Love Lock

Chapter 8 Treating the Wounded
The squad leader's name was Zhang Sanwa, a tall, thin young man. Although his clothes were worn, they were clean.

"Squad Leader Zhang, could you please go and bring all the bowls your brothers in the team use for eating?"

Han Lei instructed each of them to take a small ceramic bowl, wash it with alcohol, and then pour some alcohol into each bowl.

Last night during dinner, Han Lei noticed that apart from the porcelain plates used to serve the dishes, everyone else used earthenware to serve their rice, which showed that porcelain was still quite rare in their dynasty.

Han Lei then took out twenty packs of cotton swabs and distributed them to them one by one. Then, she began to demonstrate on the nearest wounded soldier.

"Come here, all of you, and take a look."

Han Lei poured alcohol onto the wounds of the injured soldier and gently spread it with a cotton swab. She then poured alcohol on the wounds again and spread it, repeating this process twice.

"Please read carefully: the cotton swabs can only touch the wound, not the alcohol in the bowl. Change the cotton swab after each wound to avoid cross-infection."

Han Lei patiently demonstrated, and after treating two wounded soldiers in succession, the ten-person team finally learned how to clean wounds simply.

Han Lei then asked Li Erniu to find a mahogany box and taught him how to open the antibiotic packaging, remove the capsules and pills, and put them all in the box.

"Go and distribute the pills to everyone, two pills per person, to be taken with water. Don't miss a single wounded soldier. Distribute them again after dinner tonight, two pills per person. If you run out of pills, come here to get more."

After listening carefully, Li Erniu began distributing the pills one by one.

Han Lei then called over an old military doctor and instructed him: "Doctor, please follow the soldiers who are cleaning the wounds and take a look. Write down any wounds that you feel cannot heal on their own after cleaning, and I will stitch them up one by one."

"Suturing?" The old military doctor was full of questions, his eyes filled with disdain. "Tch! Don't think you can save people just because you've read a few medical books. This is no joke."

The old military doctor, surnamed He, was almost sixty years old. He had been fighting alongside Xiaoyao Wang's father since their time in the army. He had served in the military for decades, and this was the first time he had ever heard of suturing wounds.

"Doctor, I know you doubt my medical skills, but the situation is urgent right now. Please do as I say first. I'll explain it to you slowly after we're done, okay?"

Han Lei didn't want to show off her limited skills in front of the senior, so she patiently continued.

The military doctor was about to say something more when he suddenly noticed the marshal in the wheelchair beside him nodding slightly. He pursed his lips, could only bow to Han Lei, and turned to leave.

"Alright, I'll go and take a look."

Since the marshal had agreed, what could he say? He could only do as instructed. He might not trust the young girl, but surely he could trust the marshal?
Zhao Zun couldn't help but find it amusing as he watched Old He leave with a pout.

Old He was definitely not convinced, but seeing Han Lei working efficiently and making his subordinates run around like headless chickens, he inexplicably began to trust her.

From pulling out the arrow to stitching up the wound, from repelling the ambush to driving a truck to deliver supplies, Han Lei was unlike any other woman he had ever met.

Having known each other for only two days, he always felt that there was nothing Han Lei couldn't handle.

Perhaps in a couple of days, Old He will have to admit defeat! He really looks forward to seeing Old He completely prostrate himself in admiration.

While Zhao Zun was lost in thought, Han Lei had already led several soldiers out of the tent with medical equipment.

On the open ground outside the tent, several hundred soldiers, beyond medical help and awaiting death, and already dead, were neatly laid out.

It's freezing cold. Even a good person would freeze to death lying on the muddy ground outdoors like this.

"Young man, go and call some people to set up a few more tents over here."

"Young man, go find some braziers, light them, and put one in each tent."

"Young man, go and prepare more quilts and bring them here." "Young man, go to the kitchen and have them cook some porridge or rice soup and bring it over."

"..."

Han Lei squatted on the ground, checking the breathing of the wounded soldiers while methodically instructing the soldiers who were helping her.

At her command, one by one the soldiers left her side.

Just then, a group of fully armed soldiers walked over and stopped not far from Han Lei.

"Shh!"

"Shh!"

"Shh!"

The soldiers lined up in a row, all drawing their swords simultaneously. The blades gleamed coldly in the air.

Hearing the commotion, Han Lei turned around and stood up. Before she could speak, the leading general shouted.

"Sorry, brothers! We'll make sure to act quickly and not let you suffer at all."

At this shout, all the soldiers simultaneously turned their swords upside down.

The hilt faces upwards, and the blade faces downwards.

"Wait! What are you doing?" Han Lei shouted in astonishment as she watched the scene unfold.

The young team leader looked at Han Lei, his eyes still filled with unconcealed reluctance and sorrow, and temporarily stopped what he was doing.

"It was General Ma Cheng who ordered us to see our brothers off. And you are..."

This is an unwritten rule in the military. Any brother who dies from severe wounds on the battlefield will be finished off by his own men, giving him a final farewell and a release for his fallen comrade.

But none of the soldiers in the camp were willing to take on such a mission, and none of them could bring themselves to do it.

They were forced to accept the assignment by General Ma.

"They're still alive, so we have to see them off?" Han Lei had only ever seen this scene on television.

Although it was a righteous act, how cruel it was!
Han Lei was stunned by the young leader's words and her mind went blank for a while before she finally replied, "I...I am Han Lei, a newly arrived military doctor."

The young team leader sized Han Lei up and down. Seeing her odd attire and the fact that she was a young woman, he couldn't help but frown slightly.

"A newly arrived military doctor? Do you know that the brothers lying here are beyond saving!" The young team leader shook his head sadly.

"No! Many of them can still be saved." An indomitable belief surged within Han Lei. Facing the impending fatal blow, she resolutely said, "Please give me a day; perhaps I can save them."

Han Lei has already conducted a thorough examination. The battle has lasted for more than ten days. Apart from those who have died or succumbed to their injuries, a large number of those who fell into a coma were due to infection from their wounds caused by the prolonged fighting.

If it were a gunshot wound, surgery would be needed to remove the bullet, which Han Lei might not be able to do alone. But this was an injury caused by a melee weapon, and she felt confident she could save some of the people.

The young officer in charge froze, his hand gripping the knife trembling slightly. The entire platoon of soldiers turned to look at Han Lei. They too longed to see hope, but military orders could not be disobeyed.

“Old He and the others have determined that there’s no hope, but you…” He wanted to ask, why are you still insisting?