Chapter 49: Ultra-Short-Term Military Physician [2]
Chapter 49: Ultra-Short-Term Military Physician [2]
“What? Professor Jeong?”
“Yes. I’m asking you.”
Yeoju hurriedly bowed her head.
Hmm.
Hadn’t Yeoju been traveling with him for the past month?
He had helped her, yes, but he had also received a great deal from her.
Most of all, that book packed with drawings of medicinal herbs was a priceless treasure.
I may be rude, but I’m not the kind of bastard who forgets a favor.
He was also the sort who cared a fair bit about affection and loyalty.
At this point, there was no way he could refuse.
Besides, there was nothing bad about making the Busa owe him even more.
There was already widespread talk that the central government would soon call for him because of how he had handled the Duchang outbreak.
If this suppression of the Japanese raiders also ended successfully, the Busa’s road ahead would probably be smooth and wide.
“Pangwan sir.”
“Ah, Scholar Baek.”
“I’ll make my preparations.”
“As expected. I knew you would. I’ll wait.”
“Yes.”
Kanghyeok went to Yujeong first.
He had agreed boldly enough, but he was still nervous.
A battlefield, of all places.
Wasn’t the only military training he had ever had that two-month medical officer training course?
His hands began to tremble.
Yujeong was in seated meditation, but the moment Kanghyeok approached, he opened his eyes as if by magic.
“The time for parting has come.”
“Were you listening?”
It was quite a distance away for that.
Kanghyeok tilted his head.
Yujeong only smiled.
“If there is meeting, then there is also parting.”
“Uh... right.”
“You need not worry too much, patron. There will come a day when we meet again.”
It sounded somewhat like something a fortune-teller would say, but coming from Great Master Samyeong, it sounded convincing.
To the point that Kanghyeok’s trembling hands calmed down.
“Thank you.”
“There is nothing to thank me for. It is your own blessing and good fortune.”
“Yes. You don’t need to take any more medicine... just drink plenty of water.”
With diseases that formed stones, drinking a lot of water was usually the best answer.
There were sometimes urinary stone patients who said beer would make it better, but that was only half true.
It did increase urine output in the short term.
But the dehydration that came the next day could make things worse.
So it was safer to drink water.
Well, a monk wouldn’t drink alcohol anyway.
It wasn’t as if Great Master Samyeong were Lu Zhishen.
Something like that would not happen.
“I will do so.”
“Then, please take care.”
“Go safely. Ah, patron.”
“Yes?”
Yujeong quickly called Kanghyeok back.
Then he handed him a smooth, glossy stone.
It even glimmered in the light, making it seem far from ordinary.
“There will come a day when this helps you.”
“A stone?”
“That is so.”
“Uh... all right.”
A stone as a farewell gift.
Kanghyeok tilted his head, but tucked it into his chest anyway.
The rest of the party, including Dolseok, had already finished preparing to leave.
Even the horse Kanghyeok would ride was ready.
He lightly mounted the saddle.
Then he asked Dolseok, who was holding the reins,
“What about the things that came in?”
“I already told the monks here. They said everything would be sent to the house by today.”
“Well done.”
At times like this, it felt as though he ought to call him Smartseok instead.
A boy with so little learning, yet he handled things this well.
Smiling in satisfaction, Kanghyeok said to the Pangwan,
“Then let’s go.”
“Yes. Let’s.”
There were not a few soldiers under the Pangwan’s command, so the party was able to set out safely.
The distance from Anseong to Suwon was not particularly far. Especially since the Pangwan hurried them along so much, it did not take long.
They came so fast that even Kanghyeok, who had done nothing but ride the whole way, felt exhausted.
“Whew. Is everyone all right?”
“I’m full of energy.”
Yeoni still looked lively as ever.
Even Yeoju, who was usually slow on her feet, nodded.
It seemed her worry over her father was far greater than the pain in her foot.
Judging by the fact that she had not fallen behind even once.
Her feet were pretty soft, though.
Compared to Yeoni, whose feet had toughened from martial training, Yeoju’s felt like tofu.
Looking closely, red blood had lightly soaked through her beoseon.
