Priceless: A widow with a baby asks the prince to marry again

Inside the temporary medical tent, the air was as stagnant as frozen lead.

The strong smell of blood mixed with the pungent smell of "disinfectant" was almost suffocating. Everyone's eyes were fixed on Liu Rusi's terrifyingly steady hands.

Prince Kang Chu Shikun's naked upper body had been repeatedly wiped with disinfectant, leaving his skin an unhealthy paleness. The crude wolf-tooth arrow lodged deeply in his left sternum, near his heart. The tail feathers trembled slightly, and with each imperceptible movement, a stream of dark red blood foam escaped!

Liu Rusi held her breath as she carefully separated the torn muscle and fascia surrounding the arrow shaft with specialized surgical scissors. Her movements were precise and swift, each cut laced with a desperate determination. Sweat quickly soaked her hair, trickling down her temples. Xia Lian quickly wiped it away with a clean cotton cloth.

Li Chunfu stood guard, his thin, sensitive fingers never leaving the inch, guan, and chi positions of King Kang's other wrist. He closed his eyes, frowned, and completely absorbed the pulse, which was as weak as a candle in the wind.

Whenever Liu Rusi's movements caused the slightest abnormal fluctuation in his pulse, he would immediately speak out and use his medical skills to try his best to stabilize King Kang's physical condition: "Qi reversal, shallowly pierce the Tanzhong point with a fine needle!" The old doctor Zhao behind him responded and moved. The silver needle in his hand pierced into the corresponding acupuncture point like lightning, and at the same time pressed a thin slice of old ginseng under King Kang's tongue.

Liu Rusi's voice was filled with the emotionless calmness that only comes from working on an operating table. "The wound is deep, and the bleeding is brisk. Be careful with the deep blood vessels! Prepare the hemostat! Catgut!"

Dongxue immediately handed over a catgut needle soaked in disinfectant. Liu Rusi took it, took a deep breath, and carefully extended the incision along the side of the arrow shaft with the scalpel, probing deeper.

Blood gushed out instantly, a dark red color! She quickly suppressed it with a cotton ball soaked in disinfectant! She dug her fingertips deep into the widening wound, searching for the source of the pulsating bleeding through the sticky, warm flesh and blood, relying on touch and her deep memory of chest wall anatomy.

Time passed in the silent and intense operation, and every second seemed extremely long.

Finally, after a few heart-pounding breaths, she whispered, "Here it is! Clamp! Get ready to pull out the arrow!"

Before he finished speaking, Li Chunfu understood what he meant, and instantly inserted three silver needles into the acupuncture points around Prince Kang's heart! Almost at the same moment, Liu Rusi exerted force on her wrist, and the barbed arrows, accompanied by an even more turbulent dark red fountain of blood, gushed out from the depths of the wound!

Liu Rusi's heart instantly sank to the bottom! The surging blood fountain told her unmistakably: a deep blood vessel had ruptured! Her mind went blank, leaving only the instinctive will to survive!

Desperately, she pressed her fingers and the cotton ball towards the direction of the blood, screaming, "Hemostat! Quick!"

Xia Lian was quick-witted and immediately stuffed a pair of open hemostatic forceps into Liu Rusi's bloody hand.

Li Chunfu's forehead was instantly covered with beads of sweat the size of soybeans. The pulse beneath his fingertips suddenly jumped a few times as the arrow left his body and blood gushed out, then plummeted to almost nothing! He roared suddenly, his voice distorted by extreme tension: "Ginseng soup! Quick! Golden needles to overcome the disaster! Hold on!"

With shaking hands, old doctor Zhao forced the thick ginseng soup he had prepared long ago into King Kang's mouth. Li Chunfu used both hands, and several golden needles, with subtle buzzing sounds, accurately pierced the key points of the heart meridian.

His skinny palm burst out with astonishing strength, and he rapidly twisted the end of the golden needle with a mysterious rhythm, as if wrestling with the invisible god of death, forcibly retaining the fire of life that was about to completely dissipate.

