The head of the Mu family

Chapter 97: Rescuing a Handsome Soldier - Li Rongchuan's Confusion

Mu Huaisheng made a decisive decision:

A rough-around-the-edges guy, he'd try anything, even if it seemed hopeless.

Without even raising his head, he shouted:

"Give him some strong liquor, and force him to drink it!"

As he spoke, he took out gold needles and used them to stimulate acupoints to temporarily revive him.

Upon hearing this, Li Rongchuan poured half a jar of strong liquor down the young man's throat.

Mu Huaisheng removed the clothes from the wounded parts of his body that he could.

It can't be taken off; the fabric has been cut open.

The strong liquor started to take effect, and the acupuncture needles forced him to stay awake, so the young man quickly became drowsy again.

Mu Huaisheng was still worried, so he had someone hold down the young general's head, neck, and limbs while he straddled the young general's chest.

Just as he was about to pull out the arrow, Mu Huaisheng suddenly shouted:

Wait!

It has a barbed arrowhead; it cannot be forcibly removed.

The crowd panicked again, but Mu Huaisheng forced himself to calm down.

"Second Master Li, you are familiar with weapons, can you pinpoint the location of the barb?"

"Let me see! Yes, I can!"

Here, here, and here.

There should be two more small barbs pointing towards the arrow, at this and this positions.

"Okay, I got it!"

Mu Huaisheng used a sterilized knife to cut open the flesh along the barb.

In one fell swoop, they quickly and accurately dug out the arrowhead.

Then disinfect the wound, apply medicine, suture the cut, apply medicine again, and bandage it.

Then disinfect, suture, apply medicine, and bandage the rest of the wounds on the body.

After finishing, my inner clothes were soaked with sweat.

He instructed the less seriously wounded soldiers nearby to stay by his side and to moisten his lips with cotton balls soaked in water every half hour.

Li Rongchuan was relieved and turned to go out and get busy.

A few days later, the Western Hu and the Tartars quieted down again, and the young general was able to get out of bed and walk a few steps.

Mu Huaisheng's eyes lit up when he saw it:

The soldiers are in excellent physical condition!

Wow, what a rare sight! A handsome soldier!

That's so tempting!

As the year drew to a close, the Western Hu and the Tartars drove the refugees outside the city gates.

Heaven cherishes life.

When the refugees arrived at the city gate, we couldn't just let them starve to death.

The Marquis then ordered that black steamed buns be thrown down from the city wall every day.

Although the food supplies at Tongtian Pass have never failed, the daily consumption of black bread for so many refugees is still significant.

Refugees began kowtowing at the city gate, begging Tongtianguan to let them into the city for refuge.

Li Rongchuan couldn't bear it, so he pleaded with the Marquis several times, but the Marquis refused each time.

During dinner, Li Rongchuan knew that the noblewoman was soft-hearted, so he talked about how pitiful the disaster victims outside the city were, and asked the noblewoman to help persuade the Marquis.

Before the noblewoman could speak, the Marquis immediately refused!

Li Rongchuan was somewhat agitated:

"Brother! How can you be so heartless!"

"As expected, 'No poison, no manliness'—are you still the respected elder brother I knew?"

The noblewoman wanted to mediate, but didn't know how to begin.

Seeing his expression, the Marquis slammed his fist on the table in anger.

"Second Master! You are a good man, but the Marquis is the one who guards Tongtian Pass!"

Mu Huaisheng gently advised him.

“Huaisheng! I have always thought you are kind-hearted and helpful.

What do you mean by that?

That's chilling!

Mu Huaisheng was furious at his stupidity and said coldly:

"These people outside the city are all in trouble!"

However, not all of them are ordinary citizens!

If you were the leader of the barbarian Tartars, and you saw that the people of Tongtian Pass were kind-hearted, what would you do?

Behind this city gate that you and the Marquis are guarding, there are not only your family and others!

If the Tartars truly treated their people as human beings, why would they drive disaster victims to our city?

When the disaster victims were first brought to the city, did they ever think about going to the city?

They also knew that this was not a city in their country.

We have no obligation to protect them; giving them a black steamed bun every day is already a great act of kindness!

Why, suddenly, do we need to move into the city?

