Chapter Twelve: The locust tree fills the tent, its branches brimming with laughter.
"General, you've arrived."
Hearing Yang Xiao's movement, Zhang Ping quickly turned around to look at her. All the wounded in the room got up and responded, and the wounded on the bed also nodded to Yang Xiao with great effort.
She nodded, frowned, and walked towards the wounded man. "Don't move, let me take a look."
Upon hearing this, the wounded soldier suddenly struggled, "General, please don't look at me. My injury... I'm afraid it will frighten you."
"What do you take me for?" Yang Xiao pushed Zhang Ping away with displeasure, staring at the long, hideous knife wound on the wounded man's back, and couldn't help but clench her fists.
The wounded man stopped moving and lay obediently on the bed.
The wound was horribly long, with blood gushing from the torn flesh. At the tip of the cut, there was even a burn mark, with barely congealed scabs between the charred flesh.
"Isn't there any medicine like Panax notoginseng?" Yang Xiao frowned, looking at Zhang Ping standing to the side. "And no Corydalis rhizome or anything? So you have to use..." She pointed to the still-smoking branding iron lying to the side, her voice pausing, "...this method?"
“There are too few medicines and too many wounded people…” Zhang Ping said with difficulty, “Those medicines are usually only given to people who are seriously injured. If they can just endure it, there is no need to use medicine.”
Yang Xiao sneered upon hearing this, "Even if those with fatal injuries can't be saved by medicine, are you going to leave the rest of the wounded to fate and endure inhuman suffering?" She gently lifted the newly wrapped, blood-soaked gauze of the wounded soldier and sighed, "You can't blame yourselves for this. Zhang Ping, are you alright?"
"No, what are your orders, General?"
"There are a few locust trees around the government office, and they are in full bloom right now. Take a few energetic people to pick some locust flowers to help stop the bleeding of the wounded. I also have some medicine on hand, enough to last one night."
"Yes." Zhang Ping nodded and gestured to the uninjured soldiers around him to hurry out of the tent.
Yang Xiao turned around and sighed. She took out a small bottle of medicine powder from her sleeve and patted the wounded man's back. "I'll apply the medicine for you right away. It will probably hurt, so bear with it."
The wounded soldier nodded, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, his hands gripping the already soaked bedding beneath him. "Thank you, General."
"We've all been through thick and thin together, why are you still so reserved?" Yang Xiao poured the medicine powder, shaking her head helplessly. "Could it be that you treat Yu De the same way?"
The atmosphere in the camp immediately eased. Mu Fei carried the folding chair and moved to Yang Xiao's side to squat down and watch her apply the medicine. "Although General Yude is bold and forthright, we are a little reserved in front of him."
"Oh? What do you mean?"
"General Yude gave us a hard time as soon as he took office," a wounded soldier with bandages on his arm leaned against the wall and laughed. "Even though he is usually unconventional and treats his soldiers like brothers, he still has some authority in our hearts, and we don't dare to offend him normally."
The wounded soldier on the bed trembled incessantly with Yang Xiao's movements. He gripped the sheets tightly, and as if trying to distract himself, he gritted his teeth and asked, "General, how... how do you know medicine?"
Yang Xiao frowned, tied a knot, then breathed a sigh of relief, lifting his blood-stained coat onto his back. "I learned some things from a friend in Jiangnan, but only the basics; my medical skills are far from proficient." She patted the wounded man's shoulder and leaned down to ask, "How are you feeling now?"
The wounded man paused, then came to his senses in a daze. "Is it all treated?" He propped himself up on his arms and sat up. He looked at Yang Xiao standing beside him, then at Mu Fei. "It seems to be less painful now. It's a bit numb, like I can't feel anything."
"Really? That's amazing?" Mu Fei stood up, supporting the wounded soldier's back, and tilted his head to look at him. "It really doesn't hurt anymore?"
“It’s much better than before,” the wounded soldier nodded to Mu Fei, “but I’m afraid the general used a lot of medicine.”
“I have the recipe for this medicine powder. Just make more when we run out.” Yang Xiao patted the wounded soldier’s shoulder and sat down on the small folding bed that Mu Fei had brought over. “I’ll send someone to the pharmacy to get some more medicine as soon as it’s light tomorrow.”
The wounded soldier helped Mu Fei sit up, and nodded gratefully to Yang Xiao, "Thank you, General."
"By the way, General," Mu Fei squatted down and moved closer to Yang Xiao, "You charged so far ahead in battle, were you injured?"
"There are no superficial injuries, just a few bruises from bumps and scrapes." Yang Xiao raised her arm and waved her hand dismissively.
"Mu Fei, you really are something," a soldier beside him teased with a laugh, "General, with your marksmanship so skillful, how could you possibly get injured so easily?"
Yang Xiao smiled and nodded at the man, then looked seriously at the group. "Although you are called the Eagle Squad, my intention is not to send you to the battlefield as desperados." Yang Xiao twirled the empty medicine bottle in his hand. "I only hope that in the future, you will all have your own tactics for fighting the enemy, truly be able to take on ten men at once, and not be a group of brave and reckless 'death warriors.' It is good to earn merit, but it is not necessarily good to be greedy for credit and act rashly."
