Chapter 27: Young Medicine Boy Asheng

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Zhou Hu was momentarily stunned, then frowned and said, “This is indeed rather strange. The provisions camp has always been heavily guarded; ordinary people simply cannot get close, let alone set a fire. Moreover, the flames spread so rapidly—it’s clearly been carefully orchestrated.”

Duan Jing approached the building where the grain was originally stored. Suddenly, he felt the ground beneath his feet sticky. Lifting the hem of his tunic to look at the soles of his shoes, he said uncertainly, “This seems to be… oil?”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Hu’s expression changed sharply. He quickly crouched down, scooped up some of the dark brown viscous substance from the ground with his fingers, and brought it close to his nose to sniff. “Strategist, it seems to be cooking oil.”

Duan Jing sneered coldly. “No wonder the fire burned so fiercely. Even if it was an accident with the grain, it shouldn’t have caused such a massive fire. Now, dousing the flames with water is useless; water poured on oil only makes it worse!”

Zhou Hu’s face darkened as well. Most of the grain had been destroyed. This attack was clearly aimed at their lifeline. “Strategist, with all this grain gone, how will we survive the winter?”

“Don’t worry. The supplies we have now are insufficient anyway. The grain we sent scouts to procure will arrive soon. Consider this a way to make room for the new stock,” Duan Jing replied. Though uncertain whether Yang Bin had found any valuables from the fleeing families he had plundered, the immediate priority was to steady the troops and proceed step by step to find a solution.

After a moment of thought, Duan Jing continued, “Issue orders to reassure everyone that we have enough provisions for the winter. We must prevent panic. At the same time, we need to investigate and uncover whoever is behind this, and root out any traitors within.”

Zhou Hu nodded. Duan Jing then added, “One more thing.”

“Please command, Strategist,” Zhou Hu said respectfully.

“Inform the commanders of each battalion to strengthen their vigilance, especially night patrols. They must be strictly enforced. Also, send scouts to monitor the enemy’s movements nearby, and see if anything unusual is afoot.”

Zhou Hu took his orders and left. Though Duan Jing was already convinced this was Jiang Hui’s doing, he still had to be cautious. It could be the scheme of other forces. If he focused all his energy solely on Jiang Hui, and it turned out to be a coincidence, leaving their rear undefended, the enemy might seize the opportunity to launch a surprise attack—and that would be disastrous.

At that moment, Duan Yue hurried over. “Zhongxuan, what’s the situation?”

“Not good. The provisions have been completely burned. The supply camp caught fire in one section, but fortunately, the most important supplies were rescued,” Duan Jing reported.

Duan Yue frowned deeply, his gaze sweeping over the courtyard. “The enemy’s operation was so swift, they came fully prepared. How did they break through our defenses to directly torch the grain stores?”

Duan Jing sighed. “Several soldiers were bribed, and I suspect we still have traitors within our ranks.”

“Traitors?” Duan Yue’s eyes narrowed. They had already cleared out more than a dozen last time, yet there were still some. He never imagined that the unit he brought from Hengcheng was so deeply infiltrated. “Still more?”

Duan Jing shook his head. “Likely, but the exact details need investigation. I suspect Jiang Hui is involved.”

“Just because of what was said a few days ago?” Duan Yue exclaimed, surprised Jiang Hui was even more hot-tempered than himself. “We shouldn’t have let him go then.”

“Perhaps also because of the injury to one of his men yesterday,” Duan Jing admitted with some regret. He had been arrogant, thinking to teach the man a lesson, but instead, he had been given a huge opening to exploit.

Duan Yue was silent for a moment. Now was not the time to dwell on causes. The priority was clear. “Regardless, the destruction of our provisions is a heavy blow. The most important thing now is to steady the troops and prevent news of the loss from spreading.”

Duan Jing nodded. “I have already ordered the information sealed off, but you can’t hide the truth forever. Sooner or later, it will come out.”

“Then we must find a solution quickly,” Duan Yue said as he stood and approached the map, tracing his finger across it. “How much grain do we still have?”

