Chapter 56: A Good Plan to Save Thousands (Part 3)

"Loose soil is not very firm, and using it to fix injuries might not be very secure," Chou Yiwén suddenly said. In his view, Han Gang's theory was not without flaws. In the military camp, sprains and bruises were the most common injuries. Many were just ordinary fractures, but due to improper care after realignment, the bones grew misaligned, leading to lifelong disabilities. Even Chou Yiwén, an experienced physician, could not change this reality.

Han Gang glanced at the old military doctor and said, "The soil I mentioned is not the soil on the ground, but gypsum."

The five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth are broad categories, each with further subdivisions. Gold, silver, copper, iron, and tin belong to the metal category. Willow, poplar, elm, locust, and pine belong to the wood category. Minerals like gypsum, which cannot be smelted, are classified under the earth category. Gypsum at that time was rarely used as a building material; people commonly used lime. Gypsum was more often used in medicine, known for its cold nature, which could detoxify and clear heat.

So Lei Jian asked, "Gypsum is a very cold substance. What is the basis for using it to treat bone injuries?"

"Gypsum is used externally, not internally. To use gypsum to treat bone injuries, it must first be calcined and turned into powder to remove its cold nature. Then, it is mixed with water to form a paste, applied to the injured area that has been bound with willow wood, and finally wrapped tightly with hemp cloth. Calcined gypsum hardens when it meets water, becoming as solid as stone, and there is no fear of the bones shifting again. Willow wood, gypsum powder, and water belong to wood, earth, and water, respectively. In other words, to heal bone injuries, one must nourish them with water, earth, and wood."

Han Gang's eloquence left Lei Jian and Chou Yiwén speechless, and the more they thought about it, the more sense it made. Physicians focused on the properties and principles of medicine, while bone setters just needed to heal the injuries. Han Gang's approach was appropriate for the situation. Lei Jian and Chou Yiwén were indeed taken aback, and though they were not exactly in awe, they looked at Han Gang with newfound respect.

Qi Juan was also stunned, his one real and one fake eye equally vacant. He never imagined that Han Gang would know medicine. While he had anticipated this to some extent, the fact that Han Gang was even more skilled than Lei Jian and Chou Yiwén was completely unexpected. What should he do now? Seeing Han Gang's influence in the injured camp, any attempt to harm him in secret would be futile and might even backfire.

"Scholar Han's medical skills are truly remarkable, I am very impressed!" Chou Yiwén praised, genuinely admiring Han Gang's insights.

However, Han Gang shook his head. "I have not studied medicine. I know nothing about the four diagnostic methods, and I am clueless about prescribing and acupuncture. What I just said is merely repeating what I have heard, and I dare not take credit for it."

"Whose words are you repeating?" Lei Jian and Chou Yiwén asked simultaneously. The principles Han Gang repeated were unprecedented, and his medical skills must be exceptional.

"A wandering Taoist... It was in May this year, when I was studying under Mr. Zhang Zai in Weizhou." Han Gang slightly raised his head, his gaze distant, as if recalling the past, but in reality, he was quickly fabricating a lie. "Just after the Dragon Boat Festival, Mr. Zhang Zai, recommended by Academician Lu Gongzhe, was about to enter the court to serve. I intended to follow him, but unexpectedly received a letter from home."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Han Gang with respect, while Qi Juan was almost ready to curse. Han Gang was a disciple of Zhang Zai, recommended by Academician Lu Gongzhe, the famous Mr. Hengqu. No wonder Chen Ju's gift was so heavy; his status was indeed high! The damned Chen Ju, trying to get him to kill Han Gang, if it were to happen, Mr. Hengqu would not let it go, nor would Han Gang's classmates.

'You are not righteous, so do not blame me for not being righteous.' Qi Juan initially thought Han Gang had just been lucky, but now he realized that perhaps he himself had been the lucky one.

Qi Juan hated Chen Ju so much that he wanted to flay him and eat his flesh, thinking of ways to take revenge. Meanwhile, Han Gang continued his story, "You know, it was the time when the Western bandits invaded Qin Prefecture." He smiled, but it was a bitter smile.

"That letter..." Zhou Ning asked, as the laborers had heard rumors about Han Gang's family affairs and could guess what the letter might say.

"The letter said that both of my elder brothers had died in the line of duty and asked me to return home for their funeral." Han Gang sighed deeply. "I rushed home in the rain, but unexpectedly caught a cold. I fell ill halfway and was bedridden in a roadside mountain temple."

"Scholar, you are truly fortunate. If you had fallen ill on the road, it could have cost you your life," Chou Yiwén said, familiar with the small temples by the roadside where many travelers died from illness.

"Yes, indeed fortunate. I was lying alone in the mountain temple, with no straw to lie on. The temple leaked, and I was soaked in water. After half a day, I was unconscious, on the brink of death." Han Gang's storytelling was vivid, and his expressions made it seem real. "Unexpectedly, a Taoist entered the temple."

