Chapter 26 — The Medicine Bearer Through the Chaos

Not Enough Lights at Night

Three days after the first attack, Truy Phong brought the entire army to close to Long Mon pass, setting up camp across the entire northern steppe area, black flags embroidered with images of snow wolves fluttering in the cold wind as an undisguised warning. The biggest battle since Tinh Yen arrived at this barracks broke out on a dense foggy morning, when the North Dich army swept across the abandoned field in front of the city like a black flood with no end in sight.

The number of wounded soldiers pouring into the military hospital that day far exceeded anything Tinh Yen had ever imagined - at times, the line of stretchers lined up all the way to the barracks gate, the moans mixed together into a deep, endless sound, like the sound of wind whistling through a ravine on the night of a big storm. The oil lamps in the surgical area were not enough to light every corner. The doctors had to take turns holding torches to illuminate each other between emergency surgeries. The flickering firelight made each needle and thread more difficult.

"The lamp oil is about to run out!" A soldier hurriedly ran in to report, his voice panicked. "The stockpile will only last until midnight if we don't save."

Ky Ba Nghiem gritted his teeth and ordered all remaining lights to be used in the main surgical area, leaving the other areas to work almost in the dark, relying only on moonlight and the few remaining small candles. Tinh Yen, assigned to be in charge of a corner of the temporary treatment area, had to work more by feeling with her hands than with her eyes, relying on the years of practicing acupuncture in the dark that her master once made her practice to train the sensitivity of her fingertips.

"Miss, my leg... I can't feel anything in my leg anymore." A young soldier lay on a stretcher, his voice shaking in the dim darkness.

Tinh Yen quickly palpated and realized that the wound was caused by a deep cut across the calf that had severed part of the tendon. The blood flowed slowly but continuously, causing the whole foot to begin to feel numb and cold due to lack of blood supply. She didn't have enough light to stitch the tendon as precisely as she wanted, but if she waited her turn in the main surgery area, it might be too late.

"Nhuoc Lan, hold the candle here for me. The closer you get, the better!" She shouted loudly, her hands quickly preparing sewing tools.

Nhuoc Lan rushed forward immediately, holding the candle trembling as the wind blew through the tent, the weak light shining on the wound. Tinh Yen held her breath, using her fingers, familiar with acupuncture in the dark, to search for the broken tendon, sewing each line meticulously under the flickering light. Each needle had to be accurately calculated even though the eyes could barely see clearly.

"Done." She breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from her forehead. Even though it was cold, the back of her shirt was soaked. "Stop the bleeding, bandage carefully, let me rest, check again tomorrow morning."

The young soldier held her hand, thanking her in a choked voice, and Tinh Yen could only nod before having to rush to the next case waiting in the dark.

Vu Khac Tuan, in charge of the next area, accidentally witnessed the whole scene when he stopped by to borrow more tools. He stood still for a moment, looking at the way Tinh Yen handled a difficult case in almost no light, something he himself wasn't sure he could do.

"Where did you learn acupuncture in the dark?" He asked, his voice lacking any familiar sarcasm.

"My master forced me to practice like this every night, for many months, saying that a good physician must trust his hands more than his eyes, because the battlefield does not always have enough light to see." Tinh Yen replied, constantly preparing for the next shift.

Vu Khac Tuan was silent for a moment, then without saying anything more, returned to his position. But from that night, Tinh Yen noticed that he no longer threw sarcastic words at her, instead there was a respectful silence, sometimes even proactively asking her opinion on difficult cases that he was not sure how to handle.

Near midnight, a more serious incident occurred — a group of wounded soldiers had just been carried home, including a high-ranking captain who was seriously injured in the head, bleeding continuously, and who had begun to faint from excessive blood loss. The main surgery area is overloaded with dozens of other cases and cannot be processed immediately.

"Someone, bring him here!" Tinh Yen shouted loudly when she saw the dangerous situation, even though she knew clearly that this was a case that exceeded the allowable limits of a probationary physician.

