Sweep Yuan

Chapter 131 Fellow villagers share different sentiments
Wu Liujin was a cold and aloof person, especially taciturn in front of his subordinates. These days, he was focused on the battle to capture Huaiyuan, and he spoke even less. Even Feng Guoyong felt the oppression and tried to be careful with his words when offering advice.

Having successfully captured the city today, Wu Liujin's tense nerves finally relaxed. In order to lighten the mood, he deliberately sought out Feng Guoyong to tease him.

“Magistrate Feng, Huaiyuan has fallen. Whether it can be cured depends on you. I will go into the city now to seal up the county government office and the treasury for you.”

Marshal Guosheng was assigned to lead the newly formed Second Cavalry Battalion. Feng Guosheng said that his younger brother was unruly and unfit for the task, but in his heart he was grateful for the Marshal's trust and cultivation of the two brothers. This assignment was his own initiative.

It must be understood that Huaiyuan is located upstream of Haozhou. If the government troops travel down the Huai River, they can reach Haozhou in as little as one day and night. The importance of its outer defense is even greater than that of Dingyuan. Huaiyuan also contains iron ore, bamboo and timber, which are currently in short supply for the Red Flag Camp. It is a place that must be captured and defended.

Whether Huaiyuan's human and material resources can be effectively integrated is not only related to Haozhou's security, but also affects whether the "Dingyuan Counterattack" long-term strategy can be realized.

Feng Guoyong took the initiative to take on the important task of governing Huaiyuan, not only to help Shishan lay a solid foundation as soon as possible, but also to compete with his fellow villager Li Shanchang.

This was his first time participating in a siege with the army, and he was preoccupied with many post-war governance issues. He was worried about failing to capture the city and about the war dragging on, resulting in heavy losses for both sides, so he was inevitably a little nervous.

Unexpectedly, Chang Yuchun captured Huaiyuan with only a few hundred prisoners, which indeed reassured Feng Guoyong.

Marshal Shi is a skilled commander with many valiant generals under his command. He has already laid a solid foundation in military affairs, but his shortcomings in civil administration are still very obvious. It is precisely in this area that scholars like him are needed to work hard to create a new situation.

"This humble official shall take up his post immediately, gi!

The city gates were wide open, and the army entered the city, where panicked and fleeing soldiers were everywhere.

The prisoners in the "hard labor camp" had suffered heavy casualties in the previous battles. After the city fell, the prisoners, who were in a bloodthirsty frenzy, did not care whether the defenders surrendered or not. They only cared about chasing and killing them in a frenzy to vent their long-suppressed fear and resentment.

"Commander Chang, Commander Chang, wait for me!"

Shi Shan knew that Chang Yuchun was fearless and dared not die, but feared that he would risk his own life in order to be the first to reach the summit. Therefore, he specially ordered Bu Ciyuan to lead a medical team to accompany the expedition and instructed him to keep a close eye on Chang Yuchun.

When Bu Ciyuan saw that Chang Yuchun had been shot with an arrow, he thought that Chang Yuchun would step back to bandage him, but to his surprise, the man went forward first despite being wounded.

As soon as the city gates opened, Bu Ciyuan rushed in with the Second Battalion. Chang Yuchun, however, went to chase after the fleeing soldiers. After searching for a long time, they finally caught up with him and found that Chang Yuchun was covered in blood. It was unclear whether it was his own blood or the blood of the defending soldiers.

"Dr. Bu? Why did you call me?"

"You, your wound!"

Chang Yuchun wouldn't bother with an ordinary doctor, but Bu Ciyuan was personally arranged by the marshal to accompany the army on the expedition, so he had to give him some face.

When Chang Yuchun saw Bu Ciyuan running breathlessly with a medicine box on his back, he thought something terrible had happened. He immediately raised his left arm, intending to show that the injury was not serious.

During the battle, he was highly excited and didn't feel anything was wrong. But when he relaxed, he found that his left arm was somewhat immobile, so he immediately took off his armor to check the wound.

"You can't take it off!"

Bu Ciyuan quickly arranged for his apprentice to knock on the door of the neighboring house, and led Chang Yuchun inside, explaining:
"Commander, you have been charging into battle for a long time and are already drenched in sweat. You must not take off your clothes to cool off now, or you will be caught in the cold wind after removing your armor!"

