My Realistic Simulation Game

Chapter 276 The Ancestor of Modern Medicine, Opening a New Side Story
The situation in Fujian became even more complicated due to the spread of the "Guangfu Xinbao" newspaper.

Especially in the western Fujian region, which is close to Jiangxi.

Although the main force of the Restoration Army had not yet entered Tingzhou Prefecture, the Qing government's control over the area was already nominal, presenting a strange power vacuum.

there are many reasons.

On the one hand, the number of Taiping Army troops that have recently fled from Jiangxi or voluntarily moved to Fujian has been increasing. They are like streams flowing into a swamp, disrupting the local order.

On the other hand, there was the ideological impact brought about by the "Restoration News".

Among the local powerful figures, some keenly sensed the shift in the political climate and began to form their own militias, intending to gain a foothold in the new power structure.

Many ordinary people, especially young people who had heard the newspapers’ propaganda and harbored resentment against the Qing government, became restless and saw joining the Restoration Army as a way out.

Throughout western Fujian, undercurrents are swirling, creating a sense of bustling activity and chaos, as if a storm is brewing.

In contrast, the front line of Shaowu Prefecture, which was under the jurisdiction of the Restoration Army, presented a state of war readiness that appeared relaxed on the outside but was actually tense on the inside.

While focusing on reorganization and strengthening defenses, the various units under the command of He Mingbiao, commander of the Third Army of the Restoration Army, also launched a wave of studying the contents of the "Restoration News".

Military speakers went to various battalions to explain in detail the three groundbreaking articles in the newspaper to the officers and soldiers.

"...The commander-in-chief said in the article that our restoration of China is not only about driving out the Qing devils, but also about enabling us Chinese people to stand tall and stand among the nations of the world! We can no longer be frogs in a well!"

These lecturers, who came from the training regiment, spoke with great passion and enthusiasm, and did their best to spread what they had learned from Qin Yuan to various military camps.

He Mingbiao listened to the speech and was filled with emotion.

He had only gotten to where he was today through his personal loyalty to the Wing King Shi Dakai and a fierce determination to rebel, without any clear concept of "why he was fighting" or "what the future held."

At this moment, listening to the speaker's explanation, he felt as if the clouds had parted and the sun was shining through. He finally understood more clearly why His Highness had gone to such lengths to run a newspaper and why he had repeatedly emphasized "opening one's eyes to see the world."

“This is not just about winning a short-term battle or winning a local battle,” He Mingbiao thought with awe. “It is about reshaping our spirit and guiding us onto an unprecedented path that leads to a wider world!”

He let out a long breath, a look of relief on his face.

With a great leader like Your Highness, how can we not achieve great things!

Just then, a communications soldier lifted the tent flap, rushed in, and interrupted the sermon:

"Reporting to the Commander! Commander Hu Qixiang of Guangze County urgently reports! An army of unknown size has suddenly appeared in the Shanguanling area, carrying the flag of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom!"

"The Taiping Army?" He Mingbiao raised an eyebrow, but did not appear particularly nervous.

Today, the Restoration Army, from top to bottom, harbors a subtle sense of political and psychological superiority over its former "friendly forces."

Looking back on the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, I was in a daze, and all I did was fight and plunder. When did I ever have such a clear goal and lofty ideal?
Hong Xiuquan's religious mystique surrounding "Heavenly Father and Heavenly Brother" pales in comparison to Qin Yuan's righteous and enlightening army, which is grounded in reality.

"Has Hu Qixiang figured out which part it is?" He Mingbiao asked in a calm tone.

Hu Qixiang was the commander of his 8th Division. He was brave in battle, but he was a bit too smooth in his dealings with others. He Mingbiao did not like him very much, so he deployed him to the strategic location of Shanguan.

This place has long been known as the "key to western Fujian," and is as important as Xianxia Pass, serving as a crucial barrier separating Jiangxi and Fujian.

"Commander Hu has not yet ascertained the specific unit number, only that the other party claims to be from Ruizhou, Jiangxi!"

"Ruizhou." He Mingbiao's heart skipped a beat. During the Taiping Rebellion, one of his old adversaries was stationed in Ruizhou.

Back then, on the battlefield in Jiangxi, he fought alongside that man, and they also had a falling out over competing for credit.

In the end, that person stayed in Ruizhou to take charge on his own, while he followed the Wing King back to Tianjing.

Unexpectedly, after so many years, we might meet again in this very place.

"I think I know who it is."

He Mingbiao grinned and said, "Let's go, prepare the horses."

"Send a squad of personal guards with me to Shanguanling to meet this 'tightwad'!"