“Some remains at the original camp, enough for about seven days,” Duan Jing answered. “If we don’t replenish soon, chaos will break out.”

Duan Yue’s finger paused on the map, then pointed to a location. “Here—Qingyang Town is the nearest settlement, and it should have enough grain reserves. We can send people to purchase supplies there.”

Duan Jing frowned. “Qingyang Town is over thirty li away. It’s possible to make it in time, but we don’t know if the enemy has laid ambushes. After all, this may not be Jiang Hui’s doing. If it is another faction, they might anticipate us going to Qingyang Town and plan something along the route.”

“I understand,” Duan Yue said gravely. “But we have no other choice. Without replenishing provisions, the army will surely descend into disorder.”

Duan Jing was silent for a moment, then nodded. “Very well. I will arrange for men to prepare the journey to Qingyang Town.”

Duan Yue shook his head. “No, I will go myself.”

“Your injury just healed,” Duan Jing was reluctant to let him take the risk.

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Before Duan Yue could argue further, Yang Bin arrived hurriedly, a trace of solemnity on his face. “General, Strategist, we have results from the interrogation.”

Duan Yue turned sharply to him, eyes sharp. “Speak.”

Yang Bin lowered his voice. “The soldiers confessed they were indeed bribed, but they don’t know the identity of the instigator—only that it was a tall man with a deep voice. They also said the man was very familiar with our camp’s layout and knew exactly where the provisions were stored.”

Duan Jing frowned deeper. “Familiar with the camp layout?”

Yang Bin nodded. “Yes. They said he not only knew the location of the grain stores but also the patrol schedules and routes. Clearly, someone inside leaked information.”

Duan Yue sneered. “As expected. We have a traitor within.”

Yang Bin’s expression changed. “What should we do?”

Duan Jing said firmly, “Don’t alert them yet. Continue interrogating the soldiers to glean more clues. Meanwhile, send people covertly to investigate anyone acting suspiciously, especially those who have contact with outsiders. Focus especially on the cavalry battalion.”

Yang Bin nodded and was about to leave when Duan Jing called him back. “Wait, there’s one more thing.”

“Please, Strategist,” Yang Bin said respectfully.

“Inform Jiang Bai to keep a close eye on the wounded soldiers, especially those who seem only lightly injured but act unusually distressed.”

Yang Bin paused, then understood. “I see. You suspect someone is faking illness to infiltrate among the wounded?”

“Exactly. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Brother, there’s an important task only you can do.”

Night had fallen, and the pavilions lay silent. Duan Jing walked alone, his eyes sweeping the surroundings, his mind heavy with thoughts.

“Strategist, you’re still awake?” A patrolling soldier saw him and asked respectfully.

Duan Jing casually asked, “How are the patrols arranged tonight?”

The soldier answered, “As per your orders, patrols have been strengthened, especially around the provisions camp and other key points, heavily guarded.”

Duan Jing nodded in approval. “Good. Maintain vigilance and show no slack.”

The soldier acknowledged and continued his patrol. Duan Jing wandered on, pondering how to expose the traitor.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded from afar. Duan Jing looked up to see Yang Bin rushing over, a hint of excitement on his face.

“Strategist, we have a new discovery!” Yang Bin said in a low voice, tinged with enthusiasm.

Duan Jing raised an eyebrow. “Tell me.”

Yang Bin lowered his voice, his expression grave. “Doctor Jiang found a soldier whose wound seems minor but who reacts with extreme pain during dressing changes, even fainting several times. Doctor Jiang suspected something amiss and examined the wound closely, discovering…”

“Discovered what?”

“That the wound isn’t from burning but has been corroded by a special poison!” Yang Bin’s voice dropped further. “Doctor Jiang said she’s never seen this poison before, but it causes intense pain and unconsciousness in a short time.”

Duan Jing’s brow furrowed deeply. “Poison? Tell Jiang Bai to isolate him immediately. Either this man is trouble or he holds crucial evidence.”

