Chapter 629: The Pacification of Sibao County (Chapter 31) [Happy New Year]

Kang Shi: "..."

His impression of Yu Zi was still that of an "orphan girl with a pitiful background, stubborn and persistent, eager to learn but with a strong personality." She was, in a way, his half-student, and their daily interactions reminded him of his younger sister when she was still a young girl... Over time, he inevitably developed a biased view of Yu Zi. He just didn't expect her to grow up so quickly, transforming herself completely in just two years.

No--

It's not that Yu Zi underwent a rapid transformation.

He was still treating her based on his past impressions.

Kang Shi glanced away, avoiding the teasing look in General Jiang's eyes, and asked, "How much of this herb did you bring?"

Yu Zi replied, "Quite a few."

He added, "Enough to deal with three to five hundred people."

"Three to five hundred people? How can that be enough?"

Is this amount enough to fill the enemy's teeth?

There are only two ways to administer the drug.

The task involves either poisoning enemy food or water. The former is far too difficult; simply getting close to their supplies poses a risk of exposure, let alone approaching them. In contrast, the latter is much easier, but it has a fatal flaw—the water source is fluid, requiring precise timing to ensure the enemy ingests enough problematic drinking water.

The flow of water can also lead to the waste of medicine.

The original dose, which could have incapacitated three to five hundred people, was diluted in water, and with the waste from flowing water, it would be lucky to incapacitate a hundred. In contrast, their enemy, estimated at tens of thousands, seemed like a drop in the ocean.

"How is that not enough?"

Yu Zi, however, was full of confidence.

What are you going to do?

Kang Shi wanted to listen to Yu Ziliang's plan.

Unexpectedly, Yu Zi pointed at the innocent-looking Lin Feng and said, "Just in case, I also brought a lot of grass seeds. There are plenty of grass seeds; we can grow as many herbs as we want." Lin Feng, who was pointed at, just smiled shyly.

Kang Shi immediately turned to look at Lin Feng.

Lin Feng didn't hesitate: "That's possible."

Her role as a dedicated food supplier doesn't mean she can only promote food production. As long as there's enough literary energy and enough grass seeds provided by Yu Zi, the enemy can even cook porridge with poison and mix it with rice. So how many grass seeds did Yu Zi actually bring? Not many, not much bigger than a food box.

A single grass seed is smaller than a sesame seed.

"...Why did you bring these with you when you were with the army?"

Everyone reached a consensus to administer the medicine, and the preparation phase began. However, Kang Shi had nothing to do during this phase, so he was forced to be idle and became curious about the herbs Yu Zi had mentioned—he couldn't believe they were so potent. He simply pinched a little and held it to his nose to sniff, accidentally inhaling a tiny bit of powder, and immediately felt half his face go numb…

Kang Shi: "..."

This medicine is indeed quite potent.

I raised my hand and poked my face; the touch wasn't as sensitive as usual.

Aside from that, there were no further effects, presumably due to insufficient dosage, but Kang Shi was unwilling to test the drug on himself.

Yu Zi said quite naturally, "Why did I bring them? Naturally, I thought I might need them someday. My great-uncle taught me that using medicine is one of the methods in battle, even though it's not exactly ethical. But the most important thing on the battlefield is victory or defeat, not good or evil. Whether it's a fair method or a shady one, as long as it achieves the goal, it's a good method. Just like how Shi Wu can use these herbs to control disobedient slaves, I can also use them to wipe out enemies in my way."

Kang Shi: "..."

What did Registrar Yu teach Yu Zi?

He looked at General Jiang.

General Jiang secretly shrugged.

Old Man Yu has always acted in this way.

Just as Kang Shi was speechless, Yu Zi burst out laughing and teased, "Military Advisor Kang, are you perhaps heartbroken that your student has gone astray? Hehe, just kidding. This batch of grass seeds isn't for the enemy, it's for our own people. Didn't you just try it out, Military Advisor Kang? Proper use of herbs can numb people and make them unaware of pain."

There will always be wounded soldiers in wars.

Wound infection was only one of the main causes of casualties; pain was another. Soldiers were only human, not all Guan Yu (a legendary Chinese general known for his bravery and resilience). They couldn't endure the excruciating pain without flinching during bone-scraping surgery. Too many wounded soldiers couldn't bear the agony and died from the pain.

Yu Zi explained, "Old Doctor Dong saw a prescription called 'Mafeisan' in some rare book of magical words. However, he only knew the name and not the prescription. He tried it repeatedly but failed to achieve the desired effect, so he guessed that it was a problem with the medicinal materials. I learned about this from Old Doctor Dong's student and thought that this herb might come in handy, so I bought it from Shiwu at a high price."

This stuff is very expensive in Shiwu. If she didn't have some strange connections in Shiwu, she wouldn't have been able to get so many.

"If they could be made into the 'anesthetic powder' that Dr. Dong dreamed of, so that the injured could take it without feeling pain, I wonder how many lives that should not have died could be saved," Yu Zi sighed.

Only after I finished speaking did I realize that the topic had gone quite far off track.

"Please excuse my foolishness, Military Advisor Kang."

Kang Shi: "No, this time I was shortsighted."

If these herbs were in his hands, he would probably never have imagined that they could be used to save lives...

Most of them are only thinking about how to outsmart their enemies in creative ways.

Grass seeds are precious, and Kang Shi didn't want to waste them.

The enemy thoughtfully provided a pillow.

"This group is quite confident..."

Kang Shi sneered as he looked at the intelligence reports brought back by the scouts.

If he were the enemy, dealing with the rumored weak Longwu County, regardless of the veracity of the intelligence, a short rest would suffice before a probing attack. If the intelligence was true, it would catch the target off guard; if the intelligence was false, it would allow for immediate withdrawal to reorganize the troops and devise a plan for the future.

It can be used either way.

This enemy force, however, did the opposite.

They stopped at the entrance of Nanyu County.

Judging from their posture, they are preparing to rest on the spot.

With over ten thousand soldiers, such a large target, how could the defending soldiers not spot them unless they were all blind?

"It's like a pillow appearing after a nap; this distant relative understands human relationships... If we don't send a generous gift, it would seem like we're not hospitable and haven't fulfilled our duties as hosts." The army resting on the spot meant that their water source was relatively stable.

It also allows for more precise administration of medication.

General Jiang: "Shall I lead my men over there?"

The task of administering the drug must be done discreetly.

There shouldn't be too many people, and the movements shouldn't be too large.

Although General Jiang had never done this before, his cultivation and experience were sufficient, making him more capable than other greenhorns.

Kang Shi declined, saying, "There's no need for that trouble."

They didn't even need to get close to the enemy's water source.

after all--

“The underground water system is interconnected. We just need to send people to keep watch, and when they draw water, we can drop the poison in, and we'll be almost certain to succeed.”

These soldiers under our lord may not be skilled at other tasks, but they are extremely adept at digging pits, wells, and tunnels, and they are masters of water flow surveying. If time were not a constraint, they could even dig a tunnel directly to the enemy camp.

"After that, all we have to do is wait for the medicine to take effect..."

Goodbye to the terrible year of 2022, hello to the brand new year of 2023!

(*▽｀)ノノ

(End of this chapter)