Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 585 The same text as the book

The swallowtail barbed arrow is a typical lethal arrow. The biggest feature of this arrow is that the side blade of its arrowhead has a swallowtail-like barb. If the arrow is forcibly pulled out, it will directly tear off a large piece of flesh, causing serious lacerations and continuous bleeding.

The best treatment for this type of arrow wound is the "expansion wound extraction" technique, which involves first making a long longitudinal cut along the arrow shaft, then a smaller transverse cut to create a T-shaped wound that is both deep vertically and narrow horizontally. Once the wound is formed, the arrowhead can be carefully removed through this expanded wound. While this procedure introduces additional damage, it is preferable to forcibly extracting the arrow, which can tear muscle and cause heavy bleeding.

"Oh," the fourth grandmother held the arrow head steady and opened the wound. She carefully calculated the depth of the arrowhead and shook her head and sighed, "The arrowhead is completely embedded in. Even the arrowhead tail can't be seen. We can only cut off the shaft and keep the arrow." The so-called cutting off the shaft and keeping the arrow means not taking out the arrowhead first, only cutting off the arrow shaft and doing a simple bandage to stop the bleeding, and then expanding the wound to take out the arrow after moving to the rear.

If the arrow had been lodged deeper, and the shaft's extension didn't touch vital organs or large blood vessels, they could have resorted to a "penetrating extraction" technique. This meant pushing the shaft through the wound and then pulling the arrow out. However, this arrow wasn't lodged that deeply, so the additional damage caused by a "penetrating extraction" would undoubtedly be greater than that caused by a "widening wound extraction."

"White black chicken! Bring me the pliers!" Grandma Si turned around and shouted.

"I'm busy here!" The field doctor nicknamed White Black Chicken was still helping others to hold down Mangku and Sangguli, who were becoming increasingly disobedient, and he had no time to spare.

"I'll go." The female chieftain volunteered, took the military doctor's backpack and walked over to Si Po. Before leaving, she smiled at the Han Chinese surnamed Yu. "I'll come back later."

"You are so beautiful." The arrival of the female chieftain made Erjigen stunned for a moment, and even the pain disappeared a little.

The female chieftain had no idea what the Tartar was mumbling about. She took out a pair of large pliers from her backpack and applied them to the wound.

"It might hurt a little, don't move." The female chieftain warned. Seeing the Tartar's stunned look, she said to Yang Sange, who was pressing on the injured shoulder, "Hold him down and don't let him move."

"Okay." Brother Yang San put a little more strength in his hands.

Click!

The female chieftain was very skilled. She used both hands to hold the pliers and exerted force at the same time, cutting the arrow shaft in one go. Her movements were so smooth that they didn't even cause Erjigen any more pain.

The female chieftain had originally intended to give Erjigen a simple bandage to stop the bleeding, but just as she was pulling the bandage strips out of her backpack, the fourth wife reached out to her. "Miss, let me do it."

The female chieftain was stunned for a moment, then handed over the bandage. "Alright."

Erjigen was still young after all. At this moment, he actually regretted not being able to continue to be treated by the southern barbarian girl of the same age. "Ah," Erjigen sighed softly as he looked at the back of the female chieftain. But soon, the hot-blooded young man from the northern barbarian country could no longer regret it. "Ah! Please be gentle!"

Accompanied by screams, the female chieftain returned to the Han Chinese surnamed Yu, only to find that the skinny man who had just been standing against the tree was now squatting.

The female chieftain suddenly had an idea and thought of a way to communicate with the prisoner.

"I'm Bai Zaiyun," she said, squatting down in front of the Han man surnamed Yu. She pointed at herself and then slowly wrote the three characters "Bai Zaiyun" on the dirt. "Let's write."

Bai Zaiyun suddenly froze, her hands still. Her mouth slowly opened, and finally she let out a loud cry: "Fourth Auntie!"

The reason why she lost her composure was because she saw a line of words, a line of crookedly written Chinese characters: Da Zi is not a spy, but a messenger from the Nu chief.

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"You said these Tartars are messengers sent by the Nu chief?" After bandaging the wound, Si Po's hands were covered in blood.

The Han man surnamed Yu blinked blankly at the fourth wife. He had no idea what the old woman was talking about.

"Fourth Aunt, he can't understand what we say. You can't understand what he says either, you can only write." Bai Zaiyun said, pointing to the Chinese characters on the ground.

Grandma Si nodded, picked up another branch, and wrote on the mud: What's your name?
Sipo's handwriting was very neat, and the Han Chinese surnamed Yu recognized it at a glance. He wrote back: My surname is Yu and my given name is Youyu. I am a hunter from Yujiabao.

Fourth Aunt wrote and asked: Where is Yujiabao?

Yu Youyu wrote: Near Sudianbao.

Sipo wrote: Why are you with Dazi?
Yu Youyu thought for a moment and wrote: I was captured while hunting and became a slave. Dazi asked me to lead the way.

The fourth wife wrote: When?
Yu Youyu replied: The day before yesterday.

