Chapter 15, Undercurrent (Part 1)
PS: I'm very sorry. The system crashed last night and I can't even open the computer, let alone post. Today I am updating an 8,000-word chapter to make up for it.
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In the city of Marseille, there is a simple three-story building with a wooden signboard with a "snake around a goblet" hanging at the door.
——The above-mentioned seemingly strange pattern was a symbol of pharmacists in the Catholic world of medieval Europe. The building with the "snake around the goblet" hanging on it is the seat of the Pharmacists' Guild of the Port of Marseille and one of the power centers of this autonomous city.
In the dark medieval Europe, except for the capitals of various countries, most cities were not political centers, but just fixed trading places developed from rural markets, or religious centers built around churches - although in Italy, Many nobles have begun to live in the city and participate in industrial and commercial operations. But in France, where the chivalry system is at its peak, the lords and nobles as the ruling class are usually more accustomed to living in castles with difficult terrain. For them, cities built by craftsmen and merchants are just objects of taxation. .
Since rulers generally do not stay in the city and have little influence on city affairs, a power vacuum naturally forms. Rich merchants and craftsmen quickly fill the gap, establish autonomous institutions, and work with the owners of urban land - - Noble lords, a series of power struggles broke out: the lords wanted to extract the wealth of the citizens unscrupulously, while the citizens tried their best to break free from the shackles of feudalism and obtain autonomous status.
In this long struggle, although the aristocratic lords had more powerful force, the citizen class had more abundant financial resources and powerful foreign aid. In order to reduce vassal states and promote centralization, monarchs in various European countries generally supported the autonomy of cities. (except for the royal family's own direct territories), in order to bury nails in the territory of the unruly princes under its jurisdiction, and at the same time provoke the two sides to fight continuously, so as to reap benefits from both ends. Moreover, in medieval Europe, many cities were originally established in remote areas by escaped serfs who could not bear the oppression of their lords. Therefore, they were often not located in the center of a certain noble territory, but at the junction of multiple noble territories. , thus giving the city's autonomous institutions room to collaborate vertically and horizontally and carry out diplomatic mediation... Finally, by the fourteenth century, the vast majority of French, British and German cities had achieved autonomous status.
The same is true for the port of Marseille, located on the Mediterranean coast. In fact, until the early 13th century, it was not within the territory of France. Instead, it formed its own small country called the "County of Provence", sandwiched between France and the Holy Roman Empire swung back and forth from time to time.
It was not until 1248 that the French royal family annexed the Port of Marseille through marriage because the ruler of the County of Provence had died. The process was somewhat similar to the merger of Scotland and England. However, although the French royal family at that time annexed the port of Marseille, there were still several independent and powerful princes separated between Marseille and Paris. In other words, the new royal territory of Marseille was equivalent to an enclave. What's even more terrible is that the royal family has spent a whole century unable to change the above situation... In order to prevent this wealthy enclave from having a powerful ruler and regaining control of Paris, the French royal family's ruling strategy for Marseille is Fragment it to its maximum extent, canonize it in the countryside here A bunch of small lords who are not related to each other have granted the city of Marseille great autonomy, so that the nobles, wealthy businessmen, and priests in this place cannot obey anyone, and no one can control anyone. Everyone has to seek arbitration from the royal family. As a result, the local tycoons in these places were unable to form a joint force and had no way to resist the authority of the royal family.
In this way, Marseille has essentially become an autonomous city-state, but it still needs to pay a tribute to the royal family in Paris every year. In addition to the Bishop of Marseille, who represents the power of the church, the people who really rule the city are various "guilds".
——In medieval Europe with frequent wars and political divisions, there was never any talk of a free market. In order to fight against the exploitation and oppression of feudal lords, in order to protect the interests of local workers from outsiders, in order to prevent foreign craftsmen from being invaded, Competition and restriction of competition among local craftsmen in the same industry. Citizens in the same industry often form alliances to stay together, that is, guilds. For example, tanners form a tanners guild, jewelers form a jewelers guild, and so on. Businessmen who travel to various cities will also form their own chambers of commerce. Generally speaking, each guild regularly elects its own leader (although many guilds and chambers of commerce eventually became hereditary), has its own club, has strict rules, and has the right to assess dues to each member. . If it is in an autonomous city, representatives of those guilds can also be elected to the municipal committee.
