Chapter 135: Buddha's Hand Demon Heart (4k)
【The Veterinary Saint Hand of Buddha’s Hand Demon Heart】
Grade: Purple;
Effect: When this follower is in the team, the probability of livestock getting sick is reduced by 10%;
Comments: "A veterinarian with Buddha's Hand and Demon's Heart, he is good at treating various diseases, but for every animal he saves, he kills another one."
"Save one and kill one. Birth, aging, sickness and death are all determined by fate. If you go against fate, you will naturally have to pay the price."
Price: 500 wentai and 10 baht coins, and a monthly maintenance fee of wentai and baht coins is required. After summoning this follower, he will need to kill another livestock every time he treats livestock.
What is this ghost?
Ping Yizhi, the famous murderous doctor in the veterinary field?
Kill one person and save one?
Wouldn't that mean that there will be doctors with the same entries in the future?
[The medical genius with Buddha's Hand and Demon's Heart], then who would dare to let him treat patients?
But this purple minion still looks very strong.
Since entering Hengzhou, there have been more and more cases of horses being injured.
War horses are very precious creatures. Some injuries that seem minor to humans can cause a horse to lose its mobility or even kill it.
Take a horse stumbling for example. Once its leg is broken, it is almost fatal because a horse cannot fix its limbs obediently like humans and wait for the bones to grow heal.
Moreover, after a horse's leg is broken, the other intact hoof will also suffer from a serious disease called laminitis because of the excessive weight it bears.
Even in modern times, with highly developed medicine, a racehorse basically retires from its professional career once it has a broken bone. Even famous racehorses have been euthanized because of broken bones.
Because minor injuries turned into major ones and because of various factors, the number of horses lost was increasing. This was also the reason why Li Chong had to rest after arriving in Pingcheng. The high-intensity march not only tortured the soldiers' bodies and morale, but also caused great damage to the war horses of the entire army.
Even though Su Ze's Tunqi Battalion was better trained and the soldiers took better care of their war horses, there were still many injured horses. The role that a veterinarian could play was enormous. Even if he had to kill a horse to save one, it was still much better than letting the sick horses slowly die.
Su Ze immediately summoned out the [Veterinary Saint Hand of Buddha's Hand Demon Heart], and saw a middle-aged man who looked like a horse herder appeared in front of Su Ze, with a herbal bag wrapped around his waist and various knives hanging on his belt.
The most amazing thing is his face. Half of his face looks kind, while the other half looks ferocious, giving people a strong sense of incongruity.
Fortunately, he is not a doctor who treats patients.
Su Ze asked:
"From now on, you will be called Su Yizhi. Are there any restrictions on the breeds of livestock you kill?"
Su Yizhi bowed his head respectfully and said, "Thank you for the name, my Lord. The ones you save and kill must be of the same species, otherwise the cause and effect will not be balanced."
God damn it's unfair. That's right. If there is a loophole, Su Ze can prepare a bunch of small animals like rabbits for Su Yizhi to kill, and then let him treat large livestock like horses, cattle and sheep.
Su Ze continued, "Well, you go to the camp and take a look. Those who can be treated will be given to you to treat, and those who cannot be treated will be given to you to execute. Is that okay?"
Su Yizhi immediately said, "Of course, as long as it's killing one and saving one, I'm not picky."
Su Ze sent away the troublesome purple follower and then opened the shop. He raised his eyebrows because the next blue item was also a follower.
[Arrogant Armored Cavalry]
Grade: blue;
Effect: The presence of this follower in a team may cause the team to become arrogant and their relationship with other companions to deteriorate;
Comment: "Pride goes before a fall"
Price: 500 Wen Tai and 100 Baht coins, and a monthly maintenance fee of Wen Tai and Baht coins is required. The unit must be provided with meat for three meals, and the warhorse also needs professional riding slaves to take care of it.
Note: No horses.
It's another follower from the [Armored Cavalry] series, but unfortunately the negative effect is a bit bad, and it's still different from the [Corruption] entry that can infect the entire team like the [Pride] entry.
Besides, isn’t this evaluation of “Pride comes before a fall” too unlucky?
The key system is still the same: there is no horse. The most important thing for armored cavalry is the best warhorse that can carry the fully armored cavalry. There are not many such horses in Su Ze's camp.
It is difficult to describe these two negative terms, but the types of followers themselves are very practical.
Armored cavalry was the most powerful type of soldier during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. The armored cavalry, wearing full sets of armor and charging into battle, were like tanks in later generations. As long as they rushed into the enemy formation, they could cause tremendous destructive power.
At the same time, the training and development of this type of troops is extremely difficult.
The armor of the Tunqi Battalion was not well maintained, and in the end the [lazy armorer] only managed to gather thirty sets of full body armor to repair them, and they also had to be equipped with horses that could carry the armored soldiers.