The fourth wife added to the previous sentence: When (was he abducted)?

Yu Youyu thought about it: It should be two years ago.

Yu Youyu's handwriting was large, covering the entire patch of mud in front of him with just a few lines. Si Po smoothed the mud and sand in front of her and wrote again: "Why do you say you're a messenger? What message are you delivering?"

Yu Youyu shook his head and wrote: I don't know. I just know that I need to pass on the message.

Fourth Granny frowned: Oral message or written letter?
Yu Youyu recalled: probably a letter.

Fourth Auntie wrote again: Where is the letter?

Yu Youyu didn't write anything this time. Instead, he pointed at Mangku, who was no longer struggling, and said, "It should be with him!"

Sipo and Bai Zaiyun turned around almost at the same time and found Mangku looking at them expectantly.

"Bring him here!" Bai Zaiyun waved.

"Yes." The two strong men pulled the rope left and right, dragging Mangku to the side of Sipo and Bai Zaiyun like a live pig.

"He is the letter." Bai Zaiyun spoke subconsciously, but this time she immediately realized that Yu Youyu did not understand her. Bai Zaiyun patted Yu Youyu's shoulder and motioned him to look at her finger.

Yu Youyu lowered his head and saw Bai Zaiyun wrote: Is this the messenger?
Yu Youyu nodded.

Bai Zaiyun wrote: Can you read?
Yu Youyu shook his head.

Bai Zaiyun wrote: Can you talk to him?
Yu Youyu nodded vigorously, appearing extremely excited. Not only was he safe and free, but he might even receive some sort of reward from the government.

Bai Zaiyun wrote: I write, you ask him, and then write it for me to see.

"Yeah." Yu Youyu nodded.

"Miss, please use this to write." The fourth grandmother handed over the branch in her hand.

Bai Zaiyun took the stick and erased the existing words again. After the chieftain's soldiers pulled the sackcloth out of Mangku's mouth, Bai Zaiyun wrote on the ground to Youyu: Ask him what his name is.

"Master Mangku, she asked what your name is." Yu Youyu said to Mangku in Jurchen.

"What do you think my name is?" Mangku shouted excitedly at Yu Youyu.

Yu Youyu instinctively shrank and wrote on the ground: This barbarian's name is Mangku. "It's also a cheap name that's easy to support." The fourth wife sighed beside him.

Bai Zaiyun nodded silently and wrote: Ask him which banner and which department he is from.

"Master Mangku, she asked which banner and which unit you belong to?" Yu Youyu still had great respect for Mangku. He was smart enough to understand that if this Tartar brought enough valuable intelligence to the court, he would definitely be a guest of honor and naturally could not be neglected.

"Bordered Blue Banner, Mushitun Niulu. Also part of the old Hada tribe." After saying this, Mangku added, "Yu, can you please tell them to untie me? The way they're tying me up is like tying up a pig!"

Yu Youyu wrote down all the messages expressed by Mangku on the ground, omitting the swearing and complaints.

"Fourth Auntie, should we let him go?" Bai Zaiyun was undecided.

"Let him go. This Tartar has been hiding like a turtle for a long time and hasn't fought back. He probably has no ill intentions." The fourth wife nodded and gave a look to the two burly chieftain soldiers.

The two burly chieftains understood and quickly released the Tartar who had been tied up for half a day. "Don't think too much, you bastard. If you dare to move, I'll chop you into pieces."

Mangku didn't understand the content, but from the tone he knew it was probably not a good thing.

Bai Zaiyun wrote quickly on the ground: asking him what letter he was delivering, who he was delivering it for, and who he was delivering it to.

As soon as Bai Zaiyun stopped holding the branch in his hand, Yu Youyu asked in Jurchen.

After hearing this, Mangku thought for a moment and said, "The letter was given to me by Amin Beile, the leader of the Bordered Blue Banner, but the writer was Wuergudai Beile, the head of the Hada tribe. The two Beiles asked me to deliver the letter to a high-ranking official named Gao Bangzuo."

Mangku spoke quickly, but Yu Youyu wrote slowly. It was a long time after Mangku finished speaking that he wrote the translated Chinese characters on the ground with his crooked hands.

As soon as Yu Youyu stopped, Bai Zaiyun wrote and asked again: Is Amin the commander of these Kuandian Tartars?

Yu Youyu didn't turn around to ask, but just nodded.

Bai Zaiyun's face flushed with excitement. Before setting off, she had never imagined she would stumble upon such a great achievement. She immediately wanted to write again, but the dirt in front of her was once again filled with Yu Youyu's large, ugly handwriting. Bai Zaiyun erased the words in two strokes and quickly wrote: Tell him to bring out the letter.

"Master Mangku, she wants you to take out the letter and read it." Yu Youyu said to Mangku.

"Why don't you ask who this woman is first?" Mangku was still cautious and did not agree immediately.

Yu Youyu's wrists were sore, but he could only write: May I ask where your position is, Madam?