In different cities, the power of guilds may be strong or weak, but no matter what, one of the biggest features is common, and that is the ubiquitous monopoly! Each guild monopolizes a certain profession in a certain city. From bakers to barbers to carriage drivers, almost every business is controlled by various guilds. In those days, if you wanted to engage in a certain industry in a certain city and survive in the market competition, you had to go to the dock to join a guild, pay regular protection fees to the guild, and obey all kinds of reasonable and unreasonable rules. If you don't give the order, you will have your doors and shops shut down, or even be expelled from the city, or even directly kill your whole family, and there will be no way to redress the injustice - this was the default unspoken rule at the time!
The Pharmacists Guild in the Port of Marseille is a relatively unpopular small guild in this city. Because there are so few employees (how many pharmacists can there be in a city with tens of thousands of people?), it even has a position in the city hall. Neither. But no matter how unpopular it was, it still reasonably and legally monopolized Marseille's pharmaceutical manufacturing business, successfully suppressed all competitors, and maintained this monopoly position for hundreds of years.
Of course, this small guild cannot afford to support a group of powerful thugs, but it has deep friendships with many "vibrant social groups" in the city. As long as pharmacists from other places enter the city of Marseille to open their businesses, even if they are gangsters, That's it. If the other party is skilled in craftsmanship, then they will deliberately find someone to pretend to be a victim to cause trouble, falsely accuse the other party of selling fake medicines to harm people, ruin the other party's reputation, and then hire a gang of gangsters to break into their store to smash and loot, completely destroying them. It drives it out of the local market. Any outside pharmacist would not be able to establish a foothold in this city if he did not get their nod of approval.
Especially after the outbreak of the Black Death, the biggest competitor of the Pharmacists' Guild in Marseille, the Doctors' Guild, quickly suffered a devastating blow (no matter how overbearing the Pharmacists' Guild was, it could not prevent doctors from dispensing their own medicines, let alone Possibly supported by the upper class - after all, it was doctors, not pharmacists, who treated dignitaries). Because when diagnosing a disease, doctors must face the patient directly and have close contact with the source of infection. However, there is no good way to resist the disease. Therefore, a large number of doctors in the city soon died, and the remaining ones could not survive. Don't run away.
But pharmacists can hide in their own huts, away from dangerous patients, and just resell all kinds of medicines stocked in the store through hawkers, regardless of whether they are symptomatic and effective - even though the epidemic is still under the current medical conditions. There is no cure for the disease, but due to people's panic mentality of grabbing a life-saving straw in despair, even those cheap medicinal powders that can only be used as placebos and are not worth a few copper coins are now on the market. You can easily sell it for dozens of silver coins on the Internet. Some of the most unscrupulous pharmacists even went out of their way to concoct "pills" out of charcoal, dust, hay and even feces to sell after their stocks of medicinal materials were exhausted. Sales were still booming and demand exceeded supply!
In short, during this period, some pharmacists in the Port of Marseille did die from the Black Death, but the vast majority of them successfully survived, and their business was booming and they made a fortune - although the haze of death made people Scared, but such huge profits make them wish the plague could continue forever.
However, such exciting and pleasant days did not last long, as the Pharmacist Guild discovered an extremely powerful challenger.
——Levi, the agent of the Knights Hospitaller of Rhode Island who is stationed at the Jihadist Manor on the outskirts of the city, has just inherited the title of his uncle. Baron Bacon.
This knight from the East, through unknown channels, obtained some medicine that can truly fight this plague! ! !
At this moment, a group of pharmacists wearing black robes were gathering in a dark room for a meeting. Expensive incense burned in the incense burner in the corner of the room, and hundreds of amulets hung from the rafters - this was their most effective way to fight the plague based on common sense.
