In the corridors of the Empire’s First Hospital, piled with patients, moans can be heard everywhere. Lightly wounded patients can only lie on mats in the corridor, and even though it is already mid-January, the cold temperatures cause the breaths of the wounded in the corridor to be visible as white mist.
Yet this place is still crowded with people, everywhere there are people. So have broken arms, so have had their thighs sawed off, in short... there are wounded and sick elderly, won and children everywhere.
After all, this is a hospital, not a military field hospital, so it does not solely accept injured soldiers. So elderly lie in hospital beds while a pitiful Qin Country soldier who has been shot lies on a mat nearby.
There is no choice; dical assistance is far too scarce, especially in tis of war. However, the Tang Army seems uninterested in bombing the Empire’s hospitals.
Thus, the Qin Country military forcibly transports the wounded to these hospitals and orders the doctors here to treat these injured People of Qin.
But there are only so many dical staff, and after treating the Qin Country’s wounded, there’s no ti left to care for the Empire’s patients. Therefore, the Empire’s native residents in the hospital are becoming increasingly resentful towards the People of Qin.
"Boom!" In the distance, another artillery shell fell, sending up another plu of black smoke in the city.
In the office of the hospital, several doctors are explaining to the Qin Country officer that their hospital has reached its limit.
"We can no longer accommodate any patients, not even one!" The leading doctor said helplessly, spreading his hands: "We are almost out of dicine, and there are no beds available."
They had previously discussed privately whether to treat Qin Country’s wounded, and later, due to pressure from Qin Country and the principle of healing, they agreed to take in over a thousand wounded from Qin Country.
But who could have guessed that this was only the beginning? Subsequently, Qin Country sent nearly four thousand wounded, which caused the entire hospital to be overwheld.
"This ti, we’re not here to bring in new wounded." The leading Qin Country officer shook his head: "This place is about to beco the front line; we need to set up a command post here and use the hospital’s walls and buildings to construct defensive fortifications."
Upon hearing this news, an Empire citizen exclaid in disbelief: "What did you say? This is a hospital! How can you do this?"
First, he truly did not expect the Tang Country troops to advance so quickly to near his hospital; second, he truly did not expect the Qin Country officer to be so shaless as to plan to turn the hospital into a fortress defense.
"You can move all the patients away..." The Qin Country officer seed to present this as a possible option.
"That’s not possible!" the hospital director said. His hospital has many imported pieces of equipnt from the Great Tang Empire, along with backup generators and power systems, and the entire building was constructed by the Tang Country engineering team; how could he possibly leave with the patients?
Half of the equipnt cannot be moved, and what can be moved is as nurous as cattle and sheep, impossible to transport in a short ti. As for the patients, it’s even less feasible; the place is packed with injured and other patients, even if given ten days, there’s no way to relocate them elsewhere.
Furthermore, there are other reasons why they cannot possibly give up this hospital. An old doctor looked at the Qin Country officer and stressed in a hoarse voice: "Once the Tang People discover you are using the hospital to build fortifications, other hospitals in the city might be attacked! You can’t do this!"
Upon hearing the old doctor’s words, other departnt heads and doctors imdiately expressed their stance: "We absolutely will not allow you to do this! Unless you kill us!"
"Then I can kill you right now." The Qin Country officer drew the pistol from his waist, pointing it at those agitated doctors.
All the doctors stepped back in fright, those behind struggled to maintain composure, warning him: "Don’t do anything rash!"
Having stepped back one step after being pointed at, the old doctor grew more composed, continuing in a hoarse voice: "I warn you! You’ll face retribution for this!"
"For the Great Qin Empire, I am prepared to die here; I don’t care about retribution! I’ll ask one more ti... do you cooperate or not?" The officer unlocked the pistol’s safety, firmly executing his superior’s command, because he was fighting for his country.
"Bang!" The sound of a gunshot... The Qin Country officer turned around in disbelief and saw a dark gun muzzle. He looked down at his chest, discovering blood seeping through his uniform.
"You!" He wanted to point his gun at the attacker, but the other gave him no chance to struggle, the second shot ca as well, and the Qin Country officer fell to the ground just like that.
"Have you all decided?" The Empire’s auxiliary military officer who fired kicked away the fallen Qin Country officer’s gun, looked at the several Qin Country officers beside him, and then asked.
"Decided, decided." Several Qin Country officers nodded repeatedly; they had already discussed with this auxiliary military officer, deciding together to surrender to keep their lives.
These officers were promoted from the lower ranks; the selection process wasn’t as stringent as it had been for previous officers, making them more easily swayed.
They were already terrified by the Tang Country troops’ fearso offensive power, completely losing all willingness to resist. Actually, many of the Qin Army’s troops were in such a state; otherwise, the Tang Army couldn’t have attacked the Empire’s old capital so quickly.
Many Qin Army soldiers along the way chose to surrender, and the number of captives in POW camps grew, causing the Tang Country troops’ attack montum to beco smoother.
"You bring the white flag! We’ll be considered surrendered now! Tell the brothers to lay down their weapons, bayonets should not be kept, bullets placed aside..." The Empire’s officer was quite familiar with the procedure.
Under his arrangents, several still-frightened hospital doctors soon t the Tang Country officer coming to take over everything. The other party was very polite and even inquired what the hospital lacked.
When they were leaving, they even left so food and promised to soon deliver ergency dical kits and other supplies to help the hospital overco difficulties, ensuring the treatnt of Qin Country’s wounded.
Several doctors instantly felt goodwill; after persevering for so long, it was the first ti they felt soone truly cared for them.
The Tang Army commander promised not to use the hospital for any military purposes and would try to ensure the hospital’s safety. Even within the hospital, they did not trouble the Qin Army soldiers, everything seed so harmonious.
But the next day, when a military truck carrying substantial dical supplies from the Tang Army parked at the hospital entrance, the hospital was shelled by the Qin Army, resulting in the deaths of over 1,100 people, mostly Qin Country wounded and Empire patients, with few dical staff among the deceased...
------
The second update will be provided tomorrow...
Reviews
All reviews (0)