C24. Battlefield Rescue Team (Part 1).

C24. Battlefield Rescue Team (Part 1).

Chu Hechao watched as Yuan Li's figure disappeared outside the door, his expression stern. Yuan Congyun and Yang Zhongfa, who were laughing moments ago, involuntarily stopped.

They exchanged a glance, and Yuan Congyun gave Yang Zhongfa an inquiring look.

"What's wrong with the God of Wealth and the General?" Yang Zhongfa wanted to stay and see what was happening, but he understood that it was better if fewer people knew about the discord between the General and Yuan Li.

He signaled for Yuan Congyun to leave first, leaving the study as instructed by Yang Zhongfa, despite his growing confusion.

As soon as Yuan Congyun left, Lin Tian, Yuan Li's servant, hurried over to meet Chu Hechao.

Recognizing Lin Tian, Chu Hechao let out a cold sneer and agreed, "Let him in."

Upon entering, Lin Tian respectfully bowed and said, "General, my master has a few words to convey to you."

Chu Hechao coldly observed Lin Tian, "Let him come over and talk to me himself."

Lin Tian continued without hesitation, "My master said that the account books he burned were fake. The real account books are still in the Prince Chu Mansion in Luoyang. When you abducted my master and left, he couldn't bring any of Luoyang's belongings to Youzhou."

Chu Hechao narrowed his eyes, masking some feelings of unease and guilt.

"However, my master said that whether those account books exist or not is not important," Lin Tian dutifully relayed Yuan Li's words, "Youzhou is under the General's jurisdiction. What the General decides to do, who to appoint or dismiss, who to suspect... with the hundred and thirty thousand strong army here, the General can establish Youzhou into an impenetrable stronghold by himself."

Lin Tian's words were valid. However, after he finished speaking, Chu Hechao's face turned slightly pale and unsightly.

With a lowered head, Lin Tian added, "My master also wanted me to tell you that it's not yet time to take action against these officials. Even if action is to be taken, it should be after pacifying the rebel forces in Youzhou."

Having delivered the message, Lin Tian bowed and quickly left the study.

Chu Hechao sat motionless for a long while.

Yang Zhongfa cleared his throat and regretted not leaving with Yuan Congyun. He cautiously addressed Chu Hechao, "General?"

Observing Chu Hechao's expression, Yang Zhongfa became more delicately cautious, "Listening to the words of Master Yuan, he won't try to leave Youzhou and return to Luoyang, will he?"

Chu Hechao coldly chuckled, "He won't leave and He can't leave."

"General, Master Yuan is your brother-in-law," Yang Zhongfa sighed, troubled.

He approached Chu Hechao, whispering, "He is not like us, we are your subordinates, but Master Yuan is your family. How can you treat family like subordinates? Moreover, Master Yuan is your elder. Even if he is not older, he has done so much for us along the way, and even recently earned military merit. How come things have become turbulent since arriving in Youzhou?"

Chu Hechao remained expressionless, seemingly unfazed by Yang Zhongfa's words.

As Yuan Li had a very amiable demeanor, always generous and gracious to everyone, Chu Hechao's bad temper made Yang Zhongfa believe the fault lay with him.

Muttering to himself, Yang Zhongfa couldn't help but remark, "Master Yuan just chastised the officials from Guangyang County, always considering your best interests. He was brought to this remote Youzhou against his will. Why anger him? Master Yuan is so young, only eighteen years old, not even an adult yet! General, please be more considerate!"

Chu Hechao closed his eyes, feeling a surge of irritation, softly commanding, "Shut up."

Yang Zhongfa fell silent.

Chu Hechao leaned back in his seat.

Yuan Li's methods were impressive, handling matters cleanly and decisively, appearing mysterious and profound, nearly making him forget that Yuan Li was only eighteen years old.

A youth of this age, who had earned recognition but was met with suspicion and testing, could not help but feel angry.

Chu Hechao furrowed his brow, rubbing his forehead.

