The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 332 Flame Mountain

There is a myth circulating among the Uyghurs of the Fire State.

Legend has it that long, long ago, deep in the snow-capped mountains, there lived an evil dragon that devoured young boys and girls.

To rid the tribe of evil and bring peace to the people, the tribal chief specially sent a hero named Hara to subdue the dragon.

After a thrilling and intense battle.

The evil dragon was killed by the hero Hara at the Seven-Cornered Well in the northeast of Fire State.

The dragon, wounded, fled west, its blood staining the entire mountain red.

Therefore, the Flaming Mountains are called "Kiziltag" in Uyghur, which means "red mountains".

Gan Minglan and the other 15 people arrived in the evening.

As far as the eye can see, the bedrock of Flaming Mountain is exposed and covered by weathered sand. Under the setting sun, the red rocks radiate heat waves, and crimson smoke rises and swirls, with hot air currents constantly rising, just like clusters of raging flames burning.

Even before you get close to the foot of the mountain, you can already feel the intense heat.

The old commander couldn't help but sigh, "If it were noon, the sand down the mountain could be used to bake naan bread!"

If even flatbread can be baked, what kind of plant can grow in such an environment?
The key point is that the Flaming Mountain looks completely bare, with no vegetation at all.

Gan Minglan calmly said, "I brought the Rat King with me. Tonight, when the rock isn't too hot to walk on, I'll send someone to have the King search for it."

Who said there's no vegetation in the Flaming Mountains?

The fracturing of the earth's crust and the cutting of the river have left many gullies in the belly of the Flaming Mountains.

In some valleys, spring water seeps out.

As the water flows, green vegetation belts will naturally form.

Following the longest ravine, we found an unnamed thicket covered with wild grapevines, and wild watermelons growing densely on the ground.

Perhaps because no one has set foot on these places for many years, these wild fruits have fallen to the ground and turned into nutrients and mud.

As she searched, Gan Minglan discovered that there was actually a large mulberry forest growing in this valley.

mulberry?

So, is it possible to raise silkworms in the Western Regions?
Does that mean that the most important goods on the Silk Road could be produced here?

Thinking about this, she almost burst out laughing.

Don't panic, don't panic.

It's not time yet.

Today's purpose is for cacti.

As her fingers flew across the water, the thousand-meter-long Shanggu suddenly gained a new companion overnight.
The following morning, General Qiao, the garrison commander of Huozhou, received a request for help from General Gan's subordinates.

"The Rat King has found a cure for the toad plague in the Flaming Mountains. However, this herb grows in the crevices of rocks and is covered in thorns. Please send someone with tools to help!"

Without saying a word, General Qiao immediately dispatched two thousand garrison troops to help.

His personal guards said happily:
"I never thought that the desolate Flaming Mountain could be of such use! Sir, since it is said to be a good medicine, why not try planting it in our manor? If it succeeds, we will have another money tree in the future."

Today, the land of fire has two treasures: grapes and cotton.

Adding an extra ingredient will cost a different price.

General Qiao's expression was very solemn: "What good news is it that an epidemic has arrived? Perhaps in a few days the toad plague from Guazhou Guard will spread to Huozhou! Tell the military families to take good care of their children and not to have any contact with outsiders these days."

Most importantly, Hami New City is not far from Huozhou.

General Qiao wasn't the only one who thought this way.

Xiong Zhen and the others were also startled by the news sent back by Guazhou Guard.

If it weren't for the news that a cure for the toad plague had been found in the Flaming Mountains, he would have almost ordered the city gates of Hami to be closed.

Everyone eagerly awaited news from the ravines of Flaming Mountain.

However, the two thousand troops borrowed from Huozhouwei were suffering terribly at this time.

Firstly, these cacti grow in exceptionally difficult conditions.

They even liked to squeeze into the crevices of rocks that were taller than a person.

Furthermore, their leaves are covered with tiny thorns.

Even if you try to pick it through the leather sheath, it will pierce through the skin.

It was both painful and itchy, incredibly irritating. They worked very hard, muttering to themselves as they went:
"This cactus can grow such a groove in such a crack in the rock, and it looks so strange. If it didn't have some kind of origin, no one would believe it."

"Don't those Uyghurs all say that this Flaming Mountain is stained red with the blood of an evil dragon? They usually revere this mountain! Any mountain with such a history and legend can always grow some strange flowers and exotic plants."

“You all say this cactus is covered in thorns and even bears fruit! But General Gan only tells us to break off the leaves. How are we going to use these leaves for the patients? Are we supposed to dry them and boil them into a soup?”

"."

Complaints are complaints.

His hands moved quickly.

Gan Minglan didn't know how many people the cacti in this mountain valley would be enough for, so she only took one-tenth of them on this trip.

We need to hurry back and test the medicine's effects.

Wild horses run fast.

The round trip took only one day and one night.

But for the patients in isolation at Guazhou Health Center, this day and night was extremely difficult to endure.

The number of patients surged to over eight hundred.

There have also been cases of deep coma.

Saving people is like putting out fire.

More than a hundred doctors stared intently at the twenty-odd sacks inside the tent, rolling up their sleeves for their evening study session, asking only one question:
"How do I use this medicine?"

Ignoring the mess of yellow sand covering her body, Gan Minglan personally demonstrated for everyone:
"First, wash the cactus clean with water to remove the sand and soil. Then, carefully remove the small thorns from the leaves. Finally, dry it with a clean cloth and mash it into a paste in a mortar and pestle."

Completely irresponsible.

Doctors have a good acceptance of this cactus.

They immediately began to prepare the medicine without delay.

They refused to let the apprentice doctors help, and the boys screamed and cried as they were pricked.

Soon, the sixty children with the most severe illnesses were treated with this sticky, cool medicinal liquid.

The medicine was wrapped in clean cotton cloth.

I heard that applying this slightly fragrant medicinal juice twice a day can improve the condition, and the children are very cooperative.

This is much better than drinking bitter medicine!

The doctors, however, were still busy.

Every fifteen minutes, I would ask the children who were applying the medicine how their bodies were changing.

It's not a magic pill.

How could it possibly produce immediate results?

An hour later.

None of the sixty children showed any allergic reactions.

Moreover, the children generally reported feeling comfortable after applying the medicine, and their facial temperature was relieved to some extent.

Most importantly, their condition did not worsen.

The doctors unanimously agreed that all patients could participate in the trial.

Not trying is tantamount to waiting to die.

Applying it to the face is much safer than drinking medicinal soup.

When the toad plague first appears and isn't very noticeable, after applying the ointment twice, the redness and swelling improved significantly.

For patients in the middle stage of the disease, it takes at least three days of application to feel the effects.

The sixty most severely affected patients not only needed external application of medicine but also had to continue drinking bitter herbal decoctions to clear heat and detoxify.

The doctors spend their days constantly going around in circles with patients in these three stages.

Each of them wished they could be the patients' mouths.

They wanted to know the different feelings patients experienced throughout the entire treatment process after applying the medication at three different stages.

(End of this chapter)