As for the various panaceas and exotic medicines they boast about when selling them to the public at high prices, at least they themselves know that they are pure nonsense.
However, according to the latest intelligence, the common sense understanding of the plague in these pharmacists' minds has begun to falter.
At the same time, the pharmacists' guild, which had maintained a monopoly on the pharmaceutical market in Marseille for centuries, was beginning to falter.
"...According to the information my servant inquired about, the general situation is this. The agent of the Knights Hospitaller in Marseille, Livy. Baron Bacon, who has just inherited the Jihadist Manor, obtained a batch of medicines from unknown sources. ——It was probably bought from Eastern pagans, and it does have amazing curative effects: in the hospitals affiliated with the Knights, more than one-third of the patients have improved significantly..."
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A middle-aged man with a thin body and a gloomy face said anxiously while tapping on the table with his skinny fingers, "...the news has not spread yet, so the problem is not too serious. But wait until The baron confirmed the efficacy of this batch of medicine and began to sell it to the city. At that time, our guild's monopoly is about to end! Now let's discuss how we should deal with this terrible threat that infringes on the guild's franchise, and find ways to find ways to obtain drugs, or find ways to compromise? Make an agreement with them? ”
"... Faced with this kind of enemy who interferes in our business without authorization, it is absolutely impossible to compromise blindly! Sir! We must fight back fiercely! Even if we still have to compromise with each other in the end - after all, the source of the medicine lies with them In our hands - we must first show our strength and teach this ignorant lord a lesson, otherwise, this guy will definitely get rid of us and monopolize his wealth! "
A muscular red-haired man waved his fist fiercely, his eyes flashed fiercely, and he roared in a low voice, "...So what if the other party is the Knights Hospitaller? This is not Rhodes Island, but Marseille, even if It's the Knights of the Hospital, and there aren't many manpower available here. As long as we are willing to spend money and recruit a group of people to make trouble, we can make this lord suffer a little like we did with those foreign pharmacists before! ”
"...The question is who should we ask to help pull people? Mr. Godry. Don't forget that there is a plague in this city!" The president glanced at the red-haired man and said with some displeasure, "... The boss of the Manniu Brotherhood died of illness last month, and most of the remaining leaders hid in the countryside or put themselves away. They are locked in a cellar or something like that, and even if they want to contact them, no one can be found right now. As for the Shark Brotherhood people... their territory is next to the dock, which is the hardest hit area by the plague, and it is said that there are not many people left. A living person! Are you willing to go there on behalf of the guild? ”
As soon as he heard that he was asked to go to the most plagued place in the city to find help from some gangsters, the red-haired man who spoke boldly retreated immediately, while the other little old man continued to interject and sneer, "... Or do you plan to let us fight with the heavily armed knights? Hum, although the Knights Hospitallers have very limited manpower in Marseille, as long as there are two or three knights, it is probably enough to kill everyone here. Come on! ”
"...Well...can't we file a complaint with the city hall? After all, we have a legal charter granted by the king."
A young man with an immature face raised his hand and suggested timidly, "...You should be able to litigate to protect your rights!"
"...Appeal? In theory, of course it is possible, provided that there is still someone in the city hall to accept the case! Those gentlemen have already fled to the countryside for refuge! Two of the three judges who are still in the city have died of illness. The remaining one also fell ill two days ago and may not have a few days to live..."
The president spread his hands helplessly, "...under such circumstances, how should we file a lawsuit? What's more, everyone knows in their hearts that our medicine cannot cure the disease, but Sir Levi has the real power A life-saving elixir, this is equivalent to taking control of everyone’s life! I bet that the city Once those noble gentlemen here learn the truth, I'm afraid that instead of being willing to uphold justice for us, they will rush to jump at that guy's feet and fawn over us in every possible way. They may even charge us with a crime and directly deprive us of the franchise. Hand it over to that damn Levi!”
He looked around at the people at the venue, sighed and said, "...in the face of your own life, neither law nor friendship are worth mentioning!"
"... From this point of view, there is probably no hope for the City Hall. But what if we change our thinking and go to the Inquisition?"
