novelsite Chapter 612: Biochemical Doomsday in London
Chapter 612: Biochemical Doomsday in London
Chapter 12, London's biochemical doomsday
I have to admit that although Mrs. Bennet in the original version of "Pride and Prejudice" is ignorant, superficial, self-righteous, yelling all day long, and very shameless, at least she is a well-informed person in the village and is important information for the Bennet family. source.
And once this Mrs. Bennet who chatted around the house all day is gone, the current time-traveling version of the five Bennet sisters will suddenly become blocked in information.Even the important news that "Nesefield Manor is rented out", which heralds the opening of the plot, is completely unaware... Fortunately, after a few days of delay, Elizabeth still came from Charlotte after all.Lucas got the news from his mouth.
All in all, Charlotte.The situation Miss Lucas described was not much different from the original book of "Pride and Prejudice" - the renter of Netherfield Manor was a wealthy young man whose surname was Bentley, Charles.Bentley, more importantly, he is a bachelor earning four or five thousand pounds a year!
This Mr. Bingley is said to be from the north of England. He came to Longbourne on Monday to look at the house in a four-horse luxury car. He liked it very much. Day) I moved in before, but now there are maids cleaning.
"... Oh! A bachelor, dear Eliza, a bachelor indeed! A rich bachelor; four or five thousand pounds a year. And I happened to be out looking at the house when he came to see it." One look. Oh! That's a handsome look! So pretty!"
Charlotte said with a look of longing, but soon became depressed, "...Of course, someone like me is definitely not worthy of him..."
——Although Charlotte is not very well-informed, she has gained some self-knowledge after going through the ups and downs of marriage these years. It is very clear that it is almost impossible for gentlemen with money and status to marry a poor country lady, unless this is the case. This poor lady has a stunning and extraordinary beauty...
It's a pity that Charlotte's appearance is not ugly at best, and she is far from a beauty, not enough to make a gentleman fall in love with her.
And Elizabeth could only smile with embarrassment - in this case, what can she say?Do you want to spoil Charlotte: "Mr. Bingley is Jane's official partner, so don't even think about it"?Besides, the current plot is already messed up, 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 appear on her own body—although compared to Charlotte, Elizabeth has a good appearance , but this is still not enough.
Many flamboyant and handsome gentlemen would be happy to play love games with certain beautiful "poor ladies" (as opposed to those rich heiresses) or take them as mistresses, but would never marry them To be 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 take up the responsibilities of the family and choose a political marriage that can bring benefits...
In this era, women in the upper class did not have much choice about their own destiny in the absence of sufficient dowry.Either a family-arranged marriage, or a governess, or a life in a convent, or a dishonorable mistress...
If they yearn for independence like modern women, there is only one way: that is to further abandon the constraints of morality and reputation, boldly explore the fun of the boudoir, pursue the pleasure of fish and water, become the goddess of the night, and hunt men for pleasure-in short , is to be a courtesan.
At that time, the courtesan was a symbol of beauty, boldness and sexual freedom.Gossip-ridden is their distinctive feature.But don't compare them, the goddesses of the night who can call the wind and rain in Vanity Fair, with some vulgar fans who casually fade their skirts to their thighs.As depraved as life is, the vast majority of courtesans are not victims.In fact, they often cost their admirers money and fame.
To be a successful courtesan, beauty is only the minimum prerequisite. Ambitiousness, control over people's hearts, and shrewdness are even more necessary qualities. In addition, one must have a set of extraordinary skills of climbing dragons and phoenixes...Elizabeth thinks she doesn't have this at all Terrible mental quality...
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Closer to home, after further detailed discussion, Elizabeth keenly discovered that although Charlotte’s description of Mr. Bingley seems to be basically consistent with the original content of "Pride and Prejudice", there are also some plots that are not described in the novel. Case:
"...I heard that a plague has appeared in London recently. The dignitaries who originally lived in the city are evacuating to the countryside to avoid the attack of the disease. This person who rented Netherfield Manor Mr. Bingley has rushed back to London now, and seems to be planning to bring many gentlemen and ladies from the city to live in our village for a few months, and it will definitely be very lively, with many dances and banquets..."
"...Plague?! It sounds terrible. Can you explain it in detail?" Elizabeth hurriedly asked with a frightened expression.
Regrettably, because the epidemic has not spread to her, Charlotte seems to be all focused on Mr. Bingley's handsome appearance and wealth, and knows little about the details of the plague, and even what caused the trouble. I don't know what kind of plague...
