"Doctor, doctor. Come and see, our company commander is dying."
Two soldiers carried Shi Dajian on a stretcher and stood at the door of the field hospital.
The doctors were busy and no one was there to receive them. They could only shout at the door.
There is a strong smell of alcohol here, but it cannot cover up the heavier smell of blood.
"Wu Youke, you are responsible for this patient."
The director of the field hospital immediately arranged for a doctor to see him.
All doctors are busy now, and doctors with good skills are rescuing seriously injured people.
Only this doctor who had just joined had no arrangements to rescue the seriously injured because he had just learned surgery.
The director saw that the patient's body was intact and arranged for Wu Youke to treat him.
Wu Youke has been helping in the field hospital for half a month and has basically mastered the medical skills of surgery.
Hearing the director's instructions, he agreed to wash his hands and come to check on the patient's condition.
The two soldiers watched the doctor in a white coat come out, and their nervousness calmed down.
Wu Youke saw an arrow stuck in the patient's right upper arm, and the arrow shaft had been cut off.
There was rot and pus near the wound, and the symptoms were very dangerous.
Wu Youke frowned and said, "What's going on? It seems like his wound has been there for a while. Why didn't you send it here earlier?"
The soldier said with a cry: "Doctor, our company commander can't do anything.
The Ming army stormed our position regardless of casualties, and the company commander could not retreat at that time.
The damn Ming army actually used arrows stained with feces.
Many brothers were shot by arrows and developed fever the next day, and most of them did not survive.
The company commander has strong vitality and has not died yet, but now he has a fever and is comatose, and his forehead is very hot."
Wu Youke said to the soldiers: "Give me your hands and carry your company commander into the tent."
He instructed the soldiers, put Shi Dajian on the hospital bed, asked the two soldiers to go out and wait, and called the head nurse who cooperated with his operation.
"Head nurse, use ice water to cool down.
Prepare ether, I need surgical treatment, and all the slough from the wound must be removed."
Wu Youke watched the head nurse pour a few drops of liquid from a porcelain bottle and pour it on the cotton cloth.
The head nurse held her breath and covered the patient's mouth and nose with cotton cloth. After a while, the patient took a deep breath.
He immediately went for surgery.
Surgery is a medical skill that Wu Youke studied seriously. He only learned it for half a month and was able to use it skillfully.
He didn't understand this medical skill at first, but there were too many patients and the field hospital was understaffed.
He can often help other doctors.
Amputate the patient's limbs. Put the exposed intestines into the stomach and sew the wound again.
These were terminal illnesses that he had previously thought would lead to death.
Surprisingly, people were saved through surgery.
The mortality rate of the operation is very high, but it is 100% higher than before.
Being able to save people is a very good medical skill.
Wu Youke is now skilled in amputating limbs through surgery.
Unexpectedly, in his forties, he learned another medical skill that he had never known before.
Three people go together there must be my teacher.
Wu Youke performed the operation, which was very easy for him. He even chatted with the head nurse.
The head nurse used to be a Taoist priest, and the governor's office strictly required a priest certificate. He, a Taoist priest without a certificate, came to work as a nurse in a military hospital.
"This is the Ma Fei San you have here. Hua Tuo's Ma Fei San has been lost. This is a great pity for the medical community.
I hope the Ma Fei Powder you studied will not be lost again."
"It can't be lost, Taoist Master Ma Qiankun has registered a patent.
Everyone knows the manufacturing process of ether.
If you want to make ether, you must pay royalties to Taoist Ma Qiankun."
Wu Youke has heard about patents.
Many doctors in field hospitals often discuss registering patents.
They registered patents for their unique medical skills.
Others learn this medical skill and use it to make money, and have to pay patent fees.
The head nurse continued: "Tell me something that only us Taoist priests know.
Taoist Master Ma Qiankun is also a god.
He used to engage in funeral customs and unite a group of Taoist priests to specialize in funeral services. He also charged Taoist temple fees.
He said he could help them obtain the managers of Martyrs' Pavilions in other places.
As a result, the Tongling Mansion launched the ancestral temple and congratulated the master, and the funeral business of Master Ma Qiankun was unable to survive.
The Martyrs' Pavilion was also handed over to the Ancestral Temple.
Not only did he lose his livelihood, he also owed a large amount of money to other Taoist temples.
Taoist Master Ma Qiankun studies various businesses in order to make money.
He eventually learned alchemy, relying on a brief introduction in nature books, and using sulfur and alcohol, he was the first to create ether.
