Chapter 17: Will
The march had been tedious and exhausting. Although all the soldiers from the Central Plains were brave and skilled in battle, marching under the scorching sun required great endurance.
The deputy commander Niu Jinda, wearing a helmet and armor, led the vanguard with his horse, while the general Cheng Yaojin, fully armed, led the main force in the middle, with Cheng Chumo bringing up the rear with provisions and weapons.
The two generals did not receive any preferential treatment, marching silently under the scorching sun. If Cheng Chumo had not been wearing a bright armor, he would not have been able to bear the heat and would never have climbed into Yun Ye’s carriage to take refuge. Perhaps this is the conduct of ancient soldiers. In this era of leading troops by personal charm, this is also the example that a qualified commander must do.
Old Cheng had already had a slight heatstroke yesterday, so Yun Ye used copper coins to give him a gua sha. Although the back was red and blue, it was obviously not a good technique, but it also allowed Old Cheng to sleep well.
Before the march, Lao Cheng deliberately asked Yun Ye to teach the military doctor this simple and effective treatment method. After all, there have been hundreds of heatstroke victims in the past few days. Yun Ye had no way to tell the military doctor that this was a serious electrolyte deficiency. He could only learn from Cheng’s educational methods and tell the military doctor to do as he was told without asking why. He prepared a large amount of salt and sugar water and gave it to the heatstroke soldiers to drink.
Perhaps Yun Ye was right about the treatment method, or perhaps the sergeant was in good health. In any case, the military doctor just reported that the symptoms of the sergeant who had heatstroke and was lying in the carriage had been alleviated, and he was already able to eat liquid food.
The military doctor reported the news with respect in his eyes. It seems that I am already an unreachable famous doctor in front of the military doctor. Yun Ye did not feel much pride. In the future, the treatment he received for heatstroke in military training was no better than this, so Yun Ye firmly believed that this was the simplest, most effective, and most economical way to treat heatstroke.
He ordered the military doctor to continue giving the wounded soldiers salted sugar water and mung bean soup, and to let them rest and wait for their strength to return. The military doctor left. Yun Ye couldn’t help but worry about Lao Cheng. Although he was still in his prime, he would definitely not be able to rest well during the day while marching, and he would definitely not be able to plan routes and marching defense issues at night without any problems.
He took out his sunglasses, which were cheap at 200 yuan, but still effectively blocked the sunlight and protected his eyes. He filled two cans with cold, salty water and knocked in a few large ice cubes. He told the civilian laborers driving the cart to speed up and catch up with Lao Cheng.
After passing through the long line, he soon saw Old Cheng sitting on his horse with bloodshot eyes and a straightened posture. He quickly stopped Old Cheng and said, “Uncle Cheng, please take a rest for a while.” Then he jumped off the carriage and grabbed Old Cheng’s reins.
“Get out of the way, kid, if you block my horse again, you’ll be punished by the military law.” Old Cheng knew that Yun Ye cared about his health, and his heart warmed, but his mouth was ruthless.
“I am now the logistics battalion’s marching secretary. The general is the backbone of my left military guard. Your health is also under my jurisdiction. I have a good medicine for heatstroke. Please take it, general.” Yun Ye said seriously, and handed the jar to Lao Cheng.
Lao Cheng had already drunk a lot of water, but it was as if there was a fire burning in his chest. No matter how much water he drank, he could not extinguish the fire in his heart. After hearing Yun Ye say this, he grabbed the jar and took a big gulp, feeling a coolness slide from his mouth to his stomach. He felt that the fire in his chest had instantly escaped with the long breath, so he simply lifted the jar and poured it over his head, shivering and feeling refreshed all over.
He took out some ice and threw it to his bodyguard, who was standing nearby. He then looked down at Yun Ye and said, “I’ve taken the medicine. Now get back in the carriage. If you run around again without permission, you’ll be beaten with a stick.” After he finished speaking, he saw Yun Ye take out another jar. He then ordered his bodyguard to give the jar to Niu Jinda. Yun Ye didn’t know if the ice in the jar would melt in Niu Jinda’s hands. After all, Niu Jinda’s front army was already thirty miles away. Never mind, I’ve done my best anyway. I took out my sunglasses from my pocket and handed them to Lao Cheng.