Chang Yuchun had inquired about Bu Ciyuan's background from Wu Liujin and knew that this Semu doctor was quite skilled, a veritable medical genius, and that many soldiers of the Red Flag Battalion had been treated by him. Seeing how serious Bu Ciyuan was, Chang Yuchun became somewhat nervous.
"What do you mean?"

"Old man, please take my disciple to fetch your brazier."

"Sir, sir, my family doesn't have a brazier."

"Then let's get some hard firewood!"

"Eh!"

After seeing off the trembling homeowner, Bu Ciyuan took out scissors, a scalpel, and strong liquor from his medicine box. He cut open the hole in Chang Yuchun's leather armor, examined the wound, and said:

"During a major battle, the body is hot and sweating profusely, with pores wide open, making it extremely easy for wind and cold to enter the body. If one removes their armor and is exposed to wind immediately after the battle, their body temperature will drop sharply, resulting in a cold that may take several days to heal; in severe cases, it can lead to 'armor removal wind,' which could be fatal!"

Looking at Bu Ciyuan's bright, darting blue eyes, Chang Yuchun said somewhat uncertainly:

"I've never been to school, don't try to fool me!"

"The commander is lucky. This arrow is not poisoned and he is not bleeding much. Just bear with it for a while, and I will remove the arrowhead for you when the firewood arrives."

After Bu Ciyuan finished speaking, he placed the scalpel into a small porcelain bottle containing strong liquor to sterilize it, and then continued:
"The name 'armor-removing wind' was coined by the Marshal, who described it as some kind of aseptic inflammation, which I don't understand. But ancient books record that after the Great Khan, the pores are not firmly secured, making one susceptible to wind and evil. The Marshal is a learned man, and you don't believe me, but you don't believe the Marshal and the ancient books either?"

Chang Yuchun could only scoff at this. This doctor from the Central Asian region was undoubtedly skilled in medicine, but his character was utterly shameless—he was willing to do anything to flatter the marshal! He dared to utter such erudite and profound words.

Immediately, he realized that his personality was such that he liked to charge into battle and was bound to get hurt. He would probably have to deal with the medical team frequently in the future. Dr. Bu was very famous, and the medical team was basically composed of his students and their disciples. He couldn't afford to offend them, so he quickly put on a smiling face.

"How could I dare not trust Doctor Bu!"

As the two were talking, the sound of marching footsteps and shouts suddenly came from the street outside.

"Those who resist to the end will be executed; those who surrender with weapons may live!" The large-scale fighting had ended, and the soldiers of the Fenwu Battalion began to take full control of the city. As military orders were relayed through the ranks, resistance and fighting gradually subsided. Chang Yuchun, listening to the rapidly quieting streets and alleys, said self-deprecatingly:
"I kill, Doctor Bu saves; you can't save as many as I kill! The Marshal putting us together is interesting, haha—"

In a corner where Chang Yuchun couldn't hear, the killing and violence didn't stop so quickly. It wasn't until the soldiers of the Fenwu Battalion killed four criminals and seven bandits who had taken advantage of the chaos to rob that the city finally calmed down.

By this time, the original nearly 1,000 defenders had dwindled to less than 400, and the rest were filled with fear.

Only 146 prisoners remained in the "hard labor camp," with a casualty rate of nearly 60%. Most of the remaining prisoners were wounded, and it was estimated that fewer than 100 would be able to return to the battlefield.

However, after this battle, the remaining soldiers have been transformed and have begun to have combat capabilities; with these people as the backbone, another battalion can be built soon.

When Feng Guoyong arrived at the county government office with Wu Liujin, the guards who had retreated into the office had already surrendered. The officials of Huaiyuan either died on the spot, committed suicide out of fear of punishment, or were beaten to death by angry people while fleeing. This saved Wu Liujin the trouble of dealing with the situation.

However, some of the registers and documents were burned by the county magistrate, who was trying to put up a last-ditch resistance, after the city fell. Among them were the Yellow Register of Land and the Register of Population, which were the foundation of the county's governance and would give the newly appointed Magistrate Feng a headache.

Once a fire was lit inside, Bu Ciyuan quickly removed the arrowhead from Chang Yuchun's wound, cleaned and stitched it up. Surprisingly, Chang Yuchun remained calm and cheerful throughout the entire process, without uttering a single cry of pain or even a muffled groan.

