Finally Figured it Out! (Part Three)
Gu JiuGe walked through the rain, leading the doctor and some soldiers to inspect the well’s water quality.
During the few days prior, he had nothing else to do and would frequently accompany Lao Jin and the others in carrying sandbags around to block the flow of water. As a result, he had a greater understanding of the terrain near the mountains.
There were a few wells in the camp that had been passed down through the generations in the Gu family’s army. It was impossible for there to be no spies in the camp.
What he suspected was that Western Kun might have buried some pipes under the ground leading into the wells, or, like with the snakes on Zhu Mountain, they might have seized an opportunity to poison the wells in the Gu family’s army’s camp.
Regardless of what method was used, if he searched the edge of the camp, he was sure to find something.
“Search the edge of the camp. Dig a hole every foot and see if there are any strange pipes. If you see any animals acting strangely, immediately tell me.”
“Yes, second young sir.”
A group of soldiers wearing raincoats stood in a row with hoes in hand and started digging. Very quickly, they came to realize that this method would not work.
Immediately after moving some dirt with their hoes, the heavy rain would spread the nearby dirt into the hole.
This happened again and again, as the soldiers vigorously swung their hoes, but they could only manage to dig holes the size of a bowl.
“Second young sir, we really can’t dig any deeper. It’s raining too heavily!”
The heavy rain dripped from Gu JiuGe’s bamboo hat like a bead curtain. He had been watching the soldiers and naturally understood why they could not dig any further, “One person’s efforts aren’t able to overcome the rain. Form groups of four and dig together. I absolutely must see what there is beneath!”
With four people digging one hole together, they were finally able to overcome the speed at which rain was pushing mud back into the hole. Very quickly, they dug out a hole roughly half of a person’s height deep.
Gu JiuGe personally carried out the inspection. Ascertaining that there was nothing strange below, they continued digging toward the next location.
They continued digging until the sky darkened, and the soldiers were gasping for air. They were so tired that they were on the verge of collapse, “Second young sir, we’ve been digging all day. There haven’t been any strange pipes down here. As for animals…”
A soldier looked around, “Look at the weather. It’s already difficult for people to go out. How could animals dare to come out?”
Speaking of it like this, both of his guesses had been fruitless.
Gu JiuGe felt irritated.
“More than ten thousand troops have been poisoned, and thousands have died. Those who were in a slightly better condition are just weak and dehydrated. Those who are in a slightly worse condition are unable to get out of bed. If we can’t figure out a way to treat the poison, we will quickly…”
Everyone understood what he was saying.
Gu JiuGe let out a long sigh, calming himself down. Gu HuaiJiang had said that no matter how difficult a situation might be, a military leader must remain steady; otherwise, the soldiers would not have a reliable pillar of support, and the situation would quickly worsen.
He tried to find his voice and did his best to speak in a calm tone, “Finding a way to treat the poison is a matter for the military doctors. We won’t be able to be of any assistance. At the very least, we can help look for where the poison came from and provide the military doctors with some clues. What do you guys think?”
“Yes, second young sir is right!”
Gu JiuGe noticed that his voice sounded as steady as his father’s and his eldest brother’s, “Good, let’s think for a moment. Aside from underground, where else could there be some clues? If we put our heads together and pool our wisdom together, we will definitely be able to come up with something!”*
The soldiers were encouraged and started discussing the matter, as their focus moved between the sky and the ground multiple times.
One soldier said: “The poison is definitely from Western Kun’s side, and our army doesn’t have any outsiders! Western Kun’s people never come to our camp, yet they were able to poison our wells. They would need to use something that could fly! For example, they shot a poison arrow into our well, and that poisoned the water in our wells!”
His words were immediately refuted by someone else, “That’s impossible! If Western Kun’s people shot arrows toward our army, they would have been discovered long ago. More importantly, how much poison could one measly arrow carry? it wouldn’t be able to affect tens of thousands of people. It would only be enough to cause one bout of diarrhea!”
Gu JiuGe nodded with a smile, “This line of thinking is correct. Continue down this line of thinking. Let’s continue thinking.”
The discussion became even more enthusiastic. Gu JiuGe looked up at the surrounding mountains with all sorts of thoughts racing through his mind.
Aside from pipes, animals, and poison arrows, what else could carry it from Western Kun’s side to the Gu family’s army’s camp…
As the rain fell, it brought shattered rocks and leaves down the mountains. One soldier lowered his head and picked something up from the ground, and everyone else looked over at him.
“What did you pick up?”
“Hah, it’s just a broken rock. How is that worth picking up?”
The soldier that had picked up the broken rock looked a little embarrassed, “Second young sir, take a look. It’s a piece of jade! When this subordinate heard that head general and young general found a multicolored gem on Zhu Mountain, I was exceptionally envious. Just now, I saw that there was a rock with a bit of color in the mud, so I picked it up!”
