NOVPUBJuo Yi led 3,000 Vanguard Death Soldiers and 600 Great Halberdiers, along with Zhang He, as they left Ye City. Amidst the snowstorm, they headed toward Youzhou. That audacious plan, despite being considered unfathomable by many civil officials, was acknowledged for its feasibility; a special force assaulting the enemy, aiming to directly assassinate their leader—if successful, chaos within the enemy ranks was inevitable.
"Zhengli, Jun Yi, you are among the few first-rate commanders under my command," Yuan Shao stood atop the gate tower of Ye City, watching the troops gradually disappearing into the snowstorm. Those represented his mightiest forces, and among them was Juo Yi, the strongest commander he had.
"My lord, there is no need for concern. Although General Juo is known to be arrogant, he surely has a considerable degree of confidence since he has agreed to undertake this mission," Tian Feng said to Yuan Shao, who seemed worried.
"Zhengli will not fail, nor will Jun Yi, who is always cautious. How could they encounter significant trouble?" Yuan Shao declared as he cast off his cloak and turned to walk down from the tower. Although he said so, the departure of his two best generals made him feel a sense of helplessness; his power was still lacking, or else there would have been no need for such measures.
"Issue an order for all civil and military officials: start breaking ground on uncultivated land at the beginning of spring," Yuan Shao, clad in fur, resolutely instructed his scribe, Chen Lin.
"Yuan Gong, I request to resign," Chen Lin said, bowing his head to Yuan Shao. He once thought highly of Yuan Shao, but after he was asked to write a proclamation for Liu Yan and then had it confiscated by Yuan Shao, he felt displeased with him.
As a noted scholar, Chen Lin had always cherished his integrity; he committed to what he promised, and pointed out what was wrong. That had been his approach all along. Cao Mengde was clearly in the wrong, and even if Liu Yan did not allow him to criticize, once he learned of it, Chen Lin would have spoken out. What was Yuan Shao intending by confiscating his proclamation?
"Are you determined to leave?" Yuan Shao stared at Chen Lin and asked.
"I am known throughout the world for my writings. I wield my pen to record the right and wrong of our times. Yet when I discover wrongdoings and pen my denunciation, if my outrage cannot be felt by others, what then is the value of my existence?" Chen Lin calmly looked at Yuan Shao and asked.
If Yuan Shao had not confiscated the proclamation, what Chen Lin would have sent out could have disrupted the entire realm, accusing Cao Cao, the butcher. But since the document was seized by Yuan Shao and with Cao Cao muddling right and wrong, most aristocratic families showed little concern for the common people. Thus, the issue seemingly passed by unnoticed. Now, Chen Lin thought it unnecessary to expose Cao Cao anymore; it was enough that he understood the truth himself.
"Sigh, where will you go?" Yuan Shao asked, already knowing the answer. 𝘯𝑜𝑣𝑝𝑢𝘣.𝑐𝑜𝑚
"Before, there was Zhang Zhongjing who acted generously and righteously. Now we have Liu Weishuo, who gives his wealth away with a righteous heart. It is just a matter of money and grain; I will go and borrow millions from him!" Chen Lin said with fervor.
Noted scholars across the land knew of Liu Yan’s generosity, and that he would lend assistance in times of hardship. So now, Chen Lin intended to pack up and leave, foregoing Yuan Shao’s stipend. He planned to rely on Liu Yan for a while before seeing which lord would welcome him. Chen Lin was well aware that, being a scholar whose talents were limited to record-keeping and transcription, his presence or absence would make little difference to any feudal lord.
"Kong Zhang, why be so resolute? Please be a bit more patient with me," Yuan Shao still tried to persuade Chen Lin, though the man had been of little use to him.
"I have shown patience toward Yuan Gong, but who will show the same for the tens of thousands of common people in Xuzhou?" Chen Lin expressed his indignation.
"Sigh, if that is your wish, Kong Zhang, may I at least have the honor of seeing you off?" Yuan Shao cursed inwardly; if Chen Lin’s document had been released, would Cao Cao still have any face left?
