HPDBC Chapter 140 Encircling the Yellow Sheep
Chapter 140 Encircling the Yellow Sheep
"Uncle Su Dao, shall we hunt on horseback, or in a horse-drawn encirclement?"
Once he decided to stay, Chen Tuo's wicked idea came to him.
Judging from the herdsmen's posture, they were definitely planning to hunt on horseback, but Chen Tuo had more in mind.
"Isn't that the same thing? Those herders are just as good with guns as we are, so don't show off!"
Although there are no mountain runners on the grassland, there are still herders who hunt.
Marmots are a specialty of the grasslands. More than ten years ago, Wu Laowai would come to the grasslands to hunt marmots every spring and autumn.
Later, the marmots on the grassland were almost wiped out, and people could no longer come freely, so he stayed in Songling year-round.
Besides marmots, there are also many wolves, badgers, and gazelles on the grasslands.
Moreover, the hunting activities of herders on the grasslands are very large-scale, with dozens or even hundreds of people not being considered many.
It is said that there are large-scale hunts involving thousands of people and hunting dogs, but Wu Laowai has only heard of such hunts.
"Uncle Wu, this is what I was thinking: they know how to herd cattle and horses, right? Could they drive the gazelles into the sheepfold?"
When Chen Tuo said this, everyone except Wu Laowai agreed with his idea, which was much better than riding a big yellow sheep.
Wu Laowai, however, was well aware of Chen Tuo's uncanny ability to make whatever he wanted happen.
A herd of gazelles is usually followed by a pack of wolves!
This guy suggested pensing the gazelles; who knows, the pastures in Nantun might be in trouble with wolves.
"You have a good idea! But have you considered how the gazelle herd got here? There must be wolves following behind!"
Wu Laowai's meaning was clear: he would just hunt a few along the way, and letting the gazelles go was the same as letting the wolves go.
Hunting wolves on the grasslands is not as simple as it seems.
The grassland, which appears to be a flat plain, is full of depressions, which are what people in the mountains call snow pockets.
Once the wolves disappear into the area, it's impossible to find them, let alone on horseback or in a car; even flying a plane might not be enough.
They finished fighting, then packed their bags and left.
If the wolf attack causes losses to the herders in the winter pastures, they'll be too ashamed to come back...
"Old Wai, Chen Zhiqing's idea is good. I'll go ask Uncle Qinggele..."
Wu Laowai did not support Chen Tuo, but Su Dao did.
At yesterday's Naadam festival, Su Dao followed Guan Dunzi and seriously stole a lot of the inheritance.
The women of the winter ranch gave him a thick stack of embroidered patterns, especially on the wok boots and sohai boots.
With these embroidered patterns, the wolfskin robes being made in the settlements and hunting grounds can fetch a high price.
Besides embroidered patterns, the women also found him several old shoe lasts for making wrestling boots and sojourn boots.
According to Guan Dunzi, with these old shoe lasts, he could make a batch of shoes based on the patterns when he got back.
Even an outsider like Chen Tuo could spare no effort to help them continue their traditions, so Su Dao, a true hunter, naturally supported all his decisions.
"You guys are just messing around! What will you do when the wolves surround the ranch?"
Old Wu said all this not because he was afraid of the wolf attack.
However, it was through Su Dao's words that the consequences were informed to Qinggele and the other herders.
If a wolf attack does occur, that's their own business and has nothing to do with the people from Songling.
Su Dao did the same thing, turning hunting sheep into penning sheep, and the herdsmen of Qinggele were also persuaded by Chen Tuo's crooked idea.
For herders, whether it's a sheep or a gazelle, as long as it's a sheep, it can be raised in enclosures.
Moreover, the sheepfolds at this winter pasture are already there.
This winter's Naadam festival has once again gathered enough people.
Driving the gazelles into the sheepfold in the pasture is challenging, but not too difficult on the snow-covered grassland.
Qinggele agreed, and the next step was to prepare for the enclosure of the gazelles.
The sheepfold needs to be repaired, and the main road leading in and out of the pasture also needs to be fenced off.
The two tractors that Chen Tuo and his team brought were also requisitioned and could be used as a barrier to herd gazelles on the hillside outside the ranch.
The best horsemen are herdsmen, each with two or three Mongolian horses, responsible for driving the herds.
The older herders in Qinggele, along with Chen Tuo and his group, were responsible for intercepting herds of gazelles on the snowfield.
Chen Tuo and his group were also divided into three groups, with Xiao Kai and Zhang Taibao in charge of driving the tractor.
Morigen, along with Wu Laowai and Guan Dunzi, guarded one side.
Chen Tuo, Bai Long, Su Mo, Su Dao, and Guan Tianpeng formed a group of five.
The idea of forming groups of five was also Su Dao's.
Upon arriving at the destination, he and Guan Tianpeng took charge of one side.
Chen Tuo, riding a blue draft horse, was on the other side along with Bai Long and Su Mo.
This time, instead of the guns they were familiar with, everyone took the ten Bereks that Su Dao had left behind.
Hunting gazelles for meat was not Chen Tuo's ulterior motive for coming up with this crooked idea.
It's not appropriate for him to express his thoughts now, because to do so would be to deviate from reality.
He plans to transport some of these gazelles to Songling and raise them in the mountains in a semi-artificial manner to supplement the wildlife population of the Xing'an Mountains.
The hunting grounds he envisions require pristine forests and wild animals as an indispensable element.
It's the yellow sheep now, but in the future it might be the roe deer, red deer, or sika deer.
"Morgen, why do you have so many ideas?"
Although his idea of riding a horse with Chen Tuo failed, Su Mo was still very happy to be able to spend time alone with Chen Tuo.
As for the white dragon beside them, it had already become a member of their family with Su Dao's tacit approval.
"I have plenty of ideas! If we really want to pen the gazelle herd, Bailong, you should compete with Uncle Su Dao. I want to transport the live gazelles to Songling."
Compared to the unruly female hunter Su Mo, the more thoughtful White Dragon seemed somewhat hesitant.
She had broadened her horizons, but lacked corresponding experience to support her views.
And that's how most people are these days—feeling their way across the river by touching the stones!
Deceiving Su Dao was much easier than deceiving Bai Long.
This Evenki girl was almost completely obedient to Chen Tuo.
"Chen...Mergen, herding gazelles isn't difficult, but driving them to Songling is!"
Herding horses and sheep is no problem for Bailong, but herding a herd of yellow sheep back to Songling is extremely difficult.
It's possible that the gazelle herd will simply run away before they can be driven out of the winter pastures.
"There's no rush. We can temporarily board them at the winter pasture! The adult sheep are hard to herd, so we can just take the lambs and talk to them after we've got them!"
Although the herd of gazelles was still on the snowfield, in Chen Tuo's words, it was already his for the taking.
Having made up their minds to herd the gazelles, the herders put their skills to use.
Starting from the winter pastures, herders spread crumpled hay on the snow.
The herders are very familiar with the habits of gazelles. Gazelles from the outer grasslands are also forced to make a living.
Guided by the scent of grass, fleeing herds of gazelles will involuntarily follow the trails of dry grass.
At this point, just one or two people can change the direction of the herd's escape.
A hunting team of nearly a hundred people could easily herd hundreds or even thousands of gazelles into the sheepfold of the winter pasture.
The most crucial part of the subsequent hunt was not herding the sheep, but finding traces of the gazelle herd...