Gu JiuGe received the broken rock from him. This broken rock was indeed different from the other rocks nearby. It looked like a broken rock from a jade mine that had been washed out by the rain. It had a bit of a crystalline quality.
He smiled and gave the rock back to the soldier, “Multicolored gems are found in jade mines. You were able to pick up a piece of jade this time, and you might find a multicolored gem next time. The Gu family’s army’s next triumph will be on your shoulders!”
The soldier sheepishly laughed. Gu JiuGe looked at the rainwater that endlessly surged from Western Kun’s side, and a thought suddenly came to mind. It was as if he had suddenly become enlightened!
“I’ve got it! I know where the poison came from!”
…
Yu Fu and Yao Lan, who had barely managed to learn the rolling technique within a day, led the guards and prepared to leave the posthouse.
Everyone was wearing thick raincoats and large bamboo hats. Beneath the hat and raincoat was a layer of oil paper. Even if their raincoats became completely soaked along the way, the oil paper would be able to keep the water out.
They wore waterproof deer-skin boots. The soles of the boots were one inch high and made of wood that had an intricate design on the bottom. Even if they walked in the mud, they would not slip.
Before setting out, everyone drank a large bowl of medicinal soup, and everyone filled their waterskins with medicine. Yu Fu had everyone drink it as if it was water.
This also applied to her.
After ample preparation, everyone at the posthouse rode out early in the morning and continued west.
Regardless of how ample their preparations had been, after setting out, they ran into numerous situations that they had not expected. Yao Lan did not have enough training in riding a horse and could not pick up her speed at all. When she whipped the horse too hard, she was tossed to the ground by the horse.
Fortunately, she learned how to break her fall by rolling out, and she only ended up with multiple bruises with no major injuries.
Yu Fu decided to have her ride along with her.
Her riding skill could not be considered amazing. Fortunately, she had grown up in Immortals Valley, thus there was a natural connection between her and animals. It was thanks to this that the horse did not get startled and throw her off its back when it fell into a large puddle.
The journey was bumpy, and when they arrived at Lesser Zhu Pass, the rain finally eased up.
“Young miss, do you want to rush directly to Zhu Guan while the rain is lighter? Head general and the camp are at Zhu Guan!”
“No.”
Yu Fu dismounted from the horse and nearly fell to the ground from the weight of the raincoat, “I will go and rest at the posthouse for a bit. I need to see to Yao Lan’s injuries and get cleaned up. You guys should get some rest and eat your fill. We will continue on our way in an hour.”
The soldiers raised their heads in confusion, quickly looking over Yu Fu.
Having rushed here in the rain, her raincoat had become thoroughly soaked. A lock of wet hair was stuck to her cheek, and her lips were pale from being exposed to the rain and wind.
The sheltered Princess ZhenJiang from the capital- the beloved daughter of Marquis Gu’s Manor, the center of their world, and pampered beauty- was now wearing boots covered in mud.
The posthouse was located in an area that saw a large amount of foot traffic. Nobody passing by could possibly imagine that this girl dressed like a fisherman’s wife was actually the famous Princess ZhenJiang!
The soldiers scratched their heads in embarrassment, “Young miss is in a poor state after the journey. You should get washed up first. We subordinates will go and prepare some food.”
After saying this, they retreated, leaving Yu Fu and Yao Lan in the room.
Yu Fu let out a long sigh. First, she removed Yao Lan’s clothes to check on her injuries. Seeing that her hands and feet had multiple bruises that had already turned purple, she knew that they were injuries from when she had fallen from her horse.
“Such large bruises, they must hurt quite a bit, right?”
Yu Fu chatted with her to distract her while applying medicine to her injuries. Yao Lan gritted her teeth, “It’s doesn’t hurt. It doesn’t hurt.”
Yu Fu clearly knew that she was lying but could only console her by saying: “I know that it must hurt a lot, but don’t worry. Once we arrive at Zhu Guan, you can rest in bed every day. You don’t need to do anything. I will have someone feed you. How does that sound?”
Yao Lan did not know whether to laugh or cry, “Young miss, that’s something from when I was little. Why are you bringing it up now? I will apply the medicine myself. Young miss, quickly go and wash up. Once you have finished washing up, you still need to eat!”
They would be setting out in an hour. Adding in the time needed to eat, where was there any time to wash up?
Yu Fu just picked up a comb and combed the hair at her temples. Looking at a bronze mirror, she felt that her complexion was a little pale and turned to ask: “Yao Lan, do you have any makeup?”
“Makeup? Young miss, you don’t even have any makeup on you. How could I have any?”
Yu Fu let out a sigh. Arriving at Zhu Guan with such a pale complexion, they would surely be extremely worried about her.
*TN: The idiom used here was: “Three cobblers working together can go against Zhuge Liang.”