Bai Zaiyun raised his head slightly and wrote proudly: I am Bai Zaiyun, the painter of the personal army led by Mrs. Zaixiang of Ran Tusi of Youyang, Liao.

After writing, Bai Zaiyun did not forget to add one more sentence: Not Madam.

In reality, Bai Zaiyun was nothing. She held no official position, no rank, her only identity as the sister-in-law of Ran Yuelong, the Youyang envoy, or the younger sister of Lady Bai Zaixiang. The so-called "praise of the painting" was merely a fabrication she made up to elevate her status.

The imperial court's management of the chieftains was relatively relaxed. Unless major incidents arose, the court generally did not interfere in their internal affairs. The court often only required the chieftains to obey orders and not cause trouble, and to submit a petition to the court to explain the situation and request imperial conferral of titles when the chieftain's position was changed.

Bai Zaixiang was able to lead the army not because of any imperial appointment, but because she was Ran Yuelong's wife and had considerable influence within the Youyang chieftain. And Bai Zaiyun was able to lead the most elite mountain troops from the Zhenjiang branch of the Youyang reinforcements to hunt the stray Jurchens simply because she was Bai Zaixiang's sister.

Mangku didn't know the twists and turns of the situation, but he was still frightened.

"Okay, I'll show you the letter now." The letter written by Wuergudai was sewn on the inside of the second piece of clothing worn by Mangku, but he had just taken off the first piece of clothing and had no time to take it off when he was held down by the two strong men.

"Didn't I tell you to stay still, you little bastard? Take off your clothes and pretend to be a shrew. Are you hiding a knife?" As he said that, the two strong men reached out to touch Mangku's arms.

Unable to twist his thigh with his arms, Mangku didn't argue or struggle, but directly shouted at Yu Youyu, "Yu! Tell them quickly, the letter is sewn into my clothes, they need to take it off and cut it out with a knife!"

Yu Youyu was stunned and quickly wrote down Mangku's meaning on the ground.

"Stop." Bai Zaiyun stopped the two chieftain soldiers, "Take off his clothes and give them to me."

The two local soldiers were illiterate and were stunned for a moment, but they quickly peeled off Mangku's mud-stained coat like peeling skin.

"Give it to me." Bai Zaiyun took the coat and shook it to the ground, then took out the knife he carried with him and began to look for the patch that contained the letter.

"Miss!" Yu Youyu shouted.

Bai Zaiyun looked sideways and saw Yu Youyu writing on the ground: This is not the dress.

"Ah?" Bai Zaiyun tilted his head.

Yu Youyu unbuttoned his outer garment and then tugged at his second piece of clothing.

Bai Zaiyun understood and ordered the Tusi soldiers: "Take it off again."

While the two chieftain soldiers were looking at each other in confusion, Mangku had already taken off the cotton jacket he was wearing.

Mangku handed the coat to Sipo, who was closer to him, and pointed to the patched area and said, "The letter from Prince is here. You can see it when you open it."

Si Po didn't understand, but she immediately understood what Mangku meant when she saw the rough stitches. She touched the patch and found something hard that was clearly different from the cotton.

The fourth wife's eyes lit up, and she quickly took out her knife. Before she could start to cut it, Bai Zaiyun moved in front of her with a crab step. "Let me do it."

The fourth wife smiled gently, held up the patch and handed over the coat.

On the battlefield, the southwestern chieftains often used a mix of men and women. While the men fought, the women did the laundry and sewing. Although Bai Zaiyun considered herself a warrior, she also practiced every skill a woman should possess.

Bai Zaiyun quickly found the last stitch, took a knife, and gently pried it with the tip of the knife, and the thread that was sewing the patch was picked out. Bai Zaiyun picked along the thread, stitch by stitch, and soon pulled out most of the sewing thread.

Halfway through the patch, the untitled letter revealed itself. Bai Zaiyun carefully removed the envelope, handed it to Fourth Wife, and then returned to picking at the remaining stitches. The clothes still needed to be worn, and a half-opened patch would be very uncomfortable. More importantly, if the patch wasn't removed completely, it might even tear the intact fabric.

Grandma Si took the envelope and first used her knife to break the wax seal. Then, she put the knife away and gently pinched the sides of the envelope. The hard envelope bulged, revealing a folded piece of soft paper. Grandma Si wiped it violently on her body several times before finally twisting the paper out. Even so, she still left two faint bloody fingerprints on it.

The fourth grandmother unfolded the letter and was surprised to find that it was not only written in Chinese characters, but also in very neat characters. If she had not known it beforehand, she would have thought that the letter was written by a Han Chinese:
There wasn't much thread left, so Bai Zaiyun simply cut the first stitch and pulled out the entire thread. After removing the patch, she looked up at the fourth wife, only to find that her expression was more solemn than ever.

"Fourth Auntie, what's written in the letter?" Bai Zaiyun asked.

"Something big has happened! The Tartars are trying to instigate the Koreans to rebel!" said the fourth wife tremblingly.

(End of this chapter)