Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 466

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 466
“Well, if it grows well like this, that would be good. If it gets bigger, I’m planning to move it to the northern field.”
“And I’ll be cutting up new potatoes to plant.”
“That’s right.”
He was my disciple, but truly a peculiar fellow.
“And you’re the one hugging that clay pot and admiring it in the carriage.”
“Hehe. I just brought a lot of potatoes with me.”
That was true.
I, Jin Cheon-hee, and Jegalling were leading the martial forces of the Medical Guild out of the imperial palace and heading north again.
We stopped by the Medical Guild along the way to gather various supplies before heading back up.
“It seems the word ‘fatigue’ doesn’t exist in that head of yours.”
“It’s safe now, isn’t it?”
“Even though the Suksin Tribe has retreated and gone back north, the war hasn’t completely ended.”
“But the people who evacuated are returning, and the cities and villages inside the border fortresses are bustling with people again, aren’t they? This is the only time it can happen.”
“What cannot happen?”
“It’s the only chance to spread the word that potatoes topped with butter and roasted taste absolutely delicious, Master!”
Jegalling wondered why this fellow had become his disciple and was suffering through all this.
There was no getting through to him.
No, his eyes gleamed with brilliance, yet this criminal did strange things without hesitation as if it were nothing.
“So you’re planning to spread potatoes to the northern highlands.”
“Yes. I’m sorry to Kim Potato, Lee Potato, and Park Potato, but when we arrive at Seonmok, we’ll say goodbye. Grow well. Grow delicious and become tasty fried potatoes.”
I hugged the clay pot.
This mad disciple had even given names to the potatoes.
The destination of the carriage was Seonmok.
A city where livestock farming flourished and nomadic tribes traded horses, with numerous pastures for raising horses.
However, it would be more accurate to say these were pastures for breeding and selling rather than simply raising.
No matter how native to Seonmok one was, the horses were far inferior to those raised by nomadic tribes.
“Still, you really go too far. You see both imperial citizens and nomads as the same people.”
“Of course. They are people who would appreciate the beauty of potatoes.”
“And it serves as a solution for the common people too.”
“Hehe… I knew you understood. There’s nothing as delicious as a potato when you’re hungry. In the first place, growing potatoes in the south doesn’t make sense. How much hardship must these little ones have endured in the warm southern seas? Though they seem to grow a bit better in mountainous regions.”
When an orange crosses the river, it becomes a trifoliate orange.
There’s a saying that an orange tree becomes something different when it crosses the river.
It means that even the same orange tree produces different crops depending on where it’s grown, and originally it signified that a person’s nature changes according to their environment.
I simply accepted it as a fundamental principle of agriculture.
Where I came from had transportation, greenhouses, and everything needed for various farming and logistics, but this era is different.
I don’t know which crops grow best in which soil.
I only make the crops that originally grew in each region grow the same way as before.
This was what I was trying to do.
“You were urging me so intensely that I wondered what was going on.”
“Potatoes require freshness, Master. We must transport them quickly.”
“So you’ve prepared dried potatoes and seeds as well.”
“Yes. Though by the time we arrive, quite a few will have sprouted.”
“Removing the sprouts will be tedious work.”
“We’ll use those for planting. And since I’ve brought rice as well, we can distribute relief grain.”
“Your obsession with potatoes is truly remarkable.”
“Yes, Master. War naturally leaves many things behind. One of them is post-war cuisine.”
It was exactly like how budae-jjigae was born in Korea.
After the Korean War, it started when people began boiling ham and spam given by American soldiers without restraint.
Now, hasn’t it become a dish beloved by the entire nation?
“Let potatoes have the chance to conquer the world. That person Khan was unworthy, but potatoes deserve it. You will conquer the world. Kim Potato, Lee Potato, Park Potato.”
My disciple had even drawn faces on the potatoes when planting them.
‘…Why is this child so obsessed with potatoes?’
And I chuckled softly.
“When people starve, their immunity weakens, and then epidemics will spread.”
“Now that I think about it, you were unusually attentive to epidemics throughout the war with the Suksin Tribe.”
-The Veiled Madman has obsessive-compulsive tendencies.
This had already become established doctrine within the martial world.
Regardless, I arranged all the corpses and then set a wildfire under the pretext of creating fields later.
I didn’t explain in detail, but I was paying attention to epidemics to an extreme degree.
This disciple of mine.
I answered.
“It’s just…. There probably won’t be any major problems. There shouldn’t be any, but I should do what I can. And if we proceed with silk trade as planned, the people’s sentiment in the region will become very important. If we can buy their hearts now with the grain we distribute, it’s something money alone cannot achieve.”
Humans are like potatoes.
Jegalling pondered before speaking.
“If these potatoes are like people, then rain falling during a drought would never be forgotten in their lifetime.”
“Exactly so.”
I knew how tragic war truly was.
That’s why I couldn’t escape.
“Deprivation can kill people, but conversely, it can also become a reason for them to move forward.”
“And the rice given at that time will never be forgotten.”
“We will conduct business for a long time, Master. The good deeds we sow today will return to us as great power for Baekrin Uiseon.”
“The Sichuan Tang Family will be the same.”