His tall stature behind the desk exuded a sense of being trapped like a cornered animal.

*

The date to suppress the rebel forces was set for ten days later.

During these ten days, Yang Zhongfa and his team had already delivered the military supplies to the Northern Border, preparing to mobilize troops to combat the rebels.

Yuan Li had also settled the captured soldiers in the barren fields of Ji County, ordering them to cultivate the land and establish soap factories and livestock farms.

The livestock farm was divided into pigsties, chicken coops, and more, even though there were currently no animals. Yuan Li remained optimistic, believing he could fill the farm and even expand to a second and third livestock farm.

He assigned household servants to oversee the individuals, providing them with enough food to keep them satisfied and busy every day. These individuals behaved obediently and had not caused any trouble.

When the ten days arrived, Yuan Li joined the army to fight the rebels.

The rebel forces were wreaking havoc in Shanggu County and Liaoxi County, having already captured five and eight cities, respectively.

Shanggu County was near Guangyang County, while Liaoxi County was much farther away. Chu Hechao divided his forces into two groups, appointing Yuan Congyun as the commander and deploying Guan Zhihuai as the deputy commander with thirty thousand soldiers to combat the rebels in Liaoxi County.

As for Shanggu County, Chu Hechao led the way with Yang Zhongfa and another young general, He Lang, as the deputy commander, taking twenty thousand soldiers to suppress the rebels there.

Yuan Li was asked by Chu Hechao to accompany the troops to Wei County in Shanggu County.

In terms of tactical arrangements, Yuan Li deferred to Chu Hechao's expertise and followed all his directives obediently. When they set up camp in Wei County and began the siege, Yuan Li realized that Chu Hechao remained in the rear, hardly stepping onto the battlefield.

The responsibility of attacking the rebels and capturing the city was left to Yang Zhongfa, He Lang, and other commanders.

Understanding the situation, Yuan Li explained with a smile to the puzzled Wu Kai, "The General is providing an opportunity for his subordinates to earn merit."

Wu Kai nodded in understanding, "No wonder Mr. Yang and Mr. He have been so valiant in the siege these days."

"Once they earn merit, they can petition the court for rewards," a nearby Liu Jixin stroked his beard, "The emperor has summoned forces from all over to combat the rebels, and many knowledgeable individuals have recruited their own troops as well. It won't be long before these rebels are eradicated."

Yuan Li smiled softly.

After the rebellion was put down across the land for several years, the emperor would eventually realize that a more troublesome situation had emerged, with various factions amassing power.

Once chaos was unleashed, it could not be easily contained again.

Liu Jixin turned to Yuan Li, "Would you also like to make some accomplishments on the battlefield?"

Yuan Li chuckled, "Why would I? I am not a military man, why would I compete with them for credit?"

Liu Jixin breathed a sigh of relief, "I thought you might want to join the battlefield. I was just thinking about how to advise you. You made a significant achievement by killing Ma Renyi with a single arrow. Since you have not yet come of age, it's best not to draw too much attention and certainly not to vie for credit with the other commanders and soldiers. Offending them would not be beneficial to you."

Yuan Li shook his head with a smile, "I understand what you're saying, Mr. Liu. Rest assured."

But as soon as this remark was made, the system immediately chimed in with a different tune to Yuan Li.

[The Encyclopedia System has been activated.]

[Task: Gain some reputation in the military camp.]

[Reward: Refinement method for fine salt.]

Yuan Li's smile faltered at the mention of the fine salt refinement method.

While Liu Jixin continued to praise him for his profound sense of righteousness, Yuan Li couldn't bring himself to smile when he saw those five words: "Refinement method for fine salt."

What exactly was this system up to?

Did it really want him to go to the battlefield to kill enemies and compete with others for credit?

But in all honesty, Yuan Li couldn't compete for that kind of credit!

Yet, he was extremely, extremely tempted by the refinement method for fine salt.

