Earlier the soldier could still moan a couple of times, but now...
What the heck was that? Salt water?
After the wound was treated, Tang Daniang directly bandaged it up.
Lao Jiang could not hold back any longer: "No medicine needs to be applied?"
Back when Physician Li was teaching them according to Fang Zichen's "lesson plan," she had also been completely baffled.
Disinfection and sterilization, alcohol distillation, suturing—she had never even heard of such things. Physician Li felt he was misleading the students, so he specially ran from Hezhou to the village to find him. Fang Zichen talked to him for several days, and only then did he have someone carry Physician Li back.
Physician Li believed in learning until old age. At first he thought Fang Zichen was acting recklessly, but after listening for a while — oh, so it was something from overseas, and it actually sounded very reasonable! It seemed it wasn't reckless after all.
He could not even get enough of listening. Every day he pestered Fang Zichen. Fang Zichen only knew the basics. What modern person did not know that if you get injured, the wound must be disinfected? Why disinfect? Because of bacterial infection. Who did not understand that? As for anything deeper, do not ask. If asked, the answer was: don't know.
After returning, Physician Li taught according to the lesson plan.
Tang Daniang shook her head and said, "No need. If medicine is applied, the deep part of the wound cannot get air, and it easily breeds bacteria."
Lao Jiang: "..." What are you saying? Why can't I understand?
Tang Daniang had brought a hundred people, among them twenty men, but they all wore uniform clothing, and with their small builds, at first glance one would think they were gers.
These twenty men were also medical soldiers.
They had been selected by Fang Zichen from among the new recruits after returning from disaster relief in Anxi County and transferred to Physician Li's side.
On the battlefield, blades and swords have no eyes. There was no telling where you might get wounded. With so many people fighting and chaos everywhere, the young soldiers mostly slashed wildly. Where the blade landed was anyone's guess. Maybe the arm, maybe the thigh, maybe the buttock, or maybe the family jewels. None of it could be predicted.
Last time during disaster relief in Anxi County, one man, for some unknown reason, got wounded on the buttock and was carried to the rear. Tang Daniang and the others did not know how to begin. In the end, it was Guaizai who came. After that, he was extremely eager, following Fang Zichen to look for people up front. He often ran back halfway to ask Tang Daniang and the others whether anyone had a buttock injury, and if so, to let him handle it.
Fang Zichen thought his son was quite proactive and worthy of praise. Just as he was about to praise him, Guaizai leaned close, covered his mouth, and said mysteriously, "Father, Guaizai discovered a secret."
"What secret?"
"Butts are soft and squishy, like playing with mud. So fun to knead!"
"...Son, you're acting a bit like a pervert."
Guaizai knew what a pervert was. Later, when Tang Daniang called him again to change the medicine for that man, Guaizai refused to go no matter what.
After all, times were different. Having them bandage and apply medicine to places like the chest and thighs was no problem, but when it came to certain private areas, they truly did not dare to touch.
Fang Zichen discovered this problem. After thinking it over, he still transferred twenty relatively careful and patient men to study under Physician Li.
Now Tang Daniang had brought them all over.
The wounded soldiers' camp was full of people. After Tang Daniang and her group arrived, they started working without stopping.
Old General Qin saw that they seemed not afraid at all, and their hands were steady and accurate.
Tang Daniang and the others were indeed not afraid. After all, they had experience. Every time Tang Daniang finished cleaning a wound, Liu Ger was responsible for disinfection and bandaging. The others brewed medicine when it was time to brew medicine and carried water when it was time to carry water. They divided the work and cooperated, orderly and methodical.
With more people, Lao Jiang was no longer in such a fluster.
Old General Qin watched as the wounded soldiers were all properly handled and could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Sure enough, his grandson was clever and promising. Why had he not thought back then of training such a squad of soldiers?
If not, those soldiers earlier would not have had to struggle bitterly waiting to die...
Old General Qin let out a long sigh and couldn't help but think of Fang Zichen again.
How on earth was this kid's brain made?
The next day, Lao Jiang came to report that in the wounded soldiers' camp, several young soldiers who had been burning with high fever and on the verge of death — cases he had already given up on — had been rubbed down all night with that stuff called alcohol by the people from Hezhou. And now, their fevers had actually broken.
Moreover, he had gone to check. Those few people whom Tang Daniang had reprocessed yesterday were no longer having pus flow from their wounds.
Simply miraculous.
"What?" Old General Qin could not sit still at all and personally ran over to the wounded soldiers' camp to look.
Guaizai had assisted Tang Daniang for two days back in Anxi County and hadn't found anything strange. It was all normal procedure. He thought Old General Qin really was easily shocked.
Qin Hengxuan also went to look several times. That night he summoned Lao Jiang and asked him what thoughts he had on this matter.
What thoughts could he have?
Of course it was wonderful beyond words.
After questioning Tang Daniang thoroughly, Lao Jiang urgently wanted to set up such a squad himself. A physician's heart is like a parent's heart. Whenever he saw soldiers die because treatment came too late, Lao Jiang blamed himself more than anyone, often hating that he hadn't been born with two extra hands. He had also heard about the disasters in Linjiang and Qinzhu — in the face of such a great catastrophe, only about twenty people had died in Hezhou. That was unprecedented. Lao Jiang felt most of the credit had to go to Tang Daniang and the others.
They did not need to know all four diagnostic methods. On the battlefield, most wounds were external. They only needed to know how to bandage and brew medicine. But recruiting people now was also a bit late.
Fortunately, Fang Zichen had sent people over, solving their urgent need.
"General," Lao Jiang said, "let's recruit people too!"
Qin Hengxuan put down his brush: "No rush on this matter. First, spread the word about it! These next two days, take some people and produce that alcohol, then have some sent to the front."
Lao Jiang understood his intention. This matter indeed could not be rushed. He nodded and withdrew.
Over the next few days, Old General Qin felt his body had recovered well. He packed his bundle, wanting to return to the battlefield. Guaizai came over, saw Old Madam Qin packing things, and went to tug Old General Qin's sleeve, saying he wanted to go too.
He had mentioned it once before, and Old General Qin had only taken it as joking: "You really want to go?"
"Yes!" Guaizai held up two short little fingers and said, "But Grandpa, can we wait two more days, until Father sends over the Superman underwear, then we go?"
Old General Qin squatted down to look him in the eye and asked seriously, "Are you not afraid?"
Guaizai scratched his head: "Afraid of what?"
Old General Qin had originally wanted to say the battlefield was very dangerous, but before he could speak, he first heard Guaizai say, "Isn't it just fighting? Guaizai is not afraid. Guaizai has even seen ghosts. What is there to be afraid of? Guaizai is universe-invincibly awesome at fighting, and Guaizai still has to avenge Grandpa."
Old General Qin hugged him and kissed him: "Fine, then Grandpa will take you."
Old Madam Qin was the first to object. Even Qin Hengxuan, upon hearing about it, dropped his official duties and rushed over.
"Father, you cannot take Guaizai."
Old General Qin asked in return, "Why can't I?"
Qin Hengxuan took a deep breath: "He is still too young."
"Eight years old." Old General Qin said, "Not young anymore. Back then your younger brother followed me to the battlefield at six."
Qin Hengxuan sat across from Old General Qin, holding his head in his hands. Meng Ruqing poured him a cup of tea and said nothing, lips pressed together.
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