Chapter 116 What is the answer to "Heart's Blood"?
"It's been three days, three days! I've given you three days, and you still haven't found out what weapon the Crown Prince of Great Xia is using?"
Inside the military tent, the table was slammed with a deafening roar, the silver wine bottle lay overturned among the scattered fruit, and the flatbread lay on the ground like clods of dirt, trampled to pieces. Everyone in the tent trembled in fear at the sight of General Huli, not daring to even breathe loudly.
Contrary to the gentlemanly image he presented to Jiang Chen, Hulü Guang was a complete madman when dealing with his subordinates in private.
Hulü Guang looked up at the sky and took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, but as soon as he closed his eyes, he was back to the night three days ago, when the Crown Prince of Daxia raised his hand a few times and took away most of his subordinates.
"Karl, how did the medic's examination go?"
The Northern Di general whose name was called crawled forward and replied, "The military doctor examined the wounds and said they were caused by sharp weapons. The wounds had formed through holes, and the edges of the wounds were slightly charred. The cause of most of the wounds could not be found. Only on the two corpses, the military doctor found metal similar to that of a hidden weapon in their wounds."
As he spoke, he handed the two bullets that had been found to Hulü Guang.
"This is it?" Huli Guang held the two empty bullet casings in his hand and examined them for a long time. Then he grabbed Karl by the throat and questioned him in a low voice, "Two such thin pieces of iron can be fatal?"
Karl, his face flushed red from having his throat choked, struggled to answer while fighting the pain of suffocation: "General... we wouldn't dare lie... we only... we only found this..."
With a tremendous force, Karl was thrown heavily to the ground. He didn't care about anything else and immediately lay prone on the ground, panting heavily.
"Investigate, keep investigating. You have three more days. If you still can't find out, then you may offer sacrifices to the heavens."
The subordinates stared wide-eyed: "General—"
"roll!"
Hulü Guang had never been so out of control. The fear of the unknown and powerful weapons made him feel that he had lost control of the northern frontier battlefield. He was confident that even if he faced the heavy cavalry of the Great Xia, the Northern Di cavalry would not lose. However, the weapons brought by the Crown Prince of Great Xia left him almost powerless to resist.
“Jiang…Chen…” He slowly read the name, thinking that the Crown Prince of Great Xia had let him go that day, perhaps just to see him make a fool of himself now.
His outstretched hand gradually closed, two bullet casings embedded deep in his flesh. A ruthless glint flashed in Hulü Guang's clear eyes. Among the princes of Great Xia, there was actually such a person. The Northern Frontier battlefield was going to be very interesting.
Unlike the panic in the Northern Barbarian army camp, the Northern Frontier army camp of the Great Xia received a long-awaited calming agent. Ever since the Crown Prince arrived, the happiest people were the soldiers who originally belonged to the Northern Frontier camp.
After the northern frontier fell into chaos, reinforcements came from all over the Great Xia. Their commanders were missing, General He was far away in Xia Jing, and General Liu had also fallen on the battlefield. Under such circumstances, high-ranking officials and generals from the three northern prefectures, Xia Jing City, and the four prefectures of the capital took turns making decisions, eventually leaving the original elders without a voice.
But things are different now.
The soldiers all looked at the Crown Prince standing on the high platform, and General He beside him. One had the natural air of a king, and the other had the solemn and sharp demeanor of someone who had been through many battles. Just the two of them standing there were the source of confidence for the entire army.
Today is the day for the entire camp to assemble and train. After three days of rest and reorganization, no generals dare to question the Crown Prince's orders. Besides the Crown Prince's iron-fisted methods, they also discovered that the Crown Prince was actually skilled in military martial arts.
"From today onwards, all officers and soldiers will assemble for training every morning. After breakfast, each camp will conduct additional training according to the specific needs of its troops. After lunch, there will be a half-hour rest. Every evening at dusk, the entire army will undergo a training inspection. The winning camp of the day will eat first at each of the three meals the following day, while the lowest-ranking camp will eat last. Do you understand?"
"yes!"
The Crown Prince's new training methods—formation, physical fitness, tactics, first aid, code words, weaponry, and simulated battlefields—made the entire army quite uncomfortable. However, after only three days, the difference became apparent to everyone:
Although the soldiers in each team are of different types, they can unify their hand gestures and flag signals on the battlefield. Even comrades who have fought for many years can understand each other's movements through eye contact alone. The prince transforms each team into a steel cable, and by weaving them together, he builds an indestructible steel wall.
At first, the soldiers were a little unaccustomed to it, but by the tenth day, everything was on track.
The grueling ten-day training camp transformed the entire army. The troops that were originally just there to fill in as reinforcements had become several times stronger, while the already strong troops had become elite. The only ones that hadn't changed much were the heavy cavalry battalion and the musketeer cavalry battalion. These two battalions were led by He Zhiju alone, and no one knew their true strength.
The Northern Frontier Camp is now ready to fight foreign enemies at any time and launch wars to reclaim the lost cities from the various tribes of the Northern Frontier.
Jiang Chen left the training ground, which was filled with deafening shouts, and turned his head to ask in a low voice, "Have you found the person?"
"Yes, Your Highness, Physician Lüqiu is already in Prince Huan's courtyard."
