The Flourishing Tang Dynasty: Beginning with Marrying Yang Yuhuan

Chapter 396 Drink more hot water
Li Heng didn't expect Liu Yan to say such a thing. He smiled and said, "Although our army is brave and good at fighting, it is difficult to keep up with the logistics supply to fight against Tubo, let alone go overseas. I just want to broaden everyone's horizons."

Liu Yan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Your Majesty is wise. A place that is too far away will be difficult to manage even if we occupy it. Exchange and trade may be more beneficial."

Liu Yan did not stand still, nor did he think of closing the country to the outside world, because since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, it had been actively expanding its borders and had always had an open attitude towards the outside world.

"Yes, exchanges and trade are indeed more beneficial." Li Heng sighed secretly.

Li Heng sighed, not because he felt that Liu Yan was wrong, but because he knew that even if there was exchange and trade, it would be a disaster for America and a challenge for the Eurasian continent.

Due to geographical reasons, exchanges between Asia and Europe are more frequent and more developed. Such development is all-round, not only in terms of people, but also in terms of bacteria and viruses.

People on the Eurasian continent are communicating, and bacteria and viruses are also communicating. The entire Eurasian continent is like a huge petri dish for bacteria and viruses, and bacteria and viruses are constantly evolving.

However, since the immune systems of people in Eurasia have evolved, no large-scale plague has occurred.

Historically, after Europeans discovered the New World of America, the number of Native Americans who died from European guns and cannons was far less than the number who died from the bacteria and viruses brought by Europeans.

However, although the bacteria and viruses in the Americas are not as "advanced" as those in Eurasia, they are also new species. The invasion of new species is also a huge challenge to Eurasia.

Many people will die in this challenge and will not know why they died.

With this in mind, Li Heng felt it necessary to popularize simple medical knowledge to the people of the Tang Dynasty.

So, Li Ying asked Liu Yan to arrange the printing of the world map and then find Zhang Mujin.

Zhang Mujin was studying medicine at the time. When he saw Li Ying, he stood up and saluted.

Li Heng sat down and said, "I told you before that we would publish the medical book when the woodblock printing is mature. Now we can publish it."

Zhang Mujin asked, "Ah Lang, do you want to train more doctors, or do you want the public to have basic medical knowledge?"

When in Anxi before, Zhang Mujin had cooperated in doing this matter, so he has some insights of his own.

Li Ying said, "It's both, please tell me about them separately."

Zhang Mujin said: "If you want to train more doctors, you can set up schools that specialize in medical skills. If you want the public to have basic medical knowledge, publishing books may not be the best way. Composing songs and letting doctors preach should be more effective."

After Zhang Mujin said this, Li Ying understood.

Now there is no nine-year compulsory education, and the literacy rate of the vast majority of the lower-class people is quite low. If you give them books, they either use them to burn firewood or to wipe their butts.

With the current level of papermaking and printing technology, huge financial funds will be wasted while the results are pitifully low.

It's not that Li Heng didn't know the reason behind this, but as an emperor, there were too many things to do and sometimes he couldn't help but take things for granted.

Li Heng reacted and said, "What you said makes sense. Let's do as you say."

Zhang Mujin handed the thin book she had edited to Li Heng and said, "This is the simplest medical knowledge I have compiled. Ah Lang, take a look to see if there are any problems. If not, you can give it to the Hanlin Academy and let the talented scholars there make it into songs, nursery rhymes, and jingles that the public can understand. Then, officials from all over the country can cooperate with the Imperial Hospital to promote it."

Li Heng took it and looked at it carefully, then said, "I don't know as much as you do about medical matters. I think there is nothing wrong with it. I'll just add one more thing."

Zhang Mujin asked in confusion: "Which one?"

Li Ying said: "Drink more hot water."

"Huh?" Zhang Mujin was stunned.

In fact, the tradition of drinking hot water has existed in ancient China, because traditional Chinese medicine believes that coldness damages the spleen and stomach. However, drinking hot water has become a trend only in modern times.

In the early days of the People's Republic of China, in order to deal with the enemy's germ warfare, the country launched a patriotic health campaign, one of which was to drink hot water.

In modern times, drinking more hot water has become a joke, but in the Tang Dynasty, it had a significant effect.

When fighting against Nanzhao, one of the reasons why many soldiers contracted malaria was that they drank raw water in Nanzhao.

Zhang Mujin didn't know that drinking hot water could prevent germs, but she knew it was good for the spleen and stomach, so after a pause, she nodded in agreement and said, "Then add it."

Li Heng thought of Nanzhao and asked, "Do you have any way to deal with the miasma?"

Zhang Mujin knew that Li Heng was obsessed with Nanzhao, so he had already studied the miasma, one of the difficulties in conquering Nanzhao, and said, "For miasma, there are three ways to avoid it, prevent it, and cure it."

Li Ying said: "Please elaborate."

