Le paysage est comme une peinture

Chapitre 33

Chapter 101: Running Away with Gold (1)

"Big Yellow?!" Junyu and Xu Ming looked at each other in surprise.

Although Junyu had been in the Northwest Army for less than a year, military medicine was a major issue for the army, so he naturally had considerable knowledge of it. It was currently the season for rhubarb to sprout, but wild rhubarb only grew in mountain crevices. With such a large-scale epidemic, how could those wild shoots possibly be enough?

Some ethnic minorities in the Xining area do grow rhubarb, but because the yield is low, the price is extremely high. Under the current circumstances, where can so much rhubarb be purchased for treatment in the Northwest Army?

Those auxiliary medicinal materials are quite common, but if they are to be used for prevention among the 100,000 troops in the Northwest, a large amount of silver would be needed to purchase them.

Bai Ruhui originally planned to use the 100,000 silver notes he brought to deal with the food supplies, but now that the medicinal herbs have been purchased, he fears he will no longer be able to cope with the food supplies.

Should we choose medicinal herbs or provisions?

Junyu pondered for a moment: "Geng Ke, you go back to Xining Prefecture immediately to count the silver. You and Bai Ruhui should separately purchase as much rhubarb and those medicinal herbs as possible. Then immediately distribute them to the Northwest Army's camps in various places. The epidemic is most severe here in Dafeng Mountain. You are in charge of this personally and deliver the herbs as soon as possible."

"yes."

Geng Ke immediately accepted the order and went to carry it out.

Jun Yu ordered several doctors to stay at Dafeng Mountain to prepare the large bag of herbs that Xia Ao had brought, while the others went to Yushu Town to check on the situation.

With everything arranged, Junyu bowed deeply to the old monk again: "I implore you, Master, to go to Yushu Town again to confirm the epidemic situation."

The old monk nodded.

The camp in Yushu Town was also filled with panic.

Because it was discovered early and controlled properly, although the death toll was less than 100, much less severe than the outbreak at Dafengshan, the atmosphere of panic in Yushu Town was much more serious than at Dafengshan due to the increasing number of cases and the shortage of food supplies.

The old monk's diagnosis still concluded that treatment required rhubarb and those few other medicinal herbs.

At dusk, a messenger arrived with news that the Crimson Gold Clan army had launched a surprise attack on the two northernmost strongholds.

Each of these two strongholds had 5,000 troops stationed there. Although there was no outbreak of plague, the shortage of food and supplies was the most severe. The soldiers had been cutting back on food and clothing for some time. Recently, the Red Gold Clan army took advantage of the Northwest Army's inability to attend to rescue them and concentrated its superior forces to launch a surprise attack, almost wiping out the 10,000 hungry and exhausted troops.

By the time Lu Ling arrived with his troops, the Red Gold Clan army had already retreated back into the vast grasslands.

After seeing Xia Ao off, Zhou Yida said with worry, "Marshal, we are now running out of food and supplies and a plague has broken out. Meanwhile, the Crimson Gold Clan army is constantly launching surprise attacks on our various garrisons. What should we do if this continues?"

For a moment, Junyu was unable to answer.

The imperial army's pay is estimated to arrive at least another month away. Junyu has fought for many years, but even he is at a loss when faced with this kind of war outside the battlefield. Under such circumstances, let alone waiting for the Crimson Gold Clan's army to attack, the plague and famine alone will cause the once-renowned Yushu army to collapse on its own.

She knew that the best course of action now was to lead her troops in a desperate battle against Zhenmutier to secure supplies. However, Zhenmutier, a cunning and ruthless ruler, had long since avoided her attacks, retreating swiftly to the vast grasslands after each harassment. Now, the northwestern army was not only running out of supplies but also lacking warhorses, and could not afford to advance too far.

