CH 72

Zhu Er crept out of bed bright and early. His arm had been injured in the fierce battle, but fortunately, it was only a flesh wound. The moment he got back to the barracks, the wound was washed and bandaged – right now, his arm was cased in a thick cocoon. It did hurt, but that was all.

Despite his injury, Zhu Er stood up, delicately folded the thick hemp blankets, and smoothed out the woolen bedcover below. Those were all military-issued. If they got damaged, he’d have to bring them home for his wife to patch up. He’d only just married her; he couldn’t bear to let her tire herself out. 

After he was done, he took a look at the empty bed across from his, as usual, then sighed and left.

The militia hadn’t trained in the days since the battle. Zhu Er made his way across the empty training field towards the west side of the barracks. There were five buildings over there that’d been set aside from the first day since the new barracks were built. They were all nice houses that got plenty of sunlight, and there were a lot of strange tall-legged beds inside, but no one had ever lived there. It wasn’t until now that everyone realized what those buildings were for.

Those were the barracks’ sickrooms, where all the injured soldiers stayed – both to contain any infectious diseases and make treatment more convenient. On the day they’d returned, the heavily wounded had been carted directly into the sickrooms. The next day, the master’d brought back two doctors from the county town, and chucked ‘em in to start treating patients. A whole lot of people said they’d heard screaming coming from inside.

Zhu Er was determined never to set foot in there if he could help it. But his roommate Wang Wu had been heavily injured. He was a belligerent fellow who liked picking fights, but they’d both been part of the first batch of farmhands to enlist in the militia. They’d trained together and fought together in the Liang Estate’s first battle. They’d been promoted to team leader together and had had an unofficial rivalry going to see who’d get to corporal first. But now, Wang Wu was lying around in one of those eerie sickrooms. 

Zhu Er peered wide-eyed at the sign above the door and went to a room on the west side. For some reason, the door was only half-shut. He could hear pained groaning before he even set foot in there. The voices, some louder than others, some muffled, some clear, were distressingly agitating. Zhu Er swallowed nervously and pushed the door open.

There were six tall-legged beds, all of them occupied. Zhu Er took a closer look and saw it wasn’t the gory, nightmarish hellscape he’d been imagining. On the contrary, it was clean and tidy; the hemp bedcovers were all spotless, the windows were curtained with thin white paper to block the wind and let the sunlight in. And it wasn’t cold at all, thanks to the burning braziers in the corners of the room. They were built rather strangely. The smoke seemed to be flowing outside through the long metal pipes nearby. It wasn’t stuffy in the least.

Though there was an ever-present hint of blood, it was mostly drowned out by the scent of medicine. The place looked more like a nobleman’s house than a room for patients!

“Zhu Er? Is that you?”

A voice rasped hoarsely. Zhu Er remembered what he was here for and hurriedly approached his bedside. A lump formed in his throat when he laid eyes on the bedridden man. He nearly shed tears right then and there, “Wang Wu, your, your leg…”

The blankets were conspicuously flat where his left leg was supposed to be. They must’ve amputated it. Who could’ve thought that a single battle could turn a perfectly healthy man into a cripple?

“What’re ya weepin’ for?!” Wang Wu’s complexion was ashen, but his mind was lucid. He groused gruffly, “I’m only short a leg, s’not like I’m dead. Oh, you don’t even know how brutal that rain of arrows was. Four of the guys beside me went down right then and there. I got off lightly, really……..”

“But how will you ever lead troops again….” Realizing his gaffe, Zhu Er stopped halfway, wanting to slap himself in the face! Wasn’t that just adding insult to injury? 

“Guess I’ll plant fields then. Besides, the master’s said that disability counts as second-class military merit. I’ve got ten years of tax exemption. And just wait, lemme show you something….”

He reached out and rang the bell hanging above him. All the groaning and moaning in the room mysteriously lessened when the clear tinkling rang out. The thick curtain was swept aside as someone emerged from the inner room.

It was a woman! Zhu Er’s eyes popped out of their sockets. Wait, since when were there women in the barracks?! The woman was primly dressed; her hair was wrapped up in a headscarf. She looked to be about thirty or so, and she was a looker too!

Dfobgf Ite Sg uba tlr klar jybea tlw, atf kbwjc gjlrfv j rtjqfis ygbk, “Qtja’gf sbe vblcu tfgf?” 