This is the same thing as the legendary Ma Fei Powder.
With ether, the number of soldiers who survived amputation has increased several times.
Although some people will never wake up, this is a good medicine to save lives and heal the wounded.
It's better than the previous amputation surgery, chewing the wooden stick in his mouth, and biting off his own tongue.
Or the pain can't be tolerated and the pain may lead to death.
The emergence of ether at least avoided this situation."
Wu Youke lamented that there was an endless stream of new knowledge here in Hanzhong. He had seen more things in the past half month than he had in the previous half of his life.
Chatting did not affect his operation, his hands were very steady, and the operation was completed quickly.
Ask the head nurse to bandage the patient, and Wu can walk out of the ward.
He watched two soldiers waiting anxiously outside the door.
"Your company commander has successfully operated. As long as there is no infection, his arm can be saved.
If the infection continues, the only option is amputation."
The soldier begged: "Doctor, please do your best. If the company commander has his leg amputated, he will have no choice but to retire."
"It was sent too late. Even if he recovers, I don't think he will be able to serve as a soldier again.
When the patient wakes up, he will find that his hands are not very flexible. Please give him some advice."
There was nothing Wu You could do. The injury was too serious. After recovery, he was able to eat on his own. This was a good recovery.
"Wu Youke, come here quickly, there is another patient who needs amputation."
The director of the field hospital, he was stroking the intestines of a patient with his hands and yelling anxiously at the same time.
Wu Youke was busy again. He estimated that there was a war on the front line and there were many patients coming.
He did not rest day and night and underwent several operations in succession.
The patients he operated on confirmed his idea. Some of the patients he operated on were Ming soldiers.
It was not until the fighting gradually subsided that the number of wounded soldiers sent to the field hospital decreased significantly.
He was going back to his tent to rest, and he learned a lot during this time.
He learned the word infection and knew that there are many little bugs in the environment. They are called bacteria, fungi and viruses, collectively called microorganisms.
These are the main culprits of most diseases, especially plagues.
This kind of knowledge directly shattered his previous concepts.
But doctors here have many methods for targeting microorganisms, which can effectively save patients' lives.
Especially with strict disinfection and clean bandages, many soldiers' wounds did not suppurate.
He also recognized this knowledge based on his own medical experience.
Wu Youke was practicing medicine in his hometown. He had an old friend who returned to his hometown to return to his roots.
This friend used to practice medicine in Hanzhong, and I talked with him about the thieves in yellow clothes in Hanzhong.
A friend said that the thieves in yellow had a medicine called cowpox vaccine, which could protect against smallpox after vaccination.
This drug is also very safe, and most people will not die if vaccinated.
It has been proven in practice that many refugees suffered from smallpox.
After they came to Hanzhong, no one in Hanzhong who came into contact with the refugees contracted smallpox.
Wu Youke was very curious about the cowpox vaccine. He was even more curious about why the cowpox vaccine could protect against smallpox.
After settling down at home, he embarked on the road to Hanzhong.
When I first arrived in Hanyin County, I saw that the field hospital was recruiting doctors. They were well paid and could learn new medical skills.
He didn't know what a doctor was at first?
Only when I heard someone say it did I know that this is another name for doctor and doctor.
Wu Youke signed up and after passing the examination, he became a doctor.
He started to work with a few girls who were sixteen or seventeen years old and came from a brothel.
He immediately wanted to walk away, but fortunately he was not a disciple. For the sake of the miraculous medical skills, he could only endure it.
This trip was really rewarding and I learned a lot of new knowledge.
Wu Youke saw a Ming army general covered in blood and wearing silk.
He knelt at the door of the field hospital and kept kowtowing.
"Thank you for rescuing me. You even healed the enemy's wounded soldiers.
The Ming Dynasty abandoned all our wounded soldiers.
I will never go back to this Ming Dynasty."
Wu Youke passed by a tent and saw many doctors gathered around.
These people, like him, have been working day and night.
Wu Youke was very curious as to what attracted them and kept them from resting.
Wu Youke was stopped by a little girl aged sixteen or seventeen.
"Old man Wu, this is the anatomy room. You must be mentally prepared when you come to see it.
The leaders did not allow the corpses of our soldiers to be dissected.
It was not easy. There was a Ming army who came to the field hospital but could not be saved.
The director agreed to our dissection, which was a good opportunity for observation.
I don't know if you can accept it.