Liu Rusi struggled to find her way through the blur of flesh and gushing blood. The hemostat slipped off several times, her eyes red with anxiety. A single thought crossed her mind: Find it! Grab it! Finally, her fingertips touched a stump pulsating violently, blood gushing out! Holding her breath, she used all her strength and skill to thrust the tip of the hemostat in and clamp down!

The surging dark red blood fountain weakened visibly to the naked eye!

It worked! Even if it was only temporary! A faint, almost faint confidence instantly supported her shaky body!

Liu Rusi took the strung catgut thread handed to her by Dongxue with her other hand with great determination!

Driven by a huge desire to survive and a sense of responsibility, her hands flew nimbly and frantically. Under extremely difficult vision and operating conditions, she used the most primitive and most possible method - ligation - to tightly tie the fatal blood vessel end!

The only sounds in the tent were heavy breathing, the subtle friction of needle and thread through flesh, and the low humming sound made by Li Chunfu twisting the golden needle.

An unknown amount of time passed, perhaps half an incense stick, or perhaps a lifetime. Li Chunfu's face, which had been tense to the extreme, finally relaxed ever so slightly. His voice was hoarse and exhausted with exhaustion, "My pulse... is still... faintly... alive. Are we...through this dangerous period...for now?"

Meanwhile, Liu Rusi had successfully completed the vascular ligation! Looking at the wound, still horrific but at least no longer gushing with fatal blood, her body, tensed to the limit, swayed for a moment before she forced herself to steady herself.

Success? At least... temporarily, this life, snatched back from the fingers of the devil...?

An overwhelming sense of exhaustion instantly overwhelmed Liu Rusi. However, she couldn't relax yet. There was still work to be done, and many lives to be saved...

---

Five or six miles away from the medical camp is the bustling river valley battlefield.

The river valley has completely turned into a boiling furnace.

Chu Shiyu stood atop a makeshift slope, his dark cloak rustling in the wind. His face was as cold as a thousand-year-old black ice, except for his deep eyes, which burned with a nearly ruthless fire of control.

Each precise and decisive swing of his command flag was like a deft move on a chessboard, pointing to crucial points on the battlefield. The complex flag signals were quickly transformed by the well-trained flag officers into the rhythm of horns and drums that resounded across the battlefield, clearly conveying the general's orders to the commanders of each unit.

"Command Flag: Red flag points forward! Lu Daqing's left wing heavy infantry, defend the barricades to the death! Withstand the Jurchen armored cavalry!" Chu Shiyu's voice was low, yet it carried the imposing power of a mountain. The red flag representing the left wing pointed forward rapidly, and at the same time, the triangular flag representing "hold firm" was raised, and the war drums beat out a heavy and steady beat.

On the left side of the valley, facing the overwhelming charge of the Jurchen armored cavalry, the heavy infantry phalanx of Lu Daqing's army erupted in a thunderous roar. Layers of thick shields formed a steel barrier, and spears peeked out from the gaps like a dense forest of thorns.

Heavy horse hooves thudded against shields, puncturing spears and denting shields with a thud. Blood splattered everywhere. Though neither the horses nor the riders of the fierce Jurchen armored warriors wore heavy armor, their elite soldiers were clad in thick iron armor or tough composite armor, and their impact was still terrifying.

The front line shook violently under the huge casualties, but thanks to the strict organization and high morale, it did not collapse!

"Command Flag: Yellow round flag points right! Central Army Crossbow Battalion, three bursts of fire! Cover the right flank of the Tatar Light Cavalry!" Chu Shiyu's command was unwavering, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield like a hawk. The yellow round flag pointed to the front right, and the crossed arrow flag, representing "Crossbow Coverage," was simultaneously launched.

"Buzz!" Bowstrings vibrated like continuous thunder. A dense barrage of arrows, with a piercing sound, pierced the air like a black cloud of death, hurling down upon the Tatar cavalry attempting to flank them. A hail of arrows fell, sending men and horses careening to the ground! The momentum of the charge was instantly halted, the Tatar cavalry falling into disarray, their formation disintegrating.

