Chapter 320 Fire Starter
Li San Niang spoke, and seeing that the old man did not answer, she raised her voice and asked again.
The commotion from the second question startled the dazed old man from his trance. He looked up at Li San Niang and asked directly, "Young lady, what brings you to this military camp?"
As Li Sanniang paced back and forth in the medical tent, people followed her, including Physician Nie.
At this moment, Doctor Nie stepped forward to explain, "...She was invited by Physician Sun, so why don't you let her take a look?"
Li San Niang learned from a doctor behind her why the old man was in the medical tent.
The old man had no name. He had fled famine with his family since he was a child. Later, he followed a group of soldiers to fight back and forth. Because he was fast at cooking communal meals, he became the cook in the auxiliary troops. Year after year, he worked his way up to cook, and his name became "cook".
Many years ago, the cook went to fight in the Western Regions. At that time, he was stabbed while saving a new recruit.
If he had received timely treatment, he could have recovered. However, he was ambushed and caught in icy and snowy weather. Due to the severity of his injuries, the military doctor had no choice but to perform an amputation as a last resort.
Luckily, Huo Tou survived and returned to Chang'an with the others.
Emperor Wu was considerate of his soldiers, and he would assign tasks that the disabled soldiers could manage, just like the soldiers with missing arms and legs who guarded the gate when Li San Niang went to the martyrs' cemetery to pay her respects.
But Huo Tou's legs were both broken, and he couldn't walk on his own, so he could only stay here and take care of himself.
After someone discovered that Huo Tou was trying to commit suicide, he was sent to the medical tent of the camp in the suburbs of Beijing and kept under guard.
This is what Li San Niang is seeing right now.
Li San Niang couldn't help but sigh.
War is for the purpose of ending conflict and for peace.
But behind every war lies cruelty, and someone always has to pay the price.
“I really do have a way. You are fighting for the Tang Dynasty, you shouldn’t be living this kind of life.”
The words "fight for the Tang Dynasty" made Huo Tou turn his head sharply to look at Li San Niang. It seemed that these words had moved him, and he trembled as he lifted the quilt that had been covering him.
Li Sanniang, who was nearby, was suddenly hit by a putrid stench. Everyone saw that her legs were severed at the knees under the blanket, and the stench was coming from there.
Those present were all experienced ulcer doctors, but a few less experienced doctors were seeing such a wound for the first time and even made gagging noises.
Upon seeing this, Li San Niang knew that it was caused by repeated secondary infections resulting from improper initial treatment.
In front of everyone, Li Sanniang changed into a mask, hat, and clothes to "elevate him."
Hearing this, the soldiers who had been standing nearby bypassed the doctor in front and found something to elevate the cook's legs so that Li Sanniang could reach out and treat him while sitting.
"Old man, would you like some anesthetic powder?"
Huo Tou was taken aback when the young woman asked this question. He paused for a moment before replying, "It's alright. We've been doing this for years. They just do it themselves when they're scraping away my rotten flesh."
After thinking for a moment, Li San Niang still used the acupuncture needles. Among the other doctors, there were naturally those who knew acupuncture needles, and they discussed it quietly beside her.
"Is it the life-saving acupuncture technique? She knows acupuncture?"
"Is it that golden needle technique? Really?"
"You've got some skills, haven't you?"
After Li San Niang inserted the needles, she began to clean the wound on Huo Tou. The process of Li San Niang cleaning the wound really shocked the doctors surnamed Nie who were standing by.
Within the Imperial Medical Bureau, in the Department of Ulcer Treatment, only a few veteran physicians around the same age as Physician Sun, who had truly served on the battlefield and had been immersed in the Department of Ulcer Treatment for over ten years, possessed the skill to remove rotten flesh so deftly and without harming the flesh itself.
They really didn't expect that Li San Niang, who looked young and was a woman, could have such skills.
If Li Sanniang knew what they were thinking, she would probably say, "It's nothing. If you spent a few months in the burn unit, you could do the same thing without batting an eye."
While observing Li San Niang's technique, Doctor Nie also watched Huo Tou's expression.
"This acupuncture technique is amazing; it really doesn't hurt?"
Whenever the doctor on duty at the medical office regularly removed the rotten flesh from Huo Tou, although Huo Tou remained stubborn and did not utter a sound or cry out in pain, his clenched fists, bulging veins on his arms, and clenched teeth all testified to his suffering.
However, this time, when Li San Niang made this move, Huo Tou's brows relaxed!
After cleaning one area and applying the wound powder, Li San Niang took the alcohol that Qiu Xiang had just poured and said, "Father-in-law, this alcohol is for disinfection, but it's very irritating. Please bear with it."
When Huo Tou cleaned the wound for the first time, he didn't feel much pain. When Li San Niang asked him this, he didn't answer, but just nodded.
Li San Niang took a clean cloth, soaked it in alcohol, and began wiping the edges of the wound.
Then, wrap it up with a clean cloth.
"Gentlemen, look, this method of bandaging is the most secure for this kind of wound."
While bandaging her wound, Li San Niang explained the procedure to the doctors.
The other leg is even more noteworthy, as it has a recently torn wound that can be sutured.
As Li Sanniang continued, she explained to everyone, "...This technique is the safest for this area. Afterwards, you must leave a drainage tube to allow pus and other impurities to drain out, so as not to affect the healing of the wound."
After everything was done, Li Sanniang said to the young apprentice who looked to be in the medical tent, "Do not get it wet, keep it warm. After seven or eight days, you can take it off and check. If there is no suppuration, then there is nothing to worry about. If there is suppuration, then you can clean the wound again."
Finally, Li San Niang nodded to the stubborn old man Huo Tou, took off her mask, looked at him and said, "Old man, it's not that you can't do things just because you've lost your legs. When you're feeling better, I'll have the soldiers make you a wheelchair."
Your hands are fine and can move on their own.
Even if things go terribly wrong, your very existence is a glory and a victory for the Tang Dynasty.
I beg you to live well, so that others can see my skills, Li San Niang, how about it?
Looking at the sincere Li San Niang, Huo Tou opened his mouth, tried a few times, and finally managed to utter a sound, "You little girl, do you really mean what you say?"
Can I get better?
Isn't it a drag?
"Can it still be useful?"
"If you trust me, old man, I'll definitely be able to do it!"
Li San Niang's words rekindled Huo Tou's hope, mainly because he saw that Li San Niang, a young woman, could have so many doctors accompanying her, and especially when Li San Niang was cleaning his wound, he really didn't feel any pain.
Huo Tou felt that if someone as capable as Li San Niang could say such a thing, then he truly deserved to live.
"Hey, give me a bowl of thin porridge. If I can live, I must live well."
Sun, the medical supervisor, stood behind and said to Li Erxiong, who had already treated the soldier's wounds, "I knew it was the right thing to do to invite Third Sister to teach this matter."
I should have invited Third Sister sooner.
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