Chapter 83: Is It Not Enough?

Chen Xie turned and walked out, without a word, he picked up an injured soldier lying in the corridor, who was barely breathing. The wound was on his thigh, blood still flowing out, and he must have lost a lot of blood. If not treated soon, he wouldn't make it.

"XXX, if you can't cure my injury, I'll tear down your shop." The man was full of energy, with a round belly, and Chen Xie suspected the lead bullet hadn't penetrated his subcutaneous fat. Since that was the case, he wouldn't die anytime soon, so he decided to save this soldier first.

"Do you want to roll out yourself, or should I throw you out?" Chen Xie stood at the door, holding the injured soldier.

The officer on the bed glared at Chen Xie, thinking he had heard wrong. He pointed to his nose and said, "You want me to roll out? Do you know who I am?" Chen Xie placed the injured soldier on a bed and shouted at Liu Gaoming, who had followed him in, "Haven't you prepared yet? He's about to die." This one sentence scared Liu Gaoming so much that he retreated. Chen Xie then strode forward, grabbed the officer by the collar, and pulled him off the bed, dragging him out like a dead dog, and threw him into the courtyard before turning back.

The officer, rolling on the ground like a tumbleweed, had stars in his eyes. The moment his collar was grabbed, the immense force almost choked him. When he came to his senses, lying on the ground, he was in excruciating pain. Just as he was about to get up, a cold, sharp knife was placed on his neck, and a servant said nervously, "Don't move, or I'll kill you to save the master."

The hand holding the knife was trembling. The Tang knife, produced by combining modern industry with traditional craftsmanship, looked first-rate. There was no need to guess; this thing could easily cut his throat, just like slaughtering a chicken.

"I am the deputy commander of the Dengzhou Pinghai Camp, Deng..." The knife pressed down, and Changsheng's hand trembled even more, his voice also trembling, "You talk too much. I've never killed anyone before, don't force me."

The wound was a through-and-through injury caused by a sharp object. It was already a miracle that he was still alive. Chen Xie took a quick look at the wound; saving him was the priority. He decided to transfuse blood first. Fortunately, he was O-type blood, and as long as the man wasn't RH-positive, there wouldn't be any other complications.

When Liu Gaoming saw Chen Xie take a syringe and draw his own blood, his body trembled. A few injured soldiers who could still walk stood there watching.

As they watched the blood flow through the tube into the unconscious soldier's veins, the soldiers, who had been numb, realized what was happening. The divine doctor's blood was flowing into their comrade's body. As for the deputy commander, no one paid him much attention.

The 400cc of blood did not affect Chen Xie much; his enhanced body was as strong as an ox. The surgery went relatively smoothly, not because Chen Xie was particularly skilled, but because he had no time to think and was fully focused. Chen Xie didn't even realize how good his eyesight was and how quickly his brain reacted. Many of the things he had learned in the past came to mind when he needed them. After an hour, the surgery was over. The injured soldier's breathing became more normal, though he was still unconscious. Chen Xie knew he had saved half of his life; the other half was up to fate.

With the assistance of Liu Gaoming and the apprentices, Chen Xie was no longer fighting alone. These people, after some time of learning, could not be doctors, but they could勉强 serve as assistants. After performing three surgeries in a row, there were no more patients that required Chen Xie's direct intervention. Most of the injured were lightly wounded, and simple suturing could be done by Liu Gaoming and the apprentices. They had learned emergency wound treatment from Chen Xie for a long time, so this was not a big deal.

By this time, it was already afternoon. When Chen Xie came out, the injured soldiers' eyes, which had been numb, now had a bit more life. There was no scene of bowing, but a seed had definitely been planted in their hearts. Walking to the officer lying on the ground, Chen Xie looked down. Changsheng had put away the knife, and the officer seemed to have lost the courage to curse, crouching on a mat in the courtyard, leaning against a flower bed, and looking at Chen Xie with a resentful gaze.

Chen Xie was surprised to see a man in civilian clothes sitting on a chair in the corridor, with two soldiers standing behind him.

Seeing Chen Xie, the man smiled and clasped his hands, saying, "Divine doctor, you have worked hard." Chen Xie didn't recognize him, but Liu Gaoming whispered, "General Yang Guodong of Denglai."

"General, you are too polite. I still have one more patient to treat," Chen Xie said, walking to the officer on the ground and smiling indifferently, "The lead bullet is still in your body. Do you think it's too early to think about revenge?"

Deng, the deputy commander, closed his eyes in anger. Yang Guodong smiled and stood up, saying, "Divine doctor, I will take my leave."

Chen Xie waved his hand, "No need to see me off." As Yang Guodong left the clinic, the smile on his face disappeared instantly. He turned to a beautiful soldier and said, "Remember to remind Old Deng to behave. There are dozens of merchants in Dengzhou, all relying on the joint merchant association to make money. If he causes trouble, he might end up in a sack, thrown into the sea at night, and no one would ever find his body."

