Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 387 The Self-Cultivation of a Pay-to-Win Player: Not Only Will You Get the Best Equipment, But You'll Also Be Equipped with the Full...
The sun had already set in the west in the afternoon, and its rays were not as intense as at noon. Instead, they had a gentle warmth, giving Shanhaiguan a magnificent, molten gold-like color.

Above the fortress wall, the wind whipped the banners, making them flutter and rustle. The huge "Ming" banner, along with countless sun, moon, and dragon banners waving in the wind, complemented each other, as if a crimson cloud had ignited an inextinguishable blaze on the Liaodong skyline.

Zhu Youjian was dressed in a black robe with a dragon design, and covered with a black fox fur cloak to protect himself from the cold winds outside the pass.

He leaned against the cold battlements, his gaze fixed on the vast and desolate land beyond the pass.

Behind him, a group of civil and military leaders, including Sun Chengzong, Zu Dashou, Wu Xiang, Qin Liangyu, and Mao Wenlong, stood solemnly in their armor, like silent iron statues guarding the young emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Among the crowd, there was an elderly man dressed in a plain blue official robe, with white hair and beard, a gaunt face, and clear eyes, who stood out slightly from the surrounding aura of iron-blooded ruthlessness.

This man is a senior member of the Imperial Medical Academy, and now he has taken on a brand-new and extremely powerful post—the Director of the "Great Ming Military Medical Bureau," Fu Maoguang.

The Military Medical Administration was established by the emperor himself. Its name comes from "overseeing all military medical affairs and managing the health of soldiers throughout the land." In reality, it was a special government office that was independent of the Imperial Medical Academy and the Ministry of War and was directly controlled by the emperor.

Their duties extend beyond simply treating injuries and illnesses; they also have responsibilities for drug research and development, epidemic prevention and control, and health supervision. Their authority far surpasses that of ordinary logistical duties.

Fu Maoguang abandoned Confucianism to become a doctor in his early years, with the ambition to save lives. He even went to Liaodong to treat the epidemic and had a thorough understanding of the local customs and diseases in the area.

Having been exceptionally promoted by the Emperor and entrusted with such an important task, even though I am nearing sixty, I feel a long-dormant passion surging within me once more.

Zhu Youjian gazed at the area beyond the pass for a long time, then slowly spoke. His voice, carried far by the wind, still reached everyone's ears clearly: "My lords, look at this pass, as solid as a rock. And look beyond the pass, the north wind howls, and all is deathly silent. Yet, beneath this seemingly empty land, how many loyal bones of my great Ming's fine sons are buried?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression turned serious.

The eyes of generals like Zu Dashou and Wu Xiang, who had long been stationed in western Liaoning, revealed a deep and undisguised sorrow.

“Your Majesty,” Sun Chengzong bowed and said, “In the more than ten years of fighting against the Liao, our army has lost hundreds of thousands of soldiers. Of these, only three or four out of ten actually died under the sword. The rest… were mostly tormented by injuries, illnesses, cold and hunger, and died in their tents instead of on the battlefield. This is a pain that will forever remain in the hearts of us generals.”

"Grand Secretary Sun is absolutely right." Zhu Youjian turned around, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "In a great battle, victory or defeat is not solely determined on the battlefield. An army marches on its stomach; this is an ancient principle. However, I believe that medicine should accompany provisions. I need not only soldiers who can fight, but also soldiers who can survive. The value of one veteran far surpasses that of ten new recruits. And to keep veterans alive, it is not only about strong armor and sharp weapons, but also about the art of healing and saving lives!"

After saying that, he turned his gaze to Fu Maoguang: "Minister Fu, how are the three important tasks that I entrusted to you by the Military Medical Department being implemented in the Guan Ning Army?"

Upon hearing this, Fu Maoguang's aged face lit up with a hint of optimism. He stepped forward, took out a thin booklet from his sleeve, bowed, and presented it, saying, "Your Majesty, thanks to Your Majesty's divine guidance and the strong support of Minister Sun and the generals, I dare not say it is perfect, but we have seen initial results. I have recorded the situation in the Guan Ning army camp over the past month in this booklet, and I request Your Majesty's perusal."

Wang Chengen quickly took the booklet and presented it to Zhu Youjian.

Zhu Youjian opened the book and listened to Fu Maoguang's detailed report as he read.

"The preparation and application of 'Jade Pure Sweet Wine'. This substance is called 'Emperor's Holy Water' by the soldiers in the army." Fu Maoguang's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement.

This pure and sweet liquor was a highly concentrated spirit that had been repeatedly purified by distillation under the emperor's orders. The emperor bestowed upon it an elegant name, which both conveyed the meaning of being clear as jade and capable of cleansing impurities, and avoided the word "liquor" to prevent soldiers from accidentally drinking it.