The person who came was, without a doubt, the top vanguard under the Wing King's command who had taken the lead in capturing Ruizhou three years ago, made the greatest contribution, and then held the position here for two years, repeatedly defeating the Xiang Army and even killing the famous Xiang Army general Liu Tenghong.

Lai Yuxin, also known as the "Iron Rooster" for his bravery, tenacity, and refusal to yield an inch of ground!
"This kid is finally here."

He Mingbiao whipped his horse and laughed heartily.

Meanwhile, in Jianning Prefecture, the headquarters of the Restoration Army was located.

For more than ten days, Taiping soldiers have been coming south from the direction of Xianxia Ridge in the north to join them in an endless stream.

Among them, the most influential were several generals and their troops, including Cheng Xueqi, a general under Chen Yucheng; Tan Shaoguang, a general under Li Xiucheng; and Huang Chengzhong, a general under Li Shixian.

Their arrival not only strengthened the Restoration Army, but also, in coordination with Shi Zhenji's First Army stationed at Xianxia Pass, they decisively defeated nearly 10,000 Qing troops lingering in front of the pass, completely eliminating the threat from the north.

Qin Yuan, sitting upright in the main hall of the commander's mansion, remained calm upon hearing this news, showing little surprise.

He signed his name directly as "Qin Yuan" in the "Restoration News".

That's exactly the effect we're aiming for.

He just wanted to see how many players who originally came from the first instance would be in this instance.

Looking at it now, it's not bad.

Although there were only five or six of them, the identities of these people who logged in all showed great potential.

"Your humble servants pay their respects to Your Highness, the Wing King!"

The group of Taiping soldiers who had surrendered and traveled south from Xianxia Ridge to Jianning Prefecture City bowed to Qin Yuan in the main hall.

The three leaders are Tan Shaoguang, Cheng Xueqi, and Huang Chengzhong.

Tan Shaoguang needs little introduction; Qin Yuan had a deep impression of this "Prince Mu" when he watched the TV series "The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom" in his previous life.

Not only did he take over the Eastern King's territory, but he also married the female scholar Fu Shanxiang.

Furthermore, Tan Shaoguang distinguished himself in the later stages of the Taiping Rebellion, only to be killed by his colleagues.

It was such a miserable death.

However, his abilities are indeed outstanding.

They were among the most outstanding of the many kings bestowed by Hong Xiuquan in the later period of his reign.

However, Qin Yuan's gaze did not linger on Tan Shaoguang for long. Instead, he focused his attention on the short young man next to Tan Shaoguang.

"You said your name is Cheng Xueqi, right?"

Qin Yuan spoke, his voice calm.

Cheng Xueqi was slightly surprised, not expecting Qin Yuan to notice him first. He quickly stepped forward and answered according to his memories of this identity: "Your Highness Prince Yi, this humble servant is indeed Cheng Xueqi." This player then spoke of his origins from his memories: "In October of the third year of Xianfeng (1853), the Taiping Army captured Tongcheng. At that time, northern Anhui was suffering from a severe drought, and famine was rampant, with people living in misery. Wherever the army advanced, followers flocked to join, with four or five thousand people joining in Tongcheng County alone. My family was poor, so I joined the Taiping Army."

Qin Yuan nodded slightly, confirming that this was the commander of the "Kai" Battalion, one of the six core direct subordinate units of the Huai Army established by Li Hongzhang in later generations.

Interestingly, this Cheng Xueqi was the very person responsible for the death of "Tan Shaoguang" who was standing next to him.

This coincidence is truly ingenious.

However, Qin Yuan valued him not only because of his bravery in battle, but also because he had a man under his command who was an expert in naval warfare, named Ding Ruchang.

At this time, Ding Ruchang was naturally not the admiral of the Beiyang Fleet during the First Sino-Japanese War.

He was a young Taiping soldier, barely in his early twenties, full of passion and eager to save the country and the world.

Qin Yuan did not deliberately mention Ding Ruchang's name; he simply exchanged a few words with each of the people in front of him.

Their words confirmed their identities as players.

"Alright, tell me, what made you all decide to give up your 'bright futures' in Tianjing and come to this remote mountain village in Fujian?"

Qin Yuan dismissed everyone and asked with a smile.

Seeing that everyone else had left, Tan Shaoguang breathed a sigh of relief and laughed, "Brother Jing, if I had known that Shi Dakai was your double, I would have followed you no matter what when the incident happened in Tianjing!"

"Haha, me too, Brother Jing. I used to be a regional agent under Far East Trading. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have enough Star Coins to exchange for the role of Huang Chengzhong. But luckily, I also brought more than 5,000 people. They were all excited when they heard that they were going to work for the Wing King."

After a conversation, Qin Yuan learned that five of the six people who came had some connection with Far East Trade and Far East Group.

