Chapter 268

Chapter 268

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 8: Chang’an Discusses Wine, Golden Autumn Brings Change Chapter 268: Medical Matters in Chiyang

Ju Shou said that agricultural books should not be hastily implemented because their agricultural system is different from Bingzhou’s, and they cannot undergo a complete reconstruction process casually.

Shen Pei said that medical books can only serve as a supplement for now, as they lack the copying conditions and manpower to execute them.

The situation with mules is somewhat different.

This is just a matter of allocating a batch of horses and donkeys for breeding, without needing to consider the execution by the common people, nor worrying about whether such a move, if exposed, would make people think they are directly seizing the development achievements of Bingzhou.

At most, this is just an imitation of the predecessors from the pre-Qin period.

Since mules are still considered ornamental animals in today’s understanding, Yuan Xi explained: “After learning about the load capacity and food consumption of this creature from Bingzhou, I did not fully believe it. Instead, halfway through the journey, I took the opportunity to travel with a merchant caravan to let it pull a load for a while before parting ways. The consumption of fine grain and the weight of the load were all recorded in detail.”

Yuan Shao furrowed his brows.

The idea of raising “valuable” ornamental animals for military logistics, if not coming from Yuan Xi’s mouth but from someone whose loyalty he couldn’t be sure of, might have made him doubt the person’s intentions.

But since it was Yuan Xi who said it, there was no way he would betray his father, and thus no possibility of digging a pit.

He asked: “Using a male horse and a female donkey to produce a hinny?”

A hinny is a mule.

If that’s the case, Yuan Shao thought it might be worth a try.

However, the answer he got from Yuan Xi was, “No, using a male donkey and a female horse to produce a mule.”

“If that’s the case, this move is somewhat inappropriate,” Ju Shou interjected. “Using female horses to produce foals for military purposes is already a convention. Changing this rashly would only reduce the number of horses available for your use. This change should not be made.”

Ju Shou wasn’t entirely against taking risks.

It’s worth noting that Yuan Shao’s Qingzhou and Ji Province are far inferior to Bingzhou and Liangzhou in terms of horse reserves. Although these two provinces have pastures due to their northern location, if you compare the horse numbers of the two provinces, Qiao Yan’s side has an overwhelming advantage.

This is why Yuan Shao is so wary of the north.

The Taihang Mountains to the west, even with the existence of the Eight Passes of Taihang, still present a state of isolation, especially hindering cavalry.

As long as Qiao Yan hasn’t been given the conditions to invade Ji Province from the north on a large scale, the two sides haven’t reached the point of direct confrontation.

Under such a disadvantage, rashly turning a batch of foals that should have been born into mules to save on logistical consumption during marches is tantamount to self-destruction!

But shortly after he finished speaking, Guo Tu on the other side said, “Actually, it’s not impossible to try. Compared to Bingzhou, we do have a shortage of food. If we can reduce losses in military logistics, it seems more prudent than vigorously promoting farming methods. Moreover, my lord doesn’t need to use existing female horses for breeding. After Gongsun Zan of Youzhou and Tadun of Wuhuan requested titles from the court, didn’t they send a batch of Youzhou warhorses to my lord?”

Gongsun Zan and Tadun have limited reverence for Yuan Shao.

After they drove Liu Yu out of the territory and formed a confrontation with Zhang Liao in Shanggu County, it was Yuan Shao who needed to win them over to gain their support against Qiao Yan, not them needing to curry favor with Yuan Shao.

So these Youzhou warhorses, nominally fine northern horses, are actually quite difficult to tame.

“My lord’s original plan was—if they couldn’t be tamed, use them to breed the next generation of warhorses. Now, changing their purpose is also fine.” Guo Tu, having finally caught an opportunity to oppose Ju Shou, wouldn’t let it go and even felt more convinced as he spoke. “Of course, before that, my lord can also test the mule brought back by the second son and the mules originally in Ji Province to see if mules are truly as outstanding as the second son said.”

Are there people in Ji Province who raise mules for appreciation? Among these clan magnates, there really are.

But due to the scarcity of mules and Yuan Shao’s concentration of warhorse resources in recent years to guard against attacks from elsewhere, the mules currently in Ji and Qing Provinces are mostly not young.

