bookrandom Chapter 225 Burning the Corpse
Chapter 225 Burning the Corpse
Youzhou Prefecture, Jingcheng.
The war lasted for six days. During this time, the Zhenbei Army and the Northern Barbarian Army fought a fierce battle, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides. However, neither side showed any signs of being defeated.
Facing the high walls, the Zhenbei Army seemed like an endless stream of arrows. Watching their comrades fall one by one, the Northern Barbarian army, which had fought for many days but still failed to capture the city before them, could not help but feel physically and mentally exhausted.
Upon seeing this, the Northern Barbarian general roared, "All of you, cheer up! Jingcheng is running out of food and supplies, suffering heavy casualties, and has no reinforcements. My 150,000 Northern Barbarian warriors will surely conquer this city! Think of the white rice and flour, beautiful women, gold and silver treasures inside the city... Warriors, do you still want to retreat?!"
Although the Northern Barbarians were nominally a nation, their harsh environment and resources were nowhere near those of the Great Qian. Thinking of the grain and women they had plundered from the Great Qian in the past, the Northern Barbarian warriors were filled with excitement. A surge of energy welled up within them, and they charged forward with bloodshot eyes.
On the city wall, soldiers kept shooting arrows and slashing at the enemy. Pots of boiling water and golden soup were poured down, splashing onto the northern barbarian soldiers along the city wall, making a sizzling sound that made people's teeth ache. The northern barbarian soldiers screamed incessantly, and finally fell to the ground, smashing into a pile of bloody and mangled flesh.
Tian Kang's armor was stained with blood, and his face was covered in ashes from not having bathed for many days. He looked down at the endless stream of Northern Barbarian enemy troops and asked in a hoarse voice, "Lord Zheng, when will the reinforcements arrive?"
The garrison in Jingcheng was already small, with the elite troops taken away by Zhenbei Marquis and Pingjin. The attacking Northern Barbarian army consisted entirely of elites. They originally thought that if they sent someone to send a message to Pingjin, he would immediately lead his troops back to rescue them. However, after holding out for many days, they still did not see any sign of the Zhenbei army. This showed that the enemy must have been tied down by the Northern Barbarian army.
But how long can they hold out with 50,000 troops...?
Interrupting the other's thoughts, the young military supervisor's cold and deep voice inexplicably reassured Tian Kang: "Judging by the time, the Marquis should have successfully quelled the rebellion. General Ping, unable to return to the city to provide relief, will surely try to send a message to the Marquis. If we hold out for a few more days, the Marquis will be able to lead the army back to provide relief."
After Zheng Hao finished speaking, Tian Kang looked up at the young man's chapped lips and bloodshot eyes, and advised, "You haven't slept for many days. Before the Northern Barbarians launch their attack, go back and get some sleep."
After fighting together for many days, Tian Kang's impression of Zheng Hao changed again and again. The other party was completely different from the weak scholar he had imagined. He not only had superb archery skills, but was also proficient in military affairs.
In this battle against the 150,000-strong Northern Barbarian army, the number of deaths suffered by the Zhenbei Army was much less than in any previous city defense battle. Moreover, the elite Northern Barbarians could not gain any advantage under their command and even suffered heavy losses several times. All of this was thanks to the young supervising officer.
Tian Kang watched as the other side never left the city wall since the start of the war, fighting alongside the soldiers. He was a rough and uncultured man who couldn't say nice things, but he felt a sense of admiration for them.
He initially obeyed orders mainly because of the Marquis of Zhenbei's command. After witnessing the young supervisor's strength for many days and observing the number of Zhenbei soldiers who had survived, he was impressed.
Tian Kang secretly thought that he would do whatever Lord Zheng said in the future.
Zheng Hao's expression was cold and stern. Even though he hadn't closed his eyes for many days, his thoughts were still clear. He looked up at the gloomy sky and said with his eyes half-lowered, "In the afternoon, heavy rain will fall. The Northern Barbarians will suspend their attack on the city. Tell the soldiers not to relax. Leave the soldiers on duty to observe the enemy situation, and the rest will take turns to rest."
Having witnessed the young military supervisor's abilities in just a few days, Tian Kang did not suspect anything. He asked the man how he knew that it would rain heavily in the afternoon, since the weather in Jingcheng had been like this for the past few days.
He summoned his personal guards and asked them to give the orders.
At the foot of the city wall, Gu Lin was organizing the people to transport grain and medicine. The Zhenbei Army was fighting on the city wall, so the logistics had to be handled by the people.
Gu Lin had a dozen large pots set up by the city wall, specifically for boiling water, brewing medicine, and cooking. As he watched the wounded soldiers being carried down, he instructed the porters to move them to different areas according to the severity of their injuries. Immediately afterward, the doctors who were prepared stepped forward to diagnose the injuries, and then the medicine apprentices used strips of cloth that had been boiled in hot water to bandage the wounds of the wounded soldiers.
Aside from being somewhat flustered at the beginning, they became more skilled as the number of wounded soldiers increased.