Yang Bin nodded. “She’s already isolated him and is conducting further checks. Strategist, should we interrogate him now?”

Duan Jing considered for a moment and shook his head. “Not yet. Don’t alert the enemy. Tell Jiang Bai to continue changing his dressings while pretending ignorance, but watch his reactions closely. Also, assign guards to monitor him and see if he contacts anyone.”

As night deepened, the courtyard fell silent except for the occasional footsteps of patrolling soldiers. Duan Jing returned to his study and had just sat down when faint footsteps were heard outside. He stood alert, hand on the sword hilt, and whispered, “Who’s there?”

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“It’s me, Strategist Duan,” Jiang Bai’s voice came from outside the door.

Duan Jing relaxed and opened the door to welcome her in. “Doctor Jiang, it’s so late. What’s the matter?”

Jiang Bai entered and closed the door behind her, her expression serious. “Strategist, there’s something strange about that soldier.”

Duan Jing frowned and gestured for her to sit. “Explain in detail. What’s going on?”

Jiang Bai sat and lowered her voice. “Following your orders, I isolated him. Earlier, he regained consciousness briefly and was terrified by his condition, begging me to save him.”

A flicker of doubt crossed Duan Jing’s eyes. “So he didn’t poison himself?”

Jiang Bai nodded. “No. I suspect there’s a traitor among the medics or soldiers who have been here.”

Duan Jing pondered for a moment and asked, “Aside from that, did he behave unusually today?”

Jiang Bai recalled, “He was more agitated than usual, constantly looking around during dressing changes as if waiting for someone. Also, he seemed to know what poison he had, but couldn’t tell me directly and kept trying to guide me.”

Duan Jing sneered. “Looks like he’s not an innocent victim.”

Jiang Bai agreed. “Strategist Duan, what should we do now? I think though he’s a traitor, he might not know much. He probably has superiors hidden within our ranks.”

Duan Jing stood and looked out the window into the night, his voice low and resolute. “We can’t alert them, but we can’t sit idly by. Continue giving him dressings but secretly add some harmless sedatives to incapacitate him temporarily. Meanwhile, I’ll assign people to watch him closely and find out who he’s connected to.”

“Understood,” Jiang Bai nodded. Yet she thought that if he were a relative, a warning might be prudent. “Strategist Duan, I doubt he will reveal himself.”

“What do you mean?” Duan Jing asked.

“I mean we can create an illusion to make them think we’ve learned something from him. As a key witness, we protect him. Then, whether they come themselves or send someone to investigate, we can catch another conspirator and expose all the traitors hidden in our army.”

Duan Jing’s eyes brightened. “Good plan. Let’s proceed as Doctor Jiang suggests.”

Jiang Bai’s plan was quickly put into action. While changing the soldier’s dressings, she covertly added harmless drugs. The soldier soon fell into a deep sleep, unable to move.

The next morning, she rushed excitedly to Duan Jing’s study to report. Duan Jing immediately issued several orders, and the army was placed under martial law.

At the same time, Duan Jing dispatched several capable soldiers to guard and secretly surveil the soldier’s quarters. They were ordered to remain vigilant and report immediately if any suspicious person approached.

Night deepened. Duan Jing sat alone in his study, holding a military treatise, though his mind was elsewhere. He replayed recent events repeatedly, searching for clues.

“Strategist, you’re still awake?” Yang Bin’s voice came from outside.

Duan Jing looked up to see Yang Bin enter, weary but with a spark of excitement.

“Yang Bin, any discoveries?” Duan Jing put down the book.

Yang Bin nodded. “Yes, Strategist. Our men found a medicine boy trying to inquire about that soldier’s condition.”

Duan Jing’s eyes gleamed. “A medicine boy? Did he behave abnormally when asking?”

Yang Bin shook his head. “On the surface, he just casually asked a few questions, seemingly out of curiosity. But our soldiers felt his questions were too detailed and leading. He’s very likely involved.”

Duan Jing tapped the table thoughtfully. “Have we identified this medicine boy’s background?”