PFC Chapter 585 The Campaign Against Wei 6
Chapter 585 The Campaign Against Wei 6
Wei Lingyu continued, "My father studied epidemic control for many years and often said that cross-county cooperation is necessary. If the country were unified and government orders were effective, once an epidemic occurred in a certain place, doctors and medicines could be quickly mobilized for isolation and control..."
Ying Jingyi said, "The same goes for treating external injuries. In wartime, the treatment of wounded soldiers requires standardized procedures and a large number of bandages and medicines... If the world is at peace, that would be the best; but even in war, a unified logistical medical system can save more lives."
Yunling walked in and gently stroked the acupuncture box: "The acupoints and techniques of acupuncture also need to be standardized. Currently, different countries use different acupoints at different depths. If there are unified standards and they can be taught to the world, the therapeutic effect will definitely be improved."
Chen Chuan smiled憨厚ly: "I don't have that many grand theories. I just know that saving one more person is saving one more person. If the world is truly at peace and the roads are repaired, then my fellow villagers in my hometown who can't afford medical treatment will be saved."
Looking at these like-minded companions, Chunyu Shu felt a surge of warmth in her heart. Two years ago, when she ran away from home, she was filled with sorrow, thinking that the future was bleak. But now, she had found her direction—not just in studying medicine, but in life itself.
“Then let’s work together.” She held out her hand, “For the peaceful and prosperous world described in the article, so that we can save more people.”
Hands were stacked on top of each other. Inside the anatomy room, the light of the oil lamp illuminated the determined faces of these young doctors. They may come from different backgrounds and have different specialties, but at this moment, they shared a common dream.
Outside the window, the snow began to fall again. Inside the medical school, however, a discussion about medical skills and the world, about benevolence and unity, was just beginning.
These young students have no idea that their thoughts and ideas today will, in the near future, truly change the fate of countless people on this land as the Qin state unifies the country.
When the article in the Da Qin Xin Bao sparked heated discussions in Xianyang, the economic strangulation of the Wei state had entered its most intense phase.
On the 22nd day of the twelfth lunar month, at the western market of Daliang City.
The morning mist had not yet dissipated when Shopkeeper Wang pushed open the shop door and habitually hung up the "Ironware Specialty" sign. But today, there was an additional line of glaring small print under the sign: "Qin Ironware Supply Disrupted, Business Temporarily Closed."
He stood at the entrance, gazing at the empty street, his heart filled with mixed emotions. This market had once been one of the most prosperous trading centers in the entire Wei Kingdom. Every morning, the sounds of camel bells from caravans, the clamor of carriages and horses, and the shouts of vendors would awaken half of Daliang City.
Ironware, agricultural tools, medicinal herbs, and cloth from Qin, salt and dried fish from Qi, and lacquerware and bamboo ware from Chu... all converged here. Shopkeeper Wang's business thrived because he specialized in Qin ironware. That Qin ironware was of excellent quality, reasonably priced, and even came with maintenance instructions—far superior to the rough and fragile ironware from Wei.
But now?
A cold wind swirled withered leaves across the empty streets. Occasionally, a pedestrian would hurry by, head down, wrapped tightly in their worn-out clothes. Less than 30% of the shops were open, and most were nearly deserted.
"Manager Wang, are you sure you don't have any more iron pots?"
An aged voice pulled Manager Wang back from his reverie. He looked down and saw an elderly woman with gray hair tugging at his sleeve, her eyes full of expectation.
“Auntie…” Manager Wang’s throat tightened, “It’s really all gone. The Qin state said that due to the year-end audit, all ironware is suspended from leaving the country. Not to mention iron pots, there isn’t even a single nail left.”
The old woman's hand trembled as she loosened her grip, the last glimmer of light in her eyes extinguished: "The pot at home... it has three holes, patched and patched again, it's really unusable. The New Year is coming soon, we have to cook a decent meal... my grandson has been in the army for three years, this is his first time coming home for the New Year..."
She muttered to herself, her body hunched over, and slowly walked away. That departing figure left Manager Wang feeling as if a stone was lodged in his heart.
A shop assistant from the fabric store across the street poked his head out, also looking worried: "Manager Wang, when will this ever end?"