So if he really followed Guo Tu’s advice to test mules, the result would only be the same as what Yuan Xi told him.

But Yuan Shao didn’t realize this at the moment and held a reserved opinion on Guo Tu’s words, intending to try it out as he suggested.

Yuan Xi pulled out another piece of paper.

On the paper was a sketch, with a crescent-shaped hoofprint pressed beside it.

“If father is worried that the cavalry is not as good as that of Bingzhou and Sili, here’s some good news.”

“In the recent Chang’an road display, the war chariots and warhorses of the Bingzhou army appeared, and there was something very special. If I noticed it, surely spies from other provinces would have seen it too. The warhorses of Bingzhou all have a horseshoe nailed to their hooves to save on hoof wear.”

“Unfortunately, Yuanhao did not personally get involved in the production of this item and could only draw it from memory, but the difficulty of making it shouldn’t be high. If father has someone study it, they should be able to produce it quickly.”

Horseshoes?

Yuan Shao quietly examined the item, also making an assessment in his heart.

If this item could really reduce hoof wear and was widely used in Bingzhou’s cavalry, he would have to join in its production.

Once horse consumption decreased, the pressure of his scarce warhorse resources would immediately lighten.

This way, those Youzhou warhorses that still needed manpower to tame could indeed be put into mule production, and even some horses could be added according to logistical transport needs!

Compared to the previous two points, this is much more feasible.

He clearly understood that one thing Yuan Xi said was right: as Chang’an displayed its strength to all sides, items like horseshoes could no longer be hidden from others and would inevitably be imitated by other provinces. At most, he would get the information more accurately and directly.

But with the additional information about logistical mule teams, he was ahead of others!

Very good.

Of course, he thought this way, but all he said was: “Let’s not discuss this in detail for now, let’s talk about the next thing.”

He thought that since the mule matter was a good start, the next thing should satisfy him.

But what he didn’t expect was that this mule news, which had both positive and negative effects, was actually the best news he could hear.

Even compared to those earlier points that had visible benefits but couldn’t be copied, this was more practical.








Compared to seeing something but only being able to take a bite, it’s much more despairing to see something but not be able to eat it at all.

Yuan Xi took out soy sauce.

According to him, it was precisely because of this thing that Qiao Yan managed to secure the official sales rights for alcohol from the noble families of three, or even five, regions without incurring their hostility.

The flavor of this thing surpasses even fermented bean sauce, making dishes more delicious, and could even impact the market for officially sold salt.

Yuan Shao’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, but then Yuan Xi blurted out that, unfortunately, he didn’t know how Qiao Yan made it.

Yuan Xi then took out allicin.

In his words, this thing could treat many common diseases, especially intestinal disorders.

But he only knew that it was made from garlic through some processing steps and stored in alcohol, the specific process of which he also didn’t know.

He then took out a bottle of high-purity alcohol.

This alcohol was added to his luggage by Guo Jia as a local product from Sili for him to bring back.

Because of this thing, Yuan Xi was able to perform a novel scene of alcohol catching fire in front of everyone.

But how did Qiao Yan manage to purify such alcohol? Yuan Xi didn’t know either.

Yuan Shao’s look at Yuan Xi was getting strange.

If he hadn’t confirmed that Yuan Xi was just a bit tanned and dressed more simply, and hadn’t been replaced by someone who looked like him, he would have thought Yuan Xi was a spy sent by the enemy.

What’s the difference between these things and the paper he knew was beneficial but couldn’t produce?

It seems that apart from damaging his confidence and disrupting the morale of his own side, they are of no use!

Who taught Yuan Xi to gather intelligence like this!

Oh, Tian Feng.

Yuan Shao mentally noted a debt against Tian Feng, realizing that in the end, he could only consider using five things.

Agricultural tools and pest control methods from the Bingzhou agricultural books, medical books, horseshoes, mules, and allicin.

The latter three required him to invest manpower and resources to research, while the first two couldn’t be used entirely.

“Lord, you don’t need to be so upset,” Shen Pei said when he spoke up after letting Yuan Xi rest and leaving Yuan Shao to talk with his strategists. “The more things the opponent in the west wants to hide, the easier it is for them to lose sight of one thing while focusing on another. Now that Yuan Hao has established a foothold there and uncovered many secrets, it’s only a matter of time before more of her things can be used by us.”

