Chapter 373: Treatment
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“I don’t want to be a traitor!” a general immediately declared. “My parents, wife, and children are all in Tianjing City. I… I surrender!”
“I surrender too! 1 never intended to rebel!”
“You…” Chen Chong frowned as he looked at them.
Although he could understand their feelings, he still didn’t know if what this woman was saying was true or false. If she was deceiving them, surrendering would mean putting their lives in the hands of the enemy, and their lives would be at risk.
“General, if you’re not sure, you can wait outside the city for a while. The imperial decree will arrive soon,” Gu Qingluan said calmly.
“General Chen, let’s wait for a while. If we don’t receive the imperial decree by then, we can continue the siege.”
The Forbidden Guards of Tianjing City numbered only a hundred thousand, and with a few others, it was just over ten thousand, far fewer than their Dingbei Army. There was no need to fear the enemy’s tricks.
Under the persuasion of his subordinates, Chen Chong agreed to Gu Qingluan’s proposal.
“I’ll grant you the span of two incense sticks to burn completely (T/N: approximately 30 minutes) as we await the emperor’s decree. If it doesn’t arrive within that time, we’ll launch a full-scale assault on the city!”
“In the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn completely, we’ll have only just met with the emperor. How can we possibly return in time?” Gu Qingluan replied.
Chen Chong thought for a moment and realized it made sense.
The distance from the city gate to the imperial palace was quite substantial, and to reach the emperor from the palace gate, one had to pass through layers of guards and inspections, which would naturally take time.
After a brief contemplation, he clenched his teeth and said, “One hour! At most, one hour! No more than that!”
“Agreed! One hour it is, we have a deal!”
Gu Qingluan and the others then led Li Tianhao back up to the city tower.
Yin Qing was also brought up as a hostage.
Gu Qingluan had poisoned him, rendering him unable to use his arcane power, and he was also placed under a restraint, making him unable to move.
There was no time to deal with him for now, so Gu Qingluan left him in the care of Su Meng.
Song Chongliang and his comrades were elated to see that Gu Qingluan and Feng Tianlan had returned unharmed and successfully rescued the leader of the Li family. They erupted in cheers and joined in the celebration.
“Miss Gu, you’re amazing!”
Gu Qingluan remained composed in the face of praise and blame. “Now is not the time to celebrate. The Dingbei Army has been temporarily appeased. I’ve questioned them, and they were all deceived by Duke Dingbei, thinking that the Crown Prince was rebelling, which is why they marched from the Northern Territory to Tianjing City. You must immediately send someone to the imperial palace to report and request the emperor to issue a decree explaining the situation. Remember, you only have an hour.”
“An hour? That’s too rushed!” Song Chongliang frowned.
“What are you waiting for then? Send someone quickly!”
The Dingbei Army has set a very short time, obviously fearing any tricks.
This was the time that Gu Qingluan had fought for Tianjing. If Emperor Xuanzong couldn’t show sincerity, then it wouldn’t be anyone else’s fault.
Song Chongliang dared not delay any longer and immediately called for the fastest rider among his men to rush to the imperial palace and find the emperor.
Watching the rider hurry away, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, as he arranged for someone to enter the palace, Gu Qingluan had already approached the injured soldiers.
Several seriously wounded soldiers lay on the ground, groaning in pain. They had just been shelled, and their intestines were exposed. The others were afraid to touch them.
The military doctors were limited and couldn’t immediately save everyone.
Gu Qingluan walked up to one of the severely injured soldiers and fed him a spirit pill.
The soldier, who had been in excruciating pain, suddenly felt much better.
However, his intestines were still exposed, and without prompt treatment, infection would likely set in, leading to his demise.
Gu Qingluan treated his wound, first using golden needles to stop the bleeding from several arteries in his body.
The blood that had been flowing out immediately stopped.
She then cleaned the wound, removing any dirty debris, including some necrotic organs, before sewing up the wound.
The entire procedure flowed seamlessly, without any pause.
By the time she had finished treating the soldier’s wounds, he was able to speak.
He looked up at Gu Qingluan with gratitude in his eyes. “Thank you so much, Miss!”
“You’re welcome. Rest well, and I’ll have someone convey the instructions for your care later.”
Since most of the soldiers present had suffered external injuries, the instructions for their care were similar.
She didn’t have the time to individually explain, so she planned to write them down later for someone to pass on to the wounded.
Gu Qingluan was about to get up when suddenly, a blood-covered soldier rushed toward her. “Miss Gu, please, save my big brother! My big brother is on the verge of death.”
Feng Tianlan acted quickly, pulling Gu Qingluan aside, preventing the soldier from touching her.
Gu Qingluan asked, “Where is your big brother?”
The soldier quickly got up and led her, saying, “He’s not far from here. Follow me.”
They walked about twenty meters and came upon a soldier lying on the ground, barely resembling a human, covered in blood like a lump of minced meat.
Feng Tianlan furrowed his brows slightly and stood in front of Gu Qingluan, concerned that she might be repulsed by the gruesome sight.
“I’m fine,” Gu Qingluan said calmly.
After all, she wasn’t one of those sheltered young ladies. What did he have to worry about?
Feng Tianlan pressed his lips together and stepped aside.
Gu Qingluan approached the injured soldier.
The soldier’s younger brother asked hopefully, “Miss Gu, can my big brother be saved?”
Gu Qingluan looked at the soldier on the ground, who was no longer in a human form, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.
According to common sense, with injuries like this, he should have been dead long ago. Yet, the soldier on the ground still had a breath of life!
Gu Qingluan didn’t respond to the soldier’s younger brother’s question. She walked up to the wounded man and suddenly sensed a familiar arcane energy fluctuation emanating from his chest..