As she spoke, thinking of Li Rongchuan's stubbornness, she used a more common example.

"Imagine you save a young woman, and pity her because she has lost her loved ones and is all alone."

They give us some steamed buns every day and take care of us.

The woman was initially grateful for the kindness of a stranger.

One day, a villager who had a grudge against you, seeing your concern for the woman, began to have people incite her:

You are unmarried, yet you are kind to women.

She's so kind-hearted. If you were to marry her, wouldn't you never have to be bullied again?

The person also said that since you're a good person, you'll definitely agree.

When the time comes, have the woman take him to your house, and he will pretend to be her servant.

Once inside, they will secretly wait for an opportunity to kill your entire family.

Second Master, you're such a good person, would you agree?

"I...I..."

Li Rongchuan stammered, unable to speak.

"Ah! Even Huaisheng understands this principle."

You've been at Tongtian Pass all these years, and you still can't figure it out!

Mu Huaisheng was somewhat envious of Li Rongchuan:

My lord, it's only because of your greatness that he has any integrity; that's already quite remarkable.

As expected, Li Rongchuan stopped mentioning the matter.

Just a few days later, the refugees below the city began to kneel and beg as soon as they opened their eyes in the morning.

Even the soldiers guarding the city walls felt compassion.

Although the Marquis insisted that the city gates should not be opened.

But it's also painful to look at.

There's absolutely no festive atmosphere for the New Year.

After thinking for a moment, Mu Huaisheng offered a plan to the Marquis during dinner:

"My lord, I grew up on an empty stomach."

I have a poor man's solution, would you like to hear it?

"Of course, tell me!"

The Marquis asked curiously, as did the noblewoman and Li Rongchuan.

"Tomorrow is the Little New Year. We'll throw them white flour buns tomorrow and say that we're all ordinary people, so let's celebrate the Little New Year together."

However, every country has its laws, so let's not make things difficult for those guarding the city.

If they continue kneeling like this, then we will no longer provide humanitarian disaster relief.

"If we really stop throwing black bread at them, won't the refugees become even more enraged?"

Li Rongchuan said subconsciously.

Now his intelligence has returned.

"They will definitely kneel again."

They're all eating white flour buns now.

So, starting from the second day, they were starved for three or four days.

Let them think back to the days before they came to the city walls.

Then we inform them:

As an enemy state that has occupied two of our cities.

Although they are commoners of the dawn, they are not citizens of my Great Hao.

If they were to starve to death at the city gate because they had to coerce Da Hao.

Please reassure them that we have prepared oil on the city walls.

We won't let them rot in the wilderness; we'll help them burn their bodies!

When the time comes, as long as one of them yields and says they will no longer kneel,

After that, it was no use for anyone to incite others.

We made it clear to them that as long as anyone attacks the city, we will stop providing relief to the city!

Perhaps their people will be the first to stop them from attacking the city.

"Huaisheng, how did you come up with such a method?"

"My lord, because I was once just like them!"

The noblewoman reached out and shook Mu Huaisheng's hand, and Mu Huaisheng smiled at her.

"Madam, there are countless people in the world like me and those at the city gate!"

Madam, there's no need to be sad.

This era was simply a common period in feudal society.

Feudal society itself was a form of bureaucratic monopoly capitalism.

This has been a normal phenomenon throughout history.

The bureaucratic class uses the country's laws to grant them special rights.

Political power, economic power, and cultural power have concentrated the nation's most core assets and capital.

Ultimately, it boils down to the widening gap between the rich and the poor, which is the same goal as financial capitalism.

The wealth gap in the country is very serious.

In ancient times, indentures were used to turn people into the personal assets of those who held power.

Then, the servants were put in charge of managing the family's assets.

Just like the children of modern leading cadres who end up working in the financial industry.

In a fundamental sense, both of them belong absolutely to me.

Therefore, figures like marquises and noblewomen were among the executors of the monopoly power in the upper echelons of feudal society.

Their sympathy is merely an expression.

Sympathy will not change anything.

Following this method, the disaster victims indeed returned to peace.

As the year draws to a close, everyone tacitly agrees to a truce.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Li Rongchuan came to find Mu Huaisheng.

They said they should invite that young woman to dinner to express their gratitude.