According to the instructions from the Governor: saving one more grain of food now may prevent someone from starving in the future.
For this task, Jason was actually running tirelessly between major plantations, just to see how the harvests were going and to sign future grain procurement contracts with the relevant plantation owners.
The second task involved relocating populations to the Central Province, especially to the Twin Cities Region, continuously.
This was his old line of work; the only difference was that previously, the relocation was from other areas of the Central Province to the Twin Cities, and now it was from the Northern Green Valley Region.
In terms of the willingness of the population, moving people from Green Valley to the Twin Cities was even simpler than doing the same thing within the Central Province.
Here in Green Valley, most of the people were refugees who longed for the opportunity to go to the Twin Cities Region.
However, the situation was complicated by the outbreak of an infectious disease.
This was a peculiar condition discovered only in the past month.
Known as ‘Pustule Disease,’ the infectious disease wasn’t highly fatal, but those infected would develop blisters all over their bodies causing intense itching. The pus from these broken blisters became a source of infection. Healthy people who came into contact without protection could easily be infected.
Therefore, before relocating people to the Central Province, it was essential to first isolate the individuals to ensure safety before transporting them to the rear. And within Revival City, another round of isolation and observation was necessary, until it was confirmed that the group showed no signs of the disease before they were allowed to enter the city.
Jason Morgan’s quarantine policies at various refugee settlements were about more than just monitoring people for symptoms of illness.
Those who fell ill were quickly transferred to the sick wards, where they would receive care from health workers.
Of course, one couldn’t expect these health workers to be highly professional.
Although the hospitals in the Twin Cities had been established for some time, the level of the doctors there was… mediocre, to put it mildly.
And in the refugee camps in the Northern Green Valley Region, one couldn’t even dream of having professional doctors.
They were health workers conscripted on the spot, equipped with a rudimentary medical manual, administering medication shipped from the Twin Cities to the sick populace.
But surprisingly, the results were quite effective.
What played the most significant role was the medication itself.
The pharmaceutical chemical plants in Revival City, which had been in operation for some time, produced medication that was genuinely effective.
For pain relief, one dose could truly alleviate the pain—not necessarily curing the disease, but making patients feel much better, and once their mood improved and they were able to eat, their bodies naturally gained more energy to fight off the disease.
The drugs for treating skin diseases and immune disorders might not target the exact symptoms, but the barefoot doctors, following the handbook and administering the standard doses, often found success.
Humans are sometimes frail, but at other times, incredibly resilient.
With enough food and medications that could relieve pain and soothe symptoms… even without a cure-all, most people would ultimately pull through.
The current mortality rate of ‘Pustule Disease’ stood between 5%-10%. This was a high figure, and with the number of infected individuals across the numerous refugee camps adding up to over a hundred thousand, it meant that tens of thousands might die from the disease.
It was precisely because he had seen too many tragedies that Jason, upon hearing of an outstanding doctor, took time out of his busy schedule to recruit him—an effort that resulted in even greater benefits, but that’s another story.
Nevertheless, Jason Morgan was quite optimistic about the future.
As the temporarily recruited health workers, the barefoot doctors, gained more experience in treating Pustule Disease, even the most foolish ones would eventually discern some objective principles, allowing for a further refinement of medication dosage and improving the process of patient care.
Soon, a new medical manual bearing the ‘Revival City Research Institute’ emblem was distributed to his area, detailing how to medicate patients with Pustule Disease, the symptoms expected at each stage, how to adapt medication plans during phase transitions, specific methods of isolation, and indicators of patient recovery…
This manual was far more reliable compared to the ‘Barefoot Book’ they were previously using.
He knew that this new researcher was none other than Mr. Hu Ke, whom he had ‘recruited.’
He was very reassured.
Though he had initially misunderstood, believing Mr. Hu Ke was a doctor, in reality, the contribution he made was even greater than that of a mere physician.
In summary, with more experienced health workers and the new treatment manual from the Revival City Research Institute, the situation was bound to improve.
Apart from the autumn harvest and Pustule Disease, he had just received news of a new task added to his plate:
He was to coordinate with the Central Group Army, which had already moved south, and with the military observers from the Mutual Aid Society, to locally assemble militia forces. All militia units were to be placed under the command of Yan Fangxu, a General of the Central Group Army, and be subject to the unified dispatch of the headquarters.
Furthermore, the Mutual Aid Society should mobilize all plantations to supply the army with grain on-site after the autumn harvest, as part of the support for the southward moving troops.
He had already disseminated the relevant notifications through the Mutual Aid Society’s network to various locations.
Yet, the implementation was not ideal.
The decision-making body of the Mutual Aid Committee was the Committee Assembly. These so-called committee members were mostly the plantation owners who still maintained order, and a minority were reformed former looters turned militia leaders.
No official from the Alliance held a formal committee membership; they mostly served as observers.
This arrangement was made initially to dispel the wariness of the plantation owners and militia leaders when the Mutual Aid Society was established.
Originally, there had been time to gradually dissolve the power of the Mutual Aid Society, but the Alliance Headquarters’ sudden advance disrupted their plans.
Currently, both the plantation owners and militia leaders wielded significant influence and power.
And a considerable number of them opposed the Alliance’s complete southward move.
Now, the Mutual Aid Committee was in complete disarray.
It was up to Jason Morgan to resolve this issue.
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This chapter is 5,000 words.
Publishing it now; it’s too late when I finished writing, I’ll correct any typos or grammatical errors after I wake up…