The search for Doctor Lüqiu was not as smooth as Jiang Chen had imagined. After the three days he had given them, the Golden Dragon Guards only brought back news that Doctor Lüqiu was in seclusion and had not yet emerged. It was because of this that Jiang Chen temporarily changed his plans to train his troops. Only today did he receive this definite news, and his pace quickened involuntarily.
"Dr. Lüqiu, it's been a long time."
Inside the courtyard stood a familiar figure, dressed entirely in white from head to toe, exuding an unforgettable aura of holiness. Jiang Chen bowed to the man and said, "Chen greets Mr. Luqiu."
“Your Highness, there’s no need for such formalities,” Doctor Luqiu waved his hand. “I’ve been in seclusion these past few days, and I apologize for keeping you waiting.”
Although he said "forgive me," there was no remorse in his expression. Jiang Chen didn't mind. Geniuses are always arrogant and extraordinary. It was not easy to get him to come out of seclusion. His arrival was more important than anything else. Without saying anything more, he gestured for someone to open the door and led Doctor Luqiu forward.
"King Huan collapsed suddenly half a month ago due to injuries sustained in battle. When I arrived, he had already been unconscious for some time, and now more than ten days have passed. His symptoms are exactly the same as when the Crown Princess was unconscious, with no sign of him waking up at all..."
At this point, Jiang Chen turned his head and gave a look. Then a young general stepped forward and led everyone out, closing the door tightly. Once no one was around, Jiang Chen lowered his voice and asked, "May I ask, sir, was the Crown Princess's medical fee paid by Prince Huan?"
"good."
"Then I will pay for the King Huan's medical treatment today. I ask Physician Lüqiu for your assistance, no matter the cost."
Doctor Luqiu stared intently at Jiang Chen, his eyes filled with unyielding doubt. Jiang Chen's heart sank under his gaze, and he gritted his teeth, bowing even deeper.
After a long while, Doctor Luqiu shook his head and sighed. He walked towards the sickbed and, without any assistance, simply placed his fingers on Prince Huan's pulse. He stood up shortly afterward, stood in front of Jiang Chen, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Your Highness, no consultation fee is required."
"What?" Jiang Chen didn't quite understand.
“King Huan was already beyond saving. Even if I had been there when he fainted, I would have been powerless to save him.”
These words struck Jiang Chen like a thunderclap. He clenched his fists and asked, "Why?"
"Your Highness must not know what price King Huan paid to persuade me to come out of seclusion that day, right?"
"Sir, please speak."
"The Crown Princess's heart meridian is damaged, so it naturally needs to be repaired with heart meridian. In this world, there are only two people whose heart meridian is compatible with the Crown Princess's, one of whom is Prince Huan."
Jiang Chen found it somewhat absurd. This wasn't HR's negative blood type, so how did it get to the topic of matching? But he still asked the question: "Then who is the other person?"
"The late Crown Prince Yu, Your Highness's elder brother."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen found it even more ridiculous. He took a half step back, his eyes filled with disbelief: "Sir, you haven't even examined me, how do you know that I'm incompatible with the Crown Princess?"
"Your Highness," said Physician Luqiu with his usual calm and gentle smile, "You've forgotten your childhood. I saw you in the Eastern Palace when you were still a child, the Fifth Prince following behind your elder brothers."
So what? This was actually tested beforehand? How absurd!
Jiang Chen remained silent for a long time, feeling he had nothing to say. He shook his head: "So, you mean that, in order to protect the Crown Princess's heart, Prince Huan sacrificed himself?"
"Yes, and the essence of the heart meridian is just a medicinal ingredient. The consultation fee paid by Prince Huan also includes other things. I advised him at the time that after this ordeal, he should take good care of his body so that he can live like an ordinary person... and even so, his lifespan will be at most forty years."
As soon as he finished speaking, Doctor Luqiu remained as calm as before, but Jiang Chen could not utter another word.
"Your Highness!"
Mu Jin's exclamation brought everyone's attention back to the scene. The people who had been arguing just moments before turned around and saw the Crown Princess, who was pale-faced and clutching her chest.
"Sister-in-law!" Princess Yong'an was the first to react. She forcefully broke free from Shi Yang's arm and ran towards Shen Yujiao's direction.
"puff--"
The sudden, unexpected outpouring of blood stunned everyone present. Princess Yong'an stood ten steps away from the Crown Princess, staring intently at the crimson stain, her lips trembling uncontrollably.
After a moment of silence, everyone in the hall rushed over. Mu Tan, who was standing at the innermost side, stepped forward and knelt down to stop everyone: "My lords, it is best not to approach Her Highness the Crown Princess in this situation. Imperial Physician Wang instructed that in such a case, please keep the surrounding area clear."
"Don't move! Everyone stop!" The Empress, the only one who hadn't moved, spoke up at this moment: "Someone, call the imperial physician over."
The surrounding noise grew increasingly indistinct, and Shen Yujiao once again suffocated, feeling as if she were drowning. A sharp pain shot through her heart, spreading to every part of her body. She frantically grabbed the hand of someone in front of her, as if grasping at a lifeline, desperately trying to stay conscious while a sliver of reason remained. She even bit her tongue to try and regain that last bit of clarity...
"Your Highness!"
It was so noisy... The intense attraction was too strong. In the last moment before her last bit of clarity was swallowed up, her last thought was—thankfully Jiang Chen wasn't here.
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