Chapter 581 – The Northern Border Horse Plague (8)
The horse plague is transmitted by insects like mosquitoes and flies, and the physical condition of the host directly impacts the incubation period.
In the Northern Border, sky burials are revered, allowing the corpses of the blood-sweating steeds to rot on the ground, becoming food for insects, flies, or animals.
The horse farm isn’t exactly a clean and dust-free place, and the slaves wouldn’t have any defenses against those tiny mosquitoes and flies.
It’s easy to imagine how terrifying it would be if this horse plague truly spread.
The Northern Border Royal Court had been swindled out of ten million coins by horse traders from Shalan, but thankfully, all the mares had already been bred, with over a thousand mares gradually confirmed pregnant, managing to recover some losses; otherwise, the Northern Border Royal Court would have faced bankruptcy!
However, misfortune did not end there.
About half a month later, the previously pregnant mares fell victim to a high fever that wouldn’t subside, their bodies swollen as if filled with water, their breathing labored like an asthmatic cow, occasionally breaking into violent coughs, with their nostrils flaring, leaking out a large quantity of foamy “mucus”—clearly indicating a severe illness!
The slaves caring for the pregnant mares were terrified as they hurriedly reported this.
The slaves trembled as though sifting flour, begging for mercy, fearing they would be dealt with discreetly.
“Could it be that the illness in the mares comes from those blood-sweating steeds?”
The horse farm owner’s expression darkened, as the pregnant mare lay on the stable floor, breathing heavily, her body so swollen that even a blind person could tell she was gravely ill. “Can it be saved?”
The horse farm vet grimaced and shook his head helplessly.
Common minor illnesses can be treated, but something so critical is beyond saving.
The horse farm owner discreetly clenched his teeth, his gaze seeming to emit venom capable of piercing through flesh.
Too much money had been lost from the previous blood-sweating steeds; fortunately, the mares had a good breeding rate. If they could successfully give birth, the losses from the Northern Border could be mitigated, and after three to five years of breeding and training into powerful war horses, those losses could be turned into profits.
And now?
The pregnant mares, cared for like gold, fell ill, and the vet was powerless to help.
If the mare dies, the fetus won’t survive either. That would mean losing not only the precious mare with excellent lineage but also the more promising foal.
Thinking of that loss shattered the horse farm owner’s heart.
Before he could recover from this blow, another group of slaves rushed in to report yet another pregnant mare in critical condition.
“What—”
His world spun, and the horse farm owner’s voice distorted.
It took him a moment to suppress the impulse to rage and smash things, quickly turning to the vet, “Go check it out!”
Once again, the same symptoms!
Seeing the second ailing mare, the horse farm owner’s heart sank, “Have all the pregnant mares checked!”
Clearly, the illness from the blood-sweating steeds had infected these mares as well; if detected early, perhaps they could be saved.
Unfortunately, the symptoms of this horse plague during the incubation period were mild. At most, there would be some lethargy, and the mood of the pregnant mares was already low, making it hard to judge. In the end, the vet identified five mares showing some symptoms and urgently isolated them from the farm.
This incident once again sent shockwaves through the entire Northern Border Royal Court. The Northern Border King roared with anger, while those beneath him quietly endured the verbal onslaught. The “wise man” Wu Libai had been kept in cold storage by the Northern Border King for nearly a year for opposing the extravagant lifestyle.
Indeed, the Northern Border King could listen to advice and had ambitions, but deep down, he was still a Northern Border man, prizing martial prowess.
He held Wu Libai’s lofty ideals and principles in disdain; what good were words? Plus, being the kind to relish and indulge in luxury, Wu Libai’s pushing against the nobles’ lavish ways was just a muzzle on his daily behaviors.
In the past year, Wu Libai had been treated coldly by the Northern Border King, facing occasional reprimands.
However, the Northern Border King had his wits about him and had not gone too far; he merely let Wu Libai take it easy at work.
Now facing this crisis, he thought of that capable aide again.
“My minister, do you have a plan?”
Wu Libai contemplated briefly before saying solemnly, “Your Majesty, it may be better to be ruthless and abandon those pregnant mares!”
Upon hearing this, the Northern Border King nearly toppled over in fury.
He had sincerely asked, and this was the advice given?
Abandon all the pregnant mares?
Why not just fly to the sky!
The blood-sweating steeds bought from Shalan had already incurred a loss of ten million coins, and those mares were also the best pedigree war horses in the Northern Border. They might not be worth as much as the blood-sweating steeds, but they were still valued at thirty to fifty thousand coins each. There were over fifteen hundred successfully pregnant mares and two to three thousand that were not pregnant. If they were to slaughter all the mares that had come in contact with the blood-sweating steeds, the loss would be unimaginable!
“Get out—”
After catching his breath, the Northern Border King grabbed something from beside him and hurled it at Wu Libai.
What a terrible idea!
Nineteen blood-sweating steeds had already cost them ten million coins; the cost of those mares would amount to forty to fifty million coins, and adding in the potential foals from those pregnant mares, if they abandoned them all, the Northern Border would suffer losses exceeding seventy to eighty million coins!
Which of the remaining mares was not a top-tier horse?
To kill them all now would mean immense losses for the Northern Border’s cavalry!
Wu Libai was hit squarely, his neatly styled braid now a mess. He said nothing, bowed his head, and withdrew in silence.
He knew why the King was so enraged; the losses were indeed too great.
But he had a premonition that if such measures weren’t taken, future losses might be even higher.
However, the Royal Court King would never agree to his suggestion, and the owners of various horse farms would definitely not comply either.
The Northern Border King ordered the horse farm to keep this information under wraps, to avoid shaking the warrior’s resolve in the Northern Border. He wanted to make sure as many sick horses as possible were treated and any losses recouped… After a while, he noticed his hair turning white.
However, the insects and flies that had been feeding on the dead horses had already spread, making it difficult to contain.
Among the sick horses, nine out of ten perished, and the one that survived had its foal already dead within!
The bad news didn’t stop; it wasn’t just the pregnant mares showing symptoms; even the foals in the horse farm were beginning to have issues.
In the following days, the Northern Border horse farm was filled with alarm, and the Northern Border Royal Court echoed with the King’s various angry roars.
The guards at the horse farm were strict, not letting a whisper slip out.
Jiang Pengji’s spies couldn’t gather much information about the situation within the farm, but it was enough for her.
“The Northern Border Royal Court has suffered a tremendous loss this time.” Jiang Pengji smiled as she handed the bamboo scroll to Wei Ci to share with others. “Not only will they lose their pants, but they might end up paying off their ancestors’ accumulated wealth too.”
