Love Lock

Chapter 9 Every Second Counts
Han Lei stepped forward and grabbed the arm of the young leader who was raised high, as if afraid that the cold knife above her head would fall.

"Please trust my professional judgment; I can't explain it to you clearly right now. Just one day, one day at a time. If there's no improvement by tomorrow, then you can come and see them off, okay?"

She looked pleadingly at the young general and the row of soldiers.

"Perhaps they can fight alongside you again in the future. Please believe me, don't give up, even if there's only a sliver of hope."

"Well..." The young general wavered.

At this moment, one of the soldiers who had drawn his sword couldn't bear it any longer and pleaded on Han Lei's behalf with red eyes: "Centurion, please agree! Our brothers have lives to live too! Saving them is better than sending them on their way!"

"Yes! Let's save them!"

“Agreed, Centurion.”

The soldiers in the row also joined in the pleading.

"Well... alright then!" The young commander hesitated for a moment, but finally said, "In that case, we'll stay and help too."

"Thank you, thank you." Han Lei breathed a sigh of relief and thanked the young officer in charge of the troops repeatedly.

The soldier in charge of setting up the tents returned with his men. With many hands making light work, dozens of tents were quickly erected.

Han Lei directed people to carry the wounded who could still be saved into the tent and cover them with quilts.

Four wounded soldiers were housed in one tent, with a brazier placed in the middle, and the tent quickly became warm.

First, administer intravenous fluids to each patient individually, simultaneously reducing inflammation, fighting infection, and lowering fever.

Then, just like in the big tent, Han Lei handed over the simple task of cleaning the wound to the junior soldiers who were helping her, and then began to administer local anesthesia, scrape away the necrotic tissue, disinfect and suture, and bandage and tidy up the wound.

Han Lei moved nimbly between the tents, repeating these complicated and meticulous tasks.

There were no blood tests, no X-rays, and no complicated examinations.

She checked each one when she checked their breathing earlier, and based on her experience, they were all external wounds from knives and swords, so it wasn't a problem.

The problem is that the wound got infected and the high fever wouldn't go down.

The wounded in the large tent all had minor injuries and were temporarily out of danger after being disinfected with alcohol. This was her main battlefield.

She was racing against death, trying to save as many lives as possible.

When Zhao Zun appeared outside the large tent, he saw Han Lei busy at work.

He sat in his wheelchair and watched her move among the wounded from afar, thinking how beautiful Han Lei looked as she worked diligently.
Until Pingchuan, with one arm in a sling, rushed over to report.

"Your Highness, the scouts have reported that the Turks have retreated to a distance of over a hundred miles."

Zhao Zun glanced sideways at Pingchuan and breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

The fact that the Turks retreated a hundred miles away within a day shows that they had truly withdrawn their troops.

Why did the Turks launch a second attack after winter began, contrary to their usual practice? And if they had already launched the attack, why did they suddenly retreat?

Was it simply because they wanted to ambush and kill him?
Zhao Zun was completely baffled.

"Investigate again!" Zhao Zun said coldly.

"Yes!" Hirakawa accepted the order and left.

……

Time passed by, and Han Lei and several soldiers responsible for delivering medicine and equipment were busy and dizzy.

As the first rays of darkness slowly enveloped this land ravaged by war, candles were lit inside the tents.

By the dim candlelight, Han Lei checked on each of the wounded, and miraculously, the vital signs of all those receiving intravenous fluids began to stabilize. Although they were still weak or unconscious, the dying embers of their lives were rekindled. The flickering candlelight illuminated Han Lei's slender yet busy figure.

As a doctor, although she had long been accustomed to life and death, she would never allow these soldiers' lives to slip away in her hands.

These are all brave warriors who defend their country. They are all in their prime and are the pillars of their families!
Therefore, she seizes every second!
When Dr. He came over to report and record the injuries, she didn't have time to pay attention to him.

Zhao Zun sent someone to bring her a simple dinner, but she didn't even have time to eat it.

The night grew deeper and deeper outside, but she was completely unaware.

Aside from drinking water, she kept spinning like a top.

Only one belief sustained me—save him! Save him!

As the morning light pierced through the tent flap, Han Lei finished stitching up the last wound. With the support she had been holding onto gone, she suddenly felt a wave of dizziness wash over her.

After half a day and a night, Han Lei was completely exhausted. After bandaging the wounded, she could no longer hold on and fell asleep leaning against the body of the wounded in front of her.

The curtain was lifted, and Zhao Zun appeared behind Han Lei. Ping Chuan, who still had one arm in a sling, was pushing the wheelchair, followed by a soldier carrying a tray with a bowl of congee, a steamed bun, and a small dish of side dishes.

"Alas! I hoped you would serve under my command, but I never intended for you to risk your life!"

Zhao Zun took off his dark brocade cloak and draped it over Han Lei's shoulders, letting out a soft sigh. A hint of heartache flashed in his eyes.

When he got back last night, Han Lei was still busy; he hadn't expected her to be busy all night.

He witnessed that scene yesterday. There were actually two reasons why he didn't stop Han Lei from saving these wounded soldiers who were on the verge of death.

Firstly, according to custom, the soldiers who were already dead or on the verge of death, once tallied, had already been reported to the imperial court as combat losses. Even if Han Lei couldn't save one of them, the situation wouldn't be worse than it is now.

Secondly, he wanted to see just how capable Han Lei really was. If Han Lei could revive soldiers who had been sentenced to death, even just one, that would be a feat of bringing the dead back to life!
If Han Lei possesses such abilities, then the Zhao family army's battle losses will be greatly reduced in the future.

"Your Majesty, look at this..."

Pingchuan was in a dilemma. His master had come personally to deliver breakfast, and Miss Han had actually fallen asleep right there. What was he supposed to do?

"Summon a few men in and carry her on a stretcher to my tent to rest; it's warm there."

"Yes!"

Pingchuan paused for a moment, turned around and was about to leave, but then heard Zhao Zun continuing to give instructions.

"Tell them to be quiet and not to wake Miss Han so she can get a good night's sleep."

"okay!"

Pingchuan quickly entered with several soldiers carrying stretchers.

After setting up the stretcher with his soldiers in the open space, Pingchuan glanced at Zhao Zun and instructed, "Be gentle, be gentle. If you wake Miss Han, I'll skin you alive."

The soldiers nodded silently and gently carried Han Lei onto a stretcher. Zhao Zun personally covered her with a cloak before waving for the soldiers to carry her out.

"Let's go check out the other tents!"

Zhao Zun glanced at the four wounded soldiers lying in the tent, their eyes closed, their fate unknown, and then tapped on the wheelchair.

"Yes!"

Pingchuan pushed the wheelchair out, preparing to go to the next tent.

As if remembering something, Zhao Zun suddenly turned around and waved to the soldier carrying the tray.

"Take the breakfast back to the kitchen and have them keep an eye on things. Send it over hot when Miss Han wakes up."