Finally Figured it Out! (Part Three)
Gu JiuGe walked through the rain, leading the doctor and some soldiers to inspect the well’s water quality.
During the few days prior, he had nothing else to do and would frequently accompany Lao Jin and the others in carrying sandbags around to block the flow of water. As a result, he had a greater understanding of the terrain near the mountains.
There were a few wells in the camp that had been passed down through the generations in the Gu family’s army. It was impossible for there to be no spies in the camp.
What he suspected was that Western Kun might have buried some pipes under the ground leading into the wells, or, like with the snakes on Zhu Mountain, they might have seized an opportunity to poison the wells in the Gu family’s army’s camp.
Regardless of what method was used, if he searched the edge of the camp, he was sure to find something.
“Search the edge of the camp. Dig a hole every foot and see if there are any strange pipes. If you see any animals acting strangely, immediately tell me.”
“Yes, second young sir.”
A group of soldiers wearing raincoats stood in a row with hoes in hand and started digging. Very quickly, they came to realize that this method would not work.
Immediately after moving some dirt with their hoes, the heavy rain would spread the nearby dirt into the hole.
This happened again and again, as the soldiers vigorously swung their hoes, but they could only manage to dig holes the size of a bowl.
“Second young sir, we really can’t dig any deeper. It’s raining too heavily!”
The heavy rain dripped from Gu JiuGe’s bamboo hat like a bead curtain. He had been watching the soldiers and naturally understood why they could not dig any further, “One person’s efforts aren’t able to overcome the rain. Form groups of four and dig together. I absolutely must see what there is beneath!”
With four people digging one hole together, they were finally able to overcome the speed at which rain was pushing mud back into the hole. Very quickly, they dug out a hole roughly half of a person’s height deep.
Gu JiuGe personally carried out the inspection. Ascertaining that there was nothing strange below, they continued digging toward the next location.
They continued digging until the sky darkened, and the soldiers were gasping for air. They were so tired that they were on the verge of collapse, “Second young sir, we’ve been digging all day. There haven’t been any strange pipes down here. As for animals…”
A soldier looked around, “Look at the weather. It’s already difficult for people to go out. How could animals dare to come out?”
Speaking of it like this, both of his guesses had been fruitless.
Gu JiuGe felt irritated.
“More than ten thousand troops have been poisoned, and thousands have died. Those who were in a slightly better condition are just weak and dehydrated. Those who are in a slightly worse condition are unable to get out of bed. If we can’t figure out a way to treat the poison, we will quickly…”
Everyone understood what he was saying.
Gu JiuGe let out a long sigh, calming himself down. Gu HuaiJiang had said that no matter how difficult a situation might be, a military leader must remain steady; otherwise, the soldiers would not have a reliable pillar of support, and the situation would quickly worsen.
He tried to find his voice and did his best to speak in a calm tone, “Finding a way to treat the poison is a matter for the military doctors. We won’t be able to be of any assistance. At the very least, we can help look for where the poison came from and provide the military doctors with some clues. What do you guys think?”
“Yes, second young sir is right!”
Gu JiuGe noticed that his voice sounded as steady as his father’s and his eldest brother’s, “Good, let’s think for a moment. Aside from underground, where else could there be some clues? If we put our heads together and pool our wisdom together, we will definitely be able to come up with something!”*
The soldiers were encouraged and started discussing the matter, as their focus moved between the sky and the ground multiple times.
One soldier said: “The poison is definitely from Western Kun’s side, and our army doesn’t have any outsiders! Western Kun’s people never come to our camp, yet they were able to poison our wells. They would need to use something that could fly! For example, they shot a poison arrow into our well, and that poisoned the water in our wells!”
His words were immediately refuted by someone else, “That’s impossible! If Western Kun’s people shot arrows toward our army, they would have been discovered long ago. More importantly, how much poison could one measly arrow carry? it wouldn’t be able to affect tens of thousands of people. It would only be enough to cause one bout of diarrhea!”
Gu JiuGe nodded with a smile, “This line of thinking is correct. Continue down this line of thinking. Let’s continue thinking.”
The discussion became even more enthusiastic. Gu JiuGe looked up at the surrounding mountains with all sorts of thoughts racing through his mind.
Aside from pipes, animals, and poison arrows, what else could carry it from Western Kun’s side to the Gu family’s army’s camp…
As the rain fell, it brought shattered rocks and leaves down the mountains. One soldier lowered his head and picked something up from the ground, and everyone else looked over at him.
“What did you pick up?”
“Hah, it’s just a broken rock. How is that worth picking up?”
The soldier that had picked up the broken rock looked a little embarrassed, “Second young sir, take a look. It’s a piece of jade! When this subordinate heard that head general and young general found a multicolored gem on Zhu Mountain, I was exceptionally envious. Just now, I saw that there was a rock with a bit of color in the mud, so I picked it up!”
