Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 822

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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 822
Dokgo Junghu was also one of those who received my Master’s attention and affection.
Naturally, he must have received the Great Dharma from my Master as well.
After all, all four patriarchs were close to my Master, and they were people who knew histories that I myself did not.
For some reason, the martial artists of Gangho thought of my Master as a cold monster, but in truth, he was someone with such tender compassion.
‘That’s right. In the past, Elder Gungwi said my Master sees everyone but me as stones, but he must have been mistaken.’
If there was no interest, he wouldn’t go this far.
Sama Hyeon spoke.
“Muyue… he’s not bad, but I need to think about it. You’re from the Righteous Faction, and there are many people who owe you favors. Of course, Muyue is also someone who stands with you because of the favor you gave him.”
“Since you’re from the Heterodox Faction, it’s hard for you to trust people easily?”
“That’s right. If I invested precious spiritual pills and the Great Dharma, only to be betrayed before I even break even, it would eat at me, wouldn’t it? I’d have to go kill with my own hands what I raised with my own hands.”
Whoa, that’s brutal.
‘The Heterodox Faction really does have it rough.’
I thought this and replied.
“Well, that’s true. That’s something you’ll have to think through. So then… shall we get up and move?”
I rose from my seat. Sama Hyeon also relaxed his posture and stood behind me.
“So where are we heading first?”
“First, I need to recruit volunteers. Then I’ll meet with Ju Wang-ya and squeeze some taxes out of her.”
The soap distribution didn’t actually require the doctors to move.
With the cooperation of Ju Wang, who became the Governor of Gangso Province, I just needed to issue orders through the administrative offices of each city.
Jegalling told me to also spread knowledge of soap usage for distribution, but really, that’s just a matter of hiring people to do it.
The real problem was the regular free medical consultations.
Soap is simple—bring the goods and force people to use them, and you’re done.
‘But medical consultations require doctors, don’t they? Unless I’m going to hire some quack.’
And even just having doctors wasn’t enough. I needed bodyguards to protect the doctors as well.
Besides, soap ultimately generates some profit since people will buy it, but free medical consultations are a money pit.
Baekrin County was Uiguk Baek Jegalling’s territory, so I could handle it with taxes.
But to expand across all of Gangso Province, I needed the Governor’s permission—that is, his approval to use those provincial taxes.
In other words, I had to meet Prince Ju-wang.
“You really do seem to live a busy life.”
“Do you think public health is trivial? All of this is necessary.”
At least Prince Ju-wang had a generous spirit, so that was fortunate.
* * *
I prepared to receive Prince Ju-wang.
Upon arriving at the Ju Wang Estate.
“Ah, he is away on official business.”
Yu Rang-hu came rushing out barefoot to greet me, but the house felt empty without its master.
Instead, Yu Rang-hu granted me authority.
“I have orders to help with whatever you need.”
“Thank you.”
“As it happens, soap has become quite popular in Beijing these days.”
At those words, my eyes brightened.
“Yes. Sales have been increasing recently.”
“That’s not all. It’s become especially fashionable among high-ranking officials and the wealthy. They’ve even begun collecting and showing off luxurious soaps with new fragrances and designs.”
I hadn’t anticipated this.
‘Ah, this is certainly different from the modern era… or is it? Come to think of it, handmade soaps were popular in my time too.’
Though liquid soap has become the trend nowadays, pretty soaps still get posted on social media with reviews and everything.
“That’s wonderful.”
“It means trust in Baekrin Medical Guild is growing accordingly. However, since they don’t wish to use the same soap as commoners, they seek out special varieties quite actively.”
“Commoners can afford to buy soap, but it’s not cheap enough to be scattered about everywhere. They really think that way?”
“Yes. There’s a prevailing sentiment that using the same soap as commoners lacks dignity.”
This reminds me of the smallpox vaccine incident from before.
‘Hmm, the quality is identical, but I should vary the shape and fragrance slightly.’
Human psychology is truly peculiar.
“Conversely, because the wealthy use soap, commoners use it even more. They cannot afford the other luxuries the rich possess, but soap is something they can manage to purchase with some effort.”
This reminds me of when luxury fragrances became fashionable on Earth.
I read in an article that while other luxury goods cost hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of won, fragrances are relatively affordable by comparison.
Moreover, they say it’s popular because fragrance alone can transform a person’s presence.
‘This is quite interesting.’
Just one bar of soap.
Though it may appear to flow in different directions, like water and oil.
In the end, both the wealthy and the poor influence each other.
“Furthermore, the reason commoners are using so much soap is because money has become more abundant.”
“Ah, the civil engineering projects, of course.”
“Yes. Money began circulating through civil engineering, and as public bathhouses spread, soap usage has increased. People no longer need to walk miles to draw water from wells.”
“And the harvests have been good as well.”
“The fertilizer used in Baekrin County is being distributed mainly around the outskirts of Nanjing. It’s thanks to producing fertilizer generously in advance last year.”
Previously, Baekrin County had produced high-temperature aged fertilizer using Bacillus subtilis strains.
Compared to conventional fertilizer, it carries less risk of parasites and bacteria while increasing crop yields.
‘In the end, without agriculture supporting everything, nothing can be resolved.’
Among the four classes—scholar, farmer, artisan, and merchant—even if we develop the artisan and merchant classes, it all ultimately depends on the farmer class existing.
Unless we lived in an age where tractors alone could plow tens of thousands of acres, humans cannot survive without food.
“With increased food and circulating money, the economy is certainly thriving.”
“Yes. The ratio of sick people is decreasing relative to the growing population, so we’re definitely seeing the effects of soap.”
That was true.
