Du Kangyong and Sun Wei indicated that they understood. Zhao Zhili also indicated that he would mobilize all the officials to go down to the villages and spread the news to every household.
Liu Chuanhai especially expressed the importance of the statistics. His Majesty had said that this was related to the centralized management. The feces of the sick were also a source of infection. There were eggs in the feces and could not be used as manure.
After giving instructions on these matters, the few of them immediately split up to take action.
Liu Chuanhai first removed the meat from the boiled snails, leaving only the shells to be packed into boxes. He then had people rush through the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal to deliver these snails to the capital day and night. He even wrote a preliminary investigation report for Xiao Ruxun, mentioning the medical aspects of the problem.
Seven days later, Xiao Ruxun received these items. He immediately organized people to spread out all the snails and personally identify them. After measuring and identifying, Xiao Ruxun found all the snails that were less than an inch long.
After further screening, he took out several dozen snails that were only one-third of an inch long. After careful identification and memory, Xiao Ruxun finally confirmed that these snails with very hard shells and vertical stripes were the sole host of schistosomiasis, Oncomelania snails.
Then Xiao Ruxun immediately ordered the palace attendants to deal with these snail shells. He then ordered court painters to enter the palace and carefully draw these snails. They were then made into a book with identification methods written on them. Together with these specimens, they were sent to the various prefectures of Jiangnan so that the officials could first learn how to identify them. Then they would go to the countryside and impart these identification methods to the farmers in preparation for the comprehensive elimination of the snails.
At the same time, after receiving Liu Chuanhai's letter, Xiao Ruxun tightly frowned.
The problem raised by Liu Chuanhai was very practical and also a natural moat in the elimination of schistosomiasis.
The plague of locusts would not make people sick, so it was fine to just eliminate the locusts. However, schistosomiasis was a disease. Not only did they have to eliminate the insects and snails, they also had to treat the disease. The investment was greater than eliminating the locusts, and the risk was also greater.
The locust plague could benefit the farmers through the strategy of raising ducks to control the locusts, and the army could obtain meat at a low price. This was a good thing, as it greatly reduced the financial burden of the imperial court. However, schistosomiasis was purely an investment, and there was no economic return.
The purpose of eliminating schistosomiasis was to save those who had lost their ability to work and those who might lose their ability to work in the future. There were no economic benefits involved. It was a pure expenditure and the responsibility of the government.
This was not only related to snail control, but also related to the reconstruction of the medical system.
Through this illness, Xiao Ruxun had a deeper understanding of how difficult the lives of the ancient people were.
If he decided to eradicate schistosomiasis, not only did he need to kill the snails, but he also needed to rebuild the messy civilian medical system. This also involved the training of doctors, the establishment of hospitals, the planting of medicinal herbs, and so on. The implications were too broad, and Xiao Ruxun could not think about it thoroughly, so he called the three cabinet ministers over.
Wang Xijue, Li Tingji, and Ye Xianggao quickly went to the study to see Xiao Ruxun. After reading Liu Chuanhai's letter, they understood the emperor's meaning.
"Although difficult and miscellaneous diseases are difficult, there is medicine to cure them after all. However, there is no medicine to cure this disease of poverty. When I saw this, my heart felt as if it was being pierced by a needle. There is medicine to cure the big belly disease, and it can prolong life, but because there is no money and medicine, they can only slowly wait for death. This kind of thing widely exists among the people.
The emperor often says that he is rich, and everything in the world belongs to the emperor. However, only now do I realize that my people are actually so poor. When they are sick, they have no money to see a doctor, and they can only grit their teeth and bear it. This is my dereliction of duty, my mistake. "
Seeing that Xiao Ruxun was blaming himself, Wang Xijue hurriedly said, "This is a problem left behind by the previous dynasty. This dynasty has only been established for less than two years, and there are many things to do. Moreover, Rome was not built in a day or two. Such a problem cannot be solved in a day or two. Your Majesty, why do you need to blame yourself?"
"Your Majesty, you have promoted the land reform, so that the tillers have land, the farmers have a good harvest, and there are food to eat. The taxes are not high. This is already a day that we did not even dare to think about in the past. However, the time is still short, and we still need some time to accumulate wealth to make ourselves rich. This is not Your Majesty's fault, but Your Majesty's credit."
Li Tingji also followed to persuade the emperor.
Xiao Ruxun shook his head repeatedly.
"But now, my people are wailing and suffering. It's fine if I don't see and don't know, but when I see and hear, I have to pretend to be deaf and dumb? I can't do it. This situation must be changed, and this is what I should do. I am the emperor. If I don't do this kind of thing, who else can do it? "
Wang Xijue and Li Tingji both kept their mouths shut.
Ye Xianggao said, "I thought that no one in the previous dynasty had mentioned this, but someone has mentioned it now. This is proof of Your Majesty's wisdom."
"What do you mean?"
Xiao Ruxun looked at Ye Xianggao.
Ye Xianggao said, "The disasters that were mentioned in the previous dynasty were all disasters that were happening right now. Famine, flood, and drought. No one had ever mentioned the plague of insects because there were not as many deaths from the plague of insects as there were from famine, flood, and drought. That was why no one mentioned it and no one paid attention to it.
But now, someone has mentioned it because no one has died from famine, flood, and drought, so the number of people who have died from the plague of insects is especially high. Does this not prove the wisdom of Your Majesty's governance, to let the people have enough to eat and not have to worry about floods and droughts? "
Xiao Ruxun smiled bitterly.
"Cabinet Elder Ye, I like to hear these words of yours, but the more I hear them, the sadder I feel. Since when was it a merit to not let so many people die?"
Ye Xianggao was stunned, and then he immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness.
"Your subject misspoke. Please punish me, Your Majesty!"
"You did not misspeak. You spoke the truth."
Xiao Ruxun had Ye Xianggao stand up and sit back down.
"I just feel sad. When the dynasty prospers, the people suffer. When the dynasty dies, the people suffer. Regardless of whether the dynasty rises or falls, why are the people always suffering? It is a disgrace for the emperor to not let his people live and work in peace and have enough to eat and drink. Why is it that even a small number of deaths is considered a merit? Are the lives of the people really not worth mentioning? "
The three ministers were silent, not knowing what to say.
They had never seen His Majesty pay so much attention to the people. For a moment, they didn't know how to express their attitude.
"I want them to eat and drink their fill. I want them to wear warm clothes. I also want them to be able to live in a house. I want them to be able to read and not be blind. I want them to see a doctor when they are sick. I want them to have medicine and not have to grit their teeth. I want them to not have such a heavy burden of taxes. I want them to not have landlords and tyrants to trample on their heads. I want them to not die so many times."
Xiao Ruxun took a deep breath.
"I want to make a thorough plan for the problem of medicine among the people. I want to call a court conference. Cabinet Elder Wang and Cabinet Elder Li, you two will be responsible for organizing it. Cabinet Elder Ye, go and gather a group of famous and capable doctors among the people. Together with the Imperial Academy of Medicine, I have something to ask them."
"As you wish!"
The three ministers quickly left the study and began to carry out the emperor's will.
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