This cheering...
Of course, cardiac tamponade is a condition that can be fatal if mishandled...
I know that in emergency situations, deaths from this are not uncommon, but hearing cheers in a 21st-century university hospital just for treating this one condition isn't easy.
Especially if that university hospital is Taehwa Medical Center, the best in the country, and the person who performed the treatment is a professor there.
'Haha. I feel really good…'
Even for me, this is a first.
"Dr. Pyeong!"
"Bingsin!"
Though, the fact that the cheering sounds like this is a bit disappointing.
No, I mean, I'm not a bingsin (idiot)...
They just can't pronounce pyeongsin (the god of sickness) properly...
'Well, no matter how you look at it, the word that fits this situation is bingsin.'
The god of sickness.
Or not?
The god who cures sickness?
Anyway, the Qing commander seemed to be quite an important figure.
The queue hairstyle has a way of making everyone look equally unremarkable, but...
Still, judging by the commotion over saving this one man, he must have been a significant figure.
"This is… incredible. When he collapsed earlier, I thought he was dead for sure… Is this xibal?"
Most of those admiring the scene were Qing soldiers, but the only one who dared approach me was George Eliot.
Since the truly high-ranking officers were back in London or Singapore, he was the highest-ranking commander on-site.
And if someone like him says xibal...
Well, what can I do?
I'll just have to take it as it is.
"Yes, this is xibal."
In a way, it's not entirely wrong.
It is used as an exclamation, after all.
Huh?
If I treated cardiac tamponade without even an ultrasound, then yeah, it is Xibal.
"Hoh… Drawing blood from the heart… No wonder the soldiers' morale is soaring."
George Eliot nodded at my words, then looked down at the dark blood that had come from the Qing commander's body.
It had been red earlier, but it oxidized after being exposed to the air.
But how would people of this era know that?
They've been obsessed with the idea of draining "bad blood" since the time of Hippocrates, so there's no helping it.
"But is there really no way? What about him?"
Eliot paused mid-sentence and gestured with his chin toward one corner of the room.
Following his gaze, I saw a man lying motionless.
A British naval officer.
It had been a one-sided… literally one-sided massacre, but there had still been casualties.
Only one, though.
The ship had maneuvered sharply, and he'd slammed his head against the railing.
If that were all, a simple cranial bloodletting might have saved him, but unfortunately, the poor man had also broken his neck.
"Yes, his neck is injured."
"Couldn't you draw blood from his neck?"
"His bones are broken. There's nothing I can do about that."
"Ah…"
From his tone, it seemed he believed that if only the bones weren't broken, drawing blood from the neck could have saved him.
If this were me in the past, I would have tried my best to correct his "medical knowledge"...
But now, what's the point?
Isn't that why we have the concept of teaching at the student's level?
Why else would Montessori education exist?
It's not like he's misunderstanding in a bad way—he's misunderstanding in a good way.
For example, he thinks I'm the greatest doctor in the world.
"Anyway, will this help our cause?"
"It should. Can't you see the mood in the room has softened?"
"That… is true."
"Just earlier, they were looking at you like you were demons, but now? They worship you like gods."
"I suppose so."
Not gonna lie, when Liston and I were dancing around with our scalpels like we were possessed, it was a bit much.
Even I think...
It must have looked strange.
The first time I saw it, I couldn't tell if it was surgery or an execution.
From the Qing soldiers' perspective, it must have looked like another form of execution...
I don't know much about it, but I've heard that execution methods in China were quite varied and brutal, so in that context, this probably looked the same to them.
"But… do you really not speak Qing?"
"Ah, no. It's like asking you, Colonel, if you speak German or French."
"I speak a little of both, actually."
"The relationship between Joseon and Qing is worse than that between Britain and France."
"Hoh."
Eliot looked incredulous at my words.
Given that the two countries were already like cats and dogs, and I said it was even worse, his reaction was understandable.
But…
Isn't it really that bad?
Sure, the Ming Dynasty helped Joseon until the very end of their collapse, so we could call it even, but the Qing…
Huh?
Just look at how many hostages they took.
No wonder the term hwangnyangnyeo (traitorous women) was coined because of them.
Personally, I think the people who stayed in Joseon and came up with that term were also at fault, but whatever.
"Right, then we'll need an interpreter."
"I see. Where should I go?"
"You can stay here."
"Won't there be confidential discussions?"
While we were talking, the Qing commander, now conscious, was brought into the ship by the medical staff.
Since I was in the middle of the conversation, I followed.
And since I went, Liston and my students came too.
