Iron Powder and Spellcasters

   Chapter 348 Hunting (3)

   Wasteland

  The world is vast, and Winters rode along the hillside for a while, only to feel relaxed and happy.

   Far down the mountain, a large herd of antelopes were foraging.

   "There, Batu." Kuoshhaqi pointed to the antelope group: "Prey."

  …

   For this hunt, the Bad Earth Department took out all of their assets. Every family has at least one young man, and there are more than 100 people in total.

  In addition to recruiting people, the hunters who participated in the hunt also had to bring their own horses, weapons and food.

   It is no exaggeration to say that if the hunters of Koshhaqi encounter some misfortune on the road, the Bad Earth will also fall apart.

  Although it seems that the Bad Earth Department attaches great importance to the hunting held by the Chihe Department, it is difficult to connect their actual performance with the words "hunting" and "emphasis on".

   Because the bad earth hunters neither "surround" nor "hunt".

   Their daily actions are just to follow a group of antelopes not too close or far, moving in one direction without any hassle. They drive, guide, and protect their prey patiently, like a herd of sheep.

   It is not so much that the Badlands are hunting, but that they are escorting the antelopes to migrate.

However, if someone looks down from the sky at this moment, he will see: In the vast land, hundreds of hunting parties are doing the same thing as the hunters of the Bad Earth Department-[Drive without hesitation] The beast heads towards the final hunting ground].

   In the Hart tribes, hunting is a major event second only to war.

   Every time there is a big hunt, the leader who organizes the hunt will pre-define the hunting range, and the messenger will prepare manpower, supplies and equipment, and dispatch fine horses to find out the location and size of the prey.

   As soon as everything is ready, the hunter will set off.

  Hunters use hunting teams as their units of action, which are not subordinate to each other but are in harmony with each other.

   They spread out in the vast hunting ground, like a sparse and unobstructed giant net, rushing the prey from all directions to the predetermined destination.

  According to the description of the little lion, the process of driving the prey takes up to three months at most.

   During this period, the hunter only eats and drinks what he carries, and even if he starves, he cannot harm the prey at all.

  Sleeping in the wind is not the most torturous part. What tortures hunters the most is the fear of the unknown.

   Hunting is a huge activity that requires precise coordination, and the failure of any hunting team may lead to serious consequences.

  Whether other hunting teams can close on time, the hunters have no way of knowing. All they can do is stare at the prey in front of them and walk down firmly and alone.

  …

"Lead a single army to the battlefield where the victory or defeat is unknown." Winters outlined the spectacular scene of tens of thousands of hunters hunting together in his mind, and praised: "For a military exercise of this scale, even the alliance and the empire may not be able to. Never."

   "What is 'military exercise'?" Koshhachi asked in confusion.

   Winters smiled and replied softly, "Just practicing war."

   As they spoke, the four Bad Earth hunters rushed from the direction of the antelope group, and after saluted Winters and Koshhachi, they ran wearily towards the camp.

   In the process of driving the prey, the hunters can neither let the prey die from exhaustion, nor allow the prey to deviate from the direction, nor allow the prey to be preyed by the beasts.

   Therefore, the hunting team of the Bad Earth Division was divided into six arrows, taking turns to take care of the prey day and night.

   "It's not 'the victory or defeat is unknown', Batu." Kuoshhaqi gestured hard: "The Chihe Department used a lot, a lot, a lot of hunters. Even if someone ran away their prey, there would still be a lot left."

   Winters understood what Koshhachi meant: "In my opinion, hunting is a rehearsal for war, but you actually care more about how much prey you can harvest."

  Koshihachi grinned. He thought for a while, and said, "It's been a long time since I used so many hunters to hunt. This is the first time since I was able to draw the bow."

   "Hidong East, Teltown Division... The three major divisions don't have as many hunters as this time?"

  Koshihaqi shook his head: "Three Departments, I have never been a hunter. But I guess, it should be better."

   "Why?" Winters raised his brows: "The Chihe Division has not grown for a few years, so don't the three major divisions have as many hunters as the Chihe Division?"

  Koshihaqi laboriously organizes the language: "The white lion uses many hunters from other tribes; the three tribes use only their own hunters."

   "Isn't the more hunters the better?"

   "The more the better." Koshhaqi said solemnly: "But, hunt and obey."

  According to Koshhaqi, he only started to learn the language of the two-legged man after he suffered the defeat of the [Battle of Styx].

  It is not easy to learn a language to the extent he is now in such a short period of time - but it is still not enough for more complex conversations.

   As a result, Koshkach always jumps out word by word when he speaks, and Winters often has to guess what Koshkach wants to express based on body language.

   Winters pondered and asked: "You mean to say that participating in the hunting of the Chihe Division means surrendering to the Chihe Division?"

  Koshihachi nodded heavily.

In this regard, Winters is not surprised: "I am afraid it is not as simple as surrender. The big fish eats the small fish, sooner or later. I am just curious, knowing that the Chihe Ministry intends to annex the Bad Earth Ministry, why do you still participate in the Chihe Division? Department of hunting?"

  Koshihaqi said as a matter of course: "The Bad Earth Division is weak, and the Chihe Division is strong, so we have to participate."

   "The Chihe Department forced you to become ministers?"

   "No, big fish eat small fish, it's better to be eaten early than late."

   "I'm not asking you 'why surrender to the white lion'." Winters stared at Koshkach's eyes with scrutiny: "What I'm asking is—are you really willing to surrender to the white lion?"

   Winters' question was dangerous, but Koshkach answered it, and answered truthfully:

   "Unwilling."

  …

  Koshihachi wanted to know what the world was like beyond the steppe, and Winters wanted to know what was going on in the wasteland.

   Previously, Winters mainly relied on the little lion to understand the inner story of Heard's ministries.

The    lion cub provides Winters with a lot of valuable information, even including the all-important "Telltown man is coming" warning.

   However, relying on the little lion to provide information means that Winters can only know what the white lion wants him to know.

   Therefore, Winters urgently needs to open up new sources of intelligence.

   But everything is easy to think about, but difficult to do.

   Not to mention the physical isolation and the intense animosity between the Hurds and the Platonics, just finding a Hurd who can speak Common is as difficult as panning for gold in the sand.

  So Winters tolerated Koshhach to observe his subordinates like a spy, answering as many questions as he could.

   In exchange, Koshkach also had to answer Winters' question, which was a tacit understanding between the two that did not need to be stated.

  …

   "What about the leaders of the other tribes?" Winters continued, "They're just willing to be vassals?"

   "No one wants to." Koshhaqi answered truthfully: "But the white lion is fair and has prestige."

   Winters listened quietly.

  Koshihaqi stretched out his left hand: "It was eaten by the three ministries."

  Koshihaqi stretched out his right hand again: "It was eaten by the Chihe Department."

   Finally, he held the right hand symbolizing the Chihe Department: "This is better."

   Winters nodded, noncommittal.

   "Or." Koshhaqi got off the saddle, drew an iron arrow from his quiver, and gave it to the champion of Palatu with both hands: "Obey Batu."

   Winters raised his eyebrows slightly: "Bad Earth? Or you?"

  Koshihaqi bowed his head respectfully: "I."

   Winters did not accept the iron arrow, he answered honestly: "You are more valuable to me in the wasteland."

   [I was overdrawn yesterday]

   (end of this chapter)