“At most, when promoting them, we need to conceal the fact that they share the same origin to avoid public opinion being controlled by the other side, directly seizing our development achievements.”

After all, it’s their first time being undercover, and doing as well as they have is already quite good.

There’s really no need to demand so much.

But—

“Do you really think Sili has developed to this extent?” Xin Pi couldn’t help but ask his brother Xin Ping on their way back from Yuan Shao.

Both of them are from Yingchuan, but they didn’t mix with Xi Zhicai and Guo Jia, so they’ve been under Yuan Shao for quite some time. In the long-standing factional struggles in Ye City, these things from Chang’an that are beyond imagination and beyond the strategists’ ability to assess the overall situation are not just unusable to them, but also a wake-up call.

The changes in the Sili region are unsettling in an indescribable way.

What Xin Pi fears is not that Yuan Shao will soon face Sili’s iron cavalry and fall into defeat, but that they, who pride themselves on being well-read, might be left behind by the tide of the times.

Will the knowledge they possess due to their noble status naturally become obsolete after some time?

Compared to those great scholars who delve into the classics, strategists like Xin Pi and Xin Ping, who advocate practicality, need to worry more about such a situation.

Xin Ping previously co-led the research on the repeating crossbow with Guo Tu, but now the opponent has a bunch of overwhelming new things.

What will they face next?

Xin Pi’s question didn’t get an answer from Xin Ping. In their silent exchange, there were probably many things not suitable to be said at this time.

Xin Ping only said, “Didn’t you say you wanted to hold a first birthday banquet for Xianying? Let’s go, have some wine at your place.”

They are not under the jurisdiction of the Chang’an court, so there’s no rule against drinking.

As for whether they are celebrating Xin Pi’s daughter’s first birthday or drowning their sorrows in wine, they have a set of external justifications anyway.

While Ye City was in turmoil over the things Yuan Xi brought, each pondering their own thoughts, Qiao Yan also had a formal meeting with Zhang Zhongjing.

Zhang Ji is different from Hua Tuo. He is both a physician and an official, so when he appeared before Qiao Yan, he didn’t give off the air of a reclusive mountain doctor, but rather the steady and reliable demeanor of a parental official.

This attitude is good.

Before Zhang Zhongjing could even exchange a few words with Qiao Yan, she had already pulled him to visit the newly designated medical school area.

But perhaps out of a habit of wanting to do more practical things, Zhang Zhongjing actually adapted quite well to Qiao Yan’s unusually swift and decisive attitude.

Since both the Painting Institute and the Medical School were to be established simultaneously, neither could occupy a small area.

The Medical School might also need to accommodate patients with infectious diseases to provide the most accurate diagnosis and treatment for major epidemics, so this place couldn’t be located within Chang’an City.

“I finally decided to place the Medical School in Chiyang,” Qiao Yan said, riding ahead and pointing her whip in that direction towards Zhang Zhongjing. “The hills behind this place will be used to grow medicinal herbs, and the water source will be specially diverted for use to prevent confusion with other places. Would you be willing to serve here?”

Although Zhang Zhongjing was surprised by the directness of this invitation, he wasn’t one to hesitate or be indecisive.

He had thought Qiao Yan would discuss with him further thoughts on strong alcohol and considerations for promoting emergency medical books for universal healthcare before talking about his appointment here. But pointing directly to a piece of land for him to fully utilize seemed to convey her sincerity more than any words could.

What physicians fear most is patients or their families having meddlesome ideas, and the same goes for the relationship between superiors and physicians.

“Trust” is indeed the most precious thing.

He immediately accepted the appointment.

Qiao Yan clapped her hands and smiled, “Since you’ve agreed to assist here, I can rest assured and have things sent over from Bingzhou.”

“I hope you won’t be too surprised. Wu Pu, a disciple of Yuan Hua, has been living in Leping for six or seven years and has come up with some slightly strange things. It’s just right to have a thorough discussion with you before the Medical School is built, so we can cooperate better in the future.”

Whether it was Zhang Zhongjing’s illusion or not, he felt that these “strange things” might shatter many of his preconceived notions.