Led by the soldiers, Lu Qiqi and Doctor Luo soon arrived at the soldiers' camp.
There was no need for training at this time; the soldiers were all resting in their tents.
The guide, named Wan Shun, told Lu Qiqi and the others to wait outside the tent when they reached it.
Inside were men who had gone out to fight. Not only did their shoes and socks reek, but many of them were shirtless and wandering around the tents without underwear.
The head of Kang Le Township is a young woman; if she sees these things, she'll get a sty.
Wan Shun lifted the tent flap and saw the scene he had expected, accompanied by the sounds of snoring.
He yanked off everyone's blankets and urged the soldiers, who were lying on the wooden planks, to sleep like dead dogs.
"Get up and get dressed quickly!"
"Fatty! You're still sleeping!"
Wan Shun slapped the fat man on the forehead, and the snoring finally stopped. All around were the rustling sounds of clothes being put on.
The soldier, called Fatty, was suddenly jolted awake and instinctively grabbed some clothes to put on.
After they had all put on their clothes and armor, Wan Shun spoke up, "The Township Head of Kangle heard that many of us brothers were bleeding from our teeth, so he came to treat us. Anyone who dares to make a rash decision will end up with their head rolling. Don't blame me for not warning you!"
The ten people, who had just woken up, were given a severe scolding, and their expressions were all very bewildered.
The fat man wasn't actually fat; he just had a square face, hence the nickname. He rubbed his eyes and said, "Squad leader, what's wrong with us? It's just a little bleeding from our teeth. Is it really necessary to make such a fuss?"
Wan Shun's expression darkened as he cursed, "You talk too much! If you talk any more, you'll get ten strokes of the military rod! And from now on, if you dare to take off your armor to rest during the day, go and get ten strokes of the military rod yourself!"
Upon hearing this, the ten soldiers in the tent knew that their squad leader was serious and immediately straightened their backs.
"Alright, get out!"
After the ten people walked out of the tent in an orderly manner, Wan Shun walked up to Lu Qiqi and said, "Village Chief, everyone has arrived."
Lu Qiqi turned her head to look at Doctor Luo and Doctor Huang and said, "Thank you for your trouble."
The two nodded slightly and walked toward the ten soldiers.
After the ten soldiers lined up, Doctor Huang and Doctor Luo began to examine them, one at each end.
The final conclusion was reached.
Dr. Huang said, "Three out of ten people have bleeding gums and weak pulses, while one person has vomiting and dizziness."
This news is terrible. In a camp of ten soldiers, three have scurvy. A 30% infection rate is far too high.
However, this is to be expected. Every day, they eat only plain porridge, flatbread, or rice soaked in soup, and their intake of fresh fruits and vegetables is almost zero.
As far as Lu Qiqi knew, not long after the Tatars broke into the city, Song Yanqing led his troops to drive them out of the border city.
It took two months of reorganization and restructuring to finally capture all the Tatars in the border town.
During the truce that lasted for several months, the first two troops were mobilized from Jiayu Pass to the border to jointly resist the Tatar invasion.
With 70,000 soldiers now, it's unknown how many have contracted the disease; it's truly a headache.
After reaching a conclusion, Lu Qiqi ordered Wan Shun to lead the soldiers back to their camp.
After the soldiers returned to their tents, Wan Shun sensed something was amiss. He went back and approached Lu Qiqi, bowed, and asked, "Princess, do I need to take medicine for my tooth?"
"You definitely need to take the medicine, but not now," Lu Qiqi said. "Go back first, and we'll have someone inform you once the prescription is written."
On the way back to the wounded soldiers' camp, the three remained silent until they entered the camp's tent, at which point Doctor Luo couldn't help but ask Lu Qiqi a question.
"Girl, there are ten soldiers in one tent, and three of them have bleeding gums, weak pulses, and unusually rosy complexions. What kind of strange illness is this?"
Dr. Huang looked at the two of them with a serious expression, appearing eager to learn, as if afraid of missing any pharmacological information.
Lu Qiqi returned from the soldiers' tents, her slightly furrowed brows never relaxing.
Upon hearing Doctor Luo mention the word "strange disease," he took a deep breath and said, "Scurvy."
Upon hearing the words "scurvy," Dr. Luo and Dr. Huang exchanged glances, both puzzled by her meaning.
Although Doctor Huang's medical skills were not as good as Doctor Luo's, he was a lifelong learner and quickly asked, "May I ask, Your Excellency, what is scurvy?"
From the literal meaning of the words, he felt that this illness was probably like the plague that had struck Tianxin Village before, and it was not an easy disease to cure.
Lu Qiqi, supporting herself with one hand on a drawer, said, "Scurvy, as the name suggests, is a blood disease caused by soldiers who have not eaten fresh fruits and vegetables for many years."
A person who does not consume salt for a long period of time will experience a decline in bodily functions and may die. Similarly, a person who does not consume fresh fruits and vegetables for a long period of time may also become ill and die.
"I see," Doctor Huang said with a smile, having come up with a good idea. "Then wouldn't it be enough to cure the sick soldiers by feeding them fresh fruits and vegetables?"
After these words were spoken, the tent fell silent, and both men looked at him without saying a word.
After realizing something was wrong, Dr. Huang recalled what he had just said.
After he calmed down and figured it out, he was so angry he wanted to bite his tongue off.
With 70,000 troops fighting continuously, ensuring sufficient food and supplies is already a challenge. Judging from the troubled expression on the face of the village chief, it's probably not something that can be resolved in just one or two meals.
We can't just prioritize treating anyone who shows symptoms; wouldn't that cause mild cases to develop into severe ones?
After much deliberation, Lu Qiqi decided to inform Physician Ren and Song Yanqing about the matter.
She asked them if this had happened before, but she didn't have high hopes, since if there were precedents, there would likely be some degree of human intervention in the matter.
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