Chapter 12: The biochemical apocalypse in London
I have to admit that although Mrs. Bennet in the original version of "Pride and Prejudice" is ignorant, shallow, self-righteous, yelling all day long, and very unattractive, she is at least a well-informed person in the village and is important information to the Bennet family. source.
And once Mrs. Bennet, who visited and chatted all day long, was gone, the five time-traveling Bennet sisters suddenly became information-blocked. So much so that "Netherfield Manor was rented out" was completely unknown to the important news that heralded the beginning of the plot... Fortunately, after a few days' delay, Elizabeth finally left Charlotte. The news came from Lucas' mouth.
Overall, Charlotte. The situation described by Miss Lucas is not much different from the original work of "Pride and Prejudice" - the person who rented Netherfield Manor was a wealthy young man whose surname was Bingley, Charles. Bentley, and more importantly, he is a bachelor with an income of four to five thousand pounds a year!
This Mr. Bentley is said to be from the north of England. He came to Langbourne in a four-horse carriage to look at the house on Monday. He liked it very much and made an agreement on the spot. I moved in on the 19th, but now there are maids cleaning it.
"...Oh! A bachelor, my dear Eliza, a bachelor indeed! A wealthy bachelor; with an income of four or five thousand pounds a year. And I happened to be outside looking at the house when he came to look at it. One look. Oh! How handsome!”
Charlotte said with longing, but then quickly became frustrated, "...Of course, someone like me is definitely not worthy of him..."
——Charlotte may not be said to be knowledgeable, but after these years of ups and downs in marriage, she has gained some self-knowledge. She knows very well that it is almost impossible for gentlemen with wealth and status to marry a poor country girl, unless this is the case. A poor young lady with breathtaking extraordinary beauty...
It's a pity that Charlotte's appearance can only be said to be not ugly at best. It is far from beautiful and not enough to make a gentleman fall for her.
And Elizabeth could only smile awkwardly - what could she say in this situation? Do you want to spoil it for Charlotte: "Mr. Bingley is Jane's official wife, so you should forget it"? Besides, the current plot is already in a mess. Who knows how it will develop next?
Besides, if it weren't for the rescue team that traveled through time and space, Charlotte's current predicament would also have appeared on her own body - although compared to Charlotte, Elizabeth has a good appearance. , but this is still far from enough.
Many elegant and handsome gentlemen may be happy to play love games with some beautiful "poor ladies" (as opposed to those rich heiresses), or take them as mistresses, but they will never marry them. As wives - even if they themselves have the urge to do so, the families and elders behind them will put pressure on them to stop them, asking them to shoulder the responsibilities of the family and choose a political marriage that can bring benefits...
In this era, women in upper-class society did not have much choice about their own destiny without sufficient dowry. Either the family arranges a marriage, or you become a governess, or go to a monastery to live a lifetime. Another way is to be a dishonorable mistress...
If they yearn for independence like modern women, there is only one way: to further abandon the constraints of morality and reputation, boldly explore the interests of the boudoir, pursue the pleasure of fish and water, become the goddess of the night, and take pleasure in hunting men - in short , just to be a social butterfly.
In that era, courtesans were a symbol of beauty, boldness, and sexual freedom. Being involved in scandals is their distinctive feature. But don't compare them, the goddesses of the night, who can influence the world of fame and fortune, with some vulgar fans who casually drop their skirts to their thighs. Although their lives are corrupt and decadent, the vast majority of courtesans are not victims. In fact, they often leave their admirers with both fame and fortune.
If you want to be a successful courtesan, beauty is only the minimum prerequisite. Ambition, control of people's hearts, and shrewdness are necessary qualities. In addition, you must have an extraordinary set of skills... Elizabeth thinks she does not have this at all. Terrible psychological quality...
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Closer to home, after further careful discussion, Elizabeth keenly discovered that although Charlotte's description of Mr. Bingley seemed to be basically consistent with the original content of "Pride and Prejudice", it also included some things that were not described in the plot of the novel. Situation:
"...I heard that there was a plague in London recently. The dignitaries who originally lived in the city were evacuating to the countryside to avoid the disease. This person who rented Netherfield Manor Mr. Bingley, who has now returned to London, seems to be planning to bring many gentlemen and ladies from the city to live in our village for a few months. It will definitely be very lively by then, with many dances and banquets..."
"...Plague?! It sounds very scary. Can you tell me more about it?" Elizabeth quickly showed a scared expression and asked.
Unfortunately, because the epidemic has not yet spread around her, Charlotte seems to have focused all her attention on Mr. Bingley’s handsome appearance and vast wealth. She knows very little about the details of the plague, or even what exactly caused it. I don’t know what kind of plague it is...
