Eagle-eyed and wolf-watching

Chapter 1757 A Young Man's Admiration!
Just as Xu Hetu was lost in thought on the medical school campus, a sweet voice came from behind him.

"Brother Hetu!"

Upon suddenly hearing the voice, Xu Hetu felt a sense of panic, as if his secret had been spied on. He hesitated for a moment before turning around and saw a graceful and beautiful young woman standing behind him.

Sensing the panic in Xu Hetu's expression, the beautiful girl couldn't help but ask with concern:
"Brother Hetu, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Seeing that the visitor was Han Rui, the daughter of his neighbor, Xu Hetu finally felt relieved, and then pretended to be relaxed as he said:

"It's nothing, I just didn't sleep well last night! I'll go to bed early tonight. Han Rui, have you finished your classes today?"

"Yes! It's all finished!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Hetu's heart stirred, and he involuntarily spoke:
"What did Mr. Pei talk about today?"

"Today they taught us about fracture treatment methods, how to manually reduce fractures. Mr. Pei's method is different from Teacher Gao's method. I feel that Mr. Pei's method is more skillful and is more suitable for us girls."

"As for the fixation with bamboo strips and cedar splints, Mr. Pei and Teacher Gao use the same techniques. However, they differ in their external application of the medicine. Both of their prescriptions contain angelica root to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, chuanxiong rhizome to reduce swelling and relieve pain, and safflower and mugwort to accelerate callus formation..."

"Mr. Pei is also particularly skilled in acupuncture, which he uses to aid in fracture recovery. Mr. Pei's acupuncture skills are truly amazing!"

Hearing Han Rui's words, Xu Hetu pretended to be curious and asked:
"Han Rui, are you and Mr. Pei on good terms?"

"Yes! Mr. Pei has always taken good care of me. Every time after class, he would tutor me individually and answer my questions. He is my great benefactor!"

Upon hearing the words "great benefactor," and recalling what had happened before, Xu Hetu seemed to realize something and said:
"Han Rui, was the thirty taels of silver you took home before given to you by Mr. Pei?"

Han Rui was somewhat surprised to hear this. Under Xu Hetu's gaze, she hesitated for a moment before reluctantly saying:

"After Mr. Pei learned that I didn't want to get married, he lent me this money. Mr. Pei said that I was her most talented disciple, so she hoped that I could learn medicine from him properly!"

After speaking, Han Rui paused for a moment and added:
"Mr. Pei told me not to tell anyone about this, so how did you find out, Brother Hetu?"

Faced with this question, Xu Hetu was also somewhat at a loss for words. Han Rui's family was their neighbor, but Han Rui's house was one they had bought, while theirs was rented. Han Rui's family had always lived a comfortable life; her father and brother were carpenters, and in Yijing, having a skill meant a good life. However, after Han Rui's father fell ill, their situation took a sharp turn for the worse.

As a neighbor, Xu Hetu knew that Han Rui's father had resigned himself to his fate, only wanting to see his eldest son married before he passed away. To this end, the old man was willing to sacrifice his daughter's happiness, even offering her up in a marriage exchange with another man. Xu Hetu felt sorry for Han Rui, but as an outsider, he couldn't say much…

A few days ago, Han Rui suddenly brought thirty taels of silver home, saying that she had borrowed it to give as a betrothal gift to her brother. Han Rui's father and brother were very surprised and curious about where their daughter had borrowed the silver. However, Han Rui only said that she had borrowed it from a teacher at the medical school, but she did not say which teacher it was.

Having already received the money, Han Rui's father and brother didn't care much about where Han Rui had borrowed it from, and happily went to marry their new bride.

However, the neighbors in the tenement had no shortage of gossip, some of which was quite offensive. They said that Han Rui was being kept by a sugar daddy, and others said that Han Rui was pregnant and that the money given by the man's family was compensation for an abortion. In short, all sorts of people were saying all sorts of things.

They dared not say these rumors to Han Rui's face, but Xu Hetu, as her neighbor, had heard them quite a bit.