They all wanted to follow Qin Yuan down and earn more achievement points.

Cheng Xueqi's situation was slightly different.

He frankly admitted, "Commander, to be honest, in 'Across the Business World,' I take the industrial route, focusing mainly on the pharmaceutical field."

"By seizing the international wave of vitamin exports in the 1990s, the factory developed quite well and accumulated some capital and... achievements."

He spoke calmly and pragmatically, saying, "I personally have little interest in fighting on the battlefield. The reason I made up my mind to come and join you this time is that I hope to return to my old profession. I want to see if I can systematically establish the field of medicine and health in our Restoration Army and carry out some research and application within my capabilities."

He paused, his tone calm yet quite meaningful:

"After all, war... also requires medicine and doctors."

"Reducing non-combat casualties and improving the wounded's treatment rate are themselves ways to enhance combat effectiveness."

These words struck a chord with Qin Yuan.

He possesses system-certified medical (Level A) skills, and is an expert, especially in the field of surgery.

He understood better than anyone what a modern medical system and medicine meant in an era lacking medical care and medicine, where far more soldiers died on the battlefield from infections and simple injuries than from actual combat.

That would be an overwhelming advantage, the absolute cornerstone for maintaining morale and preserving manpower!

A glint flashed in Qin Yuan's eyes, and he leaned forward slightly: "Can you make penicillin?"

This was the first "miracle drug" he could think of that could greatly reduce the mortality rate on the battlefield.

Cheng Xueqi was not surprised that Qin Yuan could ask about "penicillin" directly. He calmly shook his head and smiled, "Commander, in the first instance, my real-life profession was pharmacology. I know that antibiotics like penicillin are truly life-saving drugs on the battlefield."

"But given our current era and existing industrial base, it is almost impossible to produce pure and usable penicillin on a large scale and stably."

"This requires a complete microbial fermentation, extraction, and purification process chain, which we do not currently possess."

However, he changed the subject, "But the fact that penicillin doesn't work doesn't mean we're helpless."

"Aspirin, or its precursor high-purity salicylic acid, is entirely possible to achieve standardized and large-scale production under current conditions!"

"Aspirin..." Qin Yuan's mind was instantly sparked with relevant pharmaceutical knowledge.

Acetylsalicylic acid has antipyretic, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory properties...

Its synthetic basis—salicylic acid—is derived from the analgesic and antipyretic properties of willow bark, which have been known since ancient times.

Although the French had already synthesized salicylic acid by this time, its application was limited due to its strong irritation to the gastrointestinal tract.

The key to the problem lies in the purification process!

If more advanced purification technologies can be introduced, it is entirely possible to produce standardized tablets with high purity and low irritation.

This is undoubtedly a great boon for dealing with common military ailments such as fever, pain, and inflammation, and can effectively maintain the combat effectiveness of the troops.

Most importantly, aspirin is undoubtedly a great asset when entering Southeast Asia.

"How could I have forgotten about this 'father of modern medicine'!"

Qin Yuan's gaze suddenly turned fervent as he stared intently at Cheng Xueqi, as if he were looking at a moving treasure.

He had only hoped to have a few capable generals arrive, but unexpectedly, he welcomed a key figure who could build a logistics and medical system for him!

In Qin Yuan's eyes, Cheng Xueqi's value instantly surpassed that of ordinary troops.

"Good! Excellent!" Qin Yuan clapped his hands and smiled slightly: "Cheng Xueqi, your thoughts coincide with mine!"

"A powerful army can never rely solely on the swords and spears at the front lines!"

"From today onwards, you are the head of the Medical Department of the Logistics Division of my Restoration Army!"

"I'll give you the authority, the manpower, and the resources you need. Get the pharmaceutical department up and running as quickly as possible. The primary task is to overcome the manufacturing process of aspirin and establish a preliminary production line!"

Cheng Xueqi shook his head and said, "Commander, relying solely on the resources of Jianning Prefecture and Shaowu Prefecture, Guangfu Army does not have the conditions to establish a highly standardized, large-scale aspirin production line."

"We must trade with those foreigners in Shanghai and purchase a set of precise equipment from them before we can conduct experimental production."

Qin Yuan waved his hand and said, "No problem."

"Communicating and trading with those foreigners is simple."

“If our Restoration Army captures Quanzhou and Xiamen, those foreigners will come to our ports and do business with us.”

He pointed to the map hanging on the wall and said, "Zhou Tianshou of Zhejiang has gone south and joined forces with Qingrui, the governor of Fujian."

"I had a plan to wipe them out completely."

"Since you're here, that's perfect."

"Then I'll start by taking down the 100,000 people in Fu Ning Prefecture."

(End of this chapter)