"That Taoist gave me a pill, and I broke out in a sweat, and my illness was mostly gone." Han Gang reminisced about the non-existent person with deep emotion. "He took care of me for two days, during which we discussed many medical topics, including bone fractures. When he left, he told me to rest for another day, or I would fall ill again. I believed him but could not comply, as I had to rush home for the funeral. I felt a bit better and forced myself to continue. Unfortunately, my illness recurred, and I collapsed as soon as I entered the house, almost dying. I lay in bed for over a month before I could get up..."

"Who was that Taoist? What was his name?" Lei Jian asked urgently.

Han Gang calmly lied, "That Taoist was like a free bird. He didn't say his name, but I know he was surnamed Sun!"

Wang Junwan, searching for Lei Jian and Chou Yiwén, entered the injured camp and heard Han Gang's last sentence. Standing behind the crowd, he asked, "Who is surnamed Sun?"

No one answered him. Lei Jian, Chou Yiwén, and Qi Juan all stared at Han Gang, speechless.

Half a day later, Han Gang was standing in the back hall of Gangu City. With just the three words "Sun Taoist," Han Gang's name was directly reported to the military supervisor and city lord of Qin-Feng Road.

The gray-haired Zhang Shouyue was sitting in the hall, with Wang Junwan and a group of officials on either side.

"You are the Han Gang who met a fairy?" The city lord asked straightforwardly.

"Met a fairy?" In front of the military supervisor, Han Gang's lips parted, and his expression was bewildered. "What are you talking about?"

Zhang Shouyue's eyes darted, and a cold gaze like the fierce northern wind outside fell on Wang Junwan. Wang Junwan asked Han Gang, "Han Gang, didn't you say you met the famous physician Sun Zhenren from the previous dynasty? Why are you changing your story?"

"Have I ever said that?" Han Gang looked surprised and angry. "I only said that the Taoist who saved me was surnamed Sun. What does this have to do with Sun Zhenren, the Medicine King? Sun Zhenren lived in the early Tang Dynasty, hundreds of years ago. How could he still be alive today? I am a disciple of the Holy Teaching and do not speak of the strange and supernatural!"

When Han Gang first fabricated his lie, he had already prepared for the rumors that would follow, which was one of the situations he hoped for. Sun Zhenren, the Medicine King, was famous in Guanzhong, and countless legends about him had been passed down for hundreds of years. As Han Gang had anticipated, Zhang Shouyue, the city lord of Gangu, summoned him due to his performance in the injured camp and the rumor of meeting a fairy.

"You!" Wang Junwan stepped forward, unable to contain his anger.

"Enough, stop arguing!" Zhang Shouyue rebuked Wang Junwan and then turned to Han Gang, "I heard that you, Scholar Han, do not know medicine. How can you still save people?"

"In the injured camp, I used treatment techniques, not medical skills. Just as the Bureau of Animal Husbandry needs to know how to raise and herd horses, and the Ministry of Agriculture needs to know how to farm, why must one know medicine? These are not fatal injuries. If they can survive until now, they can survive into the future. With careful care, how many would die in vain? Many in the injured camp are already recovering, which is proof."

Wang Junwan was no longer angry and asked impatiently, "Scholar Han, how confident are you in saving my men? I have over a dozen close brothers still at home."

"I cannot guarantee that everyone will recover, but I can ensure that fewer will die in vain. Caring for the injured is not about administering needles and medicine; it is about being dedicated!" Han Gang was confident. His confidence came from the field of battlefield medicine, specifically from the legendary nurse Florence Nightingale.

In the 19th century, the mortality rate of wounded soldiers did not decrease due to scientific progress, remaining at 30% to 50%. This was not due to the lack of medicine but the lack of dedication. When the British, French, Russians, and Turks fought in the Crimean War, Florence Nightingale and her team of nurses arrived at the field hospital. Without advanced medical skills or miraculous drugs, they reduced the mortality rate in the field hospital to single digits through meticulous care. This was a miracle of compassion, and it was the future Han Gang envisioned for the injured camp in Gangu.

This was not the answer Wang Junwan had hoped for, but he was satisfied. Turning around, he requested on Han Gang's behalf, "Supervisor, why not let Scholar Han take charge of the injured camp? Doctors Lei and Chou will follow his lead."

"Han Gang, if I entrust the injured camp... no, all the injured in Gangu City to you, can you manage it?"

"Have you ever heard of a single person fighting ten thousand? I don't need to personally treat every single person!"

Han Gang's response was somewhat arrogant, and the officials in the hall were displeased, but Zhang Shouyue was not offended. A talented young man without a bit of pride would be strange. Moreover, Han Gang was the only one who had risked danger to enter Gangu City at night, and Zhang Shouyue remembered this favor.

"Very well, it's settled!" Zhang Shouyue decided. "Clear out the camp in the southeast of the city and move all the injured there. Qi Juan, give Scholar Han whatever he needs! Except for money and weapons."

"Understood." Qi Juan readily agreed, now seeing Han Gang as someone he needed to cultivate. As for Chen Ju... who was he?

"Han Gang, I entrust all the injured in Gangu City to you. I hope you will be diligent and not let the soldiers down."

"Supervisor, rest assured, I understand!" Han Gang bowed humbly, but his lowered face betrayed a smile of satisfaction.

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