Chapter 83 The Plague Rages There is not much she can do for him. This is a...
Qin Yuemin noticed Luo Wan taking a half step back and asked anxiously, "Miss Luo, are you okay?"
Luo Wan opened his eyes and said calmly, "It's okay."
"What's wrong with you, kid?!" Xie Yan was furious. "Do you have any manners?!"
The younger brother stiffened his neck and glared back without showing any weakness. He then turned around and held his brother's hand tightly, saying with a choked voice: "Brother, how are you? Are you still itchy? Does it hurt? I think they are just a bunch of good-for-nothings. They have been here for so long, but they are of no use at all..."
"Ali!" the man said angrily. "Are your eyes fixed on someone else? Or are you such a powerful figure that everyone else has to report to you for everything they do? How do you know they haven't done anything?"
"Brother!" He looked dissatisfied.
"Apologize." The man's voice turned cold.
Ali's lips moved, his face full of stubbornness.
"No need." Luo Wan said, "He's right, I really haven't made any contribution."
Under these circumstances, Luo Wan didn't have the time to argue with an anxious and angry child. His slander couldn't hurt her at all, and likewise, his apology couldn't bring any comfort.
She turned to Qin Yue and said, "General Qin, I know someone who is quite knowledgeable about medicine. I can ask him, maybe he can help me."
Qin Yue was delighted when he heard this: "That's great! Miss Lao Luo is here!"
Xie Yan snorted coldly and urged impatiently, "Alright, now that you've seen it, don't stay here. Otherwise, you'll get bitten again for no reason!"
After returning to the house, Luo Wan immediately wrote down the symptoms of the plague on a letter and prepared to send it back to Tingyu Tower.
Xie Yan asked curiously, "Is the person you're talking about also from Tingyu Tower?"
"What's wrong?"
Xie Yan waved his hand: "It's okay, just asking."
Luo Wan glanced at him, and Xie Yan immediately withdrew his gaze from the letter in her hand.
*
Qin Yue and others learned that the plague in Weizhou City had come about with strange circumstances. It had not spread quietly, but had suddenly broken out after a fierce battle, with no signs of fever or dizziness among the soldiers beforehand.
Fortunately, the military doctors in the camp responded quickly, isolated the patients immediately, and adopted the most stringent prevention and control measures, thus suppressing the plague in this small area and preventing it from ravaging the entire army.
However, the plague was extremely virulent and contagious, and several military doctors who had carefully cared for the troops had already fallen ill. For an army, the near collapse of its medical support system was a disastrous outcome.
With the outbreak of several wars in the past few days, the number of newly wounded has increased dramatically, reaching a desperate situation where no one can treat them. The loss of manpower is drastic, and the war situation, which had been slightly improving, has taken a sharp turn for the worse, and the army has fallen into a passive position.
Qin Yue often complained to Luo Wan and Xie Yan, "The soldiers are all sick and injured, and the two remaining military doctors are simply overwhelmed. Meanwhile, the war with the Northern Kingdom is even more intense, and we're also stretched thin."
Luo Wan took a sip of tea and asked, "Has there been an outbreak of plague in Yangzhou?"
"No." Qin Yue blurted out, and then his expression changed, as if he realized something.
Luo Wan said, "Since it broke out after the war, why did it only break out among the group that fought that day? Why did the Xiliang army that fought against this group of soldiers remain safe and sound? Don't you think it's too suspicious?"
Qin Yue pondered and said, "Do you suspect that this plague was caused intentionally?"
Luo Wan said: "It's not doubt, but certainty."
Xie Yan continued, "When something is out of the ordinary, there must be something fishy going on."
Qin Yue pondered and said, "Did someone from Xiliang do it?"
Luo Wan shook his head. "Perhaps it's not just the Xiliang people. If Xiliang already had this countermeasure, given their character, they wouldn't have used it now after so many years of fighting on the border. Military doctors have never seen this kind of plague before, which means it's never broken out in this area. It just happened after Xiliang and the Northern Kingdom formed an alliance. The Northern Kingdom might be behind this."
Xie Yan smiled and said, "It's time to live!"
Qin Yue didn't understand: "What do you mean, Master Xie?"
Xie Yan patted Qin Yue’s shoulder and said with a smile, “Yanyun Pavilion has come alive.”
This analysis suggests the plague's source may have come from the north. Chen Beizhe has remained in the capital for so long, and it's time for him to take action. Only by finding the cause of the outbreak can the plague be completely resolved. Otherwise, even if the plague is resolved, it is likely to return.
"Where is Yanyun Pavilion?" Qin Yue was still confused.
"In the capital, it's the teahouse Ah Chen and I frequent most." Xie Yan explained casually, pulling out a map from his sleeve. "Didn't General Qin say he was planning to lead the Yinan Army to find another way?"
Qin Yue nodded. This was the second important matter he came to discuss today.
Weizhou was currently short on manpower, and a direct confrontation with Yangzhou would be like hitting a rock with an egg. They had no choice but to consider other options. The Yulin Army commander preferred to play it safe, unwilling to take risks. Fortunately, the Yinan Army he led obeyed his orders and was still able to fight.
Xie Yan spread out the map and pointed at a strategic pass. "A brute force attack is not advisable, but a strategic one can be used. Yangzhou is rich, and those who guard the food and grass must be arrogant soldiers."
He lowered his voice and laid out his plan. The disparity in military strength meant this was an extremely bold and almost risky plan, taking advantage of the terrain, the celestial phenomena, and the hearts of the people.