Then, after finishing her walk and returning home for dinner, Elizabeth brought the news of "Mr. Bentley's arrival" and the London plague to Wang Qiu and others. Not surprisingly, the latter also failed to pay attention - in this era, there were no antibiotics, There is no vaccine and the sanitation situation is terrible. The recovery of patients depends mainly on Pray that the maternal and newborn mortality rate is as high as one-fifth. A cold can kill a person. Plague, cholera, leprosy, syphilis, smallpox, tuberculosis... a lot of infectious diseases have been prevalent for a long time, and even more so in crowded cities. It is a concentration camp for various germs, and it is normal for plagues to occur every three days.
Let’s not mention the frightening Black Death in the distant Middle Ages, nor the anthrax epidemic that wiped out a quarter of London’s population in the early seventeenth century. Just over ten years ago, in 1781, at the end of the American Revolutionary War, the British There was a great influenza outbreak that spread throughout the country. It was not only widespread but also serious. It is said that about three-quarters of the British population was infected, and it gradually spread throughout Europe and even spread to the Americas. Although compared to the plague that turned Europe into a living hell in the Middle Ages, this flu was much milder. But the mortality rate is at least as high as that of the Spanish Flu at the end of World War I, and what’s more terrible is that there is no cure. Even in modern times, the only way to deal with influenza is to prevent and isolate it, just like that epidemic. The SARS epidemic is still fresh in people’s minds and the bird flu that is still spreading like a ghost has followed. At the end of the 18th century, when aspirin was not even invented, if you contracted influenza, you could only wait for God's choice. It would be even worse if you contracted pneumonia, encephalitis, etc...
(In the late period of the American Revolutionary War, the British mainland suffered from natural and man-made disasters one after another, so in the end it was really impossible to fight.)
It can be seen that in London these days, it is normal for one or two small plagues to break out from time to time, and there is nothing to make a fuss about. And the main plot stage of "Pride and Prejudice" is not in the city. Rather than caring about such a trivial matter that is far away, it is better to study what route the Bennet sisters, who have changed their souls, should take after the storyline of "Pride and Prejudice" begins, so that they can play more games. Some points...
However, Wang Qiu and his companions did not realize the terrifying true face of the plague that now broke out in London.
And Mr. Bentley, who is beautiful and wealthy, will never have the chance to return to Longbourn Village from London...
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At the end of the 18th century, London was making great strides from a small city on the border of the Roman Empire to a "world capital" that dominated the modern world.
If we look at the British history of the previous century from a sociological perspective, we can find the standard rise pattern seen in many classic farming articles: excellent and safe geographical conditions, a surge in urban population, rapid development of industry and commerce, and developments such as A technological explosion like a golden finger... Although this country is just a small island, it has had a huge impact on countless peoples in the vast world for four hundred years.
At the same time, the advantageous natural geographical conditions and concentrated development of industry and commerce have also made London the core engine of England's economic development.
The unremitting urbanization policy since the beginning of the Tudor Dynasty has caused London's population growth rate to far exceed that of any other European city. It even surpassed Paris in France during this century and became the largest city in Europe, driving the entire city. Britain continues to move forward into a new era.
However, behind the above-mentioned glorious progress of "towards greatness", there is also endless suffering and darkness hidden...
——The ruling class of England relied on the "sheep-eating-man" enclosure movement to drive thousands of rural poor into the city, but did not arrange their destinations in advance. As a result, the initial rise of urbanization in the midst of chaos led to a sharp increase in population pressure in London and other large cities in England. Before the Industrial Revolution began, all walks of life in the city were generally redundant. Then countless unemployed people and thieves appeared, causing London's prisons to be overcrowded. The peaceful and harmonious life of the Middle Ages is gone forever.
In addition, London's population, which has rapidly expanded to millions, has also caused unprecedented pressure on the natural environment of the area, exceeding the limits of human technology at the time, making the city become increasingly filthy and filthy. It was once clear. The Thames River has been polluted into a turbid current, and other smaller tributaries are directly filled with garbage and feces. Most urban areas are as uninhabitable as flea nests...
The British dignitaries of this era usually only gathered in London during the coldest winter, which was called the social season. Once the summer comes, when the heat is unbearable, the air is polluted, and the smell is rotten, people rush to move to country villas with beautiful surroundings like migratory birds. But millions of poor British people who were forced to bid farewell to the countryside still had to live in the slums of London for generations, enduring all the inconveniences of early urban life.
As described in A Tale of Two Cities: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the epoch of wisdom, it was the epoch of foolishness; it was the epoch of faith, it was the epoch of doubt; It is the season of light, it is the season of darkness; it is the spring of hope, it is the winter of despair; people have everything before them, people have nothing before them; people are going straight to heaven, people are going straight to hell.
And in this world, millions of London citizens, and even seven million subjects of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, are really going to hell...
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At this time, although the continuous drizzle that had lasted for a week had stopped, the damp, muddy and fishy odors still filled the streets and alleys of London.
