Zhao Cheng reached out his hand to Zhao Wu.

"Huh?" Zhao Wu was taken aback.

"Bag!"

"Oh, oh!" Zhao Wu quickly took off his backpack.

Every time Zhao Cheng went out, he would have Zhao Wu carry a bag containing some things he needed. This was the case when they went to Lingshan and when they went to Changsui, except that the bag mainly contained banknotes and calligraphy and paintings back then, but this time was different.

Zhao Cheng rummaged through his backpack and found about thirty bottles of penicillin.

"The quantity is a bit small, but if we use it sparingly, we can save as many as we can," Zhao Cheng sighed.

Seeing Zhao Cheng's serious expression, Tuo He asked, "What's in this bottle?"

"penicillin."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Zhang's eyes lit up slightly, and his expression even changed. He exclaimed in surprise, "This little thing is penicillin?"

Zhao Cheng was also puzzled. He hadn't even started promoting penicillin yet, so how did you know?

"Does Your Highness know about penicillin?"

Yuan Zhang quickly picked up a bottle, carefully held it in his hand and looked at it, saying, "Wang Ren's son, Wang Yuluan, was captured by the Mobei rioters and suffered all kinds of torture. When he was sent back to Yanchuan City for treatment, he had many infected wounds. The Jinghai Divine Doctor cured Wang Yuluan with this miraculous medicine."

Zhao Cheng was taken aback. Was there really such a thing?

"After Wang Yuluan returned to the three counties of Xinbei, he told Wang Ren about this matter. Every few days, Wang Ren would send people to Yanchuan City to ask Mr. Minghua for medicine. This was no secret in the army."

Yuan Zhang looked at the penicillin with burning passion and said excitedly, "In this desolate wilderness, if wounded soldiers have it, their lives can be saved!"

Zhao Cheng had no time to think about anything else and said, "Adjutant Tuo Tie, I see that there are still herders grazing their livestock here during the day, so we should be able to find a doctor. You are familiar with the area around Wei Lake, so please go and find as many doctors as you can. Use penicillin to reduce inflammation, and with the doctor's treatment, the soldiers who haven't suffered any serious injuries will be fine after a day or two of rest."

"I'll go right now!" In this urgent situation, Tuo Tiewuhua didn't even ask Yuan Zhang's opinion and immediately obeyed Zhao Cheng's orders, running out of the camp.

Yuan Zhang then clenched his fists, holding the small bottle in his hand, and stared at Zhao Cheng with a strange look.

"Zhao Cheng, could it be that penicillin is also part of your business? Just how many secrets do you have?"

"Please don't flatter me! Do you think I'm some kind-hearted person who could develop such a drug?" Zhao Cheng pouted and said, "My sister-in-law works at Mr. Minghua's clinic. After hearing about the effects of penicillin from her, I bought these medicines and carried them with me before heading south."

Yuan Zhang asked, "Can Mr. Minghua really sell you so much of this miraculous medicine all at once?"

Zhao Cheng immediately put on an act, slapping his thigh and standing up, saying, "You're absolutely right! It was such a struggle for me to buy these medicines! You have no idea what Mr. Minghua's temper is like..."

Yuan Zhang said, "I know her, I know her."

Zhao Cheng's expression remained unchanged as she continued, "Cold as an iceberg, proud as a lone pine, though her heart is warm, she's really difficult to deal with. When I told her I'd buy as much penicillin as she had in your clinic, she tried to kick me out, refusing to sell me a single bottle. Guess what I did?"

Yuan Zhang thought for a moment and said, "Then we should reason with her and appeal to her emotions, telling her that you are going to take penicillin southwards and save people along the way, in order to move her kind heart?"

Zhao Cheng spat and said, "I just led my men to rob it! Of course, I got the medicine, but I also paid for it, ten times the amount! So Your Highness, I gave all this penicillin to your soldiers, but you still have to pay me for the medicine."

Yuan Zhang: "..."

After a moment of silence, Yuan Zhang pointed at Zhao Cheng's nose and laughed, saying, "It seems that the people I and General Wang sent to ask for medicine are too refined. We don't look like soldiers, but you look exactly like a bandit!"

Zhao Cheng said, "I only know what I want, and I never care what I look like."

Yuan Zhang stared blankly for a moment, seemingly pondering Zhao Cheng's words.

After a while, he got up and said, "Get a good night's sleep tonight. The situation is unpredictable in the next few days, and I'm afraid there won't be many opportunities to get a good night's sleep."

...

The next morning.

When Zhao Cheng woke up, he saw a dozen doctors busily treating the wounded.

Tuo Tiewuhua spent an entire night gathering all the medical professionals from the grasslands and the foothills.

Yuan Feitian went out before dawn. Zhao Cheng had told him to rest up and then go and check on the situation at Muqiaokou.

Yuan Zhang also dispatched scouts from the mobile battalion; currently, everyone's biggest concern is the situation in the woods.

Yuan Fei returned not long after.

"The Southern Zhou army has occupied Muqiaokou and is building defensive fortifications on Muqiao."

"Your Highness, you were right just as I predicted." Zhao Cheng looked at Yuan Zhang.

Yuan Zhang asked, "Who is the general in command? Have you seen Yang Qingzhi?"

Yuan Fei said, "Li Yunqing and He Biao are still in command, but Yang Qingzhi has not appeared. However, their forces have increased, and soldiers are coming from the bridge and the dirt road one after another. I roughly estimate that the number of troops stationed on the bridge, by the lake, and at the entrance of the Muqiao Bridge will increase to about 20,000."

Yuan Zhang's expression darkened, and he said, "Yang Qingzhi is really fast! He's determined to take Muqiao and hold onto this outpost. If this succeeds, then the Southern Zhou army will have a place to station troops in my Yunjing County from now on."

Zhao Cheng said, "Wouldn't that mean he's openly breaking the alliance?"

Yuan Zhang shook his head and said, "Muqiaokou was originally a war fortress. If he only seized Muqiaokou and did not further attack and seize territory, it does not count as breaking the contract."

At this moment, the scouts that Yuan Zhang had sent out also returned.

"Your Highness, Muqiaokou has been captured. The bridge and the lakeside are full of Southern Zhou troops. They currently number 13,000 to 14,000, but more soldiers are coming from the other side. It is estimated that the first phase will see an increase to 20,000 troops."

Yuan Zhang nodded. Yuan Fei had already told him this intelligence, and it was consistent with what the scouts had found.

Another scout said, "There's been no unusual activity at the central camp of the Zhennan Border Army. It seems they're still unaware of the Battle of Muqiao Pass."

Yuan Zhang asked, "Will it be passable?"

The scout shook his head and said, "The Southern Zhou army knew that the prince had been forced to this side of the woods, so they deliberately stretched out the blockade line, intending to cut off the prince's connection with the central army camp. Their defenses are too tight; this humble servant cannot get through."

"So, you mean we can't even go to Lianyun Jingcheng?"

"It's worth a try, but... it's almost certainly a death sentence."

Zhao Cheng, who was listening from the side, understood. If a map of Yunjing County were placed in front of them, it would mean that after Muqiaokou was occupied by the Southern Zhou army, the Southern Zhou army stretched a line upwards all the way to Shanlan.

To the left is a forest, and beyond the forest is a grassland beneath the mountains, where Yuan Zhang is located.

To the right is the main camp of the Zhennan Border Army, and further behind is Yunjing City.

Yuan Zhang and the central army camp were separated by this line drawn by the Southern Zhou army.

Yuan Zhang looked at Shan Lan beside him and asked, "Are we going to cross the mountain?"