If you can't accept it, don't go there. You will have nightmares at night.
There are many older doctors who cannot accept it."
Wu Youke thought for a long time before he made up his mind and walked into the anatomy room.
If you want to understand new medical techniques, you must have the courage to risk your life.
……………………
The private room of Yuelai Restaurant is gorgeously decorated and has very good sound insulation.
Wu Hongyi invited Ding Wannian to be a guest here.
"Uncle Ding, there is a war going on between the Ming Dynasty and here, and the Han River waterway is completely blocked.
The salt and grain from our home cannot be transported, and the cloth from here cannot be sold to Huguang.
The business at home has stopped, and I don’t know what to do next. Please ask Uncle Ding to clarify my doubts.”
Wu Hongyi has a very low profile. His printing and dyeing factory has just started, and his family business is also very good.
Due to the impact of the war, everything is now at a standstill.
He was not familiar with the place here, so he could only ask Ding Wannian, who he had always had a good relationship with, for advice.
Ding Wannian looked at Wu Hongyi with a tired look on his face.
He took a sip of wine and said slowly: "You know we have severed trade ties with Huguang.
The price of grain and salt in the market has not skyrocketed. Is this because of this?
In addition to department stores stocking up a large amount of supplies in advance, the supply of salt can be stable.
The most important point is that the army is progressing smoothly, and "Hanzhong Weekly" has additional issues of good news almost every day.
Commander Su led the army to attack the city and capture the territory, and there were new success reports every once in a while.
Yimenhou Su Hu blocked the Huguang Ming army at the Hanyin defense line, preventing them from advancing even one step.
This expectation of victory also lets the people know that there is no need to stockpile supplies and their lives will soon return to normal.
Your opportunity is in Sichuan.
Sichuan is also a major grain-producing province and is very rich in well salt.
Your family must break up now.
Wait until Commander Su completely takes over Sichuan.
There will be no shortage of food and salt in Hanzhong. The importance of your Wu family has been significantly reduced. Now we need to find a new way out.
Commander Su still doesn't know when he will attack Huguang.
Even if we really attack Huguang and betray Huguang, your Wu family will have no share in it."
Wu Hongyi also understood the current situation, so he wanted to establish a relationship with the Commander-in-Chief through Uncle Ding Wannian.
"Uncle Ding, to be honest, our Wu family has a batch of sugar that is ready to be shipped to the front line.
I plan to use this batch of sugar as a stepping stone to establish a relationship with Commander Su.
Sichuan's well salt production is so huge that the governor's office always needs merchants to sell salt.
Our Wu family wants to take this opportunity to become a salt merchant.
But we are not familiar with the officials of the Commander-in-Chief, and these are extraordinary times, so it would not be good to continue rashly.
Please contact Uncle Ding for help.
After the matter is completed, I can give Uncle Ding two shares."
Ding Wannian waved his hand and said: "I can help with things, but I can't ask for the money.
You must be content as a person and not cause trouble to my son-in-law."
He would not give up a cent of what Ding Wannian deserved, and would not touch a cent of what he did not deserve.
Wu Hongyi watched and listened to his uncle's performance, and he felt that he had gained another insight into life.
Wu Hongyi walked out of the restaurant, immediately asked his old servant to take a boat, and notified the Wu family's fleet to dock.
The Wu family's sugar fleet has been resting in Chenggu County in the name of damaged ships.
Without going to Hanzhong Wharf to declare customs, these sugars never entered the sight of the Governor's Office.
The Tongling Mansion has been purchasing brown sugar and white sugar at high prices. There is a shortage of sugar in Hanzhong, which is a very important strategic material.
Soldiers were unable to eat due to injuries, illnesses, acclimatization and other reasons.
At this time, only a bowl of sugar water is needed to save a soldier.
When marching in a hurry, a handful of white sugar will make you more hungry than two large steamed buns, and white sugar is easier to carry.
When the Wu family brought sugar over, they initially wanted to strengthen their ties with the governor's office.
When the Wu family saw the tense situation, they were a little worried.
Let Wu Hongyi decide whether to strengthen contact with Su He based on the situation.
The situation is now very clear, and the Wu family must invest more chips.
……………………
Wu Hongyi was sitting on a mule cart, and two mules were dragging the cart transporting sugar, walking smoothly on the mountain road.
When they left Ningqiang, there were no concrete roads on the road, only dirt roads.
Mule carts travel very slowly on such roads.