“Well, the Sichuan Tang Family helped from the very beginning of Baekrin Uiseon’s founding, so they deserve to receive this.”
Dang-a is a good child.
Through Dang-a, I saw the future of the Sichuan Tang Family.
Jegalling spoke.
“Furthermore, you will attempt to trade with other nomadic peoples who were not absorbed by the Suksin Tribe.”
“Yes. Now that the Khan has fallen, tribes with grievances will gradually separate one by one. There will also be tribes that didn’t participate in this war at all. We will establish trade with them. This….”
I picked up three small bonsai pots with a solemn expression.
“Kim Potato, Lee Potato, and Park Potato.”
“Now that I look at it, you’ve gone and drawn faces on that expensive earthenware pot too.”
“Aren’t they adorable? These little ones will conquer the steppes someday. Of course I had to give them expressions. Fresh? Cute?”
“….”
The Tugoe escorting her coughed.
“Cough… ridiculous… nonsense… fellow….”
Between the coughs, three characters of truth escaped.
She had been dragged out the moment she saw her granddaughter, and her mood was absolutely terrible.
So she hadn’t said a word and simply rode in this hellish earthenware carriage, but things only got worse as time went on.
Jegalling gave Tugoe a cold glare before continuing.
“In any case, I understand your plan will bear fruit. That’s why I came along.”
“Haha, I’m so glad I could convince you, Master. Truly.”
For me, convincing my Master was always a difficult task.
Baekrin Uiseon Jegalling.
What he had demonstrated in war was something that the word “miraculous” alone could not adequately describe.
When the carriage arrived, I could see the Gongseon Family’s martial artists before the city gates.
“Wow… you arrived right on time.”
“Indeed. I didn’t expect Gongseon Hyeon herself to come. She must be quite busy.”
She had surely caught the scent of money.
My Master added a comment.
“Considering the wealth you’ve earned, she likely guessed this would be a substantial sum as well.”
The carriage headed toward the largest and cleanest inn in Seonmok City.
Though it was the largest and cleanest, that was only in relative terms—the interior of Seonmok City was filled with orphans and beggars.
The injured lay scattered about the ground, and flies feasted on their flesh.
The hastily erected doctor’s tent was packed with people, and screams echoed from within.
The security was also terrible.
Entering the inn, I found Gongseon Hyeon, Gongseon Yeong, and Wang Gak-yeon waiting inside.
‘Ah, it seems Gak-yeon has reached Hwagyeong… Is this Hwagyeong?’
From the natural aura flowing from her body, it appeared she had successfully consolidated the enlightenment gained through this war.
“Baekrin Uiseon, we have arrived. My apologies for keeping you waiting, Gaju Gongseon.”
The Black Ice Poison Dragon, Gongseon Hyeon.
She was no longer merely the acting Gaju.
She had confidently succeeded in the maritime trade that I had helped with last time, and now had successfully taken complete control of the Gongseon Family’s internal affairs.
She had become the Gaju.
Gongseon Hyeon performed a light fist salute.
“You’re too kind. Rather, we’re grateful that you accepted our invitation.”
* * *
Following Gongseon Hyeon’s guidance into the tea room, a modestly appointed space came into view.
‘The war has been hard on this inn too.’
Normally, the largest inn in a trading city would see large sums of money flowing through it.
This was especially true for massive merchant guilds like the Gongseon Family, as the merchants, guards, and martial artists who came with them all needed rest as well.
However, what lay before me was dragon well tea that was only marginally better than a yawn, and refreshments that were only slightly preferable to not eating at all.
‘As expected, the regional economy itself is collapsing.’
In war, only a tiny fraction of merchants could profit from selling weapons.
The Suksin Tribe preferred to capture and enslave the craftsmen who made weapons rather than purchase them.
Furthermore, the Hwa Empire had entered the conflict by mobilizing resources that were already stockpiled.
Unless this war dragged on for years, it was difficult to turn a profit in such circumstances.
Military provisions had never been in short supply until the very end, making profiteering even more impossible.
As a result, it was impossible to profit from selling anything in this war.
All that remained were ruins where both the sellers and buyers of trade goods had either died or fled.
What could one accomplish in a place where only ashes remained?
Gongseon Hyeon continued speaking.
“First, I intend to trade horses and livestock through high-volume, low-profit sales. I plan to offer reasonable prices to the nomadic tribes.”
I responded to her words.
“From the perspective of existing merchants, this would be quite a shock.”
“Yes. Since they take such enormous middleman profits, even ordinary war horses cost as much as a house.”
So the Gongseon Family intended to intervene directly and reduce these excessive markups.
I fell into thought before asking.
“Beyond that, it would also be possible to raise war horses and supply them directly to the military.”
“Yes. However, to do so, we would need land, and I was hoping the Baekrin Medical Guild would assist us with that.”
I fell into contemplation.
As a reward for this endeavor, the Baekrin Medical Guild had obtained the substantial land that was originally promised.
At first glance, it appeared to be nothing but a desolate wasteland where rice could not grow, but I was certain that with proper management, it could become land worth its weight in gold.
‘Hmm, my Master is merely observing.’
It felt like he was testing how I would handle Gongseon Hyeon.
If it became necessary, he would step in and break off the negotiations, but I suspected he would not intervene directly.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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