"The improved distillation method bestowed by Your Majesty is truly ingenious. I have followed Your Majesty's decree and divided it into small ceramic bottles, issuing one bottle to all officers of the rank of centurion and above, medical officers, and personal guards in the army. I have also issued the first order of the Military Medical Administration: Before medical officers clean the wounds of the wounded during marches and camps, they must use this water to wash their hands and clean their instruments. All soldiers who are wounded, regardless of size, must first rinse the wound with this water before applying wound medicine."

"Initially, there was considerable resistance in the army," Fu Maoguang said with a wry smile. "The sweet liquid, when it touched the wounds, caused excruciating pain, as if boiling oil had been poured on them. Many soldiers screamed and cursed in agony. However... within ten days, its miraculous effects caused the entire army to submit in admiration!"

"Oh? How so?" Zhu Youjian asked knowingly, looking at him with a smile.

"Your Majesty, in the past, when soldiers in the army suffered serious flesh wounds, three or four out of ten would develop red, swollen, and oozing pus, along with a persistent high fever, a condition known in the army as 'wind.' Once this happened, it was a matter of life and death. Since the promotion of 'Jade Cleansing Sweet Wine' for wound cleaning, in just a few months, a total of 347 soldiers in the Guan Ning army have been injured during training or in sporadic clashes with cavalry outside the pass."

These three hundred-plus men all had their wounds cleaned with this sweet liquid, and not a single one developed a fever! The speed of their wound healing far surpassed that of before! Now, the soldiers in the army regard this substance as a miraculous medicine to save their lives; even in the most excruciating pain, they grit their teeth and endure it. Privately, they are all grateful for His Majesty's divine grace, calling it "the Emperor's Life-Saving Water!"

Fu Maoguang spoke these words with great passion, while Zu Dashou and Wu Xiang, who were standing beside him, were the ones who were most deeply moved.

Zu Dashou spoke in a deep, gruff voice. This ruthless general, who killed without blinking an eye on the battlefield, was now filled with awe and gratitude.

“Your Majesty, what Fu Shuzheng said is absolutely true. A few days ago, one of my personal guards was exchanging fire with a Tartar scout when he was shot in the arm by an arrow with a hook on the arrowhead. When it was pulled out, it was a bloody mess with a huge gash.”

Normally, this arm would most likely be ruined, and whether he'd survived would be a matter of fate. But the army doctor poured half a bottle of that holy water over him, and the kid fainted from the pain. I even cursed the doctor then, saying he was just torturing him! But... hey! The fever broke the next day, and now, in just over ten days, the wound has scabbed over and healed! It's practically divine intervention!"

Mao Wenlong, who was listening nearby, was dumbfounded and deeply shocked.

Dongjiang Town lacked medical care and medicine. When soldiers were wounded, they were often simply given a handful of herbal ash, wrapped haphazardly with a cloth, and left to fate. He never imagined that a seemingly ordinary bottle of "strong liquor" could have such a miraculous effect, defying the laws of nature!
The look in Mao Wenlong's eyes when he looked at the emperor had changed from awe to deep admiration.

Zhu Youjian nodded slightly, not surprised by the result. He turned a page in the booklet and continued, "What about the wound medicine?"

Fu Maoguang was even more invigorated: "This medicine was also formulated by His Majesty himself. My colleagues and I from the Imperial Medical Academy thoroughly reviewed the Compendium of Materia Medica and tried prescriptions from the army throughout the ages, and improved it by discarding the dross and retaining the essence."

"Your Majesty is wise, pointing out the principle of treating the symptoms and combining ingredients for the best results. We have followed your decree and eliminated all the ingredients in the ancient prescriptions that had unclear effects or even toxic side effects, such as incense ash and lead powder. We have focused on using Bletilla striata and Panax notoginseng to stop bleeding, dandelion and honeysuckle to clear heat, and dragon's blood and frankincense to promote tissue regeneration. All the medicines have been precisely combined according to the principles of monarch, minister, assistant, and guide."

Furthermore, as His Majesty stated, cleanliness is paramount. All medicinal materials are thoroughly rinsed with clean water, dried in the scorching sun, and baked at high temperatures. The resulting powder is pale golden in color, as fine as dust, and sealed with oiled paper and wax to ensure its dryness and cleanliness.

Fu Maoguang paused, a hint of pride in his voice: "Its hemostatic and tissue-regenerating effects far surpass any so-called secret wound medicine found in any pharmacy! Paired with Jade Pure Sweet Wine, one cleanses and the other is applied, working in tandem. Your Majesty, these two items alone can increase the survival rate of our Ming soldiers by more than 30%!"

