Li Jin was over fifty this year, already at the age of knowing his destiny.
Today, he wanted to go out for a walk as usual, but the town's constable stopped him at the street entrance.
"What do you mean?" Old Li glared at him.
The surname Li was the second most populous surname in Qingyang Town, second only to the surname Hu.
Therefore, as a very senior elder in the Li family, he was also highly respected in Qingyang Town.
He knew this constable, it was the kid from the Wang family. He was just wearing a dog's skin, yet he dared to block his way, he was going against the heavens!
"Old Li." Constable Wang tried to appease him, "The town hall has issued an order. During this period of time, no one is allowed to walk the streets, they can only stay at home!"
"Why is there a ban?"
"Didn't two people die of illness two days ago? The town hall feels that it's very dangerous, so he wants everyone to lie low for a while. After the limelight passes, it's good to come out for a walk! "
"Old Hu doesn't know shit! I don't know that old fool! "Old Li glared at Constable Wang," You think I can't read? Have you seen the letter from the city? There's nothing wrong with this illness, get out of my way! "
Constable Wang looked troubled, "Sir, you … it's always good to be safe. It's better to be safe than sorry."
"As the saying goes, one knows his destiny at fifty. Do you understand what destiny means? I'm already this old, what am I afraid of? "Old Li glared," I won't blame you if I die of illness, okay? "
With a wave of his hand, he pushed aside the fence at the end of the street.
As he walked out, he muttered, "In a peaceful world, you're not allowed to go out! It's so strange! Did I break the law? You're treating me like a criminal? "
Constable Wang looked at his colleague helplessly, and could only pretend that he didn't hear.
This wasn't the only case. With the letter from Jia City, the people were not afraid at all. Even if there were a few who advised people to be careful, it was mostly seen as a rumor.
Even if there was a place like Qingyang Town that paid attention early on, it was still difficult to enforce the regulations. At least in name, Qingyang Town was still under the jurisdiction of Jia City.
The so-called prohibition order actually existed in name only.
…
In the town hall.
Jiang Wang directly crumpled the notice into a ball, and threw it on the ground.
Boom!
With the powerful Dao Energy mixed in, this ball of paper smashed a hole in the ground.
Hu Laogen was shocked and sat down on the chair.
Jiang Wang looked at him coldly. "I gave you the power, and I took the loss. You don't have to do anything. You just have to carry out my orders. But you can't even do that. You're responsible for the deaths of everyone in this town. Hu Laogen, you have committed grave sins, and even a hundred deaths will not be enough to atone for your sins! "
Hu Laogen's face was ashen.
"I am also responsible for giving the position to a piece of trash like you!"
Jiang Wang swung his arm and walked out of the town hall. As he walked, he issued orders, "Xiaoxiao, stay in the town hall and temporarily take over all the duties of the Village Constable. With Zhang Hai in charge, all village chiefs, constables, and those who refused to obey could be killed! All bailiffs and warriors were to take action. From today onwards, no one was allowed to wander through the streets and alleys. Everyone was to guard themselves behind closed doors. With the town hall as the center, move forward, Zhu Biqiong, and patrol the east and west respectively. "
The tens of thousands of miles of trekking from the Zhuang State to the Qi State had sharpened his worldview.
In the face of such a crisis, he became even more decisive. "I will personally go to the villages below. First, I will carry out the prohibition order. Then, I will check the illnesses of the villagers one by one. This time, there is a large outbreak … I suspect that it is a plague! "
"What if the people refuse to be quarantined?" Zhu Biqiong asked. "Will I kill them too?"
Jiang Wang stopped and looked at him. "We are quarantining the people to save them. If you kill them, what is the point of what we are doing? If they refuse, we will try to persuade them. If persuasion fails, we can enforce it. We can fine them, fine them with food, and punish them according to the circumstances! "
"Understood!"
…
Jiang Wang went to each village alone with his sword to investigate. The others also got busy.
Hu Laogen, who had been stripped of his power, was dispirited in his seat. His face was ashen.
Dugu Xiao began to arrange matters. Only then did Hu Laogen seem to come to his senses. He stood up and staggered out.
He was like a walking corpse.
Dugu Xiao only glanced at him indifferently. Then, she continued to do her own things.
She helped Hu Laogen to explain before only to show her value to Jiang Wang.
She didn't have a good impression of Hu Laogen.
It was Hu Laogen who hired her in the mine. Later, she was abused by Ge Heng. Although Hu Laogen himself might not know about Ge Heng's cruelty, the fact that he caused could not be erased.
The reason why he didn't take revenge was because Jiang Wang didn't allow it.
Fortunately, after this incident, the little "friendship" between him and Jiang Wang had been exhausted.
This was the price he had to pay for his incompetence and self-righteousness.
