Chapter 87 — The Medicine Bearer Through the Chaos

Epidemic Amidst the Siege

Despite all the hastily implemented preventive measures, just five days after the discovery of the first contaminated well, the epidemic still broke out more fiercely than Tinh Yen's worst prediction. Not only stopping at the South Gate camp, new cases began to appear scattered in many other areas of the city - it turned out that some families from the first camp, in a panic to find a better place to live, silently moved to other areas before the quarantine order was issued, carrying the disease with them without knowing it.

Within three days, the number of cases recorded throughout the city exceeded two hundred people, most of them young children and the elderly - those with the weakest resistance amid the poor living conditions of a besieged citadel. Ambulance stations, originally built to receive battle casualties, now have to bear the burden of an epidemic that is spreading as quickly as a fire caught in the wind.

"This is exactly what I fear most." Kinh Ba Van said, his face was haggard after many sleepless nights, standing in front of a city map that was now filled with red dots marking areas with cases. "A prolonged siege, combined with an outbreak of disease from within — this is the worst scenario that anyone commanding the defense must be wary of."

Linh Ho Ba Tuyen, who had previously dismissed Tinh Yen's warnings, could no longer maintain his initial skeptical attitude. He personally went to the central ambulance station, his face showing the confusion of a person who had just witnessed the entire theoretical system he had trusted all his life become helpless before an epidemic spreading rapidly out of control.

"The institute's formal method handles each individual case very well." He admitted, his voice somewhat bitter. "But in the face of a widespread epidemic like this, with an overwhelming number of patients and increasingly depleted medical supplies due to the siege, I have to admit, what you learned in a remote fishing village now appears to be much more practical and effective than what I was taught in books."

"We don't have time to debate which method is more correct, my lord." Tinh Yen replied, unable to hide the fatigue in her voice but still maintaining the necessary determination. "The most important thing right now is to combine everything we have — folk experience, mainstream medicine, all the remaining resources — to save as many people as possible."

From that day, Linh Ho Ba Tuyen no longer objected, but actively coordinated with Tinh Yen, bringing with her all her in-depth knowledge of medicinal properties and precise dosage to supplement the folk methods she proposed. Together, they developed a combined treatment regimen - using roasted rice water and young guava leaves to quickly stop diarrhea as soon as the first symptoms were detected the way Mrs. Khue once taught, combined with more complex heat-clearing and detoxifying remedies meticulously recorded in Lieu Nguyen's Bach Thao Chan Sutra for more severe cases.

Tinh Yen reorganized the entire treatment system according to the model she applied in Nghinh Phong, but on a much larger scale - dividing into separate isolation areas according to severity, quickly training dozens of volunteers from the public on how to recognize symptoms early, and how to prepare simple electrolyte rehydration water from salt and cane sugar left over in the citadel's reserve.

"Water should always be boiled before consumption, no exceptions." She repeated this over and over to each new group of volunteers, her voice patient even though she had repeated this sentence dozens of times a day. "If you see anyone with high fever and continuous diarrhea, immediately isolate and report immediately. Don't wait until the illness gets worse to go to the ambulance station."

Little Tep, even though he was still young, insisted on being given a helping hand and was assigned the lightest task - bringing boiled and cooled water to each patient tent, under the close supervision of Nhuoc Lan to avoid the risk of infection. Looking at the busy but proud appearance of the child weaving between the rows of tents, Tinh Yen could not help but remember herself when she was fifteen years old, also running back and forth to help Mrs. Khue during the July epidemic last year.

In the midst of those frantic days, there was a case that Tinh Yen never forgot - an old woman living alone in the South Gate camp, with no relatives nearby, was discovered by neighbors curled up in her tent from exhaustion and severe dehydration. When she was taken to the ambulance station, the old woman was almost in a coma, her pulse was so weak that Nhuoc Lan had to lean close to her ear to hear clearly.

"The old lady has no relatives left." Nhuoc Lan spoke softly, while the two of them together administered electrolyte replacement water to the patient. "My husband and children were all lost in previous attacks, now I'm alone."

Tinh Yen looked at the old woman's wrinkled, haggard face, an image strongly reminiscent of Mrs. Khue in the last days of the July epidemic, making her even more determined not to let this woman give up. She stayed by the hospital bed for nearly an hour, performing acupuncture and adjusting the medicine little by little, not leaving even though there were many other cases waiting.

Towards morning, the old woman gradually woke up, her blurry eyes blinked and looked around before stopping at Tinh Yen's face leaning close next to her. "Who are you?" She asked, her voice a weak whisper.

"I'm a doctor, I'm here to take care of you." Tinh Yen replied, holding the old woman's thin hand. "You have passed the most dangerous stage, now you just need to rest and drink enough water according to instructions."

The old woman smiled weakly, tears rolling down her wrinkled face. "I thought I would die alone, with no one by my side." She said. "Thank you, for not letting me leave like that."

That moment, even though it was just one of hundreds of cases that Tinh Yen had handled over the past few days, was deeply engraved in her heart in a special way, as a reminder that behind the dry statistics about the epidemic, each patient was a person with their own pain and fears, deserving to be treated with all the devotion she can give, regardless of whether they had relatives or were completely alone in the midst of this chaos.

The next morning, Tinh Yen summoned the entire team of young volunteers and physicians and decided to change the way they organized their work so that no one had to work continuously for too long without a break, avoiding exhaustion that could lead to fatal errors or the healer himself falling ill. She divided everyone into three rotating shifts, ensuring there was always someone alert on duty while everyone else was well-rested.

"I learned this lesson in the most painful way." She told the whole team, her voice lowered as she remembered Ms. Khue's death from exhaustion last year. "An exhausted physician cannot save anyone, and can even make more dangerous mistakes than having no one to treat him. Taking care of yourself is also part of the responsibility of the medical profession, not a selfish thing."

On the seventh night since the outbreak, while Tinh Yen was examining a series of newly hospitalized patients, an officer from the defense command post rushed in, bringing news that made her heart sink - the Bac Dich army, perhaps having sensed the weakening situation inside the citadel through reconnaissance, was preparing for a new major attack, expected to take place in the next few days, right when the epidemic was at its most intense stage.

"They know." Kinh Ba Van said, his voice heavy, when the news was transmitted to the emergency meeting room in the middle of the night. "Somehow, Great Khan Chai Phong knows exactly when my city is at its weakest, and he will not miss this opportunity."

Tinh Yen clenched her hands, clearly feeling a terrible pressure weighing on her shoulders - not only did she have to treat hundreds of patients fighting for their lives every day, but she also had to prepare for the possibility that a new wave of battle casualties would strike at any time, while the city's medical resources were almost exhausted.

"We will not fall." She spoke, her voice determined even though her body was exhausted after many days of almost no sleep. "No matter when they attack, we will still be here, ready to treat anyone who needs it, whether it is wounded soldiers or disease patients. That is the only thing we can control right now."

Those words, although simple, seemed to give a little more strength to everyone present in the room, each person returned to their position with a new determination, preparing to face the worst that lay ahead - a night when both the enemy's sword and the invisible epidemic could simultaneously strike this exhausted capital.