Chapter 2321: Chapter 2296: Kucha
As the army marched forward, they detoured through the northern territory of Kucha, capturing cities along the way, and then divided their forces from within to advance eastward to other cities in Kucha, taking two months.
But now the road is clear, and all cities and official roads are controlled by the Great Jin military to ensure smooth military reports.
So when Manbao and the others traveled from Xizhou City to Kucha’s Wang City, they encountered no obstacles and saw the city gates of Wang City in just three days.
With troops stationed outside Wang City, the guards holding General Han’s token led Zhou Man and the others in, and soon a logistics lieutenant came, "The Chief Steward has gone to the Shule Kingdom."
The guards widened their eyes, "When did the Chief Steward go to Shule Kingdom? Wait, when was Wang City captured?"
"Two days ago," the lieutenant said, "the King of Kucha fled from another side, and the Chief Steward ordered a fierce attack, capturing the city."
He continued, "Now, our general here is finishing up in Wang City, while the Chief Steward is leading the pursuit of the remnants of the King of Kucha."
He glanced at Zhou Man, aware of their purpose, and told the guards, "The Chief Steward was already better a few days ago. If you set out tomorrow to pursue, it might take four or five days to catch up. The Chief Steward is leading light cavalry."
So they pursued speed; even if Manbao and his group were few in number, catching up would be tough.
Bai Shan couldn’t help but ask, "Is the Chief Steward heading to Shule Kingdom?"
The lieutenant proudly declared, "Not only to Shule Kingdom, but Yutian must also not be missed."
Bai Shan and Manbao: A vast desert lies in between.
The lieutenant scoffed, "Previously, the King of Kucha refused to surrender and sent people to Yutian Kingdom and Shule Kingdom for assistance. Both sent troops, second only to the Turks. The year before last, both kingdoms were struck by drought, sending tributes to His Majesty one moment and crying poverty the next, trading short-legged horses and common gemstones for considerable grain and tea from our Great Jin."
"When they were being fed, they hailed our Emperor as Heavenly Khan, but upon hearing rumors of His Majesty contracting smallpox, they immediately reneged. The Chief Steward insisted on teaching them a lesson, so they don’t assume our Great Jin is without men."
Fine, whatever they say goes. Manbao turned to ask the guards, "Are we still pursuing?"
The guards hesitated for a moment before saying, "We were ordered by General Han to invite you to attend to the Chief Steward’s illness."
"Alright, then we’ll set out to pursue tomorrow."
By now, the sun was nearly setting, making further pursuit impossible.
Manbao and the rest could only settle down, and the lieutenant arranged two tents for them.
Not long after settling in, Junior General Guo and Junior General Meng came to see them, "Didn’t expect General Han really invited Lord Zhou."
Since sitting inside the tent was inconvenient, the group stood outside while conversing. Manbao smiled, "It’s an honor to contribute to the Western Expedition. Neither of the young generals was injured, I hope?"
Junior General Guo laughed, "Just some minor scrapes, nothing serious."
Bai Shan curiously asked, "Since Wang City has been captured, why not move in?"
Junior General Guo explained, "After the King of Kucha fled, the city surrendered after a slight attack, so there are many of Kucha’s former royal and noble families inside. It’s safer to stay outside until we’ve dealt with those we need to handle before entering."
Bai Shan nodded and then turned to see someone carrying a palanquin escorted by a crowd towards the central military camp.
"That is..."
"Oh, that’s the former Left Prime Minister of Kucha," Junior General Guo said, "likely coming to speak with my father."
He added, "Initially, he opened the city gates and surrendered. He’s been visiting my father these past few days, urging him to deal with the royal families inside quickly, claiming those left have rebellious hearts."
Junior General Guo frowned slightly, displeased, "He’s not wrong; those people probably still feel indignant. We should be cautious, but not to the extent of killing all the old and young as he suggests."
From Junior General Guo’s perspective, this Left Prime Minister of Kucha could be considered wise for recognizing the time to surrender to the Great Jin, but he should not go so far as to urge complete eradication of his former sovereign.
The Great Jin has always highly valued loyal and righteous defectors, such as General Ashina. Not only is he a Turk, but also from the Turkish royal family. After being employed by His Majesty, he not only married a princess but has also always been highly regarded. His loyalty is such that no one dares to look down on him.
But for someone like this Left Prime Minister, eager to eliminate his former sovereign, Junior General Guo held contempt.
Junior General Meng also disapproved, "But he is right about one thing; the people inside the city are too mixed up and need to be dealt with promptly. Who’s on duty patrolling the city tonight?"
"Father should have arranged it by now," Junior Generals Guo and Meng, being young, had yet to obtain the qualification to participate in first-line decision-making, thus they only listened to orders outside the tents.
Junior General Meng asked no more, inviting Bai Shan and Zhou Man, "Shall we give you a grand dinner tonight?"
Bai Shan: "Is alcohol allowed in the army?"
Junior General Meng smiled, "Even if no alcohol, sharing a meal together would be nice."
Bai Shan nodded in agreement, while Manbao asked, "Are there many wounded in the army?"
Junior General Meng sighed, "It’s not bad; this month has been mostly surrounding the city without attacking or feigning attacks, so not many were injured. Thankfully, Wang City surrendered from within, or else even if the King of Kucha fled, our losses capturing the city would have been significant."
Sieging usually incurs more casualties than defending.
Manbao then inquired about the medicinal supplies.
Seeing her interest, Junior Generals Guo and Meng took her on a tour through the medical tents.
This army division only had one military doctor, as the other two accompanied General Ashina.
But he had numerous assistants, and upon seeing Zhou Man and the others, the military doctor paused for a moment, then recognizing them, his eyes brightened, and he personally guided them through the medical tents to view the medicinal supplies.
Manbao inspected and found the medicinal supplies well-stocked, nodding in satisfaction.
She mainly wanted to understand how their wounded were transported; wounds from battles are mostly external injuries, where stopping bleeding is crucial.
But timing is critical for stopping bleeding, so she wanted to know how they transported the wounded and where the medical tents were typically set up...
Learning from this would be useful when catching up with General Ashina.
The military doctor spoke openly, seeking further advice from Zhou Man on hemostatic methods.
Manbao taught him suturing for hemostasis and acupuncture for hemostasis. The former the military doctor knew somewhat, though his suturing was not as good as Zhou Man’s, and acupuncture was even more complex; different areas have different hemostatic acupuncture points.
The military doctor couldn’t remember all, so Manbao wrote a few prescriptions for the hemostatic points on the arms, legs, chest, and abdomen.
Overjoyed, the military doctor continuously bowed to Lord Zhou, "Thank you for your guidance, Lord Zhou."