A dark-faced old man suddenly spoke, and the term he said made everyone present couldn't help but tremble slightly.
——In medieval Europe, the term "Inquisition" was almost as terrifying to ordinary people as a devil's cave. From ordinary people to officials and nobles, I don’t know how many people were tied to the stakes and burned to charcoal by this institution because of a heresy charge dropped from the sky...
But after a moment, the president of the pharmacists guild shook his head and rejected the idea, "...it still won't work, Mr. Henry. There are countless people in the city of Marseille doing business with pagans, even ourselves. No exception. Even the church itself purchases a large amount of oriental spices and silks every year. If that guy buys medicine from a heretic, it may not be enough for the Inquisition to convict him.
Moreover, this Sir Levi is not the kind of little person who has no foothold. He is not only a member of the Knights Hospitaller of Rhode Island, but also inherited the real estate and connections of Baron Diderot. With our strength, there is no way Let the Inquisition break the rules and take action against such a noble man! ”
"... Merely doing business with a heretic is certainly not enough to punish him, and I understand this. But what if he is still an evil heretic and a wizard?" The old man smiled coldly and said, "... According to the information obtained, this lord, who was born in the Knights Hospitaller of Rhode Island, Recently, not only have a large number of cursed monsters been raised in their own manor, but they have also performed evil witchcraft on patients. It can be seen that the so-called elixir that can cure the plague was probably obtained by trading with the devil or evil gods. Any Christian should Resist this devil's temptation...
What's more, the status of Lord Livy is actually not as high as you think - his uncle Sir Diderot died less than a month ago, and the official document notifying the Paris royal family is still on the way, and his title and title are still on the way. The inheritance of real estate did not have time to receive the king's recognition and approval. In the same way, his qualification as an agent of the Knights Hospitaller, which he inherited from his uncle, has not yet been officially recognized by the Rhode Island headquarters. Legally speaking, Mr. Levi is just an ordinary knight now, let alone The title, even the manor, doesn’t belong to him yet!
In addition, the second-in-line heir behind the Chevalier Levi, specifically his distant cousin, the Chevalier de Nice, is also in Marseille and happens to have some friendship with me. If Livy can be sued for heresy, he can inherit the title, manor and real estate left by Baron Diderot... We can completely let him come forward to accuse and expose the true face of Livy, the evil wizard. At the same time, they tried to spread rumors in the city, saying that Li Wei had committed various blasphemous and disobedient acts in the manor, and offered sacrifices to the devil to ward off the plague..."
"...But in this case, our approach is not to show our strength to the other party, but to directly fight to the death!" Someone said worriedly, "...even if we succeed in defeating that guy, We still can’t control the source of those life-saving elixirs..."
"...As long as we can take over Levi's manor with the help of the Knights of Nice, even if it's only temporarily, we should be able to find those heretics selling medicine to continue the trade." The old man who proposed the above-mentioned ruthless idea stroked his beard. He said disapprovingly, "...even if we fail to succeed, we at least destroyed our competitors, maintained the guild's monopoly, and gave all competitors the sternest warning - that's enough!"
"...That's right! No matter what, we can't let anyone break the rules that have been passed down for hundreds of years and take away the pharmacy business that only belongs to us!"
The president hesitated for a moment, but finally made a decision, "...Now the voting begins. Those who agree to report to the Inquisition please raise their hands..."
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At the same time, the traveler Levi Knight, who was unaware of the impending disaster, continued his great cause of fighting the plague.
"... Before injecting, be sure to tie a tourniquet first, and then ask the patient to clench his fist. If the blood vessels are not obvious, ask him to clench his fist and then loosen it. In this case, the blood vessels will be more easily visible. Come out. Remember, you have to find the right vein to inject if you see it. If there are air bubbles in the syringe, they must be expelled immediately. Injecting air into the vein will really kill the patient! In addition, penicillin can be injected intravenously, but streptomycin can generally only be injected intramuscularly, that is, slapped on the buttocks. , otherwise it will be too toxic for the human body to bear..."