The air was humid and stuffy, and standing for a long time made one feel like they couldn't breathe. Gu Lin looked up at the sky covered with dark clouds, and Yu Ercheng, who was next to him, said, "It would be good if it rained soon, so that the Northern Barbarians would stop attacking."
Unlike the other side's prayer for heavy rain to bring the Northern Barbarians back, Gu Lin's heart was heavy.
The battlefield was already teeming with dead and wounded, and many corpses inside and outside the city remained undisposed of. If heavy rain were to fall, it would surely breed a plague.
He summoned the imperial physician who had accompanied them to Youzhou Prefecture and told him his concerns. The physician lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment before saying, "Husband Gu's concerns are justified. Some medical books I have read and notes written by our predecessors in the Imperial Medical Academy have recorded that plagues almost always occur after major battles, and this seems to happen frequently on rainy days."
"Gu Fulang's reminder is very important. I immediately discussed countermeasures with other doctors."
Without delaying the other party, Gu Lin nodded, and the imperial physician immediately turned around and called over the other doctors to tell them about the matter. Then, the doctors left their apprentices behind and went with the imperial physician elsewhere to discuss how to deal with the possible plague.
At the same time, Gu Lin sent a message to Zheng Hao, asking him to remind the other generals to pay attention to this matter.
They were already at a disadvantage, besieged by the northern barbarians, and their limited food and medicine supplies were dwindling day by day. They didn't want to wait until later, when everyone died not from food shortages or injuries, but from an unprepared plague.
A serious look appeared in Gu Lin's eyes.
Suddenly, a man came running from afar, panting, and said, "Master, Master Ning sent me to find you. He wants you to go back quickly because he has successfully developed gunpowder!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Lin's expression changed, showing a mixture of surprise and excitement.
He turned to Er Cheng and said, "You stay here to organize the people, I'll go back first."
Knowing the uses of gunpowder, Yu Ercheng quickly said, "Master, go back quickly. I'll stay here. If anything happens, I'll immediately send someone to tell you."
Gu Lin lifted his leg and left with the messenger. The messenger said as he walked, "Master Ning said that gunpowder is too powerful to be tested in the mansion, so he specially found a deserted place. Master, come with me."
Gu Lin asked the other party to lead the way.
The two soon arrived at a secluded place, where Ning Fangshi and his men were waiting.
Upon seeing Gu Lin arrive, he raised his head and smiled, saying, "I have lived up to the trust placed in me by my employer and have successfully developed gunpowder."
Gu Lin looked down and immediately noticed the paper tube in the other person's hand. Following the young man's gaze, Ning Fangshi explained, "Gunpowder is in powder form and cannot be ignited directly, so I wrapped it in paper, making it extremely convenient to use."
Gu Lin nodded and praised, "Mr. Ning is thorough in every aspect."
Then, Ning Fangshi picked up the gunpowder in one hand and the tinderbox in the other: "I will first demonstrate the effect of the gunpowder. Once ignited, the gunpowder is extremely powerful and the sound can shake the heavens. Please take a few steps back to avoid being accidentally injured by the gunpowder."
Staring intently at the gunpowder in the other person's hand, Gu Lin did not look away, but instead took a few steps back as instructed.
Ning Fangshi raised his hand, bringing the tinder close to the fuse exposed outside the paper tube. The servants present saw Ning Fangshi ignite the gunpowder and instinctively stepped back and covered their ears, clearly having witnessed the earth-shattering power of gunpowder before.
After Ning Fangshi lit the gunpowder, he immediately threw it far away. Following the direction the gunpowder was thrown, Gu Lin saw the paper tube streak across the sky and strike a boulder with a deafening bang. Smoke and dust flew up. Gu Lin subconsciously closed his eyes, not because he was frightened by the sound of the gunpowder exploding, but to avoid the smoke and dust getting into his eyes.
As the explosion subsided, Gu Lin opened his eyes and saw that the smoke and dust had disappeared, and the boulder that had been in place had broken into small pieces and scattered around.
Upon seeing this, Gu Lin's eyes lit up with joy, delighted that the gunpowder made by Ning Fangshi had achieved the effect he desired.
He glanced at the gunpowder wrapped in a paper tube in the other person's hand, a look of concern crossing his eyes as he worried that the rain would soak the gunpowder.
He said, "Wrapping gunpowder in paper tubes is very dangerous. It would be better for you to use bamboo tubes instead."
Ning Fangshi did not hesitate and quickly realized the reason why the other party said that, and immediately nodded and agreed to make improvements.
Even though Ning Fangshi had successfully developed gunpowder, the large quantity of gunpowder made sealing it in bamboo tubes no easy task. Furthermore, such a marvelous invention needed to be kept secret to prevent it from being stolen by Northern Barbarian spies. Therefore, those who could participate in the gunpowder production were all trustworthy individuals carefully selected by Gu Lin.
He then selected some more people to assist Ning Fangshi and instructed them to produce gunpowder as soon as possible.
The messenger Gu Lin sent to the city wall soon met Lord Zheng, and Tian Kang was also present. When he heard what the other party said, his original hope that the heavy rain would fall quickly stopped, and his expression changed.