Su Ze scraped together twenty top-quality war horses that met the requirements, relying on his riding slave Su Da to look for horses everywhere and adding the war horses he "earned with great effort" from Princess Chenliu.
Yang Zongjia, Fan Dalang and Yang Chounu were barely qualified in terms of physical fitness, but their riding skills still needed training so that they could control their horses during a high-speed charge while carrying armor.
Among the ordinary Yulin, only Wang Hui had both good physical fitness and riding skills. However, Wang Hui was better at archery, so Su Ze arranged him to the Archery and Cavalry Camp to serve as Su Lin's deputy.
Su Ze managed to gather twenty people by scrambling to find a suitable cavalry squad, which almost emptied Su Ze's family fortune.
Su Ze gritted his teeth and put the [Arrogant Armored Cavalry] and [Reckless Armored Cavalry] into one team. Armored Cavalry, like tanks, must be used in a concentrated manner to be effective.
Then use the orange follower [Calm Armored Cavalry] to lead, and rely on the effect of [Calm Armored Cavalry] to improve the morale of the team. I hope to suppress these two Armored Cavalry with negative attributes and play a greater role in future battles.
There are still too few useful subordinates. If he can spawn a few more armored cavalry-type followers, or if he can choose from more soldiers, Su Ze is confident that he can form a more powerful armored cavalry team.
After these personnel were organized into groups, a cartoon chess piece in the shape of a cavalry phalanx appeared on the system - [Armored Cavalry Squad].
This is the biggest trump card in Su Ze's hand. If this team uses it well, it should be able to turn the situation on the battlefield around.
It’s a pity that the next five items were all ordinary green daily necessities. Su Ze bought them casually and kept them for rewarding the soldiers later.
If everyone paid for the maintenance of the army like me, then the imperial guards of Wei would not be so useless, right?
Su Ze had heard Li Chong's evaluation of the Imperial Guards from Yu Jin more than once. This was the result of Li Chong's reorganization and training along the way, and these Imperial Guards were carefully selected by Li Chong from the hundreds of thousands of Imperial Guards near Luoyang.
Li Chong also had doubts about using this army to fight the Rouran people. After entering Pingcheng, Li Chong had to stay in Pingcheng to reorganize the troops despite the risk of being impeached by political enemies.
On the one hand, Li Chong sent messengers to the six towns to inquire about their situation and collect intelligence on the activities of the Rouran people. On the other hand, Li Chong kept sending messengers to Luoyang to explain why he was stranded in Pingcheng, hoping to buy more time to reorganize the army.
Li Chong's attitude towards the Rouran King also changed. He now treated the Rouran King as a guest of honor, but ordered his personal guards to protect Anagui strictly.
In such a tense atmosphere, Su Ze waited for two more opportunities to refresh the store. Unfortunately, Princess Shouyang had been staying indoors since the last trip to Pingcheng. Although she would send maids to deliver letters to communicate with Su Ze, the system was unable to produce any good things.
This dragged on for more than ten days, and the troops carrying the imperial scepters rushed into Pingcheng. Su Ze, who was standing on the city wall, saw the troops and said to his guards, "The army is about to set off. Notify all teams to get ready."
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Li Shizhe, exhausted from the journey, looked at his father. He was appointed by the court as the Junior Minister of Rites and was sent to Pingcheng to comfort the army. In fact, he was sent by King Jiangyang to persuade Li Chong.
"Grandpa! After I left Luoyang, the news spread all over the court! Why are you still staying in Pingcheng?!"
Seeing his son's dirty official robe and his thin face, Li Chong realized that this son, who always loved to enjoy himself, was able to travel to Pingcheng day and night without stopping. It must be that King Jiangyang promised him a huge benefit.
Li Chong disliked his eldest son, thinking that he had only inherited his extravagance but not his talent, and that he would only have the talent of a lieutenant in this life.
However, as he grew older, the eldest son, whom he had disliked before, entered middle age, while he himself was getting older. The family still wanted this eldest son to inherit, and Li Chong's attitude towards his eldest son became more complicated.
"What did King Jiangyang promise you?"
Li Shizhe was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect his father to be so straightforward. He was just like a businessman bargaining in the market. He couldn't help feeling a little disgusted.
Li Chong looked down on his eldest son Li Shizhe, and Li Shizhe also looked down on his father, who was a "lustful tiger".
At a time when military positions are constantly being suppressed, my father is unwilling to turn our family into a noble family, and he has to lead troops to war even when he is seventy years old.
Li Shizhe felt that his father was a crude warrior who had no other talents except lust and fighting. As a result, his family was looked down upon by noble families and was regarded as a "general's family."
