The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 411 No one can solve it
In mid-November of the lunar calendar, in Yiling Prefecture.

From the jungle below Eagle's Beak Cliff, the sound of gunfire could be heard.

The startled birds and animals nearby rustled and chirped.

Tens of thousands of mountain people led by the Miao King were forced back from the Huguang Provincial Administration to the northeastern border of southeastern Guizhou by the imperial army half a month ago.

The mountain people, armed with poisoned crossbows, had no chance of winning against weapons like muskets.

Coupled with the power of the thunderbolt, nearly 100,000 people have been killed, with less than one-tenth remaining.

Retreat again and again.

They retreated from the prefectural capital to the county town, and today they have been forced to retreat to the mountains and forests.

At this critical juncture, the situation changed drastically.

Those Miao mountain people, once they enter the mountains and forests, are like fish entering the ocean.

The once invincible muskets are now mostly firing blanks, except for making a sound.

Two hours later, no trace of the Miao people could be found in the mountains.

Several generals were looking at the map and discussing with Zhao Muyun:

"Your Majesty, what should we do next? Eagle Beak Cliff is the easternmost point of the Miaoling Mountains. Beyond this mountain is a range of more than 500 li of high mountains. The Miao King and his mountain people live in the Miaoling Mountains."

Marching through such mountains is very risky.

But when he thought of the Han people he saw along the way who had been ravaged by these Miao people, Zhao Muyun couldn't wait to completely eradicate their forces.

If the Miao king is not eliminated, the Central Plains will not be at peace.

He pointed to the river on the map:

"The Miao people can hide deep in the mountains for ten days or half a month, but their Miao villages can't be moved. As long as we follow the river upstream, we won't have to worry about not finding their lair! Let a few guides take scouts ahead to explore the area."

Afterwards, tens of thousands of troops set up camp at the foot of Eagle's Beak Cliff.

Having been constantly on the move and fighting, the group had been eating dry rations for over a month and just wanted a hot meal before heading into the mountains.

This place has mountains and forests, and rivers.

There was plenty of wild game!

The hunting duties were something all the camps were vying to do.

The accompanying military doctors repeatedly reminded everyone:

"Water must be boiled before drinking, and wild game must be inspected before we eat it."

Actually, visiting southeastern Guizhou during this season is far better than visiting during other seasons.

Most poisonous creatures hibernate.

The danger has been reduced by more than half.

In the three days that the scouts went to investigate the enemy's situation, tens of thousands of people searched almost every inch of land below Eagle's Beak Cliff.

Fish and pheasants were the most frequently caught.

When stewed together, the fish soup is exceptionally delicious.

The only downside is that there are no edible wild vegetables to be found in the mountains during winter.

It doesn't matter if there are no wild vegetables.

That same day, the military doctors discovered something edible in the bushes—wild prickly pear.

Prickly pear, also known as golden rose, sugar pot, prickly elm, etc.

It is a wild fruit that is most common in southeastern Guizhou.

They bloom in summer and ripen in late autumn.

If no one picks the fruit, the prickly pear's outer shell turns from golden yellow to orange-red in winter, becoming particularly eye-catching, and its sugar content reaches its optimal level.

Once you remove the thorns from the peel, the fuzz inside the fruit, and the seeds, you can enjoy the delicious taste of the prickly pear.

Prickly pears are especially sweet in winter, and are called "sugar pots" by the mountain people.

Not only can prickly pear be eaten raw, but it is also a rare traditional Chinese medicine.

It has medicinal effects such as strengthening spermatorrhea and reducing urination, stopping uterine bleeding and leukorrhea, and astringing the intestines and stopping diarrhea.

Where can you find prickly pears in the northwest border region?

If it weren't for the ongoing war with the Miao King, the military doctors would have loved to pick all the prickly pears covering the mountains and fields and take them back to Shangdu.

Right now, all we can do is watch this good medicine be used like fruit after a meal to cleanse the palate.
Three days later.

Several guides returned one after another with the scouts.

On their way back, the scouts led by Gan Mingfu captured a Miao villager. “Your Majesty, we have discovered that there are more than a dozen Miao villages within a 200-mile radius, each with no fewer than a thousand villagers! The villager we captured has been hiding in the tallest tree nearby and has been staying there for the past few days.”

Miao people?

They're lingering nearby!
What are you planning to do hiding in the tree?
A middle-aged man, bound like a rice dumpling, was thrown directly to the ground by Gan Mingfu.

He was plain-looking and very thin.

His face was skin and bones, and his skin color was frightening.

If one had to describe it using a color, it wouldn't be white, black, or yellow, but rather the bean green color commonly found in celadon.

It's a perfect green!

His presence stood out starkly against the backdrop of the soldiers' skin tones.

In addition, his black robe from head to toe, every pore of his body proclaimed that he was no ordinary person.

He noticed that all the Han Chinese were looking at him with hostility.

He grinned wickedly and asked, "Is the sugar jar sweet?"

What do you mean?
Nobody understands.

The middle-aged Miao man's smile grew even more sinister: "No rush, no rush, you need to eat at least ten for it to take effect!"

The soldiers who had eaten ten prickly pears were in a panic.

Why prickly pear?

And why are there ten?

Didn't the military doctor personally examine it? Is it safe to eat?
One of the commanders, surnamed Xiao, who had just finished eating his tenth prickly pear, pulled out his musket, pointed it at the Miao man's head, and asked through gritted teeth:
"Tell me clearly, what effects does eating prickly pear have?"

"Haha, young man, you'll find out soon enough."

They didn't keep us waiting for too long.

That evening, Commander Xiao felt as if a million insects were trying to crawl out of his scalp.

It was incredibly itchy.

The itching was so bad that he plucked out a large clump of hair.

"Ah, military doctor, military doctor, come quickly and see Old Xiao!"

The Miao people who tied the rice dumplings together on the ground seemed quite proud of their creations.

Lying on his back, he watched as the Gu-wielder scratched his scalp until it bled from his fingernails.

The dozen or so military doctors looked at each other in bewilderment.

This was the first time they had seen a living person afflicted with a Gu poison, and it was somewhat different from what they had imagined.

But you really can't blame them.

The large pile of freshly picked prickly pears was repeatedly examined by more than a dozen people, but no abnormalities were found.

There are no insects or insect eggs.

Even with their decades of medical experience, they couldn't figure out what was wrong.

Now, some people have been poisoned by a Gu curse after eating ten prickly pears, and they are at a loss.

The army doctors said: "They've protected themselves from water and wild animals, but they've failed because of these inconspicuous prickly pears."

"Hehehe, it's the Madness Gu! This is a Gu poison that I spent decades developing, and no one in the world can cure it!"

The Miao sorcerer's shrill laughter pierced everyone's eardrums.

No one can solve this?

This infuriated Emperor Qianwu, who wished he could tear him into eighteen pieces.

But we can't let him die yet!

But it turns out...

In Miao areas, not everyone can raise Gu poison.

Poison doctors and healers are inseparable.

A person who can create Gu poison is, in essence, an excellent doctor.

In the remote mountains, how difficult is it to train a doctor by word of mouth?
It was only because the Miao King was so eager to avenge his beloved son that he invited the most powerful Gu master in the Miao village to come out of the mountains.

This person's method of poisoning is also different from others.

The epilepsy poison was one of his masterpieces.

(End of this chapter)