Chapter 1513: Chapter 1430: Failed to Protect

Inside the hospital building, a doctor looked at a civilian casualty who had been brought in first and helplessly instructed, “There’s no medicine left. Hold him down, I’ll stitch him directly.”

The nurses on both sides were covered in bloodstains, but they couldn’t care much at the moment. They immediately held the injured person’s arm to prevent him from moving.

But as soon as the doctor’s hand touched the wound, the injured person began to struggle due to the pain and let out a scream like that of a pig being slaughtered: “Ah! Ah!”

The sound echoed in the crowded corridor, making the patients still waiting for the doctor even more anxious. They didn’t know what was happening, only that they heard the terrifying screams.

“Tududududu!” Soon, gunshots from outside filtered into the building, making everyone even more uneasy. No one knew what was happening, and everyone was anxiously looking around, hoping to learn more about what was happening.

“What’s going on? Why are there gunshots?” A nobleman from Qin Country frowned in displeasure, asking inside the hospital director’s office.

His butler walked over to the window cautiously and peeked outside, seeing the dispersing crowd trampling each other as they moved away from the hospital’s outer wall.

“It’s nothing, sir…just a bunch of rebels. They have been dispersed; the military can guarantee your safety.” After seeing that the crowd was indeed dispersing, the butler came back and reported to his master, “I believe the military will soon report the situation to you.”

“The Tang people have reached our doorsteps, and now this is the only somewhat safer place. I don’t have a daughter in the Emperor of Tang’s bed, so I can only weather the storm here.” The nobleman said with disdainful irony, clearly not taking Emperor Qin Ying Duo seriously.

With the war reaching this point, there were indeed not many Qin Country nobles still supporting Emperor Qin. Many were secretly discussing whether they should change the emperor to appease the wrath of the Great Tang Empire.

The reason these people were still restrained was actually more because Ying Duo still had a daughter serving as a favored concubine in Tang Country. These nobles couldn’t figure out the significance of Ying Duo’s life.

No one made a move due to the fear that if they killed Ying Duo and replaced the emperor, they might provoke the displeasure of Imperial Concubine Ying Yue and end up being her unfortunate scapegoat…

“Rest assured, sir, we have food and drink here, and the building was constructed by the Tang people’s engineering team. The standards are very high, so safety is ensured.” The hospital director said obsequiously.

“I’ve heard that the Tang people never bomb hospitals, so being here is much safer than hiding in a bomb shelter.” The butler smugly consoled from the side.

“Actually, the safest place is the Imperial Palace, but unfortunately, who dares to live there?” The nobleman sneered, revealing insider information known to few: “Previously, when Tang Country launched missiles, they would inform the palace in advance. Having a good daughter is indeed better than anything.”

What he said was no longer a secret among the nobility, as many nobles knew that the Tang people’s missiles would find ways to warn Emperor Qin Ying Duo to hide in an air raid shelter before they fell.

Although many streets in Wuyang City had large craters, and many buildings had been hit and demolished by missiles, Ying Duo’s safety had always been secured.

Inside, laughter and conversation flowed freely. The director even took out a box of his treasured tea leaves, demonstrating his exquisite skills beyond medicine to the nobleman in front of him.

It wasn’t that he lacked medical ethics but that he had no options. Flattering the esteemed guest in front of him could at least ensure the hospital’s safety. As the director, he had to ensure the personal safety of several hundred doctors and nurses under him…

Moreover, there was indeed no available medicine left. The entire Qin Country was in dire need of both medication and medical supplies, with no place to source them.

Gauze, sutures, disinfecting alcohol-iodine, painkillers, antibiotics, and anesthesia necessary for surgery… all of them were gone!

The military had requisitioned the vast majority of the production capacity of such items, leaving the hospital with an already pitifully small amount. And once Wuyang became a frontline city, the military took away the remaining reserves from the hospital.

Without medicine, the military couldn’t treat the wounded, nor could they speak of combat effectiveness, so they were entitled to occupy any medical resources, leaving the hospital with a minimal amount of drugs for “emergencies.”

And those emergency supplies? The hospital could only reserve them for the nobility, wealthy merchants, and officials. Otherwise, if these people came and didn’t receive medical treatment, the doctors couldn’t afford to offend them.

“Rest assured, no one can take the remaining diesel and supplies.” After taking a sip of good tea, the nobleman from Qin Country finally gave his assurance.

With him here, the military wouldn’t dare act rashly. Even if Zhang Xuan arrived, he would still have to show some respect. Since he chose to stay at the hospital, he couldn’t let the hospital run out of power, and they couldn’t take all the diesel for the generator—that’s the rule.

…

Outside, bright red blood flowed down the railings of the hospital walls, with civilians shot dead lying scattered on the ground surrounded by discarded shoes, luggage, clothing, and other miscellaneous items alongside them.

There were many people here earlier, but now only corpses remained. The trampling incident caused over a hundred deaths and left at least a thousand more injured. However, those who were wounded dared not venture near the hospital seeking help…

The soldiers with automatic weapons were more lethal against the crowd compared to those with just rifles. And those civilians crowded outside the hospital were all the elderly, women, and children—lacking both the ability and courage to rebel, so they were easily suppressed.

The streets were filled with blood, and soon military trucks parked amidst the bodies. These were the soldiers rushing to reinforce the area and collect medical supplies from the hospital.

The enemy was at the doorstep, and all resources had to be concentrated for the troops. The officers entering were courteous; they didn’t demand supplies from the nobleman and director, but instead, they were more direct.

“We need to transform this place into a temporary command center, requiring at least one-third of the rooms for personnel and equipment… Additionally, under orders from the Prime Minister and General Zhang Xuan, we are conscripting 200 doctors, and 200 nurses… to serve with the military.” As he spoke, he handed the document stamped with the Prime Minister’s seal to the director.

The previously arrogant nobleman, after seeing the document, sheepishly stepped aside in silence. The hospital director turned pale, unable to utter a word for a long while.

Ultimately, he couldn’t protect his staff…