Shizuka Marikawa, the blond female school doctor from the world of "School Apocalypse", was injecting antibiotics into a Black Death patient who was unconscious with a high fever while pointing the injection procedure to Sir Levi. Tip, "...and whether it is penicillin, streptomycin, or any other antibiotic, some people will have allergic reactions. You even forgot to do a skin test before, aren't you afraid of killing people?" ! How reckless! ”
"...Is it that serious? I have injected this stuff into three people before and after, and nothing happened!" Levi scratched his head disapprovingly.
"...That's because the proportion of people allergic to streptomycin in the total population is not high, and you only injected three people in total!"
Teacher Marikawa Shizuka immediately rolled her eyes, "...compared to our time, the germs these days are less resistant to antibiotics, so these medicines have been diluted in advance and injected at one-tenth of the dose. It should be enough to cure their disease..."
"...Well, dear Sir, do we really need to use this syringe to inject these potions into the patient's blood vessels? It seems very evil! And there is no order from the church that allows us to do this. Is it just that? Is there no other common way to treat the disease? ”
Although she didn't understand what she was hearing, Sister Louise still crossed herself tremblingly on her chest and intervened with some resistance to explain. The other nuns looked at the gleaming syringe and sharp needles, and they also looked quite cowed, as if they didn't dare to try it.
Levi felt a little confused about these nuns' aversion to injection syringes - the medical technology of the European Middle Ages was generally divided into three categories: bloodletting, intubation and vomiting. Since Europeans these days can calmly accept having their blood vessels cut open with a knife by a doctor and bleeding out, or having their intestines cleaned by having a thick, black and hard penis inserted into their butts and eyes, why can't they endure it, which is not so rough in comparison? What about intravenous or intramuscular injection?
Perhaps it was purely out of resistance to new things that he didn't understand... Puzzled, he could only speculate like this. But in any case, it would be difficult for medieval Europeans who lacked medical knowledge to quickly master the technique of intravenous injection. For the sake of safety, Levi still hopes to use other treatment methods that are not so advanced - for example, Is there no oral solution or tablet for streptomycin?
"... Oral streptomycin? Well, of course there is this thing, but compared with injections, its bactericidal effect is much worse! It may be able to deal with ordinary inflammation, but if it is to deal with such a violent The Black Death, I’m afraid it’s not enough!” Marikawa Shizuka replied.
"...It doesn't matter. Since even sulfonamides can save lives, oral streptomycin is definitely more effective! Don't forget, these days' Yersinia pestis is not resistant to antibiotics at all, so oral administration should be enough to deal with them! At least it’s better than making an injection mistake and killing someone!”
Sir Levi snapped his fingers and decided on the treatment plan, "...In short, if the symptoms are mild, use sulfa, and if the symptoms are severe, use oral streptomycin. If even oral streptomycin is ineffective and there is no one, If you can do intravenous injection, then you can only pray to God for mercy..."
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly heard a heartbreaking scream coming from beside him. Levi looked back in confusion, only to find an aunt who had basically recovered from her illness and was waiting for her family to pick her up. He huddled in the corner tremblingly, crying and shouting as if he had been violated. In front of this aunt, stood a black cat with shiny fur, holding a mouse in its mouth, looking at this "stupid human" with a puzzled face...
"...Oh! God! Who will drive this evil little thing away! Dear Sir, why did you bring the cat here?"
This aunt, who was quite brightly dressed, kept crossing herself on her chest with her short, fat fingers, and complained to Sir Levi that she seemed to be seeing something disgusting like cockroaches or flies instead of cute cats. Something, “…to thank God for his blessing that allowed me to survive this terrible plague , I am willing to donate ten florins to this hospital, but please get rid of this cat immediately! Oh my God! Look at their shining eyes like a devil, it sounds like a woman. The monster-like and wanton scream made me feel like I was sick again..."