She quickly checked and realized that the head wound was not too deep, but had damaged a small blood vessel under the scalp. The blood flowed continuously, causing the patient to lose strength quickly, although the wound itself was not directly life-threatening if the bleeding was stopped promptly. She remembered a technique her master once taught - using sutures to tie tightly around damaged blood vessels, combined with pressing the Bach Hoi acupuncture point to reduce blood flow to the head while waiting for thorough treatment.

"Nhuoc Lan, hold his head steady, don't let it move!" She ordered, her hands began to operate, even though her heart was pounding because she knew she was doing something beyond her assigned authority.

At that moment, Ky Ba Nghiem suddenly appeared, temporarily leaving the main surgery area to check the situation in other areas. He stood still when he saw Tinh Yen handling the case beyond his authority, and for a moment, Tinh Yen prepared himself to receive a severe reprimand.

But he didn't say anything, just walked closer, carefully observing her actions in silence. When he saw that the blood flow had been controlled and the patient's breathing gradually stabilized, he spoke up in a low voice.

"Where did you learn this technique? I have never taught you how to press the Bach Hoi acupoint and suture the blood vessels of the scalp like that."

"From the Hundred Herbs Chan Sutra, Captain." Tinh Yen replied, not raising her head, still focusing on completing the last bandage. "My master recorded a similar case that someone saw many years ago."

Ky Ba Nghiem nodded slowly, his eyes looking at her this time had a completely different tone - no longer the groping scrutiny of the first meeting, but a trust that was gradually forming, even though he had not yet said it out loud.

"From now on, in urgent situations like this, if no one else is capable of handling it promptly, you are allowed to make your own decisions." He said, then turned away immediately to return to the main surgery area, without waiting for her to respond.

That night seemed to last forever, only ending when the gray dawn began to peek through the thick fog left behind from the battle. Dong Lam's army was able to maintain its defense line, even at the cost of the largest number of casualties since the beginning of the campaign. Tinh Yen sat down on the steps of the treatment area, her hands still shaking from exhaustion, looking around at the equally listless faces of her colleagues - Nhuoc Lan leaned her head on the shoulder of another medical student who had fallen asleep, Vu Khac Tuan sat quietly in a corner, his distant eyes looking towards the dawning horizon.

No one said anything to anyone in that moment. They just sat there, amidst the smell of blood and antiseptic lingering in the air, sharing a silence that only those who had spent such a long night together could fully understand.

A moment later, Nhuoc Lan woke up, rubbed her eyes, looked around and laughed softly, her voice hoarse from shouting too much during the night. "You know, in my dream just now, I dreamed that I was arguing with Lieutenant Ky about asking for more lamp oil. Maybe I was working too hard."

"We're all overworked." Vu Khac Tuan spoke up, his voice still tired but less cold than usual. He looked towards Tinh Yen and hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Last night, the way you handled the head bleed... I don't think I could have done the same if I were in that position. Before, I thought you only relied on tokens to gain favor, but now I realize I was wrong."

Tinh Yen looked at him, unable to hide her surprise at that rare admission. "I don't need you to say that. We're both trying our best for the same goal, aren't we?"

"That's right." Tuan nodded, slightly curling his lips and smiling, a tired but sincere smile for the first time he gave her. "Maybe from now on I should call you junior sister, instead of maintaining the meaningless rivalry like before."

All three people laughed lightly, a rare laugh amid the ruins of a long and bloody night, like a small breeze blowing through the smoldering ashes. In the distance, the bell signaling the shift change rang out, reminding that no matter how harsh last night was, a new day is still beginning, bringing with it unfinished work and wounded soldiers who still need continued care.

Tinh Yen stood up, brushed the dust off her shirt, and looked toward the horizon where the sunlight was gradually tearing through the remaining gray fog. She knew that the battle with Truy Phong was far from over, but at least tonight she learned that she can not only stand firm in the midst of challenges, but can also make those who doubted her change their perspective.