After the bandaging was finished, Bu Ciyuan wiped the sweat from his forehead and sincerely praised:
"The storybooks say that Lord Guan underwent bone-scraping surgery, and I thought it was an exaggeration by the storyteller. But after meeting the commander today, I realize that there really is such a hero in the world!"

Chang Yuchun thought to himself that his minor injuries were nothing compared to those of Guan Yu. But Bu Ciyuan's flattery still made him feel very comfortable.

"Since I'm in such good health, can I return to Haozhou today?"

"This is impossible!"

Bu Ciyuan shook his head vigorously, like a rattle-drum, and said solemnly:

"Even Lord Guan had his old wounds relapse. Commander Chang, if you don't want to cause trouble in the future, you should rest for a few more days before you leave!"

Chang Yuchun was in a hurry to return because before the expedition, Shishan promised him that if he could be the first to reach the summit, he would be officially appointed as the commander.

In fact, even if Chang Yuchun hadn't been injured in this battle, Wu Liujin wouldn't have let him go so quickly.

Upon learning that Chang Yuchun wanted to return to Haozhou, Wu Zhenfu replied to him as follows:

"When you go back this time, you must bring back a report for the marshal, as well as the newly recruited soldiers and some of the spoils of war. I will arrange for someone to help you train your troops first, and you can leave in a few days."

The Red Flag Battalion separates combat and training. Although soldiers are recruited every time a place is occupied, all newly recruited soldiers must be trained by the combat and training battalion. When they are added to each battalion, the sergeant will approve the allocation and the combat support battalion will distribute the corresponding military equipment and armor. Each battalion is not allowed to expand its troops on its own.

Before the battle, Shishan had taken into account the costs of the war and prepared three hundred replacement soldiers for the western expeditionary army.

The biggest casualties in this battle came from the "labor camp," but there was no need to replenish them. After the battle, there were still 84 men who were able to move. Wu Liujin selected another 80 mountain bandits, combined them into a battalion, and gave them strict training.

The remaining bandits all stayed in the city, and Huaiyuan was carrying out large-scale construction, requiring manpower everywhere.

Chang Yuchun was relieved to relax and focus on recovering from his injury, while Liu Ju cooperated in training.

This wait lasted for a full five days.

On the sixth day, Wu Liujin handed Chang Yuchun a thick letter and ordered him to lead the temporary battalion, along with the first batch of 600 newly recruited soldiers, 14 orphans, 327 horses and mules, and some spoils, back to Haozhou.

Along the way, a newly recruited soldier caught Chang Yuchun's attention.

This man was named Hua Yun. He was thirty-one years old, with dark skin and a burly build. Although his archery skills were average, he could pull a galloping horse with his bare hands and his strength was enough to draw a three-stone bow.

Unfortunately, Chang Yuchun was injured, and Bu Ciyuan kept muttering "take care of your injury," so he couldn't fight him.

Chang Yuchun was originally arrogant and looked down on most people, but this man from Huaiyuan had no relatives or friends in Haozhou. Hua Yun had such courage and strength, and he was sure to make a name for himself in the future. Such a promising fellow villager was naturally worth befriending.

Hua Yuncai had just joined the army and was in dire need of support from his fellow villagers.

Chang and Hua chatted about their hometown's scenery, fighting techniques, and military strategies along the way. They found themselves getting along very well, and if it weren't for Hua Yun's advanced age and low rank, the two would have wanted to become sworn brothers.

But they understand each other's feelings and want to help each other when they're out and about, so there's no need to say it out loud.

Finally back in Haozhou, the atmosphere of the pre-New Year's Games had long since faded, and the city had undergone new changes.

The Spring Festival of the twelfth year of the Zhizheng reign of the Yuan Dynasty was spent amidst the flames of war everywhere, but Haozhou was already quite lively and bustling with people. The number of merchants from other places did not decrease, and some wealthy families voluntarily funded and handed over the Haozhou General Administration Office to organize the lighting of lanterns and invite the people to enjoy them together.

Although life was uncertain in chaotic times, people still had to go on. In the rare moments of joy, some people even bought new clothes.

In contrast, Huaiyuan County, which was littered with corpses of the starving before the Lunar New Year, seemed like another world, leaving Hua Yun and the others speechless with disbelief.

It was just a simple lantern, which wouldn't actually cost too much money. However, the reason why the wealthy families of Haozhou spent so lavishly was not because they had too much money to burn, but because the lord of Haozhou, Shishan, was about to get married.

(End of this chapter)