"Thank you, Yuan Gong." Chen Lin bowed, then followed Yuan Shao as they headed down from the city tower, thinking to himself, "I wonder how Liu Weishuo will treat me, for I have forsaken a splendid official position for your sake."
Chen Xi watched as Hua Tuo brought over the decoction and heaved a sigh of relief. Hua Tuo truly lived up to his reputation; at last, he had succeeded.
"How effective is it?" Chen Xi asked, pointing to the Artemisia Soup.
"It essentially cures as soon as the medicine is administered. I have also found the other herb you mentioned. Compared to Artemisia Soup, the Kudzu Root you spoke of is indeed more suitable." Saying this, Hua Tuo pulled several root pieces from his bosom, "I never thought this could be used as medicine. It seems I must taste every variety of trees and weeds at least once."
Looking at the knobby roots, Chen Xi sighed. In the past, he sometimes steeped them like tea to drink, but those were dry, small pieces. This was the first time he had seen fresh-dug Kudzu Root.
"How effective is this?" Chen Xi asked, pointing to the root piece in Hua Tuo’s hand. "Does it need to be dried?"
"The effect is not as good as Artemisia Soup," Hua Tuo said, shaking his head.
"Then make the recipe for Artemisia Soup public," Chen Xi said with some disappointment. If he remembered correctly, Kudzu Decoction had been used for nearly two thousand years. Could it be said that Hua Tuo’s Artemisia Soup had already surpassed the original?
"No, on the contrary, Kudzu Root is the most suitable. Although Artemisia Soup has good medicinal effects, the ingredients for the soup are not available everywhere. Even if the recipe is made public, most people will still be puzzled by the combination of ingredients. As for the Kudzu Root, it can be found everywhere in Central Plains and even amongst the Barbarians, and it doesn’t require any additional herbs. Even if it’s not dried, it still has medicinal properties when consumed," Hua Tuo lamented.
Then, as if he remembered something, he said with regret, "It’s just a pity that the person who discovered Kudzu Root in the beginning didn’t draw it. Otherwise, our Great Han would not have to witness so many commoners dying in vain."
Chen Xi gave a wry laugh. Could he say that this belonged to the sanctified works of Zhang Zhongjing? That was something Zhang Zhongjing had developed and made public in 202 AD, and it had been used for nearly two thousand years. As for now, Zhang Zhongjing was still in the midst of his research. Although Chen Xi felt somewhat guilty towards Zhang Zhongjing, considering the death toll, he felt it was better to release it early, and surely Zhang Zhongjing wouldn’t mind.
"Then make the formula public. If this plant is a common weed in the countryside, let’s start harvesting it on a large scale and storing it. We must stock up on medicinal herbs to avoid being caught unprepared," Chen Xi decided, waving his hand authoritatively. Compared to the twelve massive plagues and relentless natural disasters of the upcoming decade that would reduce the population from 55 million to less than 10 million, this formula could save tens of millions.
"This is precisely why I’m here. Please, Zichuan, summon a skilled painter to draw Kudzu Root. It cannot be allowed to be lost like the one before. I want to spread this recipe throughout the world to prevent Typhoid from ever ravaging us again!" For the first time, Hua Tuo revealed a sort of madness, a moral righteousness that filled his eyes.
"That will never happen," Chen Xi nodded.
Seeing Hua Tuo’s excitement, Chen Xi couldn’t help but want to tease him, "Physician Hua, with this formula, after the Xuzhou issue, should there be another epidemic, you will definitely have a Living Temple erected in your honor."
As soon as this was said, Hua Tuo became calm again and sighed, "I, too, was born into a Yuzhou Aristocratic Family and in my youth was recommended by Chen Hanyu. I was also summoned by one of the Three Dukes, Huang Ziyan, to take an Official Position. In the end, I gave it all up. I want to write a medical book. I want this myriad of people to be free from troubles of disease. If I cannot complete it in my lifetime, then it shall be the next generation, and the generation after that."
"Physician Hua has far-reaching aspirations, truly extraordinary!" Chen Xi spoke earnestly. "Whenever you need my help, just speak the word, and I won’t hesitate for a moment." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please go to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