Wu Hongyi looked at the situation around him. In front of him was a convoy transporting military supplies, and behind him was a convoy transporting food.
Only weapons and sugar can enjoy the transportation of livestock.
Food transportation mainly relies on people pushing wheelbarrows.
Wu Hongyi saw that the mule was panting heavily, so he got off the carriage and reduced the weight of the carriage.
Everyone walked on the road with their feet, except for a noble man like him, the officials at the front of the motorcade, and the businessmen at the back, who usually didn't like to exercise.
After walking a few miles, you have to go to the carriage to rest for a while.
Wu Hongyi looked at the long queue and couldn't even see the end.
Every 100 meters in the convoy, there is a team of more than a dozen soldiers patrolling nearby with guns on their backs.
Only with the protection of soldiers can they dare to take this road.
Bang! Bang!
Several gunshots were heard in front, and the soldiers patrolling nearby immediately ran forward.
After a long time, the gunfire gradually stopped.
Li Zhisheng rode his horse and shouted to the convoy: "Don't panic, everyone, there are deserters and bandits on the road, they have united to attack the convoy.
Now that we have all been defeated, there are soldiers protecting us, so there is no need to worry about our safety."
Li Zhisheng looked at Wu Hongyi lying under the car, he was too timid.
"Come out! Don't worry, they are all rioters and thieves. The established Ming army has been wiped out by the army."
Wu Hongyi saw Li Zhisheng calling him. This was Li Zhisheng, the high-ranking official of the Tongfu Mansion, the Secretary of the Ministry of Household Affairs.
He climbed out immediately and smiled awkwardly.
"Wu Hongyi, your Wu family donated five thousand kilograms of sugar. Commander Su was very happy when he heard about it and wrote a letter to praise you.
If you want to become an official, we will provide you with training along the way."
Wu Hongyi was extremely surprised when he heard this.
He took it upon himself to donate a large amount of sugar.
I never expected that I would have the opportunity to become an official.
Who wants to be a businessman if he can be an official?
Wu Hongyi said happily: "Master Li, I want to be an official."
"Well, I'll let the officials accompanying the team train you.
After you arrive in Chengdu, Commander-in-Chief Su will assess you. Which official you can become depends on your ability.
You come with me."
Li Zhisheng took Wu Hongyi to the team where the officials were.
He is not only responsible for logistics and transportation, but also for handing over the captured cities to the army responsible for military control, and also manages them.
There are many officials transferred this time, and at least all the major cities in Sichuan can be filled with their own officials.
……………………
Su Wuniu looked at the cliff blocking the road ahead. This was the most difficult road on Micang Road.
The mountain road to its north has been opened up through gunpowder blasting, which is enough for carriages to travel.
The road to its south is an old channel washed by the river, and it is also very wide and can be used for horse-drawn carriages.
This section of the road is very rugged and there are many dead ends with huge drops.
Su Wuniu looked at Chen Shiqiao, the leader of the road construction team.
“Do we have to blow up the cliff next to it?
If it is not done properly, the entire mountain will collapse and directly block the rice warehouse road. The army will have no logistical supplies and it will be very dangerous."
Chen Shiqiao spread his hands and said helplessly: "Shilang Su, I also know what you said.
But there is no other way. I want to build the rice warehouse road so that people can walk there pushing wheelbarrows.
This area of Mi Cang Road has the highest concentration of dead ends.
The terrain in some places is very complicated. Even if it is filled, it is still a road with a very steep slope. People can barely walk on it, but vehicles carrying heavy loads will definitely not be able to walk on it.
Complete filling would require too much work and would be impossible in a short time. It would take at least several decades.
Some places are in valleys and there is no way to build plank roads.
Our best option is to carve out another path from inside the nearby cliff.
As long as the cliff is penetrated, the rice warehouse road can be used by horse-drawn carriage, and the transportation of materials will be very fast.
I have seen that these cliffs are so hard that even if they are exploded with gunpowder, they will not completely collapse.
We just want to carve a path on the cliff.
It's just that the Micang Road transport team needs to be stopped for a few days while the road is being built."
Su Wuniu kept thinking about the gains and losses, and he knew that what Chen Shiqiao said was correct.
The army cannot walk on Micang Road because there are too many dead ends.
Some places can build plank roads, and some places are valleys where even plank roads cannot be built.
"In this case, you wait a little longer and make detailed plans.
I got a batch of white sugar from Hanzhong and sent it there.
There are also officials who have taken over Bazhou and other places, let them go there first.