"...I'm sorry, madam, I didn't expect you to hate cats so much, but I can guarantee that these cute cats will not hurt you - if you don't take the initiative to attack these little guys. Moreover, they are also saving all living beings, The hero of this epidemic! ”
While Levi drove the black cat out of the house, he comforted the panicked aunt and said, "...This plague is caused by rats, or to be precise, by fleas on rats. Although my medicine can cure your disease, if you cannot eliminate the rats and cut off the source of disease transmission, you will probably be infected with the plague again soon. And this is why I want to raise cats..."
"...Rat? Nonsense! The bald Jewish doctor who often comes to our town said that cats and dogs are the killers of infectious diseases. All the young men in the town were mobilized last month, carrying wooden sticks and straw. Go and search for wild dogs..." the aunt questioned with some disbelief.
"...But even if they killed the last dog in the town, they didn't stop the plague from invading, right! Otherwise you wouldn't have been sent to us!" Knight Levi spread his hands, "... It can be seen that rats are the real culprit of this plague. In order to eliminate rats, it is necessary to raise some cats... To be honest, I really don’t understand why you hate such cute and clever cats. Small animals? ”
"...Because it is the pet of the legendary witch! Listen to the hair-raising sounds of these cats, and look at their sinister eyes, you will know that they are pagan beasts allied with the devil. Wait, Sir, your method of curing us must not be some witchcraft that violates the commandments..."
……
All in all, after repeated explanations by Sir Levi and other time-travelers, and with the "miraculous" evidence that a large number of patients began to improve one after another as evidence, the vast majority of people in the hospital finally listened with half-belief and reluctantly accepted the injection therapy and treatment. The existence of these cats.
But the problem is, not everyone is successfully convinced, especially those who are devout with the strongest beliefs...
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In the city of Marseille, outside the door of a majestic cathedral, a mother and son in simple clothes were patrolling in the cold wind.
Since it was the outbreak of the Black Death, there were very few pedestrians on the streets in the city, making the wind blowing in the face even more biting.
"...Child, do we really want to report him? This seems to be a case of repaying kindness with vengeance!"
The young mother seemed very hesitant, "...In any case, that lord also saved our lives..."
"...Be strong, mother, don't be fooled by the devil's false mercy! Life on earth is just a prelude to life on the other side. Even the most painful plague is God's punishment for human sins. We must face it calmly in order to Get the salvation of your soul!”
Although the boy who was holding her hand was young, what he said was very mature and decisive, "...that cursed devil, although he used evil witchcraft to heal our bodies, he has defiled our souls! Let us After death, you will not be able to ascend to heaven, but will be cast into the lowest level of hell, where you will live forever. The world is burning with fire! Therefore, he is not our benefactor, but our enemy! Mother! We must expose his mask to the church and let the righteous servants of God send him to see God. God comes to judge him for his heinous sins!”
"...Stop talking! Stop talking! My child! I understand! I understand everything!"
The mother reached out to cover the child's mouth, shook her head and sighed, but a few crystal tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes... Then, she took a deep breath, and finally walked into the church, passing through rows of empty streets. Bench, placed the child on the bench, and then went straight into the confessional.
After sitting down on the armchair in the confessional, she put her hands in front of her chest, lowered her head and said, "...God! I am guilty!"
"...God...God will forgive his devout people. As long as you sincerely confess your sins to God, then..."
In the dark cubicle of the confessional, a young priest said this unskilledly - the old priest who was originally responsible for this matter had just contracted an illness and passed away. As a rookie who had just graduated from the seminary, he still had no idea about this job. Not very skillful - while curiously peering through the carved railing on the lower right side of the stall at the lady sitting opposite. The grid in this place is relatively sparse, and you can vaguely see the people opposite who are repenting devoutly.
However, the lady's next words made the young rookie priest jump in fright. "...Dear Father, I am not here to confess, but to report! Although your place does not seem to be the place for accusations, I am a woman with limited knowledge and I really don’t know where to report this appalling heretical crime. ! So I can only find it here... Dear Father, I Report on Sir Levi Bacon of the Jihad Manor. He made a deal with the devil, practiced witchcraft in the charity hospital of the Knights Hospitaller, raised monsters, and used evil potions to seduce the Lord's believers and pollute their souls. Let these good Christians fall for it..."