The soldiers in the room gradually surrounded Yang Xiao, nodding in agreement, "We will follow the general's instructions."
The next second, Zhang Ping, carrying a large basket of locust flowers, ran into the tent, and was stunned when he saw the small circle of people gathered there. "General, why are you giving them extra lessons? What did you teach them?"
"What do you mean by teaching or instructing? I just felt it was something to say." Yang Xiao waved her hand, gestured for Zhang Ping to sit down, and looked up at the basket. "Wow, you picked quite a lot."
Zhang Ping placed the large basin of locust flowers in front of everyone, and the whole room was immediately filled with a sweet fragrance.
He yawned and sat down next to Mu Fei. "General, do you know that I was caught by the lord when I led men to pick locust flowers just now?"
"Oh?" Yang Xiao looked at Zhang Ping with interest. "My lord hasn't rested yet?"
"He was busy with things in Yanzhou when he heard a commotion outside, so he came out with a lantern." Zhang Ping moved closer to the crowd. "I told him that you, General, sent us to get locust flowers for the brothers to use to stop the bleeding, and then, guess what?"
"What's wrong?" Yang Xiao turned her head to look at him. "Did the lord order you to cut down all the trees?"
"What did you say, my lord?"
"Zhang Ping, stop keeping me in suspense and tell me quickly."
The crowd suddenly started making a fuss, pushing and shoving Zhang Ping as they urged him on.
"Our lord was dressed in a white robe and carrying a lantern. After we explained, he immediately became interested," Zhang Ping said with great enthusiasm, moving closer to the crowd. "He directly stuck the lantern into a tree branch, swung his sleeves, and said he wanted to pick it with us."
"Is that so?" The camp erupted in a commotion. No one could imagine Zhong Li'an swinging his wide sleeves to climb the tree and pick locust flowers. They couldn't help but gesture and laugh.
"I never thought our lord would climb a tree one day!" A soldier laughed and slapped his comrade's thigh, but every slap landed on his wound, causing him to cry out in pain.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, brother, it's my fault..."
"Don't talk!" The comrade grimaced and hissed, then raised his hand and punched him.
Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Zhang Ping helplessly waved his hand to suppress it, saying, "How could our lord possibly climb a tree? Couldn't he just grab a stick and get down here?"
"I see. That explains how my lord managed to climb the locust tree."
“What kind of talk is that?” Yang Xiao waved his hand with a smile. “Not going up the tree doesn’t mean you can’t get up there. Although our lord is steady in his actions, he is still young and full of vigor.”
“That’s right,” Mu Fei chimed in from the side, “Our lord is so young, how could he not get up there? Right, Brother Ping?”
Zhang Ping had just opened his mouth to yawn when Mu Fei next to him slapped his thigh, forcing him to suppress the yawn. "Right, right, right," he said, rubbing his eyes. Suddenly, as if remembering something, his face lit up with joy, and he looked at Yang Xiao as if seeking praise. "By the way, General, the lord praised me."
"What did he compliment you on?" Yang Xiao teased with a smile. "Did he compliment you on getting sleepy on time?"
“General, you really know how to bring up the most sensitive topics,” Zhang Ping said, crossing his arms with Yang Xiao. “Our lord praised me for cooking the grain well.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao couldn't help but laugh, "If we add another fire, our lord will have worked for half a month for nothing."
Everyone burst into laughter. Yang Xiao waved her hand and said, "But this is the only way. Who would burn grain if it weren't urgent?"
Zhang Ping yawned and nodded, saying, "I really can't imagine how peaceful the people would be if our lord unified the world."
"It was bound to happen sooner or later." Yang Xiao smiled and stood up, patted Zhang Ping on the shoulder, and pointed to the flower basket in front of her. "Alright, I'm leaving now. I feel like if I don't let you sleep, you might just collapse headfirst into this basket."
Zhang Ping chuckled and scratched his head. "It's not that bad, General." Then he pushed himself up and stood up. "It's getting late, General. You should rest early and stop working."
Yang Xiao glanced at the bright moon outside the window, turned back and nodded with a smile, "Alright, I'm relieved to see how carefree you all are. Tomorrow, please give my regards to the rest of the brothers, and send a few people to collect the money for the medicine. I'll go back and copy down the prescription for you."
"Alright," everyone stood up to see Yang Xiao off, "General, please get some rest."
“Okay,” Yang Xiao said, waving goodbye as she walked out the door without turning her head. “See you tomorrow.”
-
The moonlight slowly streamed through the window. Zhongli An leaned against the headboard, holding a military treatise, when he inexplicably sneezed. He rubbed his nose, looked at the night outside the window, and raised his hand to summon his attendant.
"My lord, did you call me?" the guard stepped forward and bowed.
"Go and get some silver tomorrow, and buy some medicine to stop bleeding and pain."
"Yes, ma'am."
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