Chapter 65 — The Medicine Bearer Through the Chaos

Warehouse Locked Door

Although Ve Khai Trach's order forced Chu Dac Hoanh to export more medicine, the atmosphere between the military medical station and the grain warehouse from then on became clearly tense. Every time Tinh Yen or Dinh Ba Kham stopped by to ask for more supplies, they were greeted with polite but cold words, and countless reasons for delay were given so skillfully that it was difficult to refute.

Six days after arriving at Nghinh Phong, the number of fever cases in the refugee camp began to level off thanks to timely isolation and rehydration measures, but a new problem arose - the number of wounded soldiers from small skirmishes along the northern defense line increased, leading to a demand for hemostatic drugs, antiseptics, and especially precious medicinal herbs used in complex surgeries.

"We only have enough disinfectant left for three more days." Nhuoc Lan reported at the medical team's early morning meeting, her voice undisguisedly worried. "Without more, I fear the rate of post-operative infections will skyrocket."

Tinh Yen nodded and decided that this time she would personally go with Dinh Ba Kham to the grain warehouse, not to ask, but to check with her own eyes the actual reserve situation. This was something she had the right to do as the health director of the entire area, even though she knew it would make Chu Dac Hoanh uncomfortable.

"Doctor, checking the treasure is not under the jurisdiction of the military hospital." Chu Dac Hoanh said as soon as he saw her appear with Dinh Ba Kham, his voice was still warm but much stiffer than when they first met. "If you need additional supplies, please follow the same clerical procedures as before."

"I'm not here to argue about procedures, Lord Chu." Tinh Yen replied, her voice calm but determined. "I just want to understand the reality of the remaining medicine, so that I can plan the most appropriate use in case the city is under a prolonged siege. This is your responsibility towards the lives you are responsible for caring for."

Dinh Ba Kham stepped up, his voice carrying the authority of a deputy general. "Master Zhou, this is a direct order from Lord Tran Bac Hau, requesting full coordination with the military medical team in assessing the material situation. I believe you do not want to show any signs of non-cooperation at such a sensitive time as the present."

That sentence made Chu Dac Hoanh pause for a moment, the smile on his lips briefly stiffened before being quickly regained. "Okay, if that is Lord Tran Bac Hau's order." He said, his voice reluctant. "But I must say first, a complete inventory of the treasure will take quite a long time, and some special reserve areas need to be kept secret for military security reasons."

"We just need to look at the civilian food and medicine storage areas, without touching weapons or other sensitive areas." Tinh Yen said, maintaining his stance.

Chu Dac Hoanh reluctantly led the two people through the rows of warehouses, opening each door slowly and deliberately, as if trying to buy time. Much of what Tinh Yen saw matched what had been reported—bags of rice lined up in long rows, boxes of medicine carefully labeled, all appeared reasonable and orderly.

But when the group arrived in front of a row of warehouses located in the most hidden corner, close to the western citadel wall, Chu Dac Hoanh suddenly stopped, his voice somewhat hurried. "This area contains special military supplies, which are not within the scope of today's inspection."

"I just need to take a look and don't touch anything." Tinh Yen said, her eyes stopped at the large iron lock on the thick wooden door, a detail that caught her attention - that lock looked much newer than the rusty locks in other warehouse rows, as if it had been recently replaced.

"I'm afraid that's impossible, Doctor Do." Chu Dac Hoanh replied, this time his voice clearly revealed the tension behind his stubborn politeness. "The key to this area is kept securely by only me and an assistant, in accordance with the security regulations of the Ministry of Health issued specifically for important warehouses along the border."

The two words "Ho Bo" rang out again, and this time, Tinh Yen couldn't help but pay attention to it. She glanced at Dinh Ba Kham and saw that his eyes were also furrowed with suspicion.

"Do Ho Ministry's regulations apply specifically to a row of warehouses in a small town like Nghinh Phong?" Dinh Ba Kham asked, his voice straightforward, not hiding his skepticism. "I have served under Tran Bac Hau for more than fifteen years, and have never heard of such regulations."

