Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 155: Collecting Supplies

Having been a soldier for over half a year, Yang Tian was no longer fazed by the dense, black mass of mosquitoes inside the bug zappers.

He collected the dead insects in a bucket, then dumped them all into a large trash bin.

The carcasses of these insects filled the bin to the brim, taking up nearly half its volume.

After completing his daily chore, Yang Tian hurried to wash up. He then put on his heavy, mosquito-proof uniform and began the day’s training and patrols.

"Honestly, conditions are much better now. With these bug zappers, we get bitten way less. I remember back when this border post was first being built... now *that* was rough."

While on patrol,

a veteran soldier started reminiscing again.

Back then, the mosquitoes were relentless. When they were building the garrison, many construction workers would quit after just one day and rush home without even collecting their pay. They just couldn’t stand the bites anymore.

The new encampment’s facilities were primitive, forcing the soldiers to train out in the open. This made them a free-for-all buffet for the swarms of flying insects.

If any skin was exposed, a single wave of the hand could kill a countless number of them—easily over a hundred.

Even thick-furred livestock couldn’t live in peace here in North Bay.

Legend has it that a bull, driven mad by the bites, rammed its head against a wall until it killed itself.

The soldiers’ daily life was summed up as: "Playing basketball next to a smoldering cow-dung fire, burning bundles of thatch to use the latrine, holding squad meetings inside mosquito nets, and wearing padded winter coats on summer patrols."

To do anything outside, they first had to run to the meadows to collect cow dung. After drying it, they would burn it, using the smoke to drive the mosquitoes away.

Although this method worked to repel mosquitoes, the stench of the dung was unbearable.

The army issued plenty of repellent to every soldier. Only with the help of the dung smoke and these chemicals could the men endure being outdoors.

Despite these many repellent methods, the pestering mosquitoes only thinned out a little and never stopped harassing the soldiers. What’s more, their bites were far more painful than those from mosquitoes back inland.

One veteran said he was terrified of the mosquitoes when he first arrived. They bred in stagnant water and injected venom when they bit. The spot would first go numb and swell up, followed by an unbearable itch that took forever to heal.

If the bites were left untreated, they would likely fester and become infected. Soldiers with weaker constitutions might even faint from a single bite.

What was even more terrifying was that it wasn’t just mosquitoes. There was also a type of Momo mosquito the soldiers called "little biters." A type of midge, it was smaller than a mosquito and even harder to deal with.

These tiny midges were only one to three millimeters long and flew silently, making them incredibly difficult to spot.

Furthermore, their numbers were staggering—over three thousand could cram into a single cubic meter. Getting bitten was excruciating.

Imagine being stuck by several hundred tiny needles at once; the sensation was anything but pleasant.

When the midges bit, it was impossible to dodge. All you could do was grit your teeth through the pain. And since the culprit was just a tiny black speck, defending against them was incredibly difficult.

The military dogs had it even worse than the soldiers.

The mosquitoes didn’t care if you were a man or a dog; they bit indiscriminately.

During patrols, the soldiers could protect themselves with thick, mosquito-proof gear, but the military dogs had only their fur for defense.

As a result, the soldiers often saw their beloved dogs with their eyes bitten so badly they were swollen nearly shut.

Moreover, the dogs had to keep their noses exposed to do their jobs, which made it difficult for the soldiers to fashion any suitable protective gear for them.

While on patrol, the dogs’ noses and legs were often bitten to a gruesome extent. The venomous mosquito bites would cause their skin to fester, and some dogs would even pass out from the attacks.

A military dog’s sense of smell is too sensitive, so the soldiers couldn’t use chemical repellents on them.

But if the dogs were made to wear thick protective suits, they would likely overheat and be unable to move.

Seven military dogs had been literally bitten to death at this post.

...

One day,

after his patrol, Yang Tian was getting ready to clean the barracks as usual.

"Yang Tian, Li Baoming, you two are with me. We’re going to regimental headquarters to pick up supplies,"

their squad leader, Li Yuewei, called out.

"Yes, sir!"

Yang Tian was thrilled.

The regimental headquarters was in the county seat,

where there were fewer mosquitoes

and you could actually breathe fresh air.

Li Baoming drove the pickup truck with Yang Tian in the passenger seat.

Their squad leader, Li Yuewei, rested in the back with his eyes closed.

The road to the regimental HQ was rough.

One stretch was particularly muddy.

And since the surrounding area was swarming with mosquitoes,

they couldn’t open the windows.

Even the truck’s air intake had to be covered with a fine mesh, which restricted the A/C’s airflow.

It was sweltering inside the cab.

CLANK~

The pickup bounced along the muddy road. Its wheels churned through puddles, sending mud spattering against the doors with a dull THWAP.

Yang Tian peered through the streaked window and saw countless black specks frantically slamming against the glass. They were North Bay’s infamous venomous mosquitoes, each the size of a soybean, their wings producing a skin-crawling hum.

"Damn it, here they come again!" Li Baoming muttered. He smacked the steering wheel in frustration and flicked on the wipers.

The blades smeared dark red streaks across the glass—the crushed remains of the mosquitoes.

Yang Tian’s stomach turned. He had seen this countless times, but he still couldn’t get used to it.

"Leader, what supplies are we picking up? Our post is out of repellent," Li Baoming asked.

"Don’t worry, repellent is on the list,"

Li Yuewei said, his eyes still closed.

Two hours later, they arrived at the regimental headquarters.

Picking up the supplies was quick.

After the three of them had finished loading cases of repellent spray and electronic bug zappers, a comms clerk suddenly called out to Yang Tian, "You’ve got a package!"

The package wasn’t large, but it was neatly wrapped.

As Yang Tian opened it, two small, embroidered Brocade Bags slipped into his palm, releasing a crisp, herbal fragrance.

He froze for a second, only then remembering his sister’s phone call.

"Well now, what a nice-looking sachet!" Squad Leader Li Yuewei leaned in, picking one of the Brocade Bags up with his rough fingers. "From your girlfriend?"

He gave a teasing wink, the wrinkles on his bronze, weather-beaten face crinkling.

"My sister sent them. Said they’re for repelling mosquitoes," Yang Tian explained, a little embarrassed.

Li Yuewei’s smile vanished. "Yeah, right. Last year, the regiment issued some mugwort repellent. Spraying it on was the same as spraying nothing at all."

He tossed the Brocade Bag back to Yang Tian. "Your sister wasted her money."

The three of them soon headed back.

Yang Tian tucked the Brocade Bags into his breast pocket.

The fragrance was pleasant and strangely comforting.

As for whether they worked... well, in North Bay, even professional military-grade equipment was all but useless.

As they left the county seat and got closer to their camp,

the swarms of insects grew thicker.

The road became progressively worse.

Suddenly, the truck lurched and sank.

"Crap! Stuck in a rut again!" Li Baoming slammed on the gas. The tires spun uselessly, slathering the windows with mud.