“Thirty percent higher…” Qin Liangyu murmured to herself. This battle-hardened female general understood best how many vibrant lives and how many families were represented by those “thirty percent”.

"Good, very good." Zhu Youjian closed the booklet and nodded approvingly. "Minister Fu, you have done very well. This is just the beginning. In the future, the Military Medical Administration will promote these standards to all the nine border towns of the Ming Dynasty! I want every soldier who fights for the country to know that behind them stands not only cold military law and rewards, but also the life-saving measures prepared for them by the court!"

"Your humble servant obeys the decree!!" Fu Maoguang bowed deeply in excitement.

Having dealt with the treatment aspect, Zhu Youjian turned his attention to prevention.

He looked at Mao Wenlong and asked, "Minister Mao, has the medicine that I ordered the Medical Department to specially prepare for your Dongjiang Town been delivered to Pi Island yet?"

Mao Wenlong was taken aback, but quickly realized what was happening and replied, "Your Majesty, last month the grain transport ships of the Dengzhou and Laizhou navies delivered the divine soup bestowed by Your Majesty to Dongjiang. A total of five thousand large packages were delivered. I have followed your orders and instructed the cooks of each camp to cook it for the entire army every three days. At first, the soldiers thought it was Your Majesty's kindness and that it was some kind of tonic, so they all rushed to drink it."

A strange look appeared on his face: "To be honest, Your Majesty, the medicine really didn't taste good. It was bitter and astringent, with a spicy ginger flavor. After drinking it a few times, the soldiers were all complaining. But... it's strange! It's really strange!"

"Oh??" Zhu Youjian smiled.

"What's strange is that every year when autumn and winter arrive, the island of Dongjiang Town is damp and cold to the bone. Soldiers in the army suffer from diarrhea, colds, and swollen and painful legs. At least two out of ten soldiers suffer from these ailments. This has been the case every year without exception."

But since drinking His Majesty's divine soup, in just over a month, very few people in the camp have contracted these various ailments this year!

Even the few who were physically weak recovered much faster than in previous years! The incidence of dysentery has decreased by more than half! Now, without officers urging them, the soldiers line up on their own to get the soup when the time comes! Everyone says it's a miraculous cure bestowed by His Majesty!

This miraculous remedy for curing diseases is naturally the "Dampness-Dispelling and Disease-Preventing Soup," which is specifically designed for the damp and cold climate of Liaodong and focuses on dispelling dampness and cold, strengthening the spleen and replenishing qi.

When Zhu Youjian named it, he simply called it Jianzu Tang, meaning "Strengthening Soldiers." Unexpectedly, it became known as such a miraculous soup in the army.

Listening to Mao Wenlong's vivid description, Sun Chengzong stroked his beard and smiled, his eyes full of admiration.

He had already witnessed the miraculous effects of this soup at Shanhaiguan, and now, hearing that it was also effective in Dongjiang Town, where conditions were even more difficult, he felt even more that the emperor's actions were truly insightful and a benevolent act that extended grace to the entire army.

"It's not some magic elixir, just some common herbs," Zhu Youjian said calmly. "War is a matter of vital importance to the state, a matter of life and death, a path to survival or ruin. The life of every soldier is related to the fate of the nation. All I can do is to do everything possible to ensure that they do not fall to illness or injury before they fall to the enemy's blade."

His words silenced everyone on the gate.

The generals and commanders looked at the young emperor before them, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.

Throughout history, there have been monarchs with great talent and ambition, monarchs who knew how to appoint the right people, and monarchs with strict laws and severe punishments.

But an emperor like the one who focuses on the life and death of every ordinary soldier at the lowest level, and improves their chances of survival in such a meticulous, even unbelievable way, is something they have never heard of or seen before!

This care and protection at this moment transformed into a power far stronger and more touching than any official appointment, promise, or reward of gold and silver!

Sun Chengzong stepped forward and gave Zhu Youjian a very solemn salute, his voice old but powerful: "Your Majesty's benevolence and virtue benefit the three armies, which is truly a blessing for our Great Ming and for all the soldiers of the world!"

"We are all grateful for Your Majesty's grace!" Zu Dashou, Wu Xiang, Qin Liangyu, Mao Wenlong, and others also knelt on one knee in unison.

Zhu Youjian accepted their bows with composure, then personally helped Sun Chengzong up, his gaze once again turning to the area beyond the Great Wall: "I gave them the best medicine to keep them alive. But I also need to give them the best food so that they can win!"

He surveyed the crowd: "I know that the soldiers have privately complained about our army's rations. Those dark, hard, fried dough cakes are fine for everyday meals, but in battle, they are hard to swallow and utterly tasteless. In this war that threatens the entire nation, I do not want my soldiers to go into battle hungry, gnawing on stones!"

(End of this chapter)