Suddenly, Chu Shiyu's sharp eyes locked onto the right wing of the battlefield! There, a blazing sword light flashed wildly in the enemy formation, but its position was too advanced!

After rescuing King Kang, Qin Tao, clearly driven to a frenzy of killing, led his elite cavalry deep into the enemy lines, charging left and right, and achieving considerable success. However, they were also surrounded by layers of Jurchen armored warriors and elite Tatars! The once sharp "Fengshi" formation was broken apart, and the five thousand elite cavalry fought independently within the enemy lines. Casualties mounted sharply, and they were in imminent danger of being divided and devoured!

"Command Flag: Black Eagle Flag, rotate right! Qin Tao's troops! Change your formation! Rotate right quickly! Move closer to our main formation! Urgent order!" Chu Shiyu's voice suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable severity. The black eagle flag representing Qin Tao's troops spun rapidly to the right, while the blood-red pennant, representing the highest level of "emergency retreat," was raised high!

Qin Tao, deep in the enemy lines, was fighting bloody battles, his long sword flying, stirring up a bloody storm. Covered in blood, he looked like a mad tiger, completely immersed in the joy of killing, unaware of the danger to himself and his troops.

Until Deputy General Zhao, who had been following closely beside him and was responsible for observing the command flag, squeezed close to him and pointed in the direction of the high slope, shouting at the top of his lungs: "Young General! The commander's urgent order! Black Hawk, turn right! Blood Triangle! Retreat! Retreat!!"

Qin Tao was shocked and tried his best to push away the enemy in front of him. He took the time to look up - the black eagle flag representing him was spinning rapidly to the right, and the glaring blood-red triangular flag next to it was extremely clear!

In this fleeting moment, he glanced at the Qin family members fighting bloody battles around him, and his heart was struck hard!

The elite cavalry, once so imposing, was now much thinner! The familiar Qin family's black-armored figures lay sprawled everywhere, and among the neighing and dead horses were the wounded and bloodied men of their cavalry!

A cold shudder instantly extinguished his boiling murderous intent—five thousand elite soldiers, and such a huge loss?!

What made him even more shocked and awakened was that he suddenly realized that if he had not been so excited about killing and rushed too deep, there would not have been such heavy casualties!

"Qin's army! Turn your arrows to the right! Follow me - charge out!" Qin Tao's roar was filled with an imperceptible hoarseness and sadness. His long sword swept across like a streak of silk, forcing a bloody path. He turned his horse's head and stopped fighting. He headed in the direction indicated by the flag, and broke out like a wounded tiger!

Upon hearing the commander's order, the surviving Qin family cavalrymen burst out with the courage they had gained through countless bloody experiences, and tried their best to get closer to him, forming a desperate torrent and crashing fiercely towards the outside of the encirclement!

This precise and timely order to retreat was like a scalpel, severing the path to Qin Tao's demise. After paying the heavy price of losing nearly half of his 5,000 elite cavalry, Qin Tao finally, with his battered remnants, managed to break out of the encirclement with a panicked yet determined force, supported by Chu Shiyu's crossbows and infantry.

At the same time, the remnants of King Kang, who had been trapped in the depths of the valley and struggling to hold on, saw hope of breaking out under the leadership of their main general. They burst out with the last strength to survive in desperate situations and launched a desperate counterattack in the direction of Chu Shiyu's main flag!

Internal and external pressures suddenly decreased, and the opportunity for battle appeared! Chu Shiyu's eyes fixed, and he waved the command flag like thunder: "Command flag: All troops! Red, yellow, and black flags press forward! Bows and crossbows continue to fire! Infantry advance! Defeat the enemy!" The red, yellow, and black main flags, representing the entire army's attack, pointed forward simultaneously, and the sound of war drums instantly turned into a thunderous beating!

The morale of the Great Xia army was high. With Chu Shiyu's precise command and the cooperation of the remnants of King Kang, the encirclement of the Jurchen and Tatar coalition forces was finally torn apart!