Yang Guodong, the general, looked powerful, but in reality, he was just a military man in Dengzhou. As a military man, he had to be cautious. Quarreling with Chen Xie was a small matter, but cutting off someone's means of making money would lead to a fight to the death. Yang Guodong knew very well who was behind the merchant association. Not to mention, Chen Xie's medical skills were well-known.

Deng's surgery was simple and brutal. No anesthesia was used; a stick was put in his mouth, and he was told, "If you don't want to die from lead poisoning, you'd better endure it." If anyone else had said this, it would have been dismissed as a bluff. But when Chen Xie said it, even if it was a bluff, everyone would take it seriously.

So, Deng, who didn't want to die, cooperated, biting the stick and enduring the pain of the knife. The surgery didn't take too long, about ten minutes, and the lead bullet was removed. Chen Xie threw down his tools and told an apprentice, "Disinfect and suture," then left.

Chen Xie didn't care if the man would die from infection or tetanus. If Yang Guodong hadn't come, Chen Xie would have thrown him out. Why did Yang Guodong come, and why did he just sit outside quietly? This was a very peculiar interest. So, Chen Xie wanted to find out.

A few injured soldiers quickly explained what had happened. They had set sail two days ago, with two ships to fight pirates. It was more like a search to see if they could encounter a lone ship at sea. The pirates were using their free time to make extra money, and as soldiers of the Ming navy, they were also using the guise of anti-piracy to make extra money. Essentially, they were the same. On the vast sea, if they intercepted a ship, they would check if there were any valuable goods. If there were, they would invite all the passengers to eat "board knife noodles." If they wanted to eat "wonton noodles," the passengers might end up swimming in the sea, getting some exercise, and then being rescued.

Relying on the mountains for food and the sea for water, the soldiers were well-versed in killing innocent people and claiming credit. The only reason to blame was that fishing for extra income was too slow.

Deng's luck was bad. This time, they intercepted a cargo ship equipped with two large cannons. The heavily loaded ship couldn't run fast. After being caught, a close-range battle was inevitable. Just as victory seemed within reach, a flash of fire, and a musket shot down Deng.

When Deng fell, the soldiers were in chaos. The soldiers who jumped over had no heart to fight and were pushed back by the enemy, who were now highly motivated. The business of making extra income at sea had to be paused. After being injured, Deng ordered a quick return to the water fort, and he was sent to the clinic. By good fortune, Chen Xie had just returned to the city, and the carriage was so noticeable that Mr. Yu couldn't help but notice.

Saving a life and making an enemy was like finding a stinkbug while eating sunflower seeds. Chen Xie found it quite disgusting! But he didn't take it too seriously. He now had over a hundred loyal servants equipped with rifled muskets. If a few hundred Ming soldiers came, they would just be delivering food.

After tidying up, Chen Xie left the clinic. There was no immediate danger in the city, but he would be more cautious when he returned. With this in mind, Chen Xie went to the Zhang residence. Zhang Yao should have already heard the news, and Shuigen led him directly to the study.

"A mere military man, how dare he insult me! If Yang Guodong doesn't give an explanation, the gentry of Dengzhou will certainly respond." This was Zhang Yao's conclusion. Chen Xie had only read about how powerful the scholars of the Ming dynasty were; this was the first time he had seen it in person. Zhang Yao, now just a local gentry, spoke with such confidence.

By taking on the responsibility, Zhang Yao was treating Chen Xie like a nephew. The implication was, "Don't worry, a small military man is easy to deal with." In this era, the power of speech was in the hands of the civil officials, especially the censors, who could criticize and impeach anyone they wanted. What? You want evidence? Such a high-level thing, a military man like you doesn't deserve it.

The time when military men were powerful hadn't come yet. It would be during the reign of Chongzhen, when the border defenses were like sieves, and the Jurchens could come and go as they pleased, raiding and looting. People like Zu Dashou, who were considered warlords, were still given silver by the court to prevent them from surrendering to the Jurchens. Later, people like Zuo Liangyu and the Four Towns of the North Jiang, who had developed to the point where they didn't even listen to the court. Only the Donglin scholars still naively believed that Zuo Liangyu would listen to them and fight for their interests.

Now, military men were still military men, and civil officials could still easily get rid of them.

Zhang Yao didn't say much about this, and Chen Xie didn't ask. They talked about his plans to expand the army and establish an artillery camp. Zhang Yao's face changed, and after examining Chen Xie for a while, he asked, "Is it not enough for a mere militia to have swords, guns, and muskets?"

The implication was, "You are just a militia commander. Having a few hundred men with swords, guns, and muskets is already excessive. What do you want with an artillery camp? Is artillery something you should be playing with?"