Xu Hetu was also very curious about where Han Rui had borrowed the money from. After all, thirty taels of silver was not a small amount. Some teachers at the medical school earned about that much in a year. Xu Hetu couldn't imagine who would be so generous as to lend it to Han Rui, since Han Rui didn't seem like someone who could repay the money in the future.

However, upon hearing Han Rui refer to Mr. Pei as her great benefactor, he realized the truth of the matter. After confirming this fact with Han Rui, he felt a sense of both surprise and inevitability. After all, if Mr. Pei's identity was truly as Liu Yiran had guessed, then thirty taels of silver would be nothing more than a small sum to her…

Faced with Han Rui's question, Xu Hetu naturally wouldn't tell the little girl about the foul language spoken by the neighbors. He could only smile and give a perfunctory answer:
"I just heard you say that Mr. Pei is your great benefactor, so I just made a guess!"

Hearing Xu Hetu say this, Han Rui seemed to remember something and suddenly said sadly:
"Brother Hetu, you don't think I'm that kind of woman, do you? The money really was lent to me by Mr. Pei!"

Sensing the tension in Han Rui's words, Xu Hetu realized that Han Rui already knew about the gossip among the neighbors, and immediately comforted her:

"I understand, I understand. Han Rui, we grew up together, of course I understand you. You are a good girl!"

Hearing her brother Hetu say that, Han Rui smiled again.

At this moment, Xu Hetu asked casually:
"Han Rui, how much do you know about Mr. Pei?"

"I don't know much about it, Brother Hetu, why are you asking this?"

"It's nothing, just asking around. To be honest, Mr. Pei helped me a lot. If it weren't for her help today, I might have been arrested by the police!"

"Ah! What's going on?"

Xu Hetu did the same, recounting to Han Rui what had happened on Fanrong Street that morning.

"That butcher Sun is so wicked! Luckily, Brother Hetu, you met Mr. Pei. Mr. Pei is such a good person!"

"Yes! Mr. Pei even helped my mother with her medical treatment and didn't charge me any money, so I really want to repay him if I have the chance!"

Hearing Xu Hetu's words, Han Rui didn't think much of it, assuming that Xu Hetu simply wanted to repay a debt of gratitude. She then spoke up:
"Mr. Pei's name is Zhixiu. She is already married and has a son and a daughter. Her eldest son should be seven or eight years old now..." Hearing that his goddess was already married and had two children, Xu Hetu felt a pain that made it hard to breathe.

However, to prevent Han Rui from noticing anything amiss, he suppressed his inner pain and pretended to be nonchalant as he asked:
"Jisoo? That name sounds a bit like someone from the palace."

"I don't know about that! Mr. Pei rarely talks about her private affairs, but in my opinion, Mr. Pei is not like those Mrs. Gs. Those people are all arrogant and mean-spirited, but Mr. Pei is so kind and tolerant."

Seeing that he couldn't get any more information about Pei Zhixiu from Han Rui, Xu Hetu decided not to continue the conversation and casually said he had to go to class to say goodbye to Han Rui.

Watching Xu Hetu's departing figure, Han Rui bit her red lips lightly, a hint of resentment in her expression.

The reason she so strongly opposed her father's arranged marriage was not only because she didn't want to marry a stranger, but also because she already had someone she liked.

This person is none other than Xu Hetu, who grew up with me since childhood, is handsome, has a refined temperament, and is proficient in medicine!
Although Han Rui liked Xu Hetu very much and even wanted to marry him, Xu Hetu seemed to have no feelings for Han Rui. He always kept to himself and never overstepped his bounds.

These experiences made Han Rui, who was very popular with men in medical school, feel somewhat insecure about her own charm...
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Tao Gang, unaware that his wife was being targeted, was observing naval exercises on the distant sea through binoculars from the port tower.

Through Ye Mingsheng's telescope, a fleet of about fifteen ships, each worth three thousand shi (a unit of weight), was lined up and gradually approaching the target vessel.

At the same time, beside Ye Mingsheng, naval commander Zhang Baili also introduced to Ye Mingsheng:

"Are Bi Ya and his men practicing linear tactics?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Mingsheng asked with some curiosity:
What is linear tactics?