“What is this thing?” Old Cheng held it in his hands and waved it around. When Yun Ye saw that Old Cheng was about to take off the glasses, he quickly came over to show Old Cheng how to do it. After seeing that Old Cheng had put the glasses on correctly, he returned to the carriage, bowed, and told the driver to stop the carriage on the side of the road and wait for Cheng Chumu.
Yun Ye lifted the curtain of the carriage and watched the army march on, but his heart was no longer as relaxed as it had been. Cheng Yaojin knew that marching under the scorching sun was a major taboo for soldiers, but he still insisted that the army march 40 miles a day under the scorching sun. This was not an ill-advised move by Old Cheng, but rather a move by the Tang Dynasty, which was surrounded by enemies and was in a state of siege. The new recruits of the Zuowei must grow up as quickly as possible and take advantage of the favorable opportunity to annihilate the Qiang people to undergo a difficult tempering of the army.
From this incident, it can be seen that the Tang Dynasty was weak and immature, and had not yet grown to the point where it could withstand any crisis. Every time I read about Li Shimin’s Zhenguan Period in later generations, my heart is always filled with passionate emotions. I fantasize that I am a Tang Dynasty soldier galloping on horseback, wielding a horizontal sword to sweep across the grasslands, expanding the Tang Dynasty’s territory to the Qingling Mountains, and engraving the stone at Yan’an. I never imagined that before the expansion, the situation of the Tang Dynasty was so difficult. Fortunately, there are these iron-blooded men in front of me, enough to get through the most difficult times. Yun Ye was full of respect for these Tang soldiers who were silently walking under the hot sun.
Cheng Chumo knocked on the carriage to pull Yun Ye back from his reverie. Seeing that flattering smile, Yun Ye’s respect for the Tang Dynasty soldiers suddenly dropped by a large margin. Sure enough, scum are everywhere. His father had to share a can of ice water with his comrades, but this bastard had a cloth bag full of ice on his back, and a fan-shaped hat on his head. After the ice melted, the water ran down his back, and the heat now posed no threat to him at all.
“Brother, we’ll be at our destination in half an hour. What are we going to eat tonight?”
Since his time-travel, Yun Ye has been very satisfied with the cultural environment of the Tang Dynasty. If he is not allowed to eat the pig food made by the fire-fighting army and the muddy wine brewed by them, the Tang Dynasty will definitely be a paradise-like existence.
Since Yun Ye started cooking for himself every day, Cheng Chumo has been coming every day, saying that he is worried that his brother will be lonely eating alone, so he specially accompanies him out of the spirit of brotherhood.
“Today, I would like to invite Uncle Cheng to dinner. Brother Chum can come too.”
“Ah, my brother is a little sick today, so he plans to go hungry to clear his stomach. If you say that Old Cheng is a cat, then Cheng Chumo is definitely a little mouse. Except for necessary moments, Cheng Chumo absolutely does not meet with Old Cheng. Seeing Cheng Chumo flee in a panic, Yun Ye laughed heartily.
In ancient times, a large army must have a sufficient water source. Facing the water with the mountain behind is undoubtedly the best campsite. At this time, Longyou was not yet the barren land of later generations, and green mountains and clear waters could be seen everywhere.
Old Cheng was strict in managing his troops. Even if it was only a temporary camp for one night, he would definitely cut down trees and build a camp. The rigorous marching system ensured the reputation of the Tang Dynasty soldiers as invincible. At the request of Yun Ye, the Zuowei was not allowed to drink raw water. After marching every day, they had to use hot water to scald their feet. If they had the conditions, bathing was also a daily must. Now, Yun Ye can proudly announce that the Zuowei may not be the most powerful, but it is definitely the cleanest.