To use this one bar of soap requires no fewer than four things.
Soap Production.
That’s obvious.
Water Infrastructure Improvement.
If everyone had to walk ten miles to use a well, bathing would become a luxury.
Drinking water comes first.
At minimum, there should be at least one place per district where people can access water.
Food Security.
Surely there’s no madman here telling people to wash their hands when they don’t even have rice to eat?
Money Circulation.
Soap doesn’t grow in fields.
Commerce must develop to that extent, and people need money in their own pockets.
‘Beyond this, there would need to be minimum education so people can use soap, efforts in public administration to maintain hygiene, and such things… but.’
When I gather it all together, it’s a mad undertaking. This.
‘I mean, if this were a web novel, it would probably need around 800 chapters to complete.’
So what’s the easiest part of all this?
Making soap.
Of course, it’s work that requires contorting one’s body, but still, the production itself is the simplest stage.
When distributing soap through the Medical Guild, I thought, ‘Ah, do you not know? This is what soap is. You ignorant Middle Kingdom folk. Behold this revolutionary civilization of an Earthling.’
I didn’t expect the reality of ‘Wow, Earth Confucius, you’re amazing! So this is soap!’ and ‘Truly, Earth Confucius! Ah, this fragrance and these bubbles, I cannot resist!’
I still thought it would go pretty well.
But reality was.
‘Every time we draw water, we have to have staring contests with deer, wild boars, and tigers—what use is soap in such a situation?’ And.
‘The precious square soap the Magistrate gave us—let me try boiling it in broth.’
A modern person was far too optimistic and weak.
To grow up learning to wash with soap from age three, then think that making soap in Gangho would be a huge success—that itself was the optimism of a modern person.
After failing at the soap business several times, many thoughts came to me.
Failing, then failing again.
Adding fragrances that people might enjoy.
After adding fragrance, people did start using it, but they were wealthy children who never had to draw water themselves.
For commoners to use it, the region needed to have abundant water from the start, or they needed time and financial leeway.
“You look quite satisfied.”
“One of my long-cherished projects is finally coming to fruition.”
Yu Rang-hu chuckled at the sight of me.
“As Baekrin Uiseon grows larger and soap spreads, the smaller clinics in Namgyeong are wailing.”
“Because patients are decreasing?”
“Yes. That’s the biggest reason. And there’s one more thing—many have moved to become clinics under Baekrin Uiseon. After all, the results of life and death have started becoming visible to the eye.”
At first, people went to clinics and guilds that families had managed for generations, but that lasted only about ten years.
Once people began seeing with their own eyes who lived and who died, they started moving.
“Of course, that doesn’t mean money will dry up at the clinics.”
The number of doctors in Gangho is absolutely insufficient.
Even though patients began coming in greater numbers to clinics under Baekrin Uiseon, there’s a limit to how many patients each doctor can handle.
“Are you not considering expanding Bunta further in Namgyeong?”
“….”
At those words, I pondered for a moment before opening my mouth.
“We’re short on Doctors. And it’s not just Doctors we lack—we also need administrative personnel to handle the paperwork.”
In a world without spreadsheets, we need people to manage ledgers, compile statistics, and organize records.
Medicine is a discipline built on documentation.
Someone has to continuously organize, categorize, and preserve those records, and we need people to send reports back to the Medical Guild headquarters.
When you factor in bodyguards and other support staff, the numbers add up quickly.
Yu Rang-hu asked, as if troubled.
“What if we focused on securing Doctors first? Couldn’t the Prince’s residence supplement the other personnel?”
Jin Cheon-hee shook his head at that.
‘There are quite a few chicks from Baek Hwan-hu’s background and children we’ve started training as junior doctors, but they need time to develop properly.’
I couldn’t just drag in people without practical training, as if conscripting military physicians during wartime, and immediately ask them to treat patients.
“Still, isn’t Your Excellency called a genius of administration?”
“…In exchange, I burn through a lot of people.”
Jin Cheon-hee gently deflected Yu Rang-hu’s persistent request without compromise.
At this inflexible response, Yu Rang-hu burst into laughter.
Then he smoothly changed the subject to what Jin Cheon-hee wanted.
“Yes. You yourself are burned through quite a bit. I’ve observed how precisely you deploy people to their optimal positions.”
“I’m glad it appeared that way. In truth, looking at the administrative personnel of Baekrin and the Medical Guild, there are many areas where we’re overstaffed compared to other institutions.”
“Rooting out corruption must be quite the task.”
“Yes. But things are improving gradually.”
Yu Rang-hu gazed at Jin Cheon-hee with slight admiration.
‘To operate both one of the Three Great Medical Guilds under heaven and an army, one must be at this level.’
He’d probed slightly by mentioning corruption, yet received an answer that things were improving.
In Yu Rang-hu’s assessment, this man would never lie about matters of medicine and administration.
‘Just how meticulously is he running things.’
Soon after, Yu Rang-hu opened his mouth.
“Separate from your position as Magistrate, I wish to grant you the title of Health Director of Jiangsu Province. That should be sufficient, yes?”
“I am honored by such recognition.”
Jin Cheon-hee spoke thus and offered his gratitude.
Yu Rang-hu regarded Jin Cheon-hee with satisfaction.
As they stepped outside, dozens of Doctors and over two hundred guards awaited them.
Standing at the front were Hwang-gu, Noeji, and Sama Hyeon.
“Well then, shall we head out for medical service~ Hyeong~?”
“Yes. Let’s go.”
With those words, I boarded the massive iron carriage.
It was one bestowed by the Emperor after my journey to the Western Regions in the past.
Baekrin Medical Guild’s medical service.
Departure!

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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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