Chapter 2715: Shortage of Medicine (Birthday Extra for "Hong Yan Zui")

The large army gathered together.

State Duke Zhao stationed himself twenty miles outside Anshi City. It wasn’t because he was bold enough to camp so close, but because no matter how they cursed, Anshi City kept its gates tightly shut. He had tried to storm the city twice but had failed; thus, he could only lay siege to it.

Manbao followed the emperor here. All the wounded soldiers were scattered throughout towns behind the lines. Manbao arranged for only two students to care for them, while the rest were brought along with her.

Upon receiving her own tent, Manbao gathered the military physicians and students for a debriefing. She encouraged them and discussed the current fears and difficulties before taking out a cloth sack.

She handed the bag to Zhou Liru, saying, “Two pearls per person. It’s not much, but distribute it.”

Everyone was startled, and even more so after receiving the pearls. The two military physicians were the first to react, immediately bowing and thanking, “Thank you, Lord, for the reward.”

These were spoils of war, truly rare. Unless they too stormed the city to forage, military physicians rarely received a share of the spoils.

And often during city raids, it was their busiest time—working tirelessly from the start of the battle to its end, particularly afterward when all the wounded were sent to them in droves.

How could they compete with others for spoils?

They didn’t intervene during the raids, let alone when spoils were divided. They generally received none.

The military physicians were particularly content, even if only receiving two pearls—they were worth three to four months of their salaries.

Having distributed the items, Manbao encouraged them, “Work well, and once we seize Anshi City, I’ll request more spoils for us.”

Heli seemed generous, and so did General Ashina. However, he was too stern; he neither took spoils nor allowed his soldiers to take much, mostly sealing and turning them over to the emperor.

Hmm, I wonder if State Duke Zhao is generous. This time, he’s the Chief Steward.

While Manbao pondered, Zhou Liru remarked, “Aunt, we’re running low on medicine.”

Only then did everyone remember the main issue, and they chimed in, “Teacher, we only have two large bags of Chinese angelica left, and even less hemostatic medicine. Now that they’re besieging the city, the need for medicine will only increase.”

Siege casualties are high.

Manbao furrowed her brow and asked, “Have you purchased medicine from neighboring towns?”

Everyone shook their heads; they had no money. Such matters were usually handled by the military’s logistics. They merely reported the needs.

Manbao said, “I understand. I’ll speak with the Chief Steward.”

Manbao went to find State Duke Zhao.

Upon seeing Zhou Man, State Duke Zhao involuntarily smiled but then, recalling something, turned to leave as if he hadn’t seen her.

Manbao quickly caught up, calling, “Chief Steward, State Duke Zhao, Minister Zhao…”

After intercepting him, she asked, “Why are you running?”

State Duke Zhao acted as if he had just noticed her, smiling, “It’s Lord Zhou, I was deep in thought and didn’t notice. Do you need something from me?”

“Yes, our medicine hasn’t arrived yet?”

State Duke Zhao’s smile faded slightly, nodding.

While frowning, Manbao didn’t inquire about faults, directly stating, “Let logistics purchase nearby medicine then.”

State Duke Zhao was momentarily surprised before asking, “Is there medicine sold around here?”

“Given how many cities we’ve captured, those within must have pharmacies.”

State Duke Zhao also agreed, smiling, “May I trouble Lord Zhou to write up a list?”

Manbao was already prepared, retrieving a thick fold of paper from her sleeve and handing it over, “All the medicines on this list are needed; purchase as many as possible. I won’t set a limit.”

State Duke Zhao sighed, “There might not be as much as you expect. They took many supplies with them when they retreated.”

Grain, iron implements, and medicine, even salt and tea, belonged to military supplies. They carried them away during retreats, and many wealthy households and merchants fled in advance, leaving not much of such supplies in the army.

Manbao asserted, “Buy as much as you can.”

State Duke Zhao nodded, asking with a smile, “Lord Zhou, how much medicine do you have left?”

“Not enough to support one siege battle. If medicine doesn’t arrive, next time your wounded are brought down, I won’t have any medicine to stop the bleeding. I would rely solely on acupuncture and suturing, but you know that without medicine, relying only on these methods to stop bleeding is not effective.”

State Duke Zhao pursed his lips and nodded, showing he understood.

Watching him leave, Manbao finally scratched her head, went back, gathered the military physicians and students, and said, “Let’s all head to the mountains to dig for medicinal herbs. Gather whatever herbs you find, with a focus on hemostatic ones.”

The military physicians sighed, “If we run out of hemostatic medicine, we’ll have to use fire or ash from herbs and trees to stop bleeding next time.”

When the army runs out of medicine, this is what they resort to.

Manbao did not refute, agreeing.

Zhou Liru’s mouth dropped open, “But didn’t you say using fire and ash to stop bleeding would have severe side effects?”

The former could damage muscles, tendons, and nerves, while the latter might worsen the wound.

Manbao said, “Focus on the urgent current needs first.”

At the very least, it was better than letting people bleed incessantly. It was a last resort.

Thus, without waiting for Bai Shan to find the time, Manbao led a group of students and military physicians, along with soldiers from the medical tent, into the mountains to dig up herbs.

Surprisingly, there were quite many medicinal herbs in the mountains. After all, even the most common wild grass in this world had hemostatic properties, albeit to varying degrees.

Manbao mostly didn’t reject any, deciding to dig up whatever she saw.

It was just that these fresh herbs weren’t processed or refined, so their medicinal properties were far less than those already treated.

State Duke Zhao dispatched different people daily to curse at the gates of Anshi City. Sometimes, he launched siege attacks, exhausting a wave of their weapons and soldiers before retreating.

Yet, siege attacks historically were disadvantageous to the attackers, incurring more casualties on our side.

After two attempts, State Duke Zhao halted. He told the emperor, “Your Majesty, they have supplies. It might take two to three months of siege to conquer the city.”

The emperor replied, “It’s getting cold. We don’t have that much time, and logistics can’t keep up. How much longer will the grain and fodder we’ve seized last?”

State Duke Zhao whispered, “Twenty days.”

The emperor pursed his lips, saying, “If we cannot prevail with force, then we must resort to strategy.”

With a profound gaze, he said, “If we can’t capture it in half a month, we will withdraw.”

“Your Majesty…”

The emperor made this decision reluctantly, but he had to. He couldn’t invest too much in this war or let it significantly affect Great Jin.

Wei Zhi and Minister Liu, among others, had continuously sent letters advising against it.

The emperor frowned slightly, “Liu claims that grain and medicine have already been sent out. By all accounts, they should have arrived half a month ago.”

State Duke Zhao was also frustrated, having no idea what the transporting logistics were doing.