After Breaking the Marriage Contract, I Became the Strongest State-Stabilizing Duke! - Chapter 29:

Chapter 29: Uninvited Guests

In Anping County, a well-organized camp for the wounded had been set up.

Mu Zian selected a dozen barefoot doctors from the civilians and formed a medical department. The strong liquor brought from the capital finally found its use. Every bandage for the wounded was first boiled in hot water. All wounds had to be disinfected with strong liquor.

There was only one reason for all this—sterilization.

In ancient warfare, actual deaths in battle made up only a tenth or so of total casualties. Deaths in the wounded camps, however, accounted for up to eighty percent. The reason for this high casualty rate was largely due to the terrible conditions in ancient field hospitals, where brutal methods like amputating limbs were common. Whether one survived often depended on fate.

However, the wounded camp in Anping County was not only well-organized but also had excellent ventilation. Along the roads, one could see many women in white robes diligently applying medicine and changing bandages for the wounded.

The wounded men’s faces showed not despair but rather a renewed vigor.

Anyone who saw this would marvel at the lively, thriving scene.

Just then, a scream comparable to a pig being slaughtered echoed through the camp. Yet neither the wounded nor the nurses paid it any mind.

Inside a large tent in the wounded camp, several doctors were gathered, carefully observing and taking notes. At the center, a burly man lay face-down on a bed, naked and tied up.

The screaming came from his mouth.

Beside him, Mu Zian, with a needle in one hand and thread in the other, was skillfully stitching his wounds.

Jia Xu couldn’t help but cover his eyes at the sight.

Truthfully, for people of this era, the scene before them was shocking. Who could have imagined that human skin could be stitched up like clothing?

After a quarter of an hour, even this iron-willed man finally fainted from the pain.

Mu Zian, having finished, tied a neat butterfly knot with the thread and let out a long breath.

“Did you all see clearly and learn the method?” he asked.

The doctors quickly closed their notebooks and bowed. “Thank you, State-Stabilizing Duke, for your teaching. To be granted such a miraculous technique is a rebirth for us!”

Mu Zian replied calmly, “Medicine is not my specialty. I have merely shown you the basics. The future treatment of the wounded depends on your own diligence. Remember, anything used on the wounded must first be sterilized. Understand?”

The doctors nodded repeatedly and left the tent, carrying the unconscious man with them.

Jia Xu stepped forward. “I did not expect Young Master to be skilled in medicine as well.”

Mu Zian waved his hand with a smile. “I’ve merely heard a little about it.”

In truth, Mu Zian’s knowledge of suturing was rudimentary at best. But faced with so many severely wounded soldiers, he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

He had no choice but to try. Luckily, these soldiers were robust and resilient. Many survived even with simple stitching.

Rather than becoming infamous as a “human skin tailor,” Mu Zian’s reputation within the army soared to new heights. After all, saving lives that would have been certain death was no small matter for men who lived by the sword.

The surprises Mu Zian brought were endless.

For Jia Xu, this was the kind of lord he had always dreamed of assisting.

As the two were chatting, a scout hurried over. “Reporting to the State-Stabilizing Duke! A group of nobles has arrived outside Anping County. They claim the fields belong to them and are driving away the peasants working there.”

Mu Zian’s smile instantly disappeared, replaced by a chilling gloom.

“Good, good. They abandoned the city and now have the nerve to return! Jia Xu, come with me to meet them.”

“As you command.”

“Prepare the horses!”

Soon, Mu Zian and Jia Xu rode out to the fields.

The once-peaceful farmland was in chaos. About thirty men in grey robes wielded sticks, driving away the peasants.

“Get out, you rabble! Do you know whose land this is?”

“You dare farm Lord Wang’s land? Are you tired of living?”

One crooked servant beat a white-haired old man with his cudgel.

The old man collapsed to the ground, curling up and shielding his head, but refused to leave.

“This land was granted to me by the State-Stabilizing Duke! I’m not leaving!”

The thug sneered. “State-Stabilizing Duke? In Anping County, there’s only our Lord Wang. Even if the Emperor himself came, what could he do?”

“You blind peasant! I’ll show you why the flowers are red!”

The thug lifted his stick to strike the old man’s head.

The surrounding peasants gasped and covered their eyes.

At that moment, the sharp sound of an arrow cutting through the air rang out.

In the blink of an eye, an arrow pierced the thug’s chest, launching his body dozens of meters away, pinning it to a dead tree.

The other thugs froze in shock.

The peasants looked toward the sound. On horseback stood Mu Zian, proud and commanding, the bowstring in his hand still humming.

“The State-Stabilizing Duke! It’s the State-Stabilizing Duke!”

The peasants cheered wildly.

Just then, an ornate carriage stopped near the fields. An old man in a blue official robe, with a quail embroidered on his chest, stepped down.

Seeing his servant shot dead, the old man immediately shouted at Mu Zian, “In broad daylight, you dare kill a man! Do you think you can ignore the laws of the Great Li Empire?”

Mu Zian, still on horseback, looked down at him. “You’re the owner of these fields?”

The old man proudly stroked his goat beard. “Of course. I am Wang Yin, Assistant Magistrate of Anping County. All the fields for a hundred li around belong to me. And who are you to dare divide my lands and kill my servant? If you don’t give me an explanation, I’ll report you to the prefect!”

Mu Zian laughed coldly, and at that moment, the system’s voice rang in his mind.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for triggering a choice!]

[Choice 1: Return the land according to the law. Reward: 100 jin of high-grade iron ingots.]

[Choice 2: Defend the interests of the people and refuse to return the land. Reward: Tenfold increase in jumping ability.]

[Please make your choice!]