he could recover from this blow, the slaves in another area came to report that there was another pregnant horse that was seriously ill.
"What —"
The world spun, and even the owner's voice changed.
After a while, he resisted the urge to roar and smash things. He hurriedly said to the vet, "Go and take a look!"
It was the same illness!
Seeing the second sick mare, the owner's heart sank, and he quickly said, "Check all the pregnant horses."
It was obvious that the disease of the Ferghana horse had spread to these mares. If it was discovered early, they might still be able to save it.
However, the symptoms during the incubation period of the horse plague were mild. At most, there would be some mental exhaustion. The pregnant horse's mood was not high to begin with, so it was really difficult to judge. In the end, the veterinarian still found five sick horses with symptoms, and they were urgently quarantined from the stud farm.
This matter once again alarmed the entire royal court of the Northern Borderline. The King of the Northern Borderline roared in anger, and his subordinates silently endured the other's verbal attacks. "Wise man" Wu Liba had previously been shelved by the King of the Northern Borderline for nearly a year because he opposed the extravagant atmosphere.
The King of the Northern Borderline could indeed listen to advice, and he was ambitious, but deep down, he was still a man of the Northern Borderline, and he worshipped force more.
He was especially disdainful of Wu Liba's "wise man" and great principles. What was so great about having a glib tongue? In addition, he had a temperament that liked to enjoy and indulge in extravagance. Wu Liba opposed the extravagant atmosphere of the Northern Borderline aristocrats, and wasn't that the same as controlling his daily behavior?
In the past year, Wu Liba had been given the cold shoulder by the King of the Northern Borderline, and was even berated from time to time.
However, the King of the Northern Borderline's brain was still there, and he did not do anything too overboard. He only let Wu Liba relax his work.
Now, in the face of these dangers, he thought of this good helper again.
"Do you have a plan, my dear subject?"
Wu Liba thought for a while, and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, your subject thinks that we should be more ruthless and abandon those pregnant horses!"
When the King of the Northern Borderline heard this, he almost fainted in anger.
He asked with all his sincerity, and the other party gave him such a lousy idea?
Abandon all the pregnant horses?
Why didn't they just go to heaven!
The Ferghana horses that Shalan bought had already cost them 10 million strings of coins. Those mares were also warhorses with the best bloodline in the Northern Borderline. Although they were not as expensive as the Ferghana horses, they were still worth 30 to 50 thousand strings of coins, or even more. The total number of mares that were successfully pregnant was more than 1,500, and the number of mares that were not pregnant was two to three thousand. If all the mares that had been touched by the Ferghana horses were to be slaughtered, the loss would be so great that it would be heartbreaking!
"Get lost!"
After catching his breath, the King of the Northern Borderline was so angry that he grabbed something beside him and threw it at Wu Liba.
What kind of lousy idea was this?
The 19 Ferghana horses had already cost them a huge loss of 10 million strings of coins, and those mares were also worth 40 to 50 million strings of coins. In addition to the foals of the Ferghana horses in their bellies, if they were to abandon all of them, the three tribes of the Northern Borderline would suffer a loss of 70 to 80 million strings of coins this time!
Which of the mares that could be kept as breeding horses were not the cream of the crop?
Now that they were all killed, how many elites would the warhorses of the Northern Borderline lose?
Wu Liba was hit squarely, and his neatly combed small braids became messy. He did not say a word and bowed in silence.
He also knew why the King of the Imperial Court was so angry. The loss was simply too great.
But he had a hunch that if he did not do this, perhaps the loss in the future would be even greater.
However, the King of the Imperial Court would not agree to his suggestion, and the owners of the major horse farms would not agree to it either.
The King of the Northern Borderline ordered the horse farms to keep the news under wraps so that the determination of the warriors of the Northern Borderline would not be shaken. At the same time, he ordered his men to quickly get rid of the sick horses and treat them, trying to recover as much of the loss as possible … After a while, his hair had turned quite a lot white.
However, the insects and flies that had been feeding on the corpses of the sick horses had already spread, and it would be difficult to suppress them again.
Among the sick horses, nine out of ten died of illness, and the remaining one survived, but the foal in its belly had also died in its belly.
The bad news was far from over. Not only did the pregnant horses show signs of illness, but even the foals in the horse farms were having problems.
During those few days, the horse farms of the Northern Borderline were in a state of panic, and the royal court of the Northern Borderline was filled with all kinds of angry roars from the King.
The horse farms were heavily guarded, and not a single word leaked out.
The spies that Jiang Pengji sent did not find out the specific situation in the horse farms, but to her, this bit of information was enough.
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