After sending some gunpowder weapons, we will officially open the mountain and build roads.
In this way, even if the road is blocked for a few days, Su Xiong will still have certain supplies.
In addition, the resistance of the Ming army in northeastern Sichuan is not strong, so it should not have an impact on the situation."
The road had to be repaired, and Su Wuniu could only choose the plan with the least impact.
Chen Shiqiao heard Shifuniu's instructions and went to study how to open up the cliff and build a road with better results.
Su Wuniu watched the transportation team carrying grain and walking on the rice warehouse road.
Some places along Yonecang Road are so dangerous that even a wheelbarrow cannot pass there.
The only thing left was for the common people to carry the supplies on shoulder poles and transport them step by step.
The people in charge of transportation were sweating profusely and walking on the road carrying more than 100 kilograms of supplies.
They came to the dead end of the road.
There is a full three-meter drop between this place and the road below.
At this height, the vehicle will be damaged if it falls.
The people tied the hanging baskets with ropes and carried the supplies down.
They grabbed the rope on the mountain road and slowly slid down the mountain road.
Go to another dead end, climb up along the rope, and then drag the things up the mountain.
Su Wuniu looked at this method of transportation. The transportation speed was very slow and the transportation process was also very dangerous.
Especially at night, you may fall off the cliff if you are not careful.
Su Wuniu waited for five full days for all personnel and materials to be transported.
Using normal roads, transporting this amount of supplies can be completed in one day.
He informed the transportation team that there was no need to transport supplies to the front for the time being.
Su Wuniu looked at Chen Shiqiao: "The next work depends on your performance.
If we can perfectly build the Mi Cang Road, both of us will be rewarded."
Chen Shiqiao was originally just a craftsman, but now he has become a fifth-grade official of the Ministry of Industry.
Naturally, he cherishes his achievements very much.
He became an official because of his skills in road construction.
"Attention everyone, start building roads according to the established plan."
Chen Shiqiao gave an order, and the workers of the road construction team began to build the most difficult section of Micang Road.
Two workers standing on a wooden ladder.
One of them holds a chisel in his hand, and the other holds a sledgehammer.
All the places that need to be drilled have been painted in advance by Chen Shiqiao.
They only build the road a hundred meters at a time.
The worker aims the chisel at the painted area.
Another worker kept tapping the chisel bit by bit with a sledgehammer.
They used this method to drill holes in the cliff.
Every cliff has dense holes.
Su Wuniu listened to the intensive knocking sounds as workers continued to knock holes into the cliff.
Chen Shiqiao stuffed the prepared gunpowder into the hole in the cliff and compacted it.
He connected all the holes with fuses.
After preparing everything, Chen Shiqiang asked everyone to evacuate.
He also hid in a safe location far away and lit the fuse in his hand.
There was a loud bang.
The whole mountain was shaking.
Chen Shiqiao saw a layer of rock blown open on the cliff ahead.
It's like a giant spoon digging a trench into the cliff.
Chen Shiqiao ordered workers to clean up the rubble.
Just throw the gravel into the nearby valley.
He lamented: “I have seen in books that predecessors built this kind of road.
At that time, they could only burn the rock wall and pour cold water on it.
Repeat this method to make the rock wall brittle
Then use chisels to break open the brittle rock walls. This method of building roads is very slow and takes several years.
Now that we have gunpowder, it only takes a short time to explode the rocks."
Chen Shiqiao looked at the cliff that had been blown apart.
They drilled a hole 20 centimeters long, and the cliff looked like a trench 20 centimeters deep and 2.5 meters high.
Chen Shiqiao kept repeating this process.
They were in the same place, repeated ten times in total.
A road was dug two meters deep into the cliff.
Directly make this road the widest road on Mi Cang Road.
Chen Shiqiao built a section of road and carefully observed the quality of the road.
This was as he expected. The material of the cliff was very hard, and digging out this little thing would have no effect on the cliff.
Chen Shiqiao used the same method to continuously extend this section of the road, and soon it was completely repaired.
Su Wuniu walked on this newly built road.
This looks like a road embedded in the cliff.
"We finally opened up the rice warehouse road, and now entering Sichuan, there is another avenue that can carry grain trucks.
It is also very convenient for people to take this road, and it can speed up the connection between Hanzhong and Sichuan."
Su Wuniu watched the mule carts and wheelbarrows passing through the rice warehouse road.
He smiled. This path not only benefits the present, but also benefits the future.