Then, Elizabeth, who finished her walk and returned home for dinner, brought the news of "Mr. No vaccines, poor sanitation, patients recover mainly by prayer, maternal and newborn mortality rate is as high as one in five, a single cold can kill a person, plague, cholera, leprosy, syphilis, smallpox, tuberculosis... a lot Infectious diseases have been prevalent for a long time, and crowded cities are concentration camps of various germs. It is normal to have plagues every three days.
Leaving aside the frightening Black Death in the distant Middle Ages, and 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 War of Independence, the British There was a pandemic that spread throughout the country, not only in a wide range, but also in a serious condition.It is said that about three-quarters of the British people were infected, and gradually swept across Europe, and even spread to the Americas.Although compared with the plague that turned Europe into a hell on earth in the Middle Ages, this flu is much milder.But the death rate has at least reached the level 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, just like the one that made people The SARS epidemic that is still fresh in people's memory and the bird flu that has been spreading like a ghost since then.And at the end of the eighteenth century when aspirin was not even invented, if you contract the flu, you can only wait for God's choice. If you get pneumonia, encephalitis or something, it will be even worse...
(In the late period of the American War of Independence, natural disasters and man-made disasters continued on the British mainland, so it was really impossible to fight in the end.)
It can be seen that in London these years, 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 trivial matters far away in the sky, it is better to study what route these Bennet sisters who have changed their souls should take after the storyline of "Pride and Prejudice" begins, so as to be able to get more some points...
However, Wang Qiu and his companions did not realize how terrifying the true face of the plague currently breaking out in London is.
And Mr. Bingley, who is handsome and wealthy, will never have the chance to come back to Longbourn Village from London...
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At the end of the eighteenth century, London was making great strides from a small border town of the Roman Empire to a "world capital" dominating the modern world.
If we look at the British history of the previous century from a sociological point of view, we can find the rise of standards seen in many classic farming texts: excellent and safe geographical conditions, a surge in urban population, rapid development of industry and commerce, and the same as opening A golden finger-like technological explosion... Although this country is only a tiny island, it has had a huge impact on countless peoples in the vast world for as long as 400 years.
At the same time, the advantageous natural geographical conditions and concentrated industrial and commercial development have also made London the core engine of England's economic development.
The unremitting urbanization policy since the beginning of the Tudor Dynasty has made the growth rate of London's population far exceed that of any other European city, and even surpassed Paris, France in this century, becoming the largest city in Europe, driving the whole The British Isles move on into a new era.
However, behind the above-mentioned glorious progress of "towards greatness", there are also endless suffering and darkness hidden...
——England's ruling class, relying on the "sheep cannibal" enclosure movement, drove the rural poor into the city by thousands, but did not pre-arrange their whereabouts at all.As a result, the initial rise of urbanization in the midst of chaos has led to a sharp increase in the population pressure of London and other large English cities. Before the industrial revolution began, all walks of life in the city were generally redundant.What followed was a myriad of loafing unemployed and thieves and hooligans, overcrowding London's prisons.The peaceful and harmonious life in the Middle Ages is gone forever.
In addition, the rapid expansion of the population of London to millions of people also caused unprecedented pressure on the natural environment of this area, which exceeded the limit of human technology at that time, making the city more and more dirty and dirty, which was once clear. The Thames River was polluted into a turbid stream, and other smaller tributaries were directly filled with rubbish and excrement.Most urban areas are as uninhabitable as flea nests...
The British dignitaries of this era usually only gather in the city of London during the coldest winter, which is called the social season.Once the heat is unbearable, the air is dirty, and the smell is smoky, they will migrate to the country villas with beautiful environment like migratory birds.But the millions of poor English who had been forced to leave the countryside had to live, for generations, in the slums of London, enduring the inconveniences of early urban life.
As described in "A Tale of Two Cities" which describes this era: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the age of faith, it was the age of doubt; It's the season of light, it's the season of darkness; it's the spring of hope, it's the winter of despair; there's everything before men, and there's nothing before them; men are going straight to heaven, and they're going straight to hell.
And in this world, millions of London citizens, and even 700 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 lasted for a week has stopped, damp, muddy and stench are still all over the streets and alleys of the city of London.
The recent rumors about the plague have made the atmosphere in London even more depressing, as if shrouded in fear of death.
