Chapter 39: A Novel Infirmary

Zhang Jiawen looked at Wu Tian and asked, "What are your thoughts?"

Wu Tian knelt on one knee, cupped his hands, and replied, "My subordinate will certainly slay the enemy and earn merit this time."

Zhang Jiawen remarked, "That may be so, but this is, after all, the merit of the Sky Wolf Battalion."

Lin Shize rubbed his hands together and said, "The Major is being too polite. We are all brothers-in-arms in the same camp; there is no need to distinguish between yours and mine."

Zhang Jiawen looked at Lin Shize with some surprise. He had not expected this young man to have such a conscience, putting aside personal grievances to help Wu Tian despite the latter's miserable state.

Lin Shize then added, "Three hundred routed soldiers fled to my Sky Wolf Battalion this morning. As they are our own brothers, I have kept them for dinner; they won't be returning. Major, please provide me with three hundred suits of iron armor, two thousand catties of refined iron, and one thousand taels of silver so that I may settle these brothers in."

"Good grief," Zhang Jiawen thought, sighing and rubbing his forehead. He had spoken too soon. Lin Shize was the type of person who would consider it a loss if he didn't pick up anything he came across; how could he let such a golden opportunity slip by?

Wu Tian was stunned, staring blankly at Lin Shize. Hadn't he just said they were brothers-in-arms? How had he managed to ask for payment in the blink of an eye? These items represented almost all of Wu Tian’s savings accumulated over many years. It had taken him years of hard work to scrape together those three hundred suits of armor, and the refined iron was something he had set aside by living frugally, specifically to forge weaponry. If he gave it all to Lin Shize, he would effectively be returning to square one after decades of struggle.

The thousand taels of silver were merely a bonus; what Lin Shize truly coveted was the three hundred suits of iron armor.

Sun Zheng looked at Lin Shize, then at Wu Tian, and shook his head. Wu Tian was doomed. It was impossible to hold Qier Mountain, and if they could inflict any significant casualties on the enemy, they should consider themselves lucky. Since they were able to take Qier Mountain by surprise, the Monla could use the same tactics. There was no way around it; even if they realized this, they had no way to defend against it. Wu Tian was simply the scapegoat pushed forward by Lin Shize—he was being sold out and was likely still counting the money for the one who sold him. Lin Shize had not only gained a reputation but was now also pocketing the benefits. He was reaping both fame and fortune.

Zhang Jiawen spoke up, "I will give you five hundred suits of iron armor, three thousand catties of refined iron, and two thousand taels of silver, but you must return five hundred armor-piercing awls and one thousand triangular arrowheads to me."

After the battle of Qier Mountain, Zhang Jiawen had fully realized the importance of armor-piercing awls and triangular arrowheads to the soldiers of Great Qi. If not for the shortage of silver and refined iron, Zhang Jiawen would have wanted to equip the entire army with them; if that were the case, the Monla would no longer be a threat.

Lin Shize immediately gave a military salute and said, "As you command, Major."

He currently did not have many armor-piercing awls; it seemed he would need to accelerate production upon his return. The iron ore reserves at Hero Village were not abundant, otherwise, he would not have had to ask Wu Tian for refined iron.

"How are the wounded?" Zhang Jiawen asked, turning to the state of Lin Shize's camp after settling the business.

Lin Shize replied, "There are fifty-three severely wounded, and they are all doing fine at the moment."

"All doing fine?" Zhang Jiawen exclaimed. "Not a single death?"

"None at all," Lin Shize said, scratching his head, confused as to why Zhang Jiawen would ask such a thing.

Zhang Jiawen stood up abruptly and said, "Let's go. Let's take a look at your infirmary."

Lin Shize, Zhang Jiawen, and Sun Zheng, accompanied by a squad of personal guards, galloped all the way to Hero Village. Upon arriving at the camp, they saw Zhao Dahu leading a group of soldiers in training.

Zhang Jiawen remarked, "Still drilling the soldiers after a great victory—Lin Shize, you haven't been blinded by success. Not bad, not bad at all."

The fact that Zhang Jiawen said "not bad" twice showed how much he approved of Lin Shize. He was especially struck by the cleanliness of the camp, which far surpassed the main encampment. The ground was devoid of debris, and there was hardly even any dust; the entire camp floor had been carefully tamped down with rammers, so that the hundreds-of-pounds-heavy warhorses left only shallow hoofprints. The soldiers' clothes were neatly washed and hung on drying racks in front of the tents, and even the interiors of the soldiers' tents were clean and orderly. It was the cleanest military camp they had ever seen, bar none.

Sun Zheng couldn't help but ask, "Did the village women tidy this up?"

Lin Shize shook his head and replied, "Unless there are exceptional circumstances, no one is allowed to enter the camp."

Sun Zheng turned his gaze back to the camp. This meant the soldiers had organized the entire camp themselves, which was completely unexpected. What surprised them most was the infirmary; there were no typical sounds of wailing or the stench of rot. There was only a strange, sour scent, and two soldiers in plain cloth clothes were walking around sprinkling water from basins.

"What is this?" Zhang Jiawen asked curiously.

"It is willow sap, used for disinfection," Lin Shize said, wearing a mask made of linen and offering masks to Zhang Jiawen and Sun Zheng as well.

"And what is this?" Zhang Jiawen felt that everything in the infirmary was novel.

"A mask, to prevent the bacteria in our mouths from infecting the wounded," Lin Shize answered with a muffled voice.

Seeing that Zhang Jiawen and Sun Zheng were still looking at him with confusion, Lin Shize had to explain. "We carry many unclean things on us, which I call bacteria. When a wounded person's injury becomes inflamed, red, swollen, or even suppurates, it is because of bacterial infection."

"It's a pity that the infirmary is still not clean enough," Lin Shize said, shaking his head in dissatisfaction.

"This isn't clean enough?" Zhang Jiawen looked at the spotless infirmary. He vowed that this was the cleanest place he had ever seen; even the Imperial Palace couldn't be cleaner than this. Yet, judging by Lin Shize's expression, he truly felt it wasn't enough.

Lin Shize explained, "Bacteria are things that we cannot see with the naked eye. They hide in filthy places, so whether it is people, clothing, or the surrounding environment, everything must be kept clean to minimize the risk of wound infection. Without antibiotics, once an infection sets in, the only way to save a life is to cut away the necrotic flesh, otherwise, it will become life-threatening."

Zhang Jiawen agreed wholeheartedly with Lin Shize and said with a heavy tone, "I have seen with my own eyes a soldier's wound fester, and piece by piece, his limbs were cut away until he was reduced to a living torso."

Sun Zheng also nodded; it was clear he had shared the same painful experience. Coming to the infirmary today was like opening a door to a new world for them.

Just as the two were about to enter the infirmary, they were stopped by the soldiers at the entrance. Lin Shize walked over and had the soldiers spray willow sap over every inch of his body. He then put on a linen coat soaked in willow sap. Finally, he explained to Zhang Jiawen and Sun Zheng, "To protect the wounded to the greatest extent, everyone entering the infirmary must undergo this disinfection process."

Zhang Jiawen put on the linen coat with a bewildered expression and pointed to his own face. "Do I have viruses on me?"

Lin Shize shrugged and said, "Indeed, you do. We don't usually feel anything because our bodies have a strong immune system. But once there is a wound, these viruses will harm us through the injury. The fact that not a single wounded soldier has died from yesterday until now is precisely due to these necessary disinfection steps."

The two no longer had any objections. Based solely on the fact that there were no fatalities among the severely wounded, they had to get to the bottom of this; it was simply too important.