Chapter 68 — The Medicine Bearer Through the Chaos

Between Two Bullets

Early the next morning, as promised, Ve Khai Trach summoned a team of soldiers and personally led them to the grain warehouse in the name of inventorying emergency supplies. Tinh Yen and Dinh Ba Kham followed, both nervous and worried, not knowing whether the suspicious wooden box was still in place or had been dispersed during the night.

Chu Dac Hoanh welcomed the group with a surprised expression that was clumsily hidden behind the calmness he tried to maintain. "Lord Tran Bac Hau, is this... a sudden inventory?" He asked, his voice somewhat broken.

"The war situation requires us to have an accurate grasp of all the resources at hand, Lord Chu." Ve Khai Trach replied, his voice stern and uncompromising. "I believe your Excellency will cooperate fully, in accordance with the spirit of national service that we both carry on our shoulders."

The group headed straight to the auxiliary warehouse near the western wall, where Ton Ba Nghi discovered a suspicious wooden barrel. When the door was opened, Tinh Yen held her breath and waited, and in that moment, she clearly saw Chu Dac Hoanh's eyes flash with strange relief - a small sign but enough for her to understand, perhaps what they were looking for was no longer there.

That's right. The pile of torn mats was still intact, but behind it there were only a few insignificant miscellaneous items left - no wooden crates bearing the Thai Y Vien seal as Ton Ba Nghi had seen with his own eyes two days ago.

"It seems you guys wasted my precious time on a useless examination." Chu Dac Hoanh said, his voice had regained confidence, although it was still a bit awkward. "This warehouse only contains old items that are no longer of use. We can let someone confirm that at any time."

Dinh Ba Kham clenched his fists, his eyes were full of anger but could not refute the obvious truth that was unfolding before his eyes. Tinh Yen also felt a heavy sense of disappointment rising, but she still tried to remain calm, her eyes quietly scanning the entire warehouse, looking for any traces that might be left.

And she found it — a faint streak of dust on the ground, shaped like a large rectangle, distinctly different from the even layer of dust surrounding it, a trace left from a heavy object that had been moved recently, perhaps just a few hours ago.

She didn't say anything at that moment, just quietly memorized that position, then turned to Ve Khai Trach, her eyes exchanging an implicit signal that they both understood. Ve Khai Trach nodded slightly, signaling the group to continue inventorying other areas as if nothing unusual had happened, but as soon as he left the sub-depot, he immediately ordered a group of soldiers to silently monitor all movements around Chu Dac Hoanh's housing area.

In the afternoon, when everything calmed down, Ve Khai Trach called Tinh Yen and Dinh Ba Kham to a private corner of the headquarters, his voice filled with concern.

"I have no doubt that someone informed Lord Chu before we arrived." he said. "That means, he is not acting alone, and it is possible that, even within our ranks, there are people who are secretly serving his interests or those of the people behind him."

Those words made the atmosphere in the room become heavier than ever. Tinh Yen feels a new insecurity creep into her heart — not only is it still a fight against an anonymous corrupt person, but now, even the people around her may not be as completely trustworthy as she once thought.

"So what should we do next, sir?" Dinh Ba Kham asked, his voice tense.

"We continue to be cautious, but we don't stop." Ve Khai Trach replied, his eyes determined. "I will write a secret letter to the capital, reporting directly to Truong Princess Nhuoc Tran about what has been discovered here, without going through any official channels that could leak information. At the same time, I will also increase supervision of all of Lord Chu's activities, waiting for the moment he makes the next mistake."

As soon as the conversation ended, a guard rushed in, his face pale with panic. "Sir! The reconnaissance team just returned to report that the Bac Dich army is gathering a large force about half a day's journey from the citadel, estimated at no less than twenty thousand troops, heading straight towards Nghinh Phong!"

The whole room fell into heavy silence for a moment. Twenty thousand troops - that number far exceeds all previous estimates of the scale of the upcoming attack, enough to completely engulf Nghinh Phong citadel's existing fragile defense force without careful preparation and timely reinforcements.

"How is the southern supply route?" Ve Khai Trach asked immediately, his voice completely changing to the state of a general facing a life and death battle.

"It's still open, but according to the latest reports, there are signs that another group of North Dich troops is moving to encircle this road within the next day or two." The guard replied, his voice trembling.

Ve Khai Trach closed his eyes for a brief moment, as if trying to concentrate all his will and decades of combat experience to make the best decision. "Give orders, mobilize all remaining forces to reinforce the defense line. Have someone immediately notify Major General Thanh and other generals, gather at the command post within half an hour to discuss the defense plan."

When everyone dispersed to prepare for a new emergency situation, Tinh Yen stood still for a moment, looking at the figure of Ve Khai Trach striding away, carrying on his shoulders the heavy responsibility of an entire citadel and tens of thousands of lives. She turned to Dinh Ba Kham, her voice serious.

"We need to prepare now for the worst case scenario." She said. "If the last supply route is cut off, the military medical station must have a plan to stockpile and use medicine as economically as possible, and prepare a plan to evacuate civilians if the situation deteriorates rapidly."

"I will assist as best I can." Dinh Ba Kham replied, nodding decisively. "But Doctor Du, I also want you to understand clearly, if the truly worst situation occurs, the military's first priority will be to protect the retreat route for civilians, even if that means heavy losses for the defense forces."

Tinh Yen nodded, her heart heavy at that prospect, but she also understood clearly that this was the inevitable logic of war - sometimes, to save more people, some people had to accept sacrifice first. She only hoped that among those who had to face that sacrifice, there would not be Thanh Phong, nor anyone she had loved and been attached to throughout the long journey.

She returned to the military medical station immediately afterward, gathering the entire medical team to disseminate the new situation. Nhuoc Lan and Ngan Ba Thuyen listened in silence, both of their faces showing tension at the number of twenty thousand troops just mentioned.

"We need to immediately create a list to classify patients according to transportation priority." Tinh Yen spoke with the decisive voice of someone who is used to facing crises. "Those who can walk on their own are placed separately, and those who need stretchers are placed separately, so that when the evacuation order is issued, we don't waste time wondering."

"What about baby Tep and the children recovering in the quarantine area?" Nhuoc Lan asked, her eyes worried.

"First priority, always the children." Tinh Yen replied without hesitation. "I will personally arrange a separate team to take you out of the city at the first sign of an evacuation order, not waiting until the last minute."

Ngan Ba Thuyen nodded in agreement, then spoke, his voice deepened because of his age and what he had experienced. "I've lived through many wars in my life, Doctor Do. What I've learned is to prepare as thoroughly as possible while there's still time, so that when chaos really strikes, we can still maintain the little bit of order needed to save as many people as possible."

The entire medical team immediately got to work, working until late at night to complete the classification list, inventory all remaining supplies, and prepare compact emergency medicine bags that could be carried quickly in case of urgent travel. Amid the clicking sounds of medical equipment being rearranged, amid the flickering oil lamplight illuminating the tired but determined faces, a quiet but persistent spirit of solidarity gradually formed, as if everyone clearly understood that what they prepared tonight could determine how many lives would be saved in the coming days.

That night, when the last sunset faded behind the western mountains, the whole city of Nghinh Phong was immersed in an unusually tense silence - not peace, but a breathless silence before the biggest storm that was about to strike, a storm that everyone, from the battle-hardened old general to the young medicine man, felt was approaching every moment.