The recent rumors about the plague have made the entire atmosphere in London a bit depressing, as if it was shrouded in the fear of death.
——I heard that the plague this time was very serious. The patients first had coughs, fever, and fell into a coma, and then their bodies were covered in ulcers and pus, which smelled terrible. The pain and tragedy were simply indescribable. No matter how brilliant the doctor is, he is helpless and can only watch the patient die slowly...
At present, the plague has not spread widely, but the rich and nobles in London have followed the traditional experience of the Black Death era and fled to the countryside for refuge. As for all the royal members of the British Hanoverian Dynasty, they moved to Windsor Castle early. Unfortunately, there are many more poor citizens who are forced to make ends meet and have nowhere to escape, but they can only continue to stay in this increasingly gloomy city, praying for God's blessing.
Unfortunately, even God is powerless in the face of the biochemical catastrophe that is about to befall London this time.
——On the bustling streets, upper-class gentlemen and ladies holding canes and parasols pass by people of all kinds from all walks of life. In the dank street corners of London's East End, unkempt beggars huddle by the stone wall. , chewing feebly and not knowing Half a loaf of moldy bread turned over from somewhere, not knowing that a bold rat was walking around at my feet; on the muddy quayside of the Thames, the cross-flowing sewage stirred up mud, feces and garbage, and was blown away by the wheels of carriages or the soles of porters' feet. It crushed them into dark mud pits.
Groups of sergeants in red uniforms, holding flintlock rifles with bayonets in their hands, walked vigilantly on the narrow and dirty streets, constantly driving away the wandering vagrants to avoid the beautiful and glamorous carriages of the noble gentlemen. , it is possible to be touched by these dirty hands.
In the hazy and sticky gray mist, a staggering figure was slowly walking out of an alley. He was holding on to the wall tremblingly, moving slowly, his breathing was heavy and messy, and his dirty hood flapped randomly. It covered his face, making it impossible to see his face clearly.
After a while, the man finally walked out of the alley. A carriage passed him quickly, splashing a large amount of sewage mud and falling on the man. However, he did not utter any curses and just stood tremblingly. Shivering in the middle of the road, as if possessed by some kind of demon.
Because this dirty and smelly man blocked the road, the patrol soldiers standing aside couldn't help but frowned and moved over to drive him away. Unexpectedly, before they could do anything, the man fell limply in the middle of the road. , the hood on his head fell down, revealing his face.
——It was an extremely terrifying face: the pale skin was like soaked tattered paper, falling off from everywhere on the head, revealing the same rotten muscles underneath. The remaining skin is also covered with broken blisters, mixed with large char-shaped ulcers or macules. The neck was even swollen out of proportion to the head, and there were eroded granules around the corners of the mouth. An unpleasant stench emanated from his body, making people want to vomit. He just lay in the middle of the road, roaring and extending his hand to the pedestrians. The hoarse voice in his throat was like a beast, which made people feel numb all over after hearing it...
So, within a few seconds, both the soldiers with guns and the pedestrians on the roadside screamed like pigs and jumped back in a hurry.
"...Oh! God! It's terrible! It's a plague!"
I don't know who roared, and the whole street suddenly exploded. Some people dropped what they were holding and ran away in a hurry. Further away, several carriages were blocked by the chaotic flow of people. The driver who didn't know why couldn't help but wave his whip and shout curses. Others who were brave enough came to watch this "weirdo", but they carefully covered their mouths and noses and tried to stay at least twenty feet away.
However, certain "plagues" of special nature cannot be prevented with this level of vigilance...
——While there was chaos on the street, a staggering wild dog emerged from the foggy alley.
I saw that this dog's body was covered with festering wounds, its eyes were as dark red as hell fireballs, and its fangs were as vicious as daggers... As soon as this dangerous and ferocious mutated creature appeared, it pounced on a scary person. The stunned little beggar bit his shoulder fiercely, and blood splashed onto the carriage next to him with his screams, spraying all over the face of a young gentleman who was caught off guard!
Although after everyone reacted, this "mad dog" with a terrifying appearance was quickly beaten to death with countless sticks. But the patient who had been lying in the middle of the road stood up twitching and staggered, and opened his mouth to bite the nearest passerby, causing even greater chaos and commotion... and then, on the quilted road, Deep in the mist-covered alley, many pairs of red eyes appeared again...
As if it was a signal that heralded disaster and destruction, with the outbreak of this attack, more and more walking dead and rotten animals began to appear on the streets, attacking all unlucky passers-by and healthy animals, triggering an increasingly intense panic. , the church was overcrowded for a while... The whole of London and even the whole of Britain seemed to be hit by an invisible boulder, spreading out in circles of violent fluctuations. ——Just when people still don’t understand the reason, a devastating biological crisis has begun...