Ask Sword

Hearing Li Ang's name, the people looked at each other in blank dismay, falling into hesitation.

After these years of publicity, Li Ang's deeds have already been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and his reputation is indeed stronger than that of the Taiyuan government.

If Mr. Li Xiaolang has come to Taiyuan City, the situation should improve soon.

————

Even with psychological expectations, when Li Ang really came to Taiyuan Mansion, he was still shocked by the bad situation.

Only one or two out of ten pedestrians on the street were wearing masks, and they coughed endlessly. Some people coughed up thick phlegm, and spit it on the ground casually, wiped it with their feet, and cleaned it up.

The shops along the street are still operating normally, and many shops even receive customers while coughing.

What made Li Ang even more unacceptable was Taiyuan's attitude towards rats.

Notices about rat infestation are pasted on wooden boards along the street,

Several yamen servants wore masks and stood lazily on the street, with bamboo cages placed at their feet, inside which were densely packed struggling and screaming mice.

Excuse me,

Li Ang stepped forward, without revealing his identity, but asked in a deep voice, What are these bamboo cages for?

The yamen servants were disturbed to chat, and looked over unhappily,

They saw a group of followers behind Li Ang,

There are beautiful girls (Qiu Feng, Ouyang Shi),

There are also guards (Yan Yundang and Yan Fu Wushi),

Thinking that Li Ang was the son of some powerful family in the city, he curled his lips and said, Stop the mouse.

Half a month ago, the city issued a notice to encourage the people to eradicate rats.

If you catch a small mouse, you will be rewarded with a few coins, and if you catch a big mouse, you will be rewarded with a dozen coins.

These are today's results.

Before the words were finished, a few urchins with runny noses ran over laughing and playing. They held the tail of the mouse in their hands and swung the mouse around like a meteor hammer.

One of the young boys, who seemed to be the oldest, had the most fruitful results. He tied the tails of several mice together with thin ropes, hung them on wooden sticks, and put them on his shoulders, with a smug expression on his face.

Uncle Sun, this is the mouse caught today.

The boy handed the mice over and said triumphantly, There are thirteen mice in total, four big and nine small.

What's your name? Uncle. Brother Sun.

The yamen servant named Sun Er curled his lips, took out the scissors, cut off all the tails of the rats on the wooden stick, threw the rats into the bamboo cage, and asked casually, By the way, why are there so many bloodstains on these rats? Zhuo Sanlang, what do you want? Killed them?

No.

The boy named Zhuo Sanlang smiled, I thought of a way. When I caught the mouse, I didn't rush to kill it. Instead, I stuffed two prickly ash into its buttocks, and then sewed the mouse's buttocks with needles and threads. , Throw the mouse back to the mouse nest.

The rats were in so much pain that they became mad and would fight with the rats in the nest until it became a cannibalism, even the rats' own cubs.

So when catching, you have to catch the biggest rats. That way you will hit harder and kill more rats.

Okay you boy.

Sun Er looked at the young man in surprise, took out the copper coins from his bag, and said, If you just tell the method like this, you won't be afraid that others will follow suit and steal your business?

Don't be afraid, I have already written to the newspaper office in Taiyuan Prefecture and told me the method.

Zhuo San grinned and said, The eunuch said that anyone who has something to say about the fight against the plague will be rewarded. It can be as little as ten guan, or as many as a hundred or a thousand guan.

Hey, then you are well-developed, kid.

Haha, no way. I have to thank Second Brother Sun for taking care of me.

The two were talking to themselves, but Li Ang looked at the bloody rats in the bamboo cages and the children who played with the rats as toys, feeling extremely absurd and confused.

Excuse me.

Qiu Feng, who followed Li Ang to Taiyuan Mansion, couldn't help but stepped forward and asked: The imperial court allocated funds half a month ago to buy rat-killing drugs, and suggested that all states should use rat poison to kill rats.

Why don't you use rat poison to kill rats?

Rat poison?

The yamen servants laughed in unison as if hearing something ridiculous, an old yamen servant shook his head and said: Young lady's thinking is too simple.

Folk rat poison, or use mangcao, aconitum, tung oil, or use arsenic, arsenic stone.

The smell of these rat poisons is strong, and the rats will not eat more.

Even if you eat it, if too many rats die, they will not eat poisonous bait again.

As for rat poisons such as zinc phosphide and warfarin newly invented by Mr. Li Xiaolang issued by the government. The effect is good, but the quantity is small and the price is high.

After all the calculations, we still do it ourselves, which is fast and convenient.

(Zinc phosphide is an inorganic compound rodenticide obtained by mixing red phosphorus and zinc powder and firing at high temperature.

Warfarin is a dicoumarin derivative obtained from moldy sweet-scented clover grass. Can cause internal hemorrhage to death in rats. )

That's right.

The young man surnamed Zhuo nodded, and said as it should, Besides, if you use poison, you won't be able to tell who killed which rats. How can you pay for it?

Send money?? Your lives are going to die!

Ouyang Shi was anxious and angry, and lost his voice.

They fought in Shuozhou for so long, and several students from the imperial medical department died of the plague.

But the people of Taiyuan Mansion are still thinking about how to save money, and even how to make money from the plague.

They are still numb and ignorant about the dangers of the plague.

How ridiculous, ridiculous, and sad.

alright.

Li Ang raised his hand wearily, preventing Ouyang Shi from continuing.

He took a deep breath, and said to the teenagers who didn't know why: In the future, don't catch mice with your hands. According to the plague plan, wear a mask and gloves, and use tools such as pliers, shovels, and hoes.

And after eradicating mice, tools should be cleaned in time.

He turned his head to look at the yamen servants and said: In the future, if the people send mice, if the other party does not wear a mask, no money will be given.

In addition, after catching mice, they must be burned in time, and they can no longer be placed in cages or placed on the street.

The young man surnamed Zhuo and the children didn't know why, they just felt that Li Ang was inexplicable - who are you to give orders here.

The yamen servants who wandered around the city and streets and were good at observing words and demeanor all changed their faces.

Li Ang's tone contained an unquestionable sense of command, not like a son of a big family in the city, but like a serious court official.

Could it be

The yamen servants stood up straight one after another, not daring to despise presumptuously,

Sun Er swallowed his saliva, and said cautiously: Could it be, Mr. Xiao Lang?

Li Ang didn't explain anything, but waved his hand, Take me to the prefect's mansion.