Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 9 9. General Yan Yun
The army set out at night. The well-trained driver said nothing, but tried his best to drive the carriage smoothly and quickly so as not to disturb the nobleman.

The Chidao Road was built over the years and was about 50 steps wide - Qin Shi secretly calculated that it was about 69 meters, which was enough for the emperor's ceremonial procession to pass smoothly.

There are trees planted on both sides of the road, one every seven meters. Even in the hot summer, the trees are not too bare and look monotonous.

However, for Qin Shi, this three-day journey was extremely painful.

In an era without rubber and springs, she didn't even have time to appreciate how much manpower and resources were needed to tamp the loess into such a wide and flat road surface. She was already dizzy and carsick from being shaken around in the car.

On the first day, she tried her best to look at the surroundings, but after half a day, she could only let Chi Nu and Wu Zi spread bedding and thick hay in the carriage, and lay down on it half-dead.

——When she returns to Xianyang City, she must learn how to ride a horse!

Until the evening of the third day, when she was lying on the couch in a daze, she suddenly heard Chi Nu's soft voice calling:
"Lord Qin, we have arrived at Xianyang City."

Qin Shi perked up, opened the car window and looked outside.

At this time, the setting sun was blood-red, and large patches of fiery clouds filled the edge of the huge and distant palace city. The old, mottled and war-torn walls of Xianyang City also appeared in front of her.

The city wall is not high, only about 7 meters, and there are no city wall towers that are commonly seen in scenic spots in later generations.

But, the area is vast and there is no end in sight.

The black dragon flag was hoisted high atop the city walls, and soldiers in leather armor were stationed everywhere. A messenger quickly assembled a team and rode away on a swift horse, galloping away from the emperor's ceremonial procession:

"The King has returned from his western tour! Open the city gates!"

"The King has returned from his western tour! Open the city gates!"

"The King has returned from his western tour! Open the city gates!"

The team passed the sound from front to back.

As Qin Shi watched the ancient city gate slowly open, he felt an epic feeling coming towards him and his heart began to boil.

She couldn't tell what she felt, but she could hear her heartbeat rapidly in her chest.

Wu Zi explained, "The king was on a hurried march this time, so the messenger was unable to return to the palace first. Otherwise, the King of Qin would have been able to see the three dukes and nine ministers in person."

They probably knew that Qin Shi knew very little about this place, so they had been telling him many details over the past few days. As Qin Shi listened, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief:

"I wonder what the Xianyang Palace looks like..."

As they spoke, the army slowed down slightly, then quickly entered the city again. Other arrangements were then made. The central group, guarding the emperor's ceremonial guard, led Qin Shi to the general's residence inside the city.

This is where General Yan Yun is.

……

The carriage stopped and Qin Shi got off.

She didn't know where this was, but she had already arrived in Xianyang City, so naturally she had to do whatever the King of Qin ordered.

This time there was a low couch serving as steps below, and the soldiers and servants knelt in two rows, no one daring to look up.

She looked up, but before she could see the stone tablet at the door clearly, King Qin had already strode into the palace.

Prime Minister Wang Fu had separated from him at some point, with only the Imperial Chariot Officer Zhou Ju following him at a brisk pace. As he entered the room, he paused briefly and also bowed to greet Qin Shi:

"Qin Qing, please come in!"

Seeing the imperial physician also taking small steps forward, Qin Shi thought of the army's sudden rapid advance and became lost in thought.

Entering the room, it was just as she had guessed—

There is a seriously ill person here. …

At this moment, Ji Heng stepped into the room and heard a weak and trembling voice trying to say, "Old General Yan Yun, we are waiting for the king..."

"General Yan!" Ji Heng stepped forward quickly.

Qin Shi was shaken around in the carriage, and the King of Qin, who had just recovered from a serious illness, did not have much chance to rest.

After a long journey, the fatigue and exhaustion on his face were visible to the naked eye.

But General Yan Yun, who was lying on the couch and struggling to stretch out his hands, looked even more haggard, with his pale hair in a messy bun, and his thin and bony bones telling everyone that—

He is terminally ill and his life is fading.

Ji Heng held his dry and thin hand, his brows furrowed, "Master Yan."

General Yan Yun can be called the military god of the Qin Dynasty. He has made great military achievements. When he attacked Zhao in the eleventh year of King Heng of Qin, he captured nine cities in a row!
He even personally taught Ji Heng when he was young.

Now that the king has come in person, Yan Yun, who is 58 years old, should have expressed his gratitude, but at this moment he can only straighten his body, open his eyes wide, and sweat pours out like a stream.

It was clearly extremely painful.

Ji Heng didn't bother to say anything else and quickly ordered, "Bring the imperial physician and Qin Qing here immediately!"

Zhou Ju responded quickly, and without further ado, the two of them had already stepped into the room.

In the dim room, the flames of the tallow lamps on several huge lamp stands in the corners flickered slightly.

Ji Heng sat in front of the couch, his tall figure casting a shadow, and his voice was as deep as snow:
"Qin Qing, that miraculous painkiller you mentioned last time, can it now... relieve the General's pain?"

The Imperial Physician hurriedly explained, "The General has a brain abscess, and no medicine can cure it. The medicine Qin Qing gave him doesn't seem to be effective either. Only the powerful medicine..."

Intracranial abscess?

Qin Shi suddenly felt complicated.

She looked at the withered old man who was clutching the quilt with his fists tightly. He was obviously in extreme pain, but he still wanted to maintain his dignity in front of the king and could not get relief for a long time.

It turns out that across time and space, the despair and pain brought to people by the same disease are so similar.

She nodded: "It can be cured! The medicine is a 15-day dose. The general has never taken it. Perhaps it can prolong the treatment for a few more days..."

"But it can't save lives, it can only relieve pain."

She looked at Ji Heng. Several days of non-stop running around had made him noticeably thinner, but the veins on his broad hand, which was tightly gripping the patient's hand, were exposed, and his grip was getting tighter and tighter.

Ji Heng also raised his eyes and looked at her seriously: "Qin Qing's gift, I will remember it."

"Master Yan is the military god of the Great Qin. I wish I could sacrifice my life to bear his suffering. Now that this medicine can allow Master Yan to sleep peacefully, it is a blessing from heaven."

Yan Yun's breathing was heavy and weak, and he couldn't even bear to breathe in and out.

He looked at Qin Shi with eyes wide open in pain, looking at her clothes from 2024 that she hadn't changed yet, and now he held Ji Heng's hand even tighter:

"Your Majesty, the life of this old general is not worth cherishing, but if the Human Emperor pursues the immortal gods, who will protect our great Qin?"

As he spoke, his whole body and even his hands were shaking, but his loyalty was sincere and could be seen by heaven and earth.

Ji Heng took the honey water presented by the maid and watched the imperial physician put the divided pills into Yan Yun's mouth. He then whispered a promise: "Master Yan, don't worry."

Then he poured the honey water from the bottle into Yan Yun's uncontrollable clenched teeth and said earnestly: "Master Yan, I remember it."

Coming!