Zhang Mujin said, "As for avoiding miasma, I have asked doctors in Nanzhao, and they said that people in the south of Nanzhao have the habit of moving to avoid miasma. The climate is hot from April to September, and it is also the rainy season, so people are most likely to be disturbed by miasma. Therefore, people in the south of Nanzhao will move to high and cold places and return to the plains in September. Businessmen dare not live in the plains for a long time, and usually live on the mountainside."

Li Ying asked, "How could anyone not emigrate?"

"Yes." Zhang Mujin nodded, "Some Baiyi people have lived here for a long time, so they are not that afraid."

Upon hearing this, Li Heng guessed that these Baiyi people should have developed antibodies.

Li Heng changed the topic and asked, "What about miasma prevention?"

Zhang Mujin said: "Nanzhao has a saying of 'don't get up early, don't eat too much, don't go to the little ones'. The so-called getting up early means that the fog is heavy and the frost is thick in the morning, which will cause miasma. Don't eat too much means that eating too much is difficult to digest and is also easy to be infected with miasma. As for not going to the little ones, it means not to go to the red-light districts. In order to prevent miasma, all places in Nanzhao have their own set of experiences."

"I see." Li Heng nodded and asked, "What about curing malaria?"

Zhang Mujin said: "There are two ways to treat malaria. The first method is to use witch doctors to treat malaria. In many places in Nanzhao, people believe that malaria is caused by ghosts and gods, or that ghosts and gods are collecting labor, so they get sick. They either burn incense and worship the gods, or seek help from witch doctors."

"Feudal superstition kills people!" Li Heng sighed in his heart and asked, "What about the second method?"

Zhang Mujin said: "The second method is for doctors to treat. As early as the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhang Zhongjing wrote in the "Golden Chamber Synopsis" that Changshan leaves and Bupleurum can treat typhoid fever, and the symptoms of miasma are often accompanied by symptoms of fever and cold. Therefore, in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Changshan leaves and Bupleurum began to be used to treat miasma. In the early Tang Dynasty, Sun Simiao, based on the work of his predecessors, detailed the method of treating miasma in the "Thousand Golden Prescriptions", using carp shells, turtle shells, cuttlefish bones, Changshan leaves, and aconite to make medicine. My grandfather's master Wang Tao wrote the "Secrets of the Imperial Registry", which contains 19 prescriptions for treating miasma."

Li Heng was basically a novice in the field of medical skills, and he only agreed: "It turns out that there has been a way to treat it a long time ago."

Zhang Mujin shook her head and said, "Yes, but it's not accurate. In recent years, I have sent people from the Medical Bureau to Lingnan and Nanzhao to study the treatment of malaria. After summarizing, I found that malaria cannot be equated with typhoid fever, dampness and febrile diseases. I and the people from the Medical Bureau reclassified malaria into cold malaria, hot malaria and mute malaria." After Zhang Mujin finished speaking, she stood up and took out a medical book, presented it to Li Heng, and said, "The specific symptoms of the three malaria and how to treat them are all written in it. Please take a look, Alang."

Li Heng took it and looked at it carefully, and was greatly surprised.

Li Heng didn't know much about medicine, but the place where he was born in his previous life corresponds to the present-day Nanzhao. Therefore, he knew that specific methods to treat malaria were only available since the Yuan Dynasty. Just now, Zhang Mujin started from the Eastern Han Dynasty, and he thought he had remembered it wrong.

But this is not the key point. The key point is that Zhang Mujin led people to bring this method to the Tang Dynasty in advance.

When Li Heng was surprised, Zhang Mujin added: "If we attack Nanzhao, it will be difficult to avoid miasma. We can only prevent and treat miasma. Prevention and treatment complement each other to succeed. To prevent miasma, we can use aromatherapy and eat anti-miasma food. To treat miasma, we need to prepare medicine in advance."

"Aromatherapy?" Li Ying was stunned.

Zhang Mujin said: "Ge Hong of the Eastern Jin Dynasty used aromatherapy to treat malaria. The people I sent to Nanzhao and Lingnan also had fewer malaria symptoms after wearing special scent bags."

Li Ying asked, "Can the special sachets from the Medical Bureau prevent mosquito bites?"

"Sure." Zhang Mujin nodded. "There are many mosquitoes in Nanzhao and Lingnan. Special sachets can repel mosquitoes."

"That's great!" Li Ying was overjoyed.

The biggest reason why many soldiers fighting against Nanzhao suffered from malaria was mosquito bites. If mosquitoes could be prevented and drinking water and diet could be standardized, the malaria problem could be largely solved. Combined with the anti-malaria drugs developed by Zhang Mujin, the health problems of Tang army soldiers could be solved to a large extent.

Moreover, what Zhang Mujin said about avoiding miasma is not impossible to do. The southern Nanzhao goes to high and cold places from April to September. In other words, they stay in the plain from September to April of the following year. Then he can also let the Tang army send out troops during the period from September to April of the following year.