"I'm just doing as I'm told, deputy general." Chu Dac Hoanh replied, his voice began to tremble slightly even though he tried to hide it. "If you have any questions, please send a letter directly to the Ministry of Health for clarification. That is not the authority of a small Governor like me to decide."

The atmosphere between the three of them became so tense that it was almost tangible. Tinh Yen looked straight at the new lock, then looked at Chu Dac Hoanh, clearly feeling that he was trying his best to stay calm in the face of pressure coming from both sides.

"Alright." Tinh Yen said in the end, deciding not to push things too far right now, when there is no specific evidence in hand. "I will not force you to open this warehouse today. But I hope you understand that every day that passes when wounded soldiers and civilians lack medicine, every day more lives are needlessly threatened."

Leaving the food storage area, Dinh Ba Kham clenched his fists, his voice gritted through his teeth. "I will report this matter directly to Lord Tran Bac Hau tonight. The brand new lock in the middle of a row of old warehouses, along with the excuse of 'Household Ministry regulations' doesn't sound right - I served the military long enough to recognize when a person is lying to hide something."

"I have the same feeling." Tinh Yen said, her voice thoughtful. "But we need to be cautious. If that gentleman is truly connected to a major power in the court, acting hastily without solid evidence could put us in danger, or worse, cause him to promptly destroy all traces before being discovered."

That night, when Tinh Yen returned to the military medical station, she told the whole incident to Nhuoc Lan and Ngan Ba Thuyen, both of whom listened with increasingly serious expressions.

"If there is indeed a hidden stash of drugs, this could be an important piece of the puzzle that connects everything." Ngan Ba Thuyen said, his voice was low, his eyes were distant as if recalling something from the past. "I once heard that twenty years ago, there was a similar incident involving relief food, leading to a major epidemic in a remote coastal area. At that time, I was too young to fully understand everything. I only remembered vague rumors in the Royal Hospital, that someone had to pay a very high price for daring to speak up."

That sentence made Tinh Yen speechless. She did not ask further, because she knew that Ngan Ba Thuyen was only holding fragmentary pieces of memory, not enough to form a complete picture. But in her heart, the connection between the past and the present, between Lach Dua and Nghinh Phong, between Lieu Nguyen and Chu Dac Hoanh, seems to be becoming clearer and clearer, waiting for a decisive moment to fully reveal itself to the light.

Thanh Phong stopped by the military medical station immediately afterward, still wearing his dusty battle armor, only taking advantage of the short time between two patrols to ask about the situation. Listening to Tinh Yen tell the story of the new lock on the west corner warehouse, he was silent for a long time, his face gloomy.

"I will have my people keep an eye on that area, quietly, without letting Lord Chu know." He said, his voice was small but firm. "If there is indeed something wrong, we need solid evidence, not just empty suspicions. My father has suffered enough injustice from unfounded accusations, I don't want to repeat that mistake with someone else, no matter how suspicious that person is."

"I understand." Tinh Yen replied, slightly nodding. "But time is running out, as you can see, the epidemic outside the refugee camp has just calmed down, and casualties on the battlefield are increasing day by day. If there really is a hidden medicine warehouse right in this city, every day it is delayed in finding it, every day more people will die unjustly."

Thanh Phong held her hand for a moment, his eyes filled with understanding and worry. "I know. I will try my best. But you also have to promise me, don't confront Lord Chu directly again without me or Deputy General Dinh by your side. I don't like the way he looked at you this afternoon, when Deputy General Dinh told me about it."

Tinh Yen smiled slightly at that worry, although in her heart she also silently agreed with that warning. "I promise." She said. "But you also have to promise me, don't let yourself get hurt again because you're trying to prove you don't need to rest."

He just smiled slightly, did not answer directly, then quickly left when a call came from far away, his figure gradually disappeared behind the afternoon mist covering Nghinh Phong citadel.

In the distance, the alarm gongs and drums sounded again, this time more urgently and continuously than every night before - a sign that Bac Dich was preparing for something bigger than the reconnaissance and exploration that had been going on for the past few days.