Furthermore, Zhenmutier feared the plague would infect his main army, so he avoided harassing plague-infested strongholds. Instead, he deliberately targeted small, uninfested outposts to disrupt the morale of the Northwest Army with minimal losses. He planned to strike decisively once the Northwest Army's supplies ran out and morale plummeted. As long as these small-scale harassments continued and the Northwest Army suffered repeated setbacks, its morale would crumble, and it was feared that it would be utterly routed in a direct confrontation. Moreover, his two surprise attacks, which annihilated nearly ten thousand weak Northwest Army soldiers, dealt a severe blow to the morale of the entire Northwest Army.

The sky above Northwest China was dotted with white clouds, and new green buds sprouted around Yushu Town. However, this belated spring brought no joy whatsoever. Junyu looked up at the pure blue sky, feeling utterly lost.

Chapter 102: Running Away with Gold (2)

The main hall of the Holy Palace.

Since suffering two major attacks from the Rahan Cult at the end of last year, the Holy Palace's daily operations have been significantly strengthened. Detailed records and emergency responses have been established for major events occurring in the surrounding area.

After Tuosang and Chief Steward Chiba finished dealing with some religious affairs, Xia Ao came in.

Tuosang asked, "What's the situation in the Northwest Army?"

“Back to Bokdo,” said Lama Xia, “the epidemic is rampant in the Northwest Army, with Dafeng Mountain and Yushu Town being the most severely affected. It is reported that two strongholds have been attacked by the Chijin tribe’s army, and their food supplies will not last long. There is panic in the army, and it may cause great chaos.” Lama Xia sighed before continuing, “Marshal Jun is very anxious. It is truly unexpected that even a god-like figure like him would be at a loss.”

Chiba sighed, "Our sect is naturally powerless to help with the safety of the nearly 100,000-strong Northwest army, and our sect rules forbid us from contacting the army. However, Marshal Jun has done our sect a great favor, and once the Northwest army is defeated, the Chijin tribe will surely support the Lahan sect even more. At that time, our sect's situation will become increasingly difficult..." He turned to Tuosang, "Bokdo, could we send a few more disciples with superb medical skills to the army to do our part?"

Tuosang nodded thoughtfully.

Tuosang stretched his hand out of the window.

Under the moonlight, the lines on your palm are not clearly visible; to see them clearly, you need to look in the morning light.

The palm lines are unclear, but the face etched in my heart is becoming clearer and clearer.

"It's truly unbelievable that even a godlike figure like Marshal Jun would be at a loss." Xia Ao's words kept echoing in my ears. How worried must that elegant face be at this moment?

A fire seemed to be burning inside me, and the cold wind outside the window could not quell the growing anxiety and unease.

Just like on the day of the "Robe-Changing Festival," when he stepped onto the stage on the first day of the lunar new year, among millions of people, he saw that familiar face at a glance, like a person about to drown suddenly seeing a piece of driftwood.

He calmly accepted the adoration of the crowd according to the familiar process, but was struck as if by lightning. Overjoyed, he raised his hands and feet, chanted prayers, and lost all sense of time. However, he didn't even dare to look at her for long before he faced parting.

That night, he tossed and turned in his secluded chamber, his chest pounding like a thousand horses galloping, the turmoil coalescing into a single, intense longing: I want to see her. I want to see her, even just once. I just want to see her from afar.

During his seclusion, Bokdo rarely ate or drank, and only needed water once every two weeks. Therefore, he would leave quietly at midnight and not return to his secret chamber until several days later, without even his personal monks knowing.

He was by no means relieved by this; he knew that some sins—at least the Buddha knew—were committed.

He knelt in the secret room all night, turning prayer wheels and prostrating himself, not to ask Buddha for forgiveness, nor to seek peace of soul after atonement, but to wholeheartedly pray to Buddha—please bless her with peace.

However, she is not safe now.

She awaits the judgment of fate in the plague-ridden Northwest Army camp.

The moon had already begun to set.

Tuosang gripped the prayer wheel tightly, the burning flame in his heart almost bursting out of his chest—please, Buddha, who has been liberated from countless eons of reincarnation, teach me.