Gu JiuGe received the broken rock from him. This broken rock was indeed different from the other rocks nearby. It looked like a broken rock from a jade mine that had been washed out by the rain. It had a bit of a crystalline quality.
He smiled and gave the rock back to the soldier, “Multicolored gems are found in jade mines. You were able to pick up a piece of jade this time, and you might find a multicolored gem next time. The Gu family’s army’s next triumph will be on your shoulders!”
The soldier sheepishly laughed. Gu JiuGe looked at the rainwater that endlessly surged from Western Kun’s side, and a thought suddenly came to mind. It was as if he had suddenly become enlightened!
“I’ve got it! I know where the poison came from!”
…
Yu Fu and Yao Lan, who had barely managed to learn the rolling technique within a day, led the guards and prepared to leave the posthouse.
Everyone was wearing thick raincoats and large bamboo hats. Beneath the hat and raincoat was a layer of oil paper. Even if their raincoats became completely soaked along the way, the oil paper would be able to keep the water out.
They wore waterproof deer-skin boots. The soles of the boots were one inch high and made of wood that had an intricate design on the bottom. Even if they walked in the mud, they would not slip.
Before setting out, everyone drank a large bowl of medicinal soup, and everyone filled their waterskins with medicine. Yu Fu had everyone drink it as if it was water.
This also applied to her.
After ample preparation, everyone at the posthouse rode out early in the morning and continued west.
Regardless of how ample their preparations had been, after setting out, they ran into numerous situations that they had not expected. Yao Lan did not have enough training in riding a horse and could not pick up her speed at all. When she whipped the horse too hard, she was tossed to the ground by the horse.
Fortunately, she learned how to break her fall by rolling out, and she only ended up with multiple bruises with no major injuries.
Yu Fu decided to have her ride along with her.
Her riding skill could not be considered amazing. Fortunately, she had grown up in Immortals Valley, thus there was a natural connection between her and animals. It was thanks to this that the horse did not get startled and throw her off its back when it fell into a large puddle.
The journey was bumpy, and when they arrived at Lesser Zhu Pass, the rain finally eased up.
“Young miss, do you want to rush directly to Zhu Guan while the rain is lighter? Head general and the camp are at Zhu Guan!”
“No.”
Yu Fu dismounted from the horse and nearly fell to the ground from the weight of the raincoat, “I will go and rest at the posthouse for a bit. I need to see to Yao Lan’s injuries and get cleaned up. You guys should get some rest and eat your fill. We will continue on our way in an hour.”
The soldiers raised their heads in confusion, quickly looking over Yu Fu.
Having rushed here in the rain, her raincoat had become thoroughly soaked. A lock of wet hair was stuck to her cheek, and her lips were pale from being exposed to the rain and wind.
The sheltered Princess ZhenJiang from the capital- the beloved daughter of Marquis Gu’s Manor, the center of their world, and pampered beauty- was now wearing boots covered in mud.
The posthouse was located in an area that saw a large amount of foot traffic. Nobody passing by could possibly imagine that this girl dressed like a fisherman’s wife was actually the famous Princess ZhenJiang!
The soldiers scratched their heads in embarrassment, “Young miss is in a poor state after the journey. You should get washed up first. We subordinates will go and prepare some food.”
After saying this, they retreated, leaving Yu Fu and Yao Lan in the room.
Yu Fu let out a long sigh. First, she removed Yao Lan’s clothes to check on her injuries. Seeing that her hands and feet had multiple bruises that had already turned purple, she knew that they were injuries from when she had fallen from her horse.
“Such large bruises, they must hurt quite a bit, right?”
Yu Fu chatted with her to distract her while applying medicine to her injuries. Yao Lan gritted her teeth, “It’s doesn’t hurt. It doesn’t hurt.”
Yu Fu clearly knew that she was lying but could only console her by saying: “I know that it must hurt a lot, but don’t worry. Once we arrive at Zhu Guan, you can rest in bed every day. You don’t need to do anything. I will have someone feed you. How does that sound?”
Yao Lan did not know whether to laugh or cry, “Young miss, that’s something from when I was little. Why are you bringing it up now? I will apply the medicine myself. Young miss, quickly go and wash up. Once you have finished washing up, you still need to eat!”
They would be setting out in an hour. Adding in the time needed to eat, where was there any time to wash up?
Yu Fu just picked up a comb and combed the hair at her temples. Looking at a bronze mirror, she felt that her complexion was a little pale and turned to ask: “Yao Lan, do you have any makeup?”
“Makeup? Young miss, you don’t even have any makeup on you. How could I have any?”
Yu Fu let out a sigh. Arriving at Zhu Guan with such a pale complexion, they would surely be extremely worried about her.
*TN: The idiom used here was: “Three cobblers working together can go against Zhuge Liang.”