Ite Sg raeaafgfv, “P, vbbg, vbbg kjr bqfc…”

“Ktlr gbbw lr obg atbrf lc mglalmji mbcvlalbc ktb cffv ab gfra jcv gfmbnfg. Tbe mjc’a pera nlrla kliis-cliis,” atf kbwjc rjlv. Vtf ragbvf bnfg ab Qjcu Qe jcv rcjqqfv mbivis, “Qtja vb sbe kjca cbk?”

Wang Wu moaned wretchedly, “Urrghh… Nurse Li, I’m sooo thirsty. Could you bring me some water?”

The woman scowled but made for the inner room to get hot water without another word. While she was off getting water, Wang Wu whispered, “Didja see that?! They came to the sickrooms just yesterday, every room’s got one! Just to look after our daily needs! Changing bandages, wiping us down, helping us to the bathroom, these women do it all!” 

“A woman’s looking after you brutes?” Zhu Er was shocked. “Why’d she be willing to do that?!”

“I betcha don’t know she was rescued from one of those bandit strongholds. Apparently, she doesn’t wanna marry anymore, so she came to the barracks. Captain’s said they work on the military’s dime like us, so we can’t disrespect ‘em. But y’know, I think she’s interested in me, whaddya think?”

Zhu Er couldn’t tell if the woman was at all attracted to him, but his own distaste was written all over his face. Bemused by Wang Wu’s antics, Zhu Er scolded, “Those women who’ve been rescued from the bandits haven’t got it easy – and she’s takin’ care of you all, so stop giving her trouble!”

“I know that! I want to marry her!” Wang Wu rolled his eyes at him. He didn’t seem so pallid anymore. Rather, he was back to his old punchable self again. 

The woman came back with a bowl of water, looked at Zhu Er, and frowned, “Still not leaving? Perfect, you can help him drink then.”

Wang Wu was dumbstruck. He instantly glared daggers at Zhu Er, who spluttered, “My, my arm’s injured….”

“Exactly, so get outta here!” Wang Wen shooed him away.

Zhu Er hardly had the face to keep loitering with how his old buddy was acting. He cleared his throat dryly and took his leave. Standing outside the door, he looked at the orderly row of spacious buildings, his worries fully assuaged. Their master never let them down. Even if they were injured or killed, they wouldn’t be abandoned. That was a lord worth laying down their lives for! 

※

“Master, in the last two days, another seven of the critically wounded have died. The rest are being treated to the best of our ability, but we’ll have to wait and see for another few days,” the healer reported honestly, kneeling before the desk.

With how primitive surgical know-how was in this era, being heavily wounded was hardly any different from dying on the battlefield; saving even a few was already good enough. Liang Feng sighed softly, “As for the rest, do what you can for them. Save them if it’s at all possible, and worry not about the cost.”

The two healers made eye contact with each other. They’d never met a head of household like this before. Usually, injured soldiers were all tossed in a corner to rot. Who’d ever treated them with such respect? Oh, how fortunate they were to have such a benevolent master. 

The other healer spoke, “But those nurses in the sickrooms, might they be a detriment to the atmosphere…..”

Liang Feng raised a brow, “Are the nurses incapable of attending to the patients?”

“No, but they are women after all. Is it really appropriate…..” the healer trailed off awkwardly, not knowing how to explain it to the pretty lord.

“They’re not prostitutes. They’re only responsible for looking after the patients’ welfare. Naturally, they will take up positions in the estate once there are no patients left. Your job is simply to administer treatment and prevent an outbreak of disease,” Liang Feng said frostily. 

The two healers dared not say any more; they saluted and took their leave. Liang Feng irritatedly kneaded his forehead. Explaining the nursing system to the people of this era was such a bother. Yiyan had taken down many a bandit stronghold over the last few months and thus the estate had taken in quite a few of the poor women who’d been abducted. Some of them were able to shake off their trauma, marry, and begin a new life. Some wanted to remain alone for the rest of their years. Liang Feng simply went with the flow and provided them with the opportunity to learn handicrafts or nursing; it was a way out at least.

And truth be told, having female nurses around did wonders for the injured soldiers’ will to live. It’d be great if the presence of these brave women boosted their survival rate. The nurses, though, could only serve in the barracks. He’d have to train up another batch of combat medics to follow the troops out to battle. Guo Jiao wasn’t getting his two doctors back. When Jiang Da came back, he’d have him whip up a batch of useable people.

“My lord. The horses have been inspected, and the fifty-seven inferior or injured have been selected,” Yiyan reported, striding into the room.

“Very good. Send someone to bring the horses to the county town and deliver them to Wu Ling in exchange for some hayfeed,” Liang Feng instructed. “How many horses does that leave?” 