There was still no real sign of urgency in the Suwon market.
Though there seemed to be somewhat fewer people coming and going than usual.
Which meant they still had quite a long way to go before reaching Eotan-myeon.
She could not afford to ruin her feet already.
“Yeoni, take a look at it for her later.”
“Ah, yes, Young Master.”
The Pangwan, who had been riding ahead, turned back.
“We’re almost there now. The Busa is waiting anxiously. Let’s hurry.”
“Yes.”
Because the man in question was Kim Yungil, a ridiculous thought crossed Kanghyeok’s mind.
He didn’t summon me all the way here just to bring up Viagra, did he?
Unless the man had gone mad, there was no way that could be it.
Even during the Duchang outbreak, had he not still kept his distance from women?
This might be an even greater disaster than that.
While Kanghyeok was lost in such useless thoughts, they had already arrived at the government office.
Jeongbok pounded on the tall gate and shouted,
“Open the gate. Pangwan Yi Jeongbok is here. By the order of the Busa, I have brought Baek Kanghyeok, the military physician.”
“Yes, sir!”
A few soldiers came running at once, and the gate opened.
—Creeeak
Inside the government office, hundreds of soldiers were lined up, armed with spears and bows.
There were some officers Kanghyeok had never seen before, and they looked like military officials sent from the capital.
Instead of cheollik, they wore dujeong-gap.
Perhaps because of that, a clattering sound followed every movement they made.
“Oh, you’ve come.”
The Busa, who had been pacing anxiously, came down with both arms spread wide.
He introduced Kanghyeok to an unfamiliar military man.
He had a thick beard, a large build that suited the dujeong-gap perfectly, and a long scar across his cheek.
He gave off the unmistakable feeling of a battle-hardened warrior.
“This is that very Baek Kanghyeok.”
“Ah, I’ve heard much about you. Good to meet you. I am Shin Rip, Dongji of the Jungchubu, Senior Second Rank.”
There was no way for Kanghyeok to know what Dongji of the Jungchubu meant.
But judging by the Busa’s attitude, the man was clearly of fairly high status.
Years of hospital life had given Kanghyeok a sharp instinct for hierarchy.
He immediately bowed his head and replied,
“I have heard much about you as well. I am Baek Kanghyeok.”
“Ha ha. You really are as forthright as I’d heard. Fine build too. You’d be good not just as a military physician, but as a commander as well.”
Shin Rip laughed heartily as he slapped Kanghyeok on the back.
His knuckles were so thick that it felt as if Kanghyeok’s insides shook.
Is this the level of ‘power release’ Heo Jun was talking about?
The thought crossed his mind.
After slapping Kanghyeok on the back a few more times, Shin Rip turned toward the soldiers.
“Listen well. Scholar Baek Kanghyeok has joined us as military physician. So long as you do not die, he can save you all, so do not worry!”
“Waaaaah!”
At once, an invigorated roar rang out.
As Kanghyeok looked, most of the soldiers were familiar faces.
Which meant they were not soldiers sent from the capital.
Since they had been serving within Suwon Prefecture, naturally they knew Kanghyeok’s name.
Some of them had even been treated by him personally.
“The Divine Physician has come!”
On top of that, because of the strange rumors that had spread recently, the soldiers’ morale shot through the roof.
“Waaah!”
Judging by the atmosphere, it almost felt as if Kanghyeok truly had to save everyone as long as they did not die.
Even for me, that’s asking too much.
Kanghyeok looked down at the house-call bag in his hand.
It was true that it contained a good range of “surgical instruments.”
But the rest of the supplies were terribly insufficient.
At most, two people a day? No, if I push myself, three?
Considering the amount of gauze and IV fluids he had, that was probably the limit.
Still, it was hard to betray all those bright, shining eyes fixed on him.
So Kanghyeok smiled broadly and accepted the soldiers’ cheers.
—Thud.
Shin Rip lightly struck the ground with the scabbard of his sword.
Immediately, the commotion that had sounded like a marketplace died into silence.