——I heard that the plague this time was very serious. The patient first coughed and had a fever, fell asleep, and then festered and festered, and the smell was indescribable.No matter how clever the doctor is, he can't do anything about it. He 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 members of the royal family of the British Hanoverian Dynasty, they moved to Windsor Castle early.It's a pity that there are more poor citizens who are forced by their daily livelihood and have nowhere to escape, but they can only continue to stay in this increasingly gloomy city, praying for God's blessing.
Regrettably, in the face of the biochemical catastrophe that is about to befall London this time, even God is powerless.
——On the bustling and bustling streets, high-society gentlemen and ladies holding canes and holding small parasols pass by people of all kinds and religions and all kinds of people who are mixed in the market, and unkempt beggars curl up beside the stone wall in the damp corners of the East End of London , feebly chewing half a loaf of moldy bread that I didn’t know where to find, unaware that there was a daring mouse strolling at my feet; on the muddy pier by the Thames River, the cross-flowing sewage stirred mud, excrement and garbage, and was driven by a carriage. Black puddles of mud were being crushed by the wheels of the wheels or the soles of the feet of the porters.
Troops of sergeants in red uniforms, with bayonets and flintlocks in their hands, walked vigilantly through the narrow and dirty streets, constantly driving away the wandering vagrants to avoid the beautiful and shiny carriages of the noble gentlemen. , may be touched by these dirty hands.
In the hazy and sticky gray mist, a staggering figure was slowly walking out of a certain alley. He tremblingly leaned on the base of the wall, moving slowly, breathing heavily and messily, and his dirty hood It covered his face, making it impossible to see his face clearly.
After a while, the man finally walked out of the alley, and a carriage passed by him quickly, splashing a large amount of sewage and mud onto the man's body, but he didn't utter any curses, just stood tremblingly. Trembling in the middle of the road, as if possessed by some demon.
Because the dirty man blocked the road, the patrolling soldiers standing aside couldn't help but frowned, and moved over to try to drive him away, but before he could make a move, the man fell limply in the middle of the road , and the hood on his head fell off, revealing his face.
——It was an extremely terrifying face: the pale skin was like soaked torn paper, peeling off from all parts of the head, revealing the same festering muscles underneath.The remaining skin is also covered with broken blisters, interspersed with large charred sores or macules.The neck is even more swollen out of proportion to the head, and there are erosive granulation around the corner of the mouth.An unpleasant stench emanated from him, making people want to vomit.He was lying in the middle of the road like this, snarling and stretching out his hand to the pedestrians. The hoarse voice in his throat was like a wild beast, which made people feel numb all over after hearing it...
So, after a few seconds, both the soldiers with guns and the pedestrians on the side of the road let out screams like killing pigs, and hurriedly jumped back.
"...Oh! God! It's terrible! It's the plague!"
I don't know who yelled, and the whole street exploded immediately. Some people dropped the things in their hands and ran away in a hurry.Farther away, several carriages were blocked by the chaotic flow of people, and the unexplained driver couldn't help waving his whip and shouting loudly.While other daring people came over to watch this "weird man", but they also carefully covered their mouths and noses, and kept at least twenty feet away as much as possible.
However, certain "plagues" of special nature cannot be prevented by relying on such a degree of vigilance...
——Just as the street was in chaos, a staggering wild dog also came out of the foggy alley.
I saw that this dog's body was covered with festering wounds, its eyes were crimson like hellfire balls, and its fangs were as fierce as daggers... As soon as this dangerous and fierce mutant creature came out, it rushed towards a scared The stunned little beggar bit his shoulder fiercely, blood splashed all the way to the carriage next to him accompanied by screams, and sprayed all over the face of a young gentleman who was caught off guard!
Although after everyone reacted, this frightening "mad dog" was quickly beaten to death by countless sticks.But the patient who was lying in the middle of the road before stood up twitching and staggering, and opened his mouth to bite the nearest passerby, causing even greater confusion and commotion... Then, on the road that was In the depths of the fog-covered alley, many pairs of red eyes appeared again...
As if it was a signal foretelling disaster and destruction, with the outbreak of this attack, more and more walking dead and rotting animals began to haunt the streets, attacking all unlucky passers-by and healthy animals, triggering growing panic , The church was overcrowded for a while... The whole of London and even the whole of the UK seemed to be hit by an invisible boulder, spreading out circles of violent fluctuations.
——Just when people didn't know why, a devastating biochemical crisis has been drawn...