Salt was a necessity in daily life, and the current salt grains carried a hint of bitterness. If he could produce fine salt, Yuan Li was certain that it would be more coveted by the nobles than soap or white sugar.

Yuan Li's eyes grew distant, unable to resist saying, "I really want it..."

Perplexed, Liu Jixin asked, "What is it that you desire, Young Master?"

Shaking his head solemnly, Yuan Li trudged back to the tent alone, pondering on how to accomplish the task of gaining some reputation in the camp.

How small did it have to be?

What level of achievement would fulfill the task?

Did he really have to go to the battlefield and kill enemies to complete it?

Even if the reward offered by the system was enticing, Yuan Li had his principles. He couldn't sacrifice military achievements for rewards, especially not in an unwise attempt to garner credit.

Moreover, he wasn't adept at leading attacks, especially in siege warfare. He believed in not taking on tasks he was unqualified for; leading troops into battle without the necessary skills would only lead to disaster.

—So he had to find another way to gain recognition without leading soldiers into battle.

Over the next few days, Yuan Li searched around, not only brushing up on ancient battlefield knowledge but also looking for opportunities. Soon enough, he found something he could do—tending to the wounded soldiers.

Many soldiers brought to the infirmary after being injured often succumbed to infections due to a lack of timely medical care. The medical staff in the infirmary were overwhelmed, and by the time they could attend to the wounded, many had already perished.

Additionally, the conditions in the infirmary were unsanitary, fostering bacteria and significantly increasing the soldiers' mortality rate.

Realizing this, Yuan Li immediately sent for medicinal herbs from Ji County and requested three hundred men from Chu Hechao.

This was the first time in a long while that Yuan Li had requested something directly from Chu Hechao. Without hesitation, Chu Hechao assigned the men to him, curious to see what Yuan Li intended to do.

Dressed in old clothes, Yuan Li, along with the soldiers, erected twenty new tents. After ensuring they were clean and disinfected with hot water, he meticulously transferred the wounded soldiers from the infirmary to these new tents.

Following that, he spent several days teaching these soldiers battlefield first aid knowledge, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation, emergency treatment for external bleeding, and splint immobilization, among other skills.

Once he was sure that these soldiers had mastered the techniques, Yuan Li led them to serve as a rescue team. Half of them would accompany him to provide on-the-spot first aid to wounded soldiers, while the other half would transport injured personnel from the battlefield to the infirmary.

The majority of the wounds sustained by the injured soldiers were cuts and arrow wounds, which were often non-lethal. Most of the soldiers died not from the wounds themselves but from the inflammation and infections that ensued.

At this point, Yuan Li didn't even spare a thought for the mission issued by the system. He wholeheartedly devoted himself to saving the wounded. He couldn't help but feel grateful for the various medicinal herbs he had acquired on his journey to Youzhou.

Upon witnessing his efforts, Chu Hechao remained silent for a long while before assigning him another three hundred men.

With the help of additional manpower, the pressure on the medical staff decreased significantly. They were also intrigued by the first aid techniques taught by Yuan Li and started learning them after witnessing their effectiveness.

However, despite their best efforts, there were still many soldiers whom Yuan Li couldn't save.

The soldiers on the defending side faced a challenging situation during the siege. Throughout these days of defending the city, the defenders had previously poured scalding hot water and excrement from the city walls.

While the hot water caused burns, the excrement led to immediate infections on the wounded soldiers' burns. Within a few days, those injured soldiers were doomed to death.

Yuan Li felt powerless in the face of this situation, doing his best to save as many lives as possible.

Wu Kai and Liu Jixin were also assigned tasks by Yuan Li, working tirelessly day and night. Liu Jixin, originally a well-to-do strategist, now resembled a rough and untamed man, working alongside Yuan Li.

Despite the occasional backache from hard work, Liu Jixin, wiping away the sweat while massaging his sore back, couldn't help but wonder whether he was here to strategize or to labor with his hands amidst the gratitude-filled faces of the soldiers witnessing their steady recovery.