Jin Xuanming finished speaking in one breath and waited nervously for the king's response.
Silence fell once more in the hall. The king's expression shifted rapidly, clearly indicating an intense internal struggle.
After a long pause, he slowly spoke:
"This matter... is too risky. What if we anger Lu Yan, which would be detrimental to Aisha?"
Jin Xuanming quickly assured him:
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will act with utmost care and will never allow Her Highness the Princess to be harmed! If the plan fails, I am willing to atone with my life!"
The king sighed deeply, but was ultimately persuaded by Jin Xuanming's plan.
"Alright, let's try anything, even if it seems hopeless. You're in charge of this matter. Remember, under no circumstances should Aisha be harmed!"
"Your subject obeys the decree!" Jin Xuanming breathed a sigh of relief and quickly kowtowed to express his gratitude.
The king then summoned his ministers to discuss countermeasures.
He paced back and forth, his brow furrowed in frustration.
"Now that Haixia Pass has fallen, our army's morale is low. How should we deal with Lu Yan's next offensive?"
An elderly minister stepped forward, trembling, and said:
"Your Majesty, the only way to stop Lu Yan's attack now is to conscript soldiers as soon as possible and strengthen defenses!"
“Yes, Your Majesty! Lu Yan’s advance is unstoppable, we must be fully prepared!” another minister echoed.
The king recalled Lu Yan's swift attack on Haixia Pass and the previous disastrous defeat of Beixiang Kingdom.
A sense of fear rose in my heart.
"In your opinion, how many troops should be conscripted?"
"Five hundred thousand!"
One minister tentatively suggested.
The king shook his head.
"Five hundred thousand is too few! Lu Yan's army is strong and well-equipped; five hundred thousand is simply not enough! At least... at least seven hundred thousand!"
Seven hundred thousand! Everyone gasped; this number sent chills down his spine.
An army of 700,000—how much food and supplies would that require?
How much of the people's wealth must have been plundered?
Even if we used all the resources of the entire nation, we might not be able to gather that many people!
"Your Majesty, seven hundred thousand...I'm afraid..."
Someone was about to offer advice when the king rudely interrupted them.
"Seven hundred thousand, my mind is made up, not one can be missing."
He suddenly stood up, the hem of his dragon robe sweeping across the ground with a dull thud.
"Immediate conscription! Families with only one son are exempt from conscription. All other families with brothers, who are married with children, and are under the age of forty, must be sent to the army!"
With a deafening roar, the king slammed his fist heavily onto the dragon throne.
The golden nanmu wood table trembled slightly.
"Minister of War! This matter is entrusted to you all! There must be no mistakes, and you must expedite it!"
The Minister of War accepted the order with a bitter face. The mobilization of 700,000 troops was no easy task.
He knew that this would be a bloody storm, a catastrophe that would ignite widespread public resentment.
...
Meanwhile, after arriving at Haixia Pass, Lu Yan immediately began arranging the aftermath.
Apart from the necessary garrison, he sent most of his soldiers back to Shannan Prefecture.
He personally supervised each soldier's vaccination.
This move was less about preventing cholera and more about stabilizing morale.
After all, fear is more terrifying than disease.
After dealing with the numerous miscellaneous matters at Haixia Pass, Lu Yan led the medical team back to Shannan Prefecture.
On the way back, he deliberately slowed down the march.
So that these doctors who have been fighting on the front lines of the epidemic for many days can get some rest.
Upon returning to Shannan Prefecture, the first thing Lu Yan did was to host a banquet for the medical team.
After several rounds of drinks, Lu Yan stood up and bowed deeply to everyone:
"Dear physicians, you have worked hard! On behalf of the million people of Shannan Prefecture, I, Lu Yan, salute you!"
This gesture flattered the doctors present.
They quickly stood up to return the greeting, saying, "You flatter me, you flatter me."
But he couldn't hide the excitement on his face.
"You mustn't do this, sir! We are merely fulfilling our duty as healers; how could we possibly accept such a grand gesture from you!"
An elderly doctor with white hair and beard said tremblingly.
"Yes, sir, saving lives and healing the wounded is our duty, we cannot do this!"
Another young doctor chimed in.
"Of course you deserve it!"
Lu Yan said loudly.
"You risked your lives to go deep into the epidemic area, develop vaccines, and save countless lives. What an achievement!"
"It is truly a blessing for the people of Shannan Prefecture to have you all!"
Lu Yan's words made the doctors even more excited.
They originally thought they were just doing their duty, but they didn't expect to receive such high praise.
Some of the more emotional doctors were even moved to tears.
"Gentlemen, please go back and get some rest. Tomorrow, I will confer medals upon you in the square in front of the mansion!"
Lu Yan said with a smile.
"Thank you, sir!"
The following day, the square in front of the Shannan Prefecture government building was packed with people and bustling with activity.
The people gathered here early, eagerly awaiting this grand award ceremony.
Lu Yan, dressed in official robes, stood on the high platform, his gaze sweeping over the dark mass of people below, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
"Fellow citizens, soldiers! This cholera outbreak has ravaged Zhongzhou and Jingzhou. Although we took timely measures, more than a thousand people have still tragically lost their lives..."
At this point, Lu Yan's voice lowered, and the audience fell silent.
"but!"
Lu Yan raised his voice.
"Through the tireless efforts of our medical team, we successfully developed a cholera vaccine, preventing an even greater disaster for Shannan Prefecture and saving countless lives and property!"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