In this way, avoiding miasma, preventing miasma and curing miasma can be achieved in one.

Zhang Mujin said it was difficult to avoid miasma, perhaps because she was not familiar with military affairs.

Seeing Li Ying happy, Zhang Mujin became happy too.

Li Ying continued, "You have solved a big problem. What reward do you want? Just tell me. I will do whatever I can to satisfy you."

Zhang Mujin thought for a moment and said, "Ah Lang, take me out of the palace to play for a day."

Li Ying asked, "Is it that simple?"

Zhang Mujin said, "It is mainly Alang who can solve this problem. Concubines of other emperors can only be trapped in the palace. They have no say in what to learn or do. But Alang not only allows me to do whatever I want, but also gives me power and money to support me. My little achievement is all due to Alang's favor."

Li Heng smiled upon hearing this and said, "You have also learned this set of rhetoric. I remember when we first met, you spoke more directly."

Zhang Mujin heard the hidden meaning of Li Ying's words and asked, "Ah Lang, don't you think this is a good thing?"

Li Heng thought for a moment and said, "As long as your heart remains unchanged, it won't make much difference to me. The key is to look at yourself. If you feel that such a change makes you happy, then it's a good thing. If it doesn't make you happy, then it's a bad thing."

Li Ying did not deny Zhang Mujin's efforts, nor did he use his own standards to demand Zhang Mujin, nor did he say childish words like "it's better to be simple". He just asked Zhang Mujin to follow her heart and pay attention to her own joys and sorrows.

Such remarks were considered a great indulgence and favor in feudal society.

Zhang Mujin was quite moved. She was stunned for a moment, then she held Li Ying's hand and said, "I just heard others talk like this so many times that I learned it naturally. I have always felt very happy."

"That's good." Li Heng smiled knowingly and said, "I agree with your request. I can take you out to play anytime. But just because you don't want a reward doesn't mean the doctors who work with you don't want one. You should draw up a list and reward them according to their merits. This will motivate them."

Zhang Mujin nodded and said, "I will listen to Alang."

"When do you want to leave the palace?" Li Ying asked.

Zhang Mujin said, "It's better to do it today than tomorrow."

"Okay." Li Heng agreed, patted Zhang Mujin's head, and said, "Within 50 miles of Chang'an City, we can travel light and at will, and the ministers will turn a blind eye. But if it's too far, the ministers below will have objections, and we must follow the regulations, but we can't spend too much."

Zhang Mujin smiled and said, "I understand."

……

The next day.

Political Hall.

Feng Changqing said to Zhang Guangsheng beside him: "Your Majesty has left the palace again?"

"Yes!" Zhang Guangsheng smiled helplessly, "Your Majesty is not fond of sensual pleasures, but he favors his concubines too much and wants to go out of the palace to play at any time..."

"Be careful with your words!" Feng Changqing interrupted Zhang Guangsheng, "Your Majesty's concubines are not simple people."

Zhang Guangsheng said: "Yes, I'm afraid they will all go down in history."

Feng Changqing sat down and said solemnly, "Any emperor who has made achievements must have generals who are good at fighting, ministers who are good at governing the country, or empresses who are the mothers of the country. Now your majesty has all three. But it's not all good. A general who is good at fighting can also be a brave general, a minister who is good at governing the country can also be a powerful minister who abuses power, and an empress who is the mother of the country can also be an empress who causes chaos. Only your majesty can control so many capable people. You said that your majesty favors the empresses, so why don't you favor us?"

Zhang Guangsheng thought about what Feng Changqing said and felt that it made a lot of sense. He nodded and said, "Everyone who follows His Majesty knows that they can achieve unprecedented achievements."

"So, Your Majesty, please don't let anything happen to you. Although the Crown Prince has the demeanor of Your Majesty, he is still young. At this moment, if Your Majesty has any accident, the Tang Dynasty will immediately be in chaos, and even turned upside down." Feng Changqing thought about it and said, "Please ask General Zhang to ensure Your Majesty's safety."

Zhang Guangsheng said, "Left Prime Minister, don't worry. This is my duty. Your Majesty is leaving the city, and Shi Shouyi will be your personal guard. The Jinyiwei will conduct an investigation first, and the Imperial Guards will be on standby at any time."

"That's good." Feng Changqing nodded, and then said: "I wanted to report the border affairs to His Majesty today. Since His Majesty is out, I can only wait until tomorrow."

Zhang Guangsheng hurriedly asked, "Is there any urgent news from the border? His Majesty has ordered that if there is any urgent news, it must be reported at any time."

Feng Changqing said: "It's not an urgent report, but I see that your majesty has recently intended to take action against Nanzhao. However, Nanzhao and Tubo are neighbors, so how to deal with Tubo when attacking Nanzhao should be planned in advance."

(End of this chapter)