After spending so much time with Jiang Wang, Dugu Xiao had long understood that Jiang Wang was not a person who would vent his anger or shirk responsibility. As long as his request was carried out, if the mistake was his decision, he would never let others bear the responsibility.
In this incident, as the village head, Hu Laogen's poor performance … Jiang Wang had already restrained himself by not killing him on the spot.
…
Hu Laogen shuffled out of the town hall.
It was already June, and the sun was no longer gentle.
Especially at noon, when it shone on the body, it was like being pricked by needles.
Hu Laogen squinted his eyes, but he couldn't stop the murky tears from falling.
He was actually a simple person. He didn't feel sad about losing his temporary power.
When he was the manager of Hu's mine, he didn't fill his own pockets. When he was the village head of Qingyang Town, he didn't seek wealth for himself.
He didn't have any children, only a fierce old wife. The couple didn't have much material desire.
So even though he was the village head, he still lived in the house he used to live in.
What really made him sad was that just now, he realized that he had become a "murderer".
If he had strictly followed Jiang Wang's previous orders and isolated the town from the outside world, perhaps many of the townspeople wouldn't have died today.
Just like what Jiang Wang had said, every single person who died of illness in the town was Hu Laogen's responsibility!
How could his old and decrepit shoulders bear all of this?
Jiang Wang was swift and decisive. He went to the village himself as soon as he gave the order. Those places were even more unregulated. He could only deal with it personally with his extraordinary cultivation.
But in Qingyang Town, it wasn't so easy to do things.
The people of Qingyang Town didn't pay enough attention to it before.
Under Dugu Xiao's command, new notices were posted, the severity of the illness was announced, and the crowds gathered everywhere were dispersed … all of these took time.
And the manpower of the Qingyang Town Hall was pitifully small.
Hu Laogen walked out in a daze. Every crowd he saw on the way made his heart cold.
If it was a plague …
If it was a human plague …
He didn't dare to imagine the consequences.
"My dear fellow countrymen! Let me tell you! "
Hu Laogen walked to the edge of the crowd and suddenly shouted, "Qingyang Town is seriously ill. Dozens of people have died!"
"It's very likely to be a human plague!"
"Quickly go back to your houses. Don't gather together. Don't go out!"
He shouted every time he walked to a place.
Many people knew him.
He was born in Qingyang Town, grew up, got married, and grew old.
Many people here trusted him.
Seeing this sad little old man, some people felt strange, some people felt puzzled, but more people chose to believe.
Finally, in the largest market in Qingyang Town, the market on the west side of the town.
People saw their current village chief, Hu Laogen, trembling as he climbed up to the roof with a ladder.
He was old. Standing on the roof, he wasn't tall. Instead, he was stooped.
He loudly repeated the words that he had repeated along the way.
However, his voice was already hoarse, so people couldn't hear him clearly.
Only in the end, he shouted, "So many people have died. It's all my fault!"
"This old man apologizes to you!"
He fell from the roof to the ground.
Bang!
Like a watermelon exploding.
It stopped in many people's memories.
…
…
PS: In the past two days, I've received the readers' concern and love for this novel. Zhihu private message, reader group, Weibo private message, Weibo group, and the book review section … I've seen every concern.
I've worked so hard to write this book until now. I've endured so much ridicule and endured so many torturous nights. If it suddenly disappeared, the blow to me could be devastating.
Then why did I write all this?
I've explained it once in the reader group. Now that many people have questions, and they're all people who truly love and love this book, I have to explain it again.
[The plot of the plague was set a long time ago.
But if I didn't have my current experience, it would be difficult to write it so vividly. And I wouldn't have the boiling emotions in my heart now.
I do want to record something. Literature carries the Dao, and words express emotions. My emotions and Dao both urge me to do this. People who write don't use words to make sounds. What else can they do to this world?
I hope that in a few years or more, if someone picks up this novel and reads this, they'll remember that we've experienced such things before. We've encountered such disgusting and dark times, and there were also people who pointed out the light.
I only hope that everyone will keep it in their hearts and try not to discuss the world outside the book. After all, behind prosperity, democracy, and civilization is harmony.]
That's my explanation.
A reader's comment touched me. He said, "Isn't it good to discuss the Dao while sitting down?
But, that's my Dao. "
"I've discussed it openly and secretly on Weibo, Zhihu, and Weibo's official account.
I really don't know what else I can do other than speak up! I've donated some money, but it's just a drop in the bucket.
The feedback I received made me realize that this novel was now carrying some people's expectations.
I do need to be more careful to protect our common world.
I've already deleted the most obvious sentence in the previous chapter. I'll be more careful in the future.
Thank you again for your love and love. "
— — How so. At nine in the morning.
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