Chapter 978 – Battle for the Northern Border (Fifteen)
“Even if it doesn’t affect anything, you should go check on the infirmary. If the wounds are serious, let them stitch you up; otherwise, when will you heal?” After saying that, Jiang Pengji added, “By the way, have someone sharpen my sword; the blade is all messed up—”
Li Yun glanced at the sword thrown carelessly on the ground by his Lord. That sword weighed as much as a stone, and nobody else could wield it so effortlessly.
However, every time his Lord returned from battle, this sword always needed a visit to the blacksmith to fix the dulled edge.
It wasn’t that the sword was of poor quality; it was clear that his Lord fought with too much intensity. A good sword in her hands would end up as a single-use item.
“The troops haven’t arrived yet; the supply of sutures in the infirmary is running low—”
Li Yun, confident in his well-being and quick recovery, didn’t want to fight for scarce medical resources with the injured soldiers.
“The sutures we brought aren’t enough?” Jiang Pengji asked in surprise.
Li Yun chuckled, “Injuries aren’t just among our soldiers; there are also the captives from the Northern Border. The consumption is more than expected.”
Jiang Pengji replied, “If we don’t have enough sutures, just pull out a few hairs; if the wound isn’t too deep or long, hair can work in a pinch.”
Though hair is fragile, a few strands twisted together could provide decent strength in emergencies.
Several years ago, with the help of the audience in the live stream, Jiang Pengji learned quite a bit about first aid.
On top of that, she also consulted the local doctor in Wanzhou about the possibility of suturing external wounds.
Her exact words back then were—
“The human body is just like clothing; if clothing tears, it can be sewn up. If the wound is too large, why can’t it be stitched up too?”
The doctor at the clinic was left speechless—how could humans and clothing be the same?
But who could blame Jiang Pengji? She was the Lord, after all!
All their wages came from her, and the clinic was established with her funding.
Initially hesitant to practice on people, the Young Doctor could only experiment on rabbits or other animals, even consulting embroiderers on various stitching techniques.
It turned out that stitched wounds healed much faster than untreated ones, reducing the chances of festering and death significantly!
The doctors sought out various suitable materials for suturing wounds and passed this surgical skill onto the female medics.
After all, most soldiers who died in war didn’t perish on the battlefield but from delayed treatment or wound infections.
With better medical care and suturing techniques, many injured soldiers could survive.
Thanks to this, the female battalion became increasingly popular.
If it weren’t for the rule that female soldiers couldn’t retire or marry until they were twenty-five, who knows how many male soldiers would be vying for them?
Can’t let the good stuff go to outsiders!
Female soldiers who retired early due to injuries mostly chose to stay in the army for logistics, with spouses being either retired male soldiers or decent-looking captives, becoming their own heads of households. No matter which option they chose, they were currently living quite well, making others envious.
“Hair could work?” Li Yun said, surprised. “Alright, then I’ll stop by the infirmary shortly.”
As they spoke, the day had fully brightened, and the red dawn spread across the sky like paint.
The audience in the live stream stayed up all night.
Most were too tired to keep their eyes open, but when they saw the bodies floating on the surface of the river, all signs of sleep vanished in shock.
“Have someone fish these bodies out for burial; otherwise, if they end up in the mouths of fish, the river water will be contaminated, and it won’t be convenient for us to use.”
Jiang Pengji ordered, sending men to retrieve the corpses.
Only the bodies on their side of the river’s bank would be cleaned up; those drifting to the opposite bank were left alone to avoid being shot full of holes.
Following the Great Victory at the river, the morale of Jiang Pengji’s side soared.
Because Dongqing had suffered too many losses to the Northern Border, everyone had been anxious before the battle.
If they couldn’t even win on their home turf, how could they win in enemy territory?
In reality, not only did they win, but they achieved a resounding victory!
In stark contrast to the jubilation on their side, a heavy, gloomy atmosphere enveloped the Northern Border camp on the west bank of the river.
Wu Libai, being an old general, was publicly reprimanded and humiliated by the Dai Wang, losing all face.
Even Wu Libai’s political rival, Halencha, couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for his adversary in such a predicament.
The Dai Wang lacked insight, but Halencha couldn’t just watch as Wu Libai dug his own grave.
Wu Libai had lost, but defeat is common in war; they couldn’t let an old general be driven to the ground because of one loss!
There were many capable soldiers in the Northern Border, but most were reckless brutes, with true strategists being rare.
If Wu Libai were ousted, the Northern Border would be doomed.
Previously, Halencha believed that brains were no match for brawn, but after witnessing Sun Wen manipulate the court with ease, he had changed his stance.
Wu Libai must not come to harm!
Thinking this, Halencha stepped up to speak on Wu Libai’s behalf, garnering suspicious glances from everyone.
Aren’t Halencha and Wu Libai political foes?
When did these two bury the hatchet?
The Dai Wang was fuming, but Halencha was a trusted confidant; he couldn’t afford to disrespect him.
He decided to let Wu Libai recuperate, get better, and then earn redemption.
Once everyone had dispersed, the Dai Wang intentionally kept Halencha behind.
“Is it possible that not a single person in our Northern Border could replace Wu Libai? That old coot is clearly past his prime—”
The Dai Wang asked Halencha, longing for the presence of the unfortunate Sun Wen in such a situation.
“If Zaid Dao were here, that old coot Wu Libai wouldn’t be so arrogant—”
Halencha stood silently to one side, unwilling to invite the other’s ire.
Once the Dai Wang had vented enough, Halencha then said, “In my opinion, Dai Wang, Liu Xi’s victory this time was not earned fairly.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“If both armies faced off directly, our side would surely return victorious. In my humble opinion, though clever, this feint maneuver was met with Liu Xi’s numerous strategists, and surely someone saw through General Wu Libai’s plans, preemptively setting up defenses.”
In other words, it wasn’t that Wu Libai lost to Liu Xi, nor that the Northern Border soldiers lost to those soft-footed Han; they lost due to their strategy!
This explanation considerably eased the Dai Wang’s mind.
“What should we do then?” he asked. “Should we simply allow one side to cross the river and set up positions to fight?”
Even if they wanted to, Liu Xi’s side wouldn’t agree to that either.
They were enemies, not allies; why would they trust each other?
Halencha said, “That’s not my meaning. We just need to address the current low morale, which urgently requires an uplift.”
Without morale, fighting would be pointless.
Clearly, the Dai Wang was a bit lost on the key issue.
The Dai Wang lamented, “If Zaid Dao were still here, I wouldn’t be in such a predicament—”
Halencha: “…”
Ugh!
This is just too much!
Before the Dai Wang could come up with a solution, they both heard a resounding horn.
“Where’s that horn coming from?”
The clear, sharp sound of the horn carried a heavy killing intent, and upon closer inspection, it seemed accompanied by the booming of drums, like a torrential downpour in intensity.
The blaring horn echoed with the rhythmic beat of war drums.
