Chapter 176 (2/2)

“Oh, I've heard a lot about you. Nice to meet you. I'm Rip s.h.i.+n, chief advisor to the king.”

Promptly bowing to him, Kanghyok said, “I've heard a lot about you, too. My name is Kanghyok Paek.”

“Hahaha. I like your outspoken style. You're well-built. You look like you're more fit to be a general rather than a medic.”

Rip s.h.i.+n bellowed a hearty laugh, tapping him on the shoulder.

Now, turning to the soldiers, he said, “Listen to me. Dr. Kanghyok Paek here has decided to partic.i.p.ate in the war as your medical doctor. As long as you are not killed, he will save your lives. So, don't worry!”

“Hooray! Hooray!” As soon as Rip s.h.i.+n said that, they yelled out for joy, full of high morale.

When Kanghyok carefully watched the soldiers, most of them looked familiar.

As a result, they might have heard about the rumors about him. Some of them already had come to see him for treatment.

“We have a genius doctor here!”

They were full of high spirits thanks to the recent rumor that he even eradicated smallpox.

“Wow!”

Kanghyok looked down at the medical bag he was holding. It was true that he had most of the ‘operating tools' in it.

‘One or two at the most per day? Or even three?'

Given the remaining stocks of gauze and saps, that would be the maximum patients.

Nonetheless, Kanghyok responded to their exclamations.

Rip s.h.i.+n pounded his sheath on the ground, which silenced them instantly.

They were quite disciplined.

Kanghyok had never seen them training so far.

The mayor was smiling while Rip s.h.i.+n was making a hearty laugh.

“I owe it to you that they've become as disciplined as that,” he said to the general.

In fact, they were about 200, all told, and their weapons were not good enough.

Though they had bows, they didn't have enough arrows.

“Are you going to go out when the cavalry regiment arrives?”

In fact, General s.h.i.+n was famous as a cavalryman. His suppression of the rebellion by Tangae Lee in the northern area earned him a great credit from the central government.

That's why the mayor requested the central government to dispatch General s.h.i.+n.

“Well, I don't need cavalry troops. These soldiers here are enough.”

“I hear the j.a.panese invaders are outnumbering us…”

“I guess they are a ragtag band of invaders. Don't worry.”

But the mayor knitted his brows and said, “Well, our soldiers here don't have any actual fighting experience.”

“Don't worry. We have courageous deputies here. It's the commander, not soldiers that are fighting the war.”

“I trust you, but…”

“Mayor, just leave it to us, the generals. We're leaving right now. The j.a.panese invaders are now ravaging the village.”

That was true.

Never did the mayor antic.i.p.ate that the j.a.panese invaders would reach as far as Kyonggi Province. As he was not well prepared for their sudden attack like this, there were lots of damage done already.

In particular, there was a new village school founded at the mayor's order. And Changkwon Chung, the great Confucian scholar, was dispatched as its founding princ.i.p.al.

If something went wrong, all the students studying Confucian cla.s.sics there might get ma.s.sacred.

“Okay, I trust you.”

“Let's go now.”

It was Kanghyok who was most embarra.s.sed by the unfolding situation.

How come he should go to the battlefield as soon as he arrived here from Chilhangsa Temple?

His jaw dropped when General s.h.i.+n was about to leave.

“Uh…”

“Don't worry too much,” said General s.h.i.+n, tapping him on the shoulder.

And then he stood in the middle of his deputy generals overseeing the soldiers.

They all looked at General s.h.i.+n with twinkling eyes.

Regarded as one of the best generals in Joseon, General s.h.i.+n was reticent.

“Open the door! We're heading to the battlefield.”

At his short order, the soldiers began to move swiftly.

Kanghyok looked at them with an embarra.s.sed look.

“Kanghyok!”

“Yes, secretary.”

“You might have no use for a sword, but just take it.”

Jungbok gave him five swords.

‘Sword….'

He gave one of them to Dolsok, who never used it before.

“Master, give one to me, too,” said Yoni with a strong voice.

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, don't worry. I know how to use this sword.”‘

She then wore the sword at her side skillfully.

Kanghyok felt relieved to see her courageous posture.

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