Chapter 57: Letter from Hanyang [1] After reassuring the scholar, Kanghyeok left the room.
Dolseok hurriedly followed after him.
"Young master, you're going to the next room, right?"
"Yes, I should."
"This one's in pretty serious shape..."
With a dark expression, Dolseok opened the door.
The moment it opened, a foul smell came out.
It was not just the smell of blood, but a faint odor of rot mixed in.
Inside, a man dressed like a constable was lying on his side.
He was breathing in rough gasps, but he seemed conscious.
Still, just as Dolseok had said, his condition was not good.
"His arm is almost severed?"
"Yes. I tied it off roughly, but..."
"Ah, he's one of the soldiers who was with us?"
"Yes, Young master."
"Hm."
Tilting his head, Kanghyeok approached the soldier.
The forearm had been cut more than eighty percent through.
Either the one who struck him had not been particularly skilled, or else the bone had shattered into fragments instead of being cleanly cut through.
And too much time had already passed since it happened.
If surgery had started immediately after the arm was cut, that would have been one thing, but now it was impossible.
There's no blood flow below the forearm anymore. It's all dead.
The color had already turned dark red-black.
That was the source of the rotten smell.
This was bad.
There's no way I can reattach it.
At least Dolseok had treated it quickly, so he had not lost too much blood.
That was probably why the patient was still conscious.
Kanghyeok turned to Dolseok with an approving expression.
"Well done."
"Really?"
Dolseok merely scratched the back of his head and gave an awkward smile.
A faint smile spread over the patient's face as well.
Anyone from Suwon would know who Kanghyeok was. And now that man had come and said he had done well.
For the soldier, it would have been hard to find a better sign than that.
"At least you survived because it was tied off in time. How's the pain?"
"It's better than when I was first injured."
"It would be. It would."
That meant the nerves had already been dead for quite some time.
"Mm."
Even for Kanghyeok, it was not easy to say to a man's face that his arm would have to be cut off.
And this was not modern society.
To lose one arm in an age when labor meant everything.
At least it was the left arm, but even so, it was a grave matter.
So this is why they make students take a separate class on 'breaking bad news.'
He had thought it even while learning it, but now that the time had come to use it, it was obvious.
It was absolutely useless.
Bad news was bad news no matter how you delivered it.
"For now, your life is not in danger."
"Ah, thank you."
Not knowing what words would come next, the soldier bowed his head.
Kanghyeok gave him no opening and said it outright.
"But your arm has to come off."
"What?"
"Dolseok tied it off in time, so your life was saved, but this can't be saved."
"But..."
The man muttered while staring at his limp arm.
It must have felt as though darkness had fallen over his eyes.
"The color has already changed, hasn't it?"
"Yes..."
"The flesh is already dead. If we leave it like this, everything above it will rot too."
"Ah..."
Rather than rot, it would be more accurate to say it would be eaten away by infection.
But there was no need to make it sound even more frightening.
Not when he was already trembling like this.
"Dolseok, open the house-call bag."
"Yes, Young master."
After telling Dolseok what to take out, Kanghyeok turned back to the soldier.
The man looked so half-lost that it seemed nothing would register no matter what he said.
Still, some things had to be said.
"The surgery will be over quickly, so don't worry too much."
"Uh..."
"Do you have a family?"
"Yes, I have a wife and children."
A family to support, and now no arm.
"Where is your home?"
"Not far from here."
"What did you do for a living before?"
"My wife does sewing for hire, and I farm the land. In my spare time, I also help organize books for the yangban households."
Sewing for hire was nothing unusual, but the part about organizing books caught Kanghyeok's interest.
"You sort books? Can you read?"
"I can more or less tell the titles apart."
"I see... For now, I'll make sure you don't have to worry about making a living, so turn your head away."
"Yes..."
In the time it took to exchange those few words, Dolseok had finished preparing for the operation.
The gloves were laid out, and the instruments as well.
Once he had been taught something, he really was convenient.
"Right, look here first."
"Yes, Young master."
Kanghyeok pointed at a white, round tube in the cut surface.
"This is an artery."
"You said it was red, but this one is white."
"That's because no blood is flowing through it. You tied it off."
"Ahh."
"These have to be tied separately, or they'll burst open."
"Yes, Young master."
Kanghyeok tied off the artery first with thread.
Since blood had not been flowing through it for quite some time, the procedure was very easy.
The veins were even easier.
"Now all the major vessels are tied. Let's cut the rest."
"Ugh."
At the word cut, the soldier's body flinched.
"Stay still, and if it hurts, say so."
"Yes..."
Lamenting once more the lack of general anesthesia, Kanghyeok took out the local anesthetic.
When there were no teeth, the gums had to do. He was lucky to have even this.
"This will sting."
Since the forearm was nearly severed already, there was only a small area left to inject.
Kanghyeok administered the injections in an instant and took up the scissors.
"This is what I'll use to cut."
"Yes, Young master."
"Hold him tight."
"Yes."
With a scraping sound, the soldier's arm came off.
Fortunately, the soldier kept his head turned away and stayed still.
He seemed somewhat reassured by the promise that he would not have to worry about making a living.
"It's best to close this cut surface now by stitching it shut."
"Ah... so you can't just leave it like this."
"Of course not. Have you ever seen me cut flesh open and just leave it that way?"
"No, I haven't."
"It's the same principle."
"Ah, I see."
Dolseok kept nodding as he watched Kanghyeok's hands move.
No matter how many times he saw them, the movements were impossibly smooth.