"It's fine. It's not like they'll discuss anything you can't hear. You are part of this operation, after all."
"Ah…"
A headline flashes through my mind: Kim Tae-pyeong, the instigator of the worst war in history—the Opium War.
The world's strongest nation, trying to win in trade, ended up peddling drugs.
It's the kind of absurdity you'd only find in fiction, but it's actual history.
As expected, reality is stranger than fiction…
"Yes, then I'll stay."
"Good. Fortunately, we've traded with the Qing for so long that we have plenty of excellent interpreters."
But what can I do?
It's not like I made and sold the opium…
I just got caught up in something that was bound to happen anyway.
If I get a title for this, it'll definitely expand my influence, and maybe I'll be able to change more of these terrible "historical events" in the future.
"Hmm…"
Anyway, the summoned interpreter was able to converse directly with the commander.
In movies and dramas, you'd see a loyal, queue-wearing Qing official stubbornly keeping his mouth shut until the interpreter stammers out, "The sharp tools and water know the answer."
But today's defeated general doesn't seem to be that kind of strong-willed man.
"As expected, it's Dr. Pyeong."
"Huh?"
I was lost in thought when the interpreter, who had been chattering away in Chinese, suddenly looked at me in admiration.
I had no idea what was going on.
Everyone else was just as confused, their faces marked with question marks as they stared.
"You've broken his spirit."
"Me?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"Haha… With someone as profound as you in the British Empire, its future is surely bright."
The interpreter continued with his cryptic remarks before bursting into laughter.
I hate frustrating situations like this in dramas, so I glared at him.
Luckily, Liston also despises these kinds of situations, so he joined me in glaring.
His glare carried the intensity of a martial arts master's killing intent, making the interpreter clutch his chest in fright before hastily continuing.
"He says you cut off the limbs of his soldiers… and used their life force to save yourself."
"Ah… That's…"
"Is it true? Is that the xibal?"
I was too dumbfounded to respond, but Eliot came in with a new interpretation of xibal.
If his rank had been just a little lower, I would've smacked the back of his head…
"Ah, no. That's a misunderstanding. I'm not actually a shaman. I'm a doctor."
"Ahh. Officially, of course. I understand."
"No, it's not just officially…"
"Haha, anyway, the important thing is that thanks to you, the Qing commander has completely surrendered. You might not know this, but he's a very famous man. The traders used to say he wouldn't shed a drop of blood even if stabbed."
"Huh? Really?"
And now this same man is staring blankly…
Even trembling like a leaf every time our eyes meet.
"Yes. Originally… we planned to hold him here and send someone else to negotiate, but at this point, we might as well send him back directly."
"He seems important—aren't you keeping him as a prisoner?"
"Haha, my friend… After today's battle, you still ask that? No matter where or when we fight, the result will be the same. I bet even the higher-ups in Singapore will be shocked. They're even weaker than we thought."
"Well… I suppose so."
If they had positioned more cannons on land, things might have been different.
Their ships were small and shabby, so they probably couldn't mount large cannons.
If they had fired from land, it might have been better?
But since Lin Zexu hadn't appeared yet, or if he had, he hadn't been able to do much…
They were completely unprepared.
I'm not sure what justification we used to start the actual war, but it's probably better not to know.
No matter how you look at it, our British friends probably didn't use just methods.
"Right, he'll go back to the imperial court and report. It's not like we can take over the entire Qing. Even in India, the French and other lesser powers are already causing trouble… If we push too far here, it could lead to war."
That war… is already happening.
But I didn't say it out loud.
They're making an exception for me, but in this era, white people don't see other races or nations on the same level.
No need to bring it up and get stabbed for being "racist."
Then they'll just pat me on the head and call me an "honorary white man," won't they?
"Anyway, rest well today. You've done great work. So… want to enjoy a Qing woman tonight?"
"Ah, no."
I dislike coercive relationships, and I'm not particularly interested anyway.
Me? I have high standards, you know.
"Instead… I'd like to see some Joseon people."
"Joseon women?"
"No… Just people. I'd like to hear about home."
"Ah, I see. Actually, earlier, some Joseon people came looking for you. We'll check if they're armed… and then send them over."
"Thank you."
"But it's not… dangerous, right? Dr. Liston, you'll stay with him?"
"Of course. We can't let anything happen to our precious shaman."
"Good, then I'll send them right away."
Anyway, I was about to meet Joseon people.
Since coming to the 19th century, apart from my parents, this would be my first time seeing fellow Koreans. I was both excited and nervous…
My heart was in turmoil.