Chapter 126: A Marvelous Invention to Reduce Soldier Casualties

Now that they had glass and alcohol, they could build a distillation apparatus to purify the alcohol.

“Very well. I’ll have someone from home send some over.” Li Xu turned around and drew another set of plans for a distillation apparatus.

“Adoptive Father, have the craftsmen make this for me as well.” Li Xu handed the drawings to Wei Shi’an.

Wei Shi’an examined them from every angle. “What are these round bottles and jars for? They don’t look very convenient for storing things.”

His tone was filled with incomprehension.

Li Xu smiled. “They naturally have their uses.”

“What other wonderful thing have you thought of now?” Wei Shi’an stared at Li Xu with bright, eager eyes.

Xi Sheng was rather curious as well. His young disciple always seemed to have one ingenious idea after another.

However, the boy was rather simple-hearted and still lacked a proper understanding of human schemes.

In the lessons to come, he would teach his young disciple about the wickedness of the human heart—especially within officialdom—as well as the struggles for power and the subtleties of human relationships.

Before Li Xu entered officialdom, Xi Sheng would pass all his experience on to him.

Of course, once Li Xu entered the world of officialdom, both he and Wei Shi’an would secretly protect him for a while, giving him time to mature.

Xi Sheng asked, “What is this used for?”

“It can be used to make something that will reduce the number of soldiers who die from their wounds.”

The moment he finished speaking, the room fell into absolute silence.

Wei Shi’an’s eyes widened, filled with disbelief, as though Li Xu had just said something utterly preposterous.

Both Wei Shi’an and Xi Sheng stared at him. If Li Xu was telling the truth, and such a thing truly existed, it could save the lives of countless soldiers!

Wei Shi’an’s mouth fell slightly open. Only after a long while did he stammer, “Little Xu, are you telling the truth? This is not something to joke about.”

Xi Sheng had always been composed, but even he could not conceal his surprise. Though he tried to keep his voice steady, the tremor at the end betrayed the turmoil in his heart.

“If such a thing truly exists, it could save the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers. That would be a great contribution indeed. Do you have confidence in making it?”

“Master, Adoptive Father, I’ll try it first. There shouldn’t be any problems.” Li Xu spoke solemnly.

Soldiers were always the ones sent to the front lines. Alcohol could save the lives of many of them. Since the thought had occurred to him, he naturally had to bring it into reality.

The merit was secondary. Because of the education he had received since childhood, he held soldiers in a natural awe and respect.

Wei Shi’an excitedly seized Li Xu by the shoulders. “Good boy! If you can truly make this, you’ll be saving the lives of countless soldiers. Tell me whatever you need, and I’ll do everything in my power to support you! I thank you on behalf of all the soldiers of the realm!”

The Wei family’s army was the sharpest blade of the imperial court. Whenever war broke out, they were always the first to charge into battle, and countless soldiers perished in every conflict.

If Li Xu could truly accomplish this, Wei Shi’an was willing to give him anything he asked for.

Li Xu hurriedly said, “The soldiers brave fire and water, disregarding life and death as they charge into battle. It is because of them that the common people can live and work in peace.”

Even I can study in peace because of them. If I can help them in any way, I’ll be happy to do so.

Li Xu’s words moved Wei Shi’an even more.

“Good boy. Good boy.” Wei Shi’an repeated the words several times.

Within the imperial court, civil officials looked down on military officials. Hearing Li Xu speak this way, Wei Shi’an felt that his son was different from those civil officials.

They were all scholars, yet Li Xu’s understanding was clearly far superior to theirs. He truly was his son!

“Little Xu, what is this thing called?”

“Alcohol. It can disinfect wounds, prevent infection, and reduce the likelihood of death.” Li Xu explained slowly.

Wei Shi’an and Xi Sheng murmured the word to themselves.

“Is it made from liquor?” Wei Shi’an asked.