As though he had seen injuries like this before.
No hesitation, no mistakes, only perfection.
"Good. It's done now."
"Is that all?"
"No. For this man, what comes next matters more. I'll speak to the Busa and have him taken to our house."
"Mm."
That meant bringing in another dependent.
Dolseok, who cared more about household expenses than Kanghyeok did, darkened immediately.
What use could a man with one arm possibly be?
"What do you mean, 'mm'?"
"Ah, nothing. We should do as you wish, Young master. But..."
In a voice too small for his large body, Dolseok whispered,
"But what?"
"That thing you said earlier, about not letting him worry about making a living... you mean you're going to employ him at the house, right?"
"Can't I?"
"What are you going to use him for?"
"Who knows. He says he can read. I'll just tell Father to make use of him as he sees fit."
"You really are something, Young master. All right. I'll pass it along."
What more was there for a servant to say when his master had already decided?
Dolseok could only nod.
"Are there any others now?"
"No. The rest died on the way..."
Dolseok shuddered at the memory of the horrific night before.
The Japanese raiders had rushed at them so savagely that, if not for Makbong, he himself would surely be lying somewhere out in the fields now.
"It's a miracle our whole group survived."
"Yes. This time Yeoni and Makbong did something huge."
"Exactly. From now on, wherever I go, I should take them with me."
"Where are you planning to go again?"
Gwanggyo-myeon, Anseong.
And now even the battlefield.
It had already been well over two months since they had last been home.
No matter that Dolseok was a servant, he was not used to living like a wanderer.
It was only natural that he looked miserable.
"Ah, no, not that. Even I need to rest a bit."
"Right? That's a relief."
Kanghyeok smiled as he watched Dolseok let out a sigh of relief.
Even if I rest, you won't.
After all, once Kanghyeok asked the Busa to catch toads for him, could he really just sit still?
Servants would have to be sent out. And among them, the one he trusted most was, of course, Dolseok, so it would be hard to let him idle.
And I can't use toads on people right away either.
If it was poison, he could hardly use it recklessly.
He would have to experiment first, and the easiest choice would be dogs.
Cows and horses were too expensive, and chickens would be hard to use as a reference.
For a while, Dolseok would probably have to devote himself to hunting toads and dogs.
After patting Dolseok on the back, Kanghyeok turned to the patient again.
"Once things are tidied up here, come with me. Even if you only organize books, you'll earn better than before."
"Ah... yes! Thank you."
The soldier kept bowing his head to Kanghyeok, the man who had just cut off his arm.
When they stepped outside, dusk had already settled over the area.
"Dolseok."
"Yes, Young master."
"There's no way the cavalry lost, right?"
"It didn't look that way to me. Earlier, out in the field, those terrifying bastards couldn't even put up a fight against them."
"Then those fires must be ours."
Kanghyeok pointed at the long line of torches now filling the area around the village.
"Uh... well? It's dark, so..."
"Call the others over first."
"Yes. What should I say you want them for?"
"That if things go wrong, we're running."
"Yes, Young master!"
Dolseok disliked the thought of being caught up in battle again just as much as Kanghyeok did.
He ran off as if flying and gathered every last member of their group.
Yeoju, who had been sobbing, Yeoni, who had been comforting her, and even Makbong, who had been offering his own version of comfort.
"First, gather food, and get some weapons too."
"Yes, Young master."
"I think those are our men, but just in case."
"Yes."
Kanghyeok pointed at the torches while gripping his house-call bag.
There were too many of them to imagine resisting if they turned out to be enemies.
Not long after, the sound of a small number of horses' hooves reached them.
—Dudududu
Startled, they looked, and saw commanders wearing dujeonggap armor.
The man at the front was someone Kanghyeok recognized as well.
He was one of Shin Rip's officers. Kanghyeok could still vividly remember the sight of him cutting off a Japanese raider's head in a single stroke.
Ah, they won.
As it turned out, Shin Rip had sent the advance unit ahead first.
Sure enough, the officer shouted in a bright voice,
"We struck the Japanese raiders' stronghold and smashed them to pieces. The General will arrive shortly, so prepare to welcome him!"
Everyone except the wounded went out to the village entrance.
Soon Shin Rip and Busa Kim Yungil returned in triumph, and the war came to an end.
There had been a few stumbles along the way, but it was a victory in the end.
Thanks to that, the Busa was in very good spirits.
So much so that, just as he had promised, he personally saw to Changgwon's funeral with great sincerity.
"Changgwon's house is small, so perhaps it would be better to hold it at the government office."
At the Busa's words, Seungmun shook his head.
"No. How about holding it at my house? My heart is heavy, hearing that my disciple died like that far from home."
"Ah, shall we do that?"
"I think that would be best."
"Yes, understood. Then I will provide the goods and the people needed."
"That would be good."
With Suwon's greatest power-holder and richest man both stepping forward in person, Changgwon's funeral was conducted with great dignity.
Moreover, scholars from Eotan-myeon and the common people came to pay their respects as well, so the entrance was crowded with mourners.
Even Seungmun, who had lost his disciple, wore a satisfied smile for once.
"Even so, Changgwon did not live in vain."
"Yes, Father. I too survived because of him."
"I heard the story. You also suffered much. I am proud of you, truly proud."
"It was nothing. I hardly did anything."
Seungmun only smiled emptily, then took something from his robe.
"Ah, this came for you."
"What is it?"
"A letter from Sun-sin, and a letter from Heo Jun. They say you are to come to Hanyang once things here are settled, so go when you can."
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