“One hundred and thirty six.”

“That just about makes for a total of one hundred fifty steeds, including those belonging to the estate. Looks like we’ll have to establish a pasture field next year. Take a look around and find a suitable location.” Trading these lame horses for hay was more economic than keeping them around. Else the sudden addition of over a hundred horses could eat his granaries empty.

“Will the cavalry increase to a hundred fifty next year?” Yiyan asked excitedly.

“Mhmm. Not only the cavalry but the footsoldiers’ ranks will be expanded as well. The auxiliary soldiers that survived this battle will join the primary forces, and a suitable number of people will be recruited for the auxiliary. With two footsoldier companies and one cavalry company, we’ll have the capability to defend ourselves.” Liang Feng had long since made plans. Once the refugees began flowing in en masse, he’d start nabbing people. He had to have at least two hundred primary forces and four to five hundred auxiliary forces; he needed more of every kind of armed force. But the lack of qualified military officers was giving him a headache. A thousand soldiers were easy to come by, but a single general was hard to find. 

“Keep an eye out for any potential officer candidates. Report back to me if you spot any promising. I’ll evaluate them myself.”

“Understood.” As someone who’d led the militia to victory multiple times, Yiyan knew the impact that a good officer could make. He could take the corporals into consideration, he mused.

“Have the seized provisions been inventoried yet?”

“Six carts of silk; two carts of gold, silver, and other riches; one million in coins. The bookkeeper is still tallying the numbers. He probably won’t be finished until tomorrow,” Yiyan stated. 

Those rebels were sure good at plundering. Who knew how many villages they’d ravaged. Still, he’d caught them at just the right time. As they’d only just begun their robbing spree, they still coveted all kinds of material riches. Later on, when they had to go to ground, they’d focus on stealing clothes and food instead of money.

“Mhm, at least with this, we won’t have fought for nothing.” Liang Feng nodded, “Have the dead horses processed as soon as possible. Distribute ten kilos of horse meat to every soldier and cure whatever is left over. It’ll be useful once the refugees come. Tan the horse skin and keep the horsehair. We’ll find a way to sell it when spring comes around.”

Horses were valuable from head to hoof; even the Xiongnu wouldn’t butcher so many at once. These goods had to be properly stored away so that they could be sold at profit later on. Thank goodness it was winter, or it’d be impossible to preserve it all. If they’d gotten their hands on all these dead horses in the summer, they’d have had to eat them all in one go.

Yiyan nodded in assent. He was accustomed to seeing nomads butcher their livestock, and didn’t believe the Han superstition that “horse meat was poisonous,” so he didn’t think it strange to consume it. These days, people were lucky to have meat at all; who cared if it was horse meat or lamb meat? 

Liang Feng thought for a moment, then instructed, “Prepare some good horse meat, grain, and wine as well. Tomorrow, we’ll hold a celebration banquet in honor of the troops and announce the military awards while we’re at it.”

In a large-scale battle like this, everyone would be cited for meritorious service. And as it was the first time the militia had taken fatal casualties, they had to reassure their people. Plus, it was almost the new year. After they celebrated, gave out gifts, everyone could go home and enjoy the new year. Human hearts were all fleshy and soft; only when they were shown regard and treated like people would they put their lives on the line. He needed more than an army that didn’t fear death; he needed people that dared to fight, that were skilled at combat, and that, to some extent, craved war and victory. Only then could he protect himself, and protect the Liang Estate’s place in this uncertain world.

And that was far more important than any accolade the court could give him. Liang Feng smiled, bent over his desk once more, and began drafting up a set of amended military regulations.

※ 

While victory was exciting, not everyone was happy to receive the report of victory.

Staring icily at the missive on his desk, Liu Xuan questioned, “Gaodu’s forces annihilated the rebels? Killing four hundred seventy-two people, while only losing about three hundred soldiers? Since when did the Jin armies become so powerful?!”

The author has something to say:

Enough with you horse oil goblins 囧, horse meat is edible! 

It’s just that horses have a lot of practical value. There are few horses and lots of horse-lovers. Horses couldn’t be freely slaughtered; perhaps that’s why the myth that horse meat is poisonous began to spread. In ancient times, a lot of armies would kill and eat their horses when their provisions ran out. Horse meat might not be as tasty as lamb, but it is edible, and it’s pretty nutritious. In the past, horses were made into medicine way more often than they were made into food.

But it’d be a shame not to eat all that horse meat – have to use it to its fullest. Young Liang more or less knows how to get by =w=