“Yes. But ordinary liquor is too weak and lacks sufficient concentration. We need to use the liquor I brewed together with this apparatus to extract the alcohol.”

“You… You only thought of this after I mentioned liquor?” Wei Shi’an was even more astonished.

“Mm. It reminded me of some books I read before.”

“What books?” Xi Sheng asked.

Li Xu answered without hesitation. “The Fifty-Two Remedies, The Compendium of Materia Medica, and the Imperial Grace Formulary of the Taiping Era.”

“Several books mention it. I read widely and without restriction, so I thought I might as well try to see whether I could make it.”

Wei Shi’an and Xi Sheng both knew that Li Xu read extensively and possessed an almost photographic memory.

After hearing the titles, neither of them suspected him in the slightest.

Xi Sheng had read many books, but he certainly had not read everything.

Although he had never heard of the books Li Xu mentioned, they might simply have been obscure medical texts.

He had no expertise in medical writings, so it was perfectly normal that he knew nothing about them.

Li Xu’s reading covered an even wider range than his master’s. As long as it was a book, he read it all without the slightest selectiveness.

Of course, when it came to the learning required for the imperial examinations, the master was still superior to his disciple—for now.

That very night, Wei Shi’an went to the kiln where the glass was being fired. His entire body seemed to radiate impatience.

Whether it was the nine telescopes or the alcohol, he could hardly wait to make them both.

…

The next day, Li Xu arranged for Yun Qin and Song Sheng to accompany him down the mountain.

He first bought a great many things in Wenzhou Prefecture, then wrote a letter to send home.

There was so much he wanted to say that even after filling several sheets of paper, he still wished to continue writing.

Just after he had arranged for someone to send the goods away, Yun Qin’s page and servants came looking for them.

Yun Qin’s page gazed at him with heartache. “Young Master, you’ve suffered!”

Yun Qin looked embarrassed. “I’ve been doing quite well at the academy.”

As for climbing over the wall in the middle of the night, that naturally could not be mentioned.

Yun Qin’s page turned his gaze toward Li Xu. “You must be Young Master Li?”

Li Xu nodded to him.

His young master had come to Bright Peak Academy and endured hardship all for the sake of this Young Master Li. Madam had instructed him to take a good look at what sort of person Young Master Li was. That was why she had sent their young master across mountains and rivers to come here.

At first glance, Li Xu seemed unremarkable, simply resembling an ordinary scholar.

Even so, the page remained deeply respectful toward him, because Li Xu was his young master’s friend.

His young master’s judgment was certainly better than his own. If he could not see anything special about Li Xu, then the problem must lie with his own eyes.

After arranging for someone to send away the things he had bought, Li Xu went to the restaurant where he had agreed to meet Guo Chi and the others.

Guo Chi and the others were already waiting there.

“Young Master Yun, Young Master Li, Young Master Song, you’ve finally arrived! The food at this restaurant is quite good. Come and see what you’d like to order.”

Guo Chi and the others had arrived at Bright Peak Academy earlier than Li Xu’s group and knew Wenzhou Prefecture better than they did.

After exchanging greetings, everyone sat down and ordered their food.

“Have you heard? About the Wang family.”

The news about the Wang family had already been passed on to Guo Chi and the others by their families.

They had been utterly shocked when they heard it. Wang Tao had been foolish for so many years without bringing disaster upon the Wang family, yet now the entire family had suddenly lost their lives.

Whenever they mentioned Wang Tao, the group instinctively glanced toward Li Xu.

Their families had all warned them to be careful and not offend anyone they could not afford to provoke. The Wang family’s downfall was most likely because they had offended some great figure.

They could not help wondering whether that great figure had some connection with Young Master Li.

Li Xu truly had no idea what had happened to Wang Tao, but since his master had taken action, the man was probably not destined for a good end.

Song Sheng, meanwhile, thought to himself that Wang Tao could have offended anyone in the world—yet he had chosen to offend Brother Li.