The Tatars were the first to collapse and flee in all directions. The fierce Jurchen armored warriors, though tenacious, were forced to retreat under the rain of arrows and the pressing infantry phalanxes, their spears like a forest. They left the battlefield strewn with corpses and grief.

The setting sun was like a huge blood wheel, slowly sinking into the turbid water of the Onon River, dyeing the entire river valley into a shocking dark red.

Cheers of victory rang out among the exhausted Great Xia army, carrying the hoarseness and heaviness of surviving a disaster, and also drenched in deep sorrow for the countless comrades who had died.

---

The horn of victory alone could not dispel the thick atmosphere of blood and despair over the medical camp.

The dull sounds of fighting in the distant battlefield had long ceased, replaced by painful groans from the camp.

Liu Rusi felt like a numbly machine. Prince Kang was carefully moved into the best-equipped tent, under close observation by a medical boy, ready to summon Li Chunfu at any moment. He used his unique decoctions and acupuncture techniques to combat the inevitable high fever and dangerous complications that would follow the surgery.

Liu Rusi only visited him once in a hurry, and after confirming that he was temporarily stable, she plunged into the purgatory of wailing, broken limbs and death again.

The makeshift medical tent was already overwhelmed, and nearby tents offering shelter from the wind and rain, and even the open air, were filled with the wounded. The groans, cries, and unconscious gasps of the dying merged into a terrifying symphony of hell. Broken arms, disemboweled bodies, exposed wounds... the horrific scene assaulted the very limits of vision.

Liu Rusi's voice had long been hoarse, and she had changed her doctor's gown several times, but every time she put on a new one, it was quickly stained with blood and medicine, becoming a horrible sight.

She shuttled among the wounded soldiers, her movements a little stiff due to fatigue, but her eyes were like tempered ice, still sharp and focused.

In another tent a little further away, Xia Lian was sweating profusely as she cleaned and sutured a soldier's leg wound, leaving a deep wound where the bone was visible.

Although her movements were not as smooth as Liu Rusi's, they were well-organized. She disinfected, cleaned foreign objects, sutured, and bandaged. Her steps were clear and her techniques were quick and efficient.

Next to her, Dongxue was independently treating a soldier with a broken arm. She skillfully rinsed the wound with disinfectant, carefully repositioned the dislocated bone, and then fixed it with a wooden board and cloth straps.

The initial fear and confusion were no longer on their young faces, replaced by a perseverance and sense of responsibility forged under tremendous pressure.

They have become Liu Rusi's indispensable right-hand men and women, able to independently complete many initial rescue operations and share some of the pressure on the military medical battalion.

"Madam! This man's leg...can't be saved!" Dongxue finished treating the fracture and turned to see a newly brought-in wounded soldier. Her voice was heavy with worry. The soldier's calf had been smashed to pieces by a heavy object, the bone shards piercing the flesh, leaving a bloody mess.

Liu Rusi had just finished treating an arrow wound when she heard the noise and came over immediately. After taking a quick look, she decisively ordered, "Dongxue, you perform the main operation! Tighten the tourniquet! Xia Lian, you assist!"

She needed to deal with more urgent injuries, and Dongxue was able to handle such cases independently.

Dongxue took a deep breath, her eyes instantly becoming focused and determined. Without hesitation, she took the tools Xia Lian handed her and began to operate under Liu Rusi's brief but crucial guidance.

When the operation was completed, Dongxue let out a long sigh. Her face was pale and her forehead was covered with cold sweat, but her eyes flashed with a light of having completed an important mission.

Liu Rusi took a quick glance and said only, "Well done." Then she went on to treat the next critically injured patient.

Despite everyone's best efforts, manpower ultimately has its limits. Medicines were rapidly depleting, especially the precious "disinfectant" and hemostatic powder. The military doctors and apprentices were so exhausted they could fall asleep while standing.

New soldiers with less severe injuries were constantly carried in, but for more seriously wounded soldiers, the flames of life were quietly extinguished during the long wait.

Those bodies that had stopped breathing silently were quickly carried away by the silent soldiers to make room for those who came later.