Zheng Hao did not inquire in detail why a plague would break out after the heavy rain. He calmly instructed, "Send orders to the generals stationed at the other city gates that if any of the wounded soldiers are found to be acting strangely, they should be immediately isolated and treated."
"Yes!" the soldier replied.
That afternoon, the young military supervisor's prediction came true. Thunder rumbled in the sky and torrential rain poured down. The Northern Barbarian army was unable to advance due to the heavy rain and thunder, so they had to retreat. The Zhenbei Army on the city wall breathed a sigh of relief.
Zheng Hao and Tian Kang walked down the city wall. The former looked normal, while the latter looked serious and called over a doctor to ask, "There might be a plague after the heavy rain. Have you prepared any countermeasures?"
The chief imperial physician said, "After Mr. Gu brought up this matter, we gathered to discuss it. Due to the shortage of medicinal materials in the city, we believe that we should burn mugwort regularly to disinfect the wounded soldiers' camp, and at the same time boil medicinal soup so that the wounded soldiers can take it on time to prevent infection with the plague."
In this situation, there was a shortage of food and medicinal herbs. Even the Zhenbei Army had to rely on the people to carry water bucket by bucket. Even if the imperial physicians were highly skilled, they could not cook without rice. Moreover, the plague was inherently difficult to cure. Even if high-ranking officials and nobles were infected with the plague, they could not achieve a 100% cure rate, even with the availability of medicines and famous doctors.
They did their best to prevent the plague, and left the rest to fate!
Zheng Hao raised his eyes, his gaze deep. He gave Da Zhuo his order, and what he said sent chills down the spine of the imperial physician Tian Kang: "Pass down the order to burn the corpses of the Zhenbei Army to prevent the spread of plague after the rain. Anyone who disobeys will be punished according to military law."
The young military supervisor, his face cold, uttered a chilling order.
Even Tian Kang, who was used to life and death on the battlefield and had seen many corpses torn apart, was frightened by the enemy's order. How important the corpse was! People at that time all hoped to be buried with their bodies intact after death so that they could be reborn as humans in the next life.
The young military supervisor ordered the bodies of the dead to be burned, which sent chills down the spines of Tian Kang and the imperial physician, who were used to seeing life and death.
Tian Kang stammered, "Lord Zheng, you mustn't..."
Wouldn't doing this undermine morale?
Zheng Hao turned his gaze: "The soldiers of the Zhenbei Army are not stupid. They know how to choose between dying with their bodies intact and avoiding the spread of the plague."
Zheng Hao was well aware of the consequences of undermining morale during wartime, and he would not make such a mistake.
He dared to issue such an order because he understood the true nature of the Zhenbei Army.
The imperial physician understood and advised, "Lord Zheng is right. A corpse that has been soaked in rainwater for a long time will surely generate evil spirits. Burning the corpse with a raging fire can remove the evil spirits and prevent the spread of plague."
Upon hearing this, Tian Kang said no more and immediately sent people to burn the corpse.
Upon hearing the order, the Zhenbei Army erupted in uproar. Some of the older soldiers, who had fought bravely against the northern barbarians, looked terrified when they heard that their bodies would be burned after death: "How could the lord issue such an order? If our bodies are burned to ashes, we won't be able to be reincarnated!"
On the battlefield, where swords and spears are indiscriminate, they did not seek a complete corpse in death, but they could not accept that even their bodies would be burned after death.
The other soldiers nodded in agreement.
Da Zhuo, who was sent by the young military supervisor to take charge of this matter, did not panic or feel at a loss when faced with the soldiers' resistance. He said to everyone, "Reincarnation after death depends on merit. The Zhenbei Army defends against the northern barbarians and protects the people of Daqian, accumulating countless merits. How could you not be reincarnated well?"
"The lord ordered the corpses to be burned for the sake of the Zhenbei Army and all the people of the city. If the corpses are not dealt with properly after the heavy rain, and are left to soak in the rainwater, a plague will surely spread. At that time, it will not be just one or two people who die, but hundreds or thousands."
Hearing that not burning the corpses would cause a plague, the already frightened Zhenbei Army became even more terrified, especially some of the veterans. They had fought for many years and survived several plagues, relying on their own lives to pull through. But they had witnessed their comrades die here.
Knowing the seriousness of the matter, they are not ignorant fools.
One of the veterans spoke up: "We can't delay any longer. For the safety of the entire army and the city, we must burn the bodies. If I die in battle, burn my body too, so that my brothers won't be lonely in the afterlife."
Seeing that they had made up their minds, Da Zhuo said, "After this battle, the lord will set up a place in the suburbs as a cemetery for the fallen Zhenbei Army soldiers, and someone will go there regularly to pay their respects."
Upon hearing this, the Zhenbei Army, who had been fearful and terrified, gradually relaxed. They were worried that if they died without a complete body, they would not be able to reincarnate smoothly, and there would be no one to mourn them. Now, after hearing Lord Zheng's order, they all felt at ease and reassured.