Luo Wan listened intently. Xie Yan seemed unruly at ordinary times, but in critical moments, he was incredibly reliable. She finally understood why Jiang Cichen and Xie Yan were so close.
"Okay." Qin Yue agreed without hesitation, "As long as we can temporarily delay the Xiliang army and give our brothers a chance to breathe, it's worth taking the risk."
Xie Yan raised his eyes and glanced at the sky outside: "Tonight, there will be an east wind."
Qin Yue stood up and said, "I will go gather the soldiers and get ready."
After a moment of silence, Xie Yan suddenly spoke: "Just stay here, just in case Tingyu Tower writes you back."
Counting the days, the letter should have arrived at Tingyu Tower, but it was uncertain how long it would take Qingyun to provide the right prescription. Luo Wan would have to stay here and wait for Qingyun's reply.
*
That night, Xie Yan and Qin Yue personally led a team of southern troops and sneaked into the pass in a roundabout way.
Luo Wan watched Yinan's army leave the camp, then turned and walked towards his own tent. When he passed the wounded camp, the intermittent wails of pain coming from inside were clearer and more piercing than during the day.
She has been feeling tired and occasionally dizzy these days, and she wonders if it is the side effect of Qingyun's prescription.
Luo Wan entered the room and just as he lit the candle on the candlestick, the dim light dispelled the darkness in a corner. He suddenly stopped and turned around. He saw Qingyun sitting quietly on a round stool beside him, with his packages of different sizes at his feet.
I didn't wait for Qingyun's letter, but I waited for Qingyun herself.
Luo Wan placed the candlestick on the table and asked, "Why are you here?"
She hadn't expected Qingyun to show up in person. This old man usually wished he'd lived in the pharmacy forever, and even letting him walk around Tingyu Tower twice was a luxury. But now he had come all the way from Tingyu Tower. It seemed that this plague was truly fierce.
Qingyun stood up, bowed to Luo Wan, and said, "Where is the patient? Can I see him now?"
Luo Wan took Qingyun directly to the injured camp.
As time passed, the number of patients in the wounded camp increased. Soldiers infected with the plague almost filled the entire camp, groaning and whimpering incessantly. The weather was scorching, and the stench of decay from the burst blisters was almost condensed into a solid, foul and unbearable smell.
The only two remaining military doctors were completely overwhelmed. Some of the wounded were in unbearable pain and itching, and without timely relief, they resorted to banging their heads against wooden stakes.
It is not an exaggeration to say that this scene is like purgatory.
Luo Wan frowned and asked Qingyun beside him: "Is there a solution to this plague?"
Qingyun glanced over and said calmly, "You wouldn't have come if it weren't for me."
Without further ado, Qingyun came to the nearest wounded soldier who was writhing in pain. After carefully examining his symptoms, he opened the bags he was carrying and took out several sets of silver needles and several porcelain bottles.
Luo Wan saw him first insert silver needles into the patient's forehead, neck, and arms, and the patient slowly calmed down. Then, he poured medicinal powder on the terrifying blisters, and the blisters shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Seeing this, the two anxious military doctors nearby immediately gathered around and asked, "Excuse me, Senior, what is the prescription for this?"
Qin Yue had previously told them that Luo Wan had a friend who was quite knowledgeable in medicine. They were helpless and had placed their hopes on this friend who only talked big for the past few days. They didn't expect to see him today, and it was so miraculous.
Qingyun didn't answer them, but quickly wrote two prescriptions and said simply: "One for external application, one for internal use."
One military doctor immediately went to get the prescription and prepare the medicine, while another worked with Qingyun to apply acupuncture and medication to the remaining wounded. Qingyun had arrived in such a hurry that he didn't have much medicine with him. With limited medicinal materials, he could only focus on treating the most critically ill soldiers first.
As a result, a dispute broke out in the wounded camp about who should apply medicine first, which alarmed the leader of the Yulin Army. After being scolded, the wounded camp quieted down.
The leader had not originally placed his hopes on a woman, but seeing this, he immediately arranged a good room for Qingyun.
When leaving the wounded camp, Qingyun took the initiative to speak, which was rare for her: "Biyue asked me to tell you when you will be returning."
The leader reacted very quickly to the word "you". A middle-aged man used this word to address a young woman. He couldn't help but look at Luo Wan's expression out of curiosity.
Luo Wan paused for a moment and said, "Wait until this plague is over."
There wasn't much she could do for him, and this was one thing.
For the next two days, the wounded camp was utterly busy. The dressings had to be changed every half day. There were too many wounded and too few military doctors. Anyone with a light hand was called in to change the dressings.
After a busy morning, everyone finally had some free time.
As Luo Wan was about to return to her room, she suddenly saw a young man blocking her way. Luo Wan remembered him, the little brother who had criticized her when she first went to the wounded camp.
"I have something to tell you." He said firmly.
After being busy for the whole morning in the hot weather, Luo Wan felt very dizzy at the moment. He just wanted to go back and rest. He really didn't have the time to talk nonsense with him here, so he walked around him and left.
Unexpectedly, he followed me again and asked, "Can you listen to me?"
Luo Wan said coldly: "If you try to stop me again, I will throw you out of the barracks."
"You woman, how can you not tell good from bad? I came here to..."
Luo Wan didn't hear what he said next. He only felt a flash of white light before his eyes. The world was spinning, and all the sounds quickly faded away. He lost consciousness.
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