Shopkeeper Wang shook his head with a wry smile. He looked at the cloth shop, where a few bolts of coarse linen hung sparsely on the shelves. The soft, brightly colored fine linen and wool blends from Qin had been out of stock for half a month.
"I heard that workshops in Qin are rushing to produce military supplies," the shopkeeper whispered. "Not just ironware and cloth, but also medicinal herbs, leather, and even grain... all are being shipped to the border. At this rate, it seems..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but Manager Wang understood the unspoken meaning—it seemed war was about to break out.
Suddenly, a commotion arose from the end of the street. The two looked over and saw a long queue forming in front of the salt shop, with more and more people crowding around.
"What's going on?" Manager Wang frowned.
A familiar vegetable vendor rushed over, panting: "Salt...salt prices have gone up again! They're 30% higher than three days ago! All these people are here to hoard salt!"
"Thirty percent?!" the cloth shop assistant exclaimed. "This...this is unacceptable!"
Manager Wang's heart sank. Salt is an essential commodity, and a surge in salt prices meant that even the most basic survival would be in jeopardy for the poorest people.
He couldn't resist heading towards the salt shop. In the queue, anxiety and panic were written on the faces of the people. A middle-aged man, holding a money bag, yelled at the shopkeeper, "Why won't you sell? I have money!"
The salt shop owner, a lean middle-aged man, said expressionlessly, "The boss has ordered that each person is limited to three liters per day. If you want to buy some, go to the back and line up."
The man looked back at the queue stretching to the end of the street and stamped his feet in frustration: "I have a large family—an elderly mother, a wife, and three children. How many days will three liters be enough to feed them? Shopkeeper, please have mercy..."
"Then go buy it from another store," the shopkeeper sneered.
The man was stunned. Where were there any other salt merchants? The three major salt merchants in Daliang City had simultaneously announced purchase limits yesterday. Rumors circulated that Qin merchants were buying up grain and salt at high prices at the border, and these salt merchants were transporting their stockpiles there—where the prices were more than double those in the city!
The news spread like wildfire among the desperate crowd.
"The Qin people are trying to starve us out..."
"I've heard that 50,000 Qin troops have already amassed at the border..."
"We can't win... Chu has so many soldiers, they'll be wiped out in three months..."
Panic spread like wildfire. Some began to weep quietly, some turned pale, and some gleamed with a fierce light in their eyes—the look of someone driven to desperation.
Shopkeeper Wang quietly retreated to his shop. He closed the door, sat in the dimly lit shop, and felt a chill in his heart. He recalled the scene three years ago when the Qin merchant first came to his shop to sell ironware. Those Qin ironware pieces were of excellent quality, reasonably priced, and even came with maintenance instructions. He was very happy at the time, thinking he had found a good way to make money.
Looking back now, it's clear that from that time on, iron workshops in Wei began to close down one by one. The craftsmen either changed professions or... secretly went to Qin. Because Qin workshops paid higher wages and even taught them new techniques.
"Like a frog being slowly boiled in water..." Manager Wang murmured. He finally understood the meaning of that phrase. The Qin state was using its high-quality, low-priced goods to gradually erode the Wei state's industry; once Wei was completely dependent on Qin goods, they would cut off the supply in one fell swoop...
What a ruthless plan, what a deep scheme.
Just then, an even louder commotion erupted outside, accompanied by women's screams and men's roars. Peering through the crack in the door, Manager Wang saw that the crowd at the grain shop had spiraled out of control. Some tried to climb over the counter to grab grain, but were knocked down by the clerks with sticks; others were pushed to the ground and trampled; the soldiers maintaining order tried to suppress the crowd, but faced with the dense mass of starving people, they themselves showed fear—because their families were also starving.
"Someone has died!" someone exclaimed.
Shopkeeper Wang slammed the shop door shut, leaning against it, trembling all over. He knew that from this day forward, Daliang City would never be the same city it once was. Something had shattered completely.
That afternoon, news of the stampede in front of the grain shop in the west of the city, which resulted in three deaths and more than ten injuries, spread throughout the city. At the same time, rumors also spread that the Qin army had already amassed at the border.
Daliang City, once a prosperous metropolis in the Central Plains, is now like a wrecked ship adrift in a storm, and everyone feels the despair before it sinks.