After Li Shizhe had gained enough military merit in Li Chong's army, he immediately jumped into the civil service system. His goal was to be appointed as a governor of a province and then transferred back to the court to serve as a minister, and then find a way to be promoted to a palace attendant and become an important official.
Li Shizhe was unwilling to fight desperately on the battlefield, so naturally he had to curry favor with important officials in the court. King Jiangyang Yuan Yi was his biggest backer.
But in front of his father, Li Shizhe still said: "King Jiangyang has granted me the post of governor of a large province."
Sure enough.
The position of governor of a large province was extremely scarce. Sikong Zhang Yi, who was beaten to death by the rebellious Yulin, was still seeking the position of governor of Jizhou at an old age. It was only after his death that Empress Dowager Hu posthumously awarded him the position of governor of Jizhou.
Li Chong understood the weight of King Jiangyang's promise, looked at his eldest son and said, "Wait a little longer."
Li Shizhe immediately said, "Grandpa, what are you waiting for? As long as you cooperate with the Rouran King, the Rouran people will immediately withdraw their troops, and your reputation will be praised in the court! The soldiers will also be rewarded. Isn't this the best of both worlds?"
What Li Shizhe hadn't said yet was that he would also be able to obtain the important post of governor of a large state, and the second generation of his family would also be able to smoothly join the ranks of important officials.
Li Shizhe totally didn't understand why his father wouldn't agree to cooperate with this matter which would benefit everyone.
-
Su Ze and Yu Jin sat opposite each other. The news that Li Shizhe had arrived in Pingcheng with an imperial edict and urged Li Chong to go to battle as soon as possible had already spread in the army.
Yu Jin came to Su Ze and said straight to the point:
"Brother Su, the general may be shaken. If he cooperates with the Rurou King, I am afraid of you?"
Yu Jin naturally knew about the grudge between Anagui and Su Ze. Once Anagui came to power, Su Ze's position would become delicate. For the sake of his friend, Yu Jin came to remind Su Ze in advance.
As Yu Jin became more mature in politics, he looked at Su Ze and said, "Brother Su, in fact, it is the best choice to cooperate with the Rouran King. Why is my mentor always unwilling to do so?"
Yu Jin looked at Su Ze. Su Ze's political wisdom was much higher than his own. Could it be that Su Ze could not see the current predicament before going on the expedition?
Given Su Ze's character of acting after careful consideration, he could have stayed in Luoyang and not participated in the expedition. Even if the Rouran King returned to the grassland, it was impossible for him to rush to Luoyang and ask the court to hand over Su Ze, right?
Why did Su Ze follow Li Chong into battle, and why did Li Chong insist on fighting a battle with the Rouran people despite the pressure from the court?
Yu Jin couldn't understand why Li Chong and Su Ze both chose to do something that was thankless.
Su Ze put down the tea bowl and said, "Brother Yu, the general gambled his lifelong reputation and insisted on coming to the northern border, not for his personal achievements, but to prolong the life of the court."
Extend your life?
Yu Jin didn't understand even more.
Su Ze said, "Brother Yu was born in Luoyang, you don't know the situation in the northern border. If we don't fight this war and make peace with the Rouran people directly, the Six Garrisons will immediately start a riot."
Yu Jin caught something, and he asked, "The Yulin Rebellion?"
Su Ze shook his head and said, "No, this is a more tragic and terrifying upheaval than the Yulin Rebellion. This upheaval can engulf the entire Wei Dynasty."
Yu Jin still felt that Su Ze was exaggerating.
Although the Yulin Rebellion resulted in the death of a prime minister and a secretary, the rebellion was finally calmed down.
According to the news brought by Zhang Shizhe, the Mahayana rebellion in Jizhou was easily put down.
Over the years, the Bodhisattva Xiao in the south has become more and more devoted to Buddhism, and the fighting on the southern front has become much less frequent.
In the eyes of Yu Jin and other young men from Luoyang, there might be problems in the court, but it is still a long way from the collapse of the whole country, right?
Su Ze did not continue to explain. Some things could not be understood unless one saw them with one's own eyes.
Su Ze stood up and looked out the window at the sandstorm rising in the north of Pingcheng.
When the Northern Wei Dynasty was founded, Hengzhou was full of pastures with lush grass and water, but now a large amount of land has become desertified.
The situation in the six towns further north than Hengzhou is definitely worse. The increased population and livestock will further damage the environment, and the environmental damage will further increase the survival pressure of the six towns, bringing even more devastating damage.
Su Zeming knew that the Rebellion of the Six Prefectures was inevitable. He could have continued to draw cards in Luoyang to accumulate strength, but he still chose to follow Li Chong into the war.
At this time, perhaps only Su Ze could understand Li Chong's thoughts. Facing this increasingly decadent world, there has to be someone who steps forward to give a hand, right?
(End of this chapter)