"Your Majesty, the line formation tactic, also known as the battle line tactic, is a naval warfare tactic invented by the Westerners!"

"Simply put, the fleet should be arranged in a single line with its broadside guns aimed at the enemy, taking advantage of the range and density of the guns to avoid chaotic fighting!"

Although he only had a vague understanding, Ye Mingsheng still nodded slightly and gave the order:

"Then give the order to fire! Let me see how accurate your artillery is!"

"Yes!"

Under Ye Mingsheng's command, the messenger on the tower immediately transmitted Ye Mingsheng's orders to the fleet via flag signals.

About the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, a series of loud explosions erupted from the fleet as shells rained down on the target ship. However, through Ye Mingsheng's binoculars, most of these shells hit the water near the target.

Only two shells hit the target ship, but they didn't cause much damage. The target ship, used as a target, remained firmly afloat on the water...
Upon seeing this, Ye Mingsheng frowned slightly. Naval Commander Zhang Baili also saw this scene through his binoculars. He had not expected such a situation either, and immediately observed Ye Mingsheng's expression with trepidation. At the same time, he silently cursed the captains and gunners in the fleet.

It's one thing to be sloppy normally, but to be sloppy even when His Majesty comes to inspect is another matter. Why don't you bunch of good-for-nothings just die?
Just as Zhang Baili was becoming increasingly anxious, the fleet's first round of bombardment ended, and the second round of bombardment began under the command of flag signals.

Compared to the first round of shelling, the accuracy of the second round was immediately a level higher. Just a few shells were enough to split the target ship in two, causing it to slowly sink into the water.

Seeing this, Zhang Baili felt relieved and introduced Ye Mingsheng:

"Your Majesty, this is a line-flying artillery drill. The next exercise will be boarding action!"

Zhang Baili knew from the previous question that Ye Mingsheng wasn't very knowledgeable about naval tactics, so he took the initiative to explain without Ye Mingsheng asking:
"Linear tactics mainly rely on long-range artillery strikes, but due to limitations in the accuracy of the artillery and the skill of the gunners, long-range artillery strikes alone cannot eliminate the enemy, especially in battles where both sides are evenly matched. Close-quarters combat, such as boarding maneuvers, is then unavoidable!"

"Our warships are all equipped with steel rams; once they strike a wooden hull, it's easy to achieve a kill..."

Hearing this, Ye Mingsheng also felt a sense of longing, but at the same time, a trace of regret flashed through his heart.

According to the original plan, he was supposed to board a warship and personally experience the combat methods of naval warfare and the power of the weapons equipped on the Daqian Rope, to see whether the navy he had spent hundreds of thousands of taels of silver to build was really effective.

Unfortunately, after all the preparations were completed, Ye Mingsheng, who boarded the ship a few days ago, discovered that he was a landlubber and would get seasick on the ship. At first, in order to achieve his inspection purpose, Ye Mingsheng wanted to grit his teeth and endure it, but he underestimated the power of seasickness.

Ultimately, tormented by dizziness, nausea, and vomiting, Ye Mingsheng, feeling utterly dejected, returned to shore after only a little over an hour on the boat. He abandoned his plan to inspect the area from the boat and instead climbed the tower on the shore to use binoculars to observe.

At this moment, Zhang Baili continued his eloquent narration:

"The tactics of the Daqian Navy are to use linear tactical artillery to strike from three miles away, and then ram the warships when they are within one mile of each other. Finally, they engage in boarding combat and close-quarters fighting!"

Seeing the confident glow radiating from Zhang Baili's face as he spoke, Ye Mingsheng couldn't help but ask:

"Your navy has now achieved combat capability. I want to assign you a combat mission. I wonder if you have the confidence!"

"I'm confident! I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

"Don't rush to make any promises! This mission is no ordinary one. I want you to go to Lei Island in the South Seas, capture that man named Sun Wenheng, and at the same time destroy all of Sun Wenheng's forces on Lei Island..."