He slowly stood up, then crawled down again, as if two opposing forces were constantly pulling and tugging at each other. This struggle continued repeatedly until suddenly, he threw down the prayer wheel and leaped out of the window.

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Chapter 103: Running Away with Gold (3)

Most of the purchased medicinal herbs have been sent to Dafeng Mountain, while the rest have been sent to Yushu Town.

Over the years of trade with the Han people, the ethnic minorities on the northwestern border had learned many cunning tricks. Although Lu Ling, Bai Ruhui and others acted very cautiously, they quickly realized the situation. Seeing such a large-scale purchase, the price of rhubarb soon began to rise rapidly.

A few days later, cases of people dying from high fever also appeared in the Northwest. Rumors spread like wildfire, and a buying frenzy for rhubarb began not only in the Northwest army but also among the general public. Not only was rhubarb scarce, but the prices of other auxiliary medicinal materials also skyrocketed. In markets large and small throughout the Northwest, rhubarb, which was not particularly rare before, was snapped up. Even pharmacies with little stock began hoarding it for speculation. Lu Ling, Bai Ruhui, and others were buying less and less medicinal materials.

The epidemic in Dafeng Mountain remains severe. Despite separating infected soldiers, the mortality rate is rising, and within days, only about 2,000 soldiers remain in the army. The hastily formed medicinal herb-gathering army has already begun its self-rescue efforts across the mountains. Although they have unearthed a considerable number of herbs, few are actually usable. The local rhubarb collected from Xining has been entirely used in the Dafeng Mountain camp. After administering rhubarb decoctions to the 50-odd patients who recently developed symptoms, the herb is completely exhausted.

The situation in Yushu Town is even worse.

The military camp in Yushu relied entirely on purchasing medicinal materials. Although the more than 200 sick soldiers who had been separated had all taken the decoction and were temporarily brought under control, more than ten people still developed high fever symptoms on the second day, and no more medicinal materials were available.

Yushu is the main base of the Northwest Army. If the plague spreads throughout the area, the consequences will be unimaginable.

That evening, Lama Xia'ao brought several highly skilled monks to the Yushu military camp. Each monk carried several large bags of various Tibetan medicines. Junyu was overjoyed and stayed up all night with the old monk and the other monks, trying out different herbs. At dawn the next day, the old monk suddenly picked out a slender, curled-leaf herb from a pile of unremarkable herbs.

Junyu looked over and saw that this plant was very common in the southern part of the Western Regions and in Shu. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly saw another monk with a happy expression say, "I brought a whole bag of this medicinal material."

As he spoke, he poured out a large bag from the side, which was full of these small, dried herbs with curled leaves.

The old monk immediately said, "Quickly brew this herb. Although it cannot cure the disease, it can effectively prevent it."

The method of decocting this medicine was quite complicated, so a monk immediately joined the cooks and personally directed the decoction process.

Two hours later, a strong medicinal aroma permeated the entire Yushu camp. The army lined up, and each soldier drank a bowl of medicinal soup.

After drinking his bowl of herbal medicine, Zhou Yida sighed, "Now, everyone can finally feel a little more at ease. But how do we solve the problem of food supplies?"

Junyu remained silent, her hand holding the medicine bowl frozen in mid-air.

All the generals, big and small, donated their savings from the army, but no matter how much they tried to save, the grain and fodder in Yushu Town could only last for another seven days.

In Xining Prefecture, due to the large-scale supply of grain to other garrisons, even with the soldiers gathering wild vegetables, fishing, and hunting in the spring as an aid, they could only sustain themselves for a maximum of ten more days.

All officers and soldiers had been without pay for two months. At such a time, no one cared about their paycheck. They were just grateful that when they opened their eyes and cleaned their weapons each day, they hadn't encountered the plague and could still eat their daily meal.