Kanghyeok had thought they did nothing but follow the Busa around begging for Viagra, yet their discipline was unexpectedly good.
That was strange.
He had never actually seen them training.
“The atmosphere really changes when a general arrives.”
The Busa smiled with satisfaction.
At that, Shin Rip laughed loudly.
“That is only because you have trained them well in ordinary times.”
Both the Busa and Kanghyeok knew that was not true.
The Busa looked back over his soldiers with an awkward smile.
No matter how he looked at them, they were not reassuring.
There were barely over two hundred of them.
And their level of equipment was miserable.
Though they carried bows, they lacked enough arrows.
“Are you planning to depart once the cavalry arrives?”
Shin Rip, after all, was a cavalry man.
His feat of repelling Nitanggae in the north was still enough to excite the central government.
That was why the Busa had specifically requested Shin Rip.
In truth, Shin Rip’s martial skill and tactics were indeed formidable.
But he had a weakness: he underestimated the enemy.
And unfortunately, that flaw was showing itself with great force at this very moment.
“The cavalry? Is that really necessary? The soldiers here are more than enough.”
“But I hear the number of the Japanese raiders is not small…”
“Even so, aren’t they still a mob of rabble?”
The same could have been said of their side.
A deep vertical crease appeared between the Busa’s brows.
“Our soldiers have no battle experience either.”
“Do not worry. I am here, along with my officers. War is fought by commanders, not common soldiers.”
“I trust you, but…”
“Busa, it would be better to leave war to us military men. We should depart at once. Those Japanese bastards are probably still causing havoc even now.”
That, at least, was true.
Kanghyeok had thought it impossible, but Japanese raiders had come as far as Gyeonggi Province.
At least since the Eulmyo Japanese Disturbance, nothing like this had happened.
Because there had been little preparation, the damage was severe.
Moreover, at Eotan-myeon there was also the new local school established under Busa Kim Yungil’s orders.
Professor Jeong Changgwon had been dispatched there as well.
If things went badly, the scholars in the area might be slaughtered.
Considering the cruelty the Japanese raiders were known for, that was easy enough to imagine.
“That is true.”
“Then let us go.”
The one left dumbfounded was Kanghyeok.
To go on campaign the moment he arrived from Chiljangsa.
His mouth dropped open and would not close.
“Uh…”
“Don’t worry, don’t worry.”
Shin Rip patted Kanghyeok on the shoulder, then turned forward.
After that, he stood in the center of the officers, towering like a mountain.
Gulp.
The soldiers’ trembling eyes fixed on him.
Shin Rip, who was said to be one of Joseon’s greatest generals.
He was not a man of many words.
“We march. Open the gate.”
At that short command, the soldiers moved in a wave.
They were already carrying their weapons, and their packs were already filled with rations, so there was no reason to delay.
Kanghyeok stared at the soldiers in a daze.
“Kanghyeok.”
“Ah, yes, Pangwan sir.”
“Perhaps you won’t need it, but here is a sword.”
“Ah… yes. Thank you.”
Pangwan Yi Jeongbok placed five swords in Kanghyeok’s hands.
They were heavier than expected, so he almost dropped them.
A sword…
It felt as if a joke he used to make had suddenly become real.
‘Knife wielder’ was just something we joked about among ourselves.
That had only been because he normally handled scalpels the size of his palm.
But now it was a sword nearly as long as one whole arm.
Without thinking, Kanghyeok handed one to Dolseok.
“Hey, take one too.”
“Uh… yes, Young Master.”
Dolseok was the kind of man who always talked big, but never actually even got into fistfights.
Now that he had been handed a sword, he had gone silent like a mute, and sweat kept running from his hands.
He looked awkward beyond words.
But Kanghyeok was in no position to say anything.
This was the most foolish he had looked since coming to Joseon.
“Young Master, give me one too.”
Yeoni stepped forward in a firm voice.
“Ah, uh… should I?”
“Yes. Don’t worry. I may not look it, but I know how to handle a blade too.”
Yeoni fastened the sword at her waist with fairly practiced hands.
Watching her somehow made him feel at ease.
If only they had not been on the way to a battlefield.