World

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Chapter 104: Running Away with Gold (4)

Zhou Yida said angrily, "Despite the repeated orders from the imperial court, those government officials are only paying lip service to the law. In the past, no matter what the year, there was always a considerable supply of grain and fodder. In the last two years, there haven't been any major disasters, and the harvest is still acceptable compared to previous years. But when the military pay was robbed, they kept making excuses. If those government offices don't provide the military pay, damn it, let's just storm their door and rob them!"

Junyu shook his head with a wry smile, but thought to himself, "I might really have to take this dead end."

In the early days after the imperial court issued the order, local governments at all levels managed to scrape together a small amount of grain and fodder to send over. However, there was also a plague in various parts of the northwest, and the constant warfare had left nine out of ten houses empty. After the officials of all levels of government had plundered the land, it was nothing short of a pipe dream to expect the local treasury to provide the military pay for 100,000 troops.

After a busy day, it was late at night when Junyu returned to his tent. He sat wearily in a chair, feeling an unusually deep weariness within him.

Since taking over Phoenix Village, the past few years have been filled with thoughts of war and battlefields. In this instant, she suddenly felt a greater loathing for war than ever before, a loathing for this endless killing and fighting between people.

After the Hu army was chased thousands of miles to the border by Meng Yuanjing and Zhu Yu, the northeastern border had gradually been pacified; and Meng Yuanjing had also achieved a decisive victory in the fight against the Japanese pirates in Fujian. Junyu thought to himself that if he could survive the double disaster of the plague and the robbery of military pay, he would definitely do his best to defeat Zhenmutier and end this disgusting life of fighting as soon as possible.

However, how could this calamity be resolved so quickly? The feeling of weariness in her heart grew stronger and stronger, and Junyu suddenly felt a little frightened. She couldn't help but close her eyes, trying to calm her mind and find a solution to the imminent difficulties.

The next morning, a shipment of grain and a large quantity of medicinal herbs were suddenly delivered.

Junyu immediately went out to greet them, and found that although the grain was only enough for three days, it was like sending charcoal in snowy weather.

In particular, among the herbs from neighboring provinces, there were many rare rhubarb varieties that had been purchased from various places, which was a great boon for the Northwest army, which was ravaged by the plague.

Junyu was overjoyed. The leader of the supply train was none other than an important guard from the residence of the resident minister. Qin Xiaolou had seen this guard on several of his trips. It turned out that the supplies of grain and herbs had been gathered by Qin Xiaolou and the Holy Palace.

The resident ministers have always assisted the Holy Palace. Without the Holy Palace's tacit approval and support, such a huge sum of provisions could not have been raised. The Holy Palace never easily gets involved in any border wars, but this time, Chiba and Xia'ao have repeatedly sent monks with excellent medical skills to the army to provide assistance, which is truly commendable.

Jun Yu said, "Thank you all for your trouble. Please convey my gratitude to Lord Qin when we return."

The guard said, "Lord Qin is very worried about the Marshal, but due to various reasons he cannot come in person. He asked me to tell the Marshal that he is trying his best to find a way to collect the provisions and will send them over as soon as possible."

Junyu nodded and thanked him again.

That day, Junyu, Zhou Yida, and other generals took another detailed inventory of the provisions and found that no matter how carefully they planned, they could only last for 10 days. Fortunately, the arrival of the batch of herbs not only provided them with an ample supply of medicine, but also calmed the panicked morale of the troops considerably.

After the meeting concluded, night had fallen. Junyu sat in his tent, a growing aversion to war welling up within him once more. Bai Ruhui had brought good news with him: thanks to Luo Luo's diligent efforts, the Phoenix Village academy was beginning to take shape.

Establishing an academy to teach literature and martial arts was not only her mother's wish before her death, but also Junyu's own wish.

If only the war could end sooner!

Junyu sighed and closed his eyes. Despite feeling extremely tired, he was unable to fall asleep peacefully.

Between a dream and wakefulness, I suddenly heard a very strange sound.