"Tigers usually go into heat and give birth in winter or spring, so the timing is about the same. So I suspect a young tiger may have arrived in the mountains after winter.
"Wild boars and deer are both animals that tigers like to hunt, so wild boars will abandon their food in the mountains and come down to attack farmers. Someone just said they saw sika deer fleeing in panic."
After listening to Boss Ye's analysis, Mu Zheng finally took it seriously.
If it really is a tiger, that would be a big deal.
The Chinese New Year is just around the corner. Every year, the month or so before and after New Year's Eve is the busiest time in the capital. People from many surrounding areas will come to the city to buy New Year's goods, go sightseeing, etc.
If a tiger were to injure someone, it would be a real headache.
Moreover, if they needed to face a tiger, Mu Zheng suddenly felt that the people he brought with him might not be able to handle it.
"I shouldn't have agreed to go our separate ways so hastily." Mu Zheng frowned.
"How about we turn back and look for them now?" Boss Ye suggested, "Even if we can't catch up, at least we can shorten the distance. If anything goes wrong, we can look after each other.
Mu Zheng took out his pocket watch from his pocket, glanced at it and said, "Let's stop and rest for a while, everyone should eat something, and then we can discuss and make a decision."
"Okay, then tell them what's going on. I'll go get something to eat."
This trip into the mountains is expected to take a long time, so everyone brought dry food such as pancakes, sesame cakes, pickles, and dried meat.
Boss Ye thought that since there were so many people, it would be better for them to have something hot to eat.
After Boss Ye took the initiative to avoid it, Mu Zheng asked everyone to rest on the spot.
Everyone was indeed tired after walking for a whole morning. They found a good place, put the things they were carrying under their buttocks and sat down.
Mu Zheng told everyone the information and speculations that Boss Ye had obtained.
As expected, most people don't believe it.
The hunters were the first to express their disagreement.
"The imperial court sends people to patrol the mountains and suppress them every year. We haven't seen tigers around the capital for more than ten years. I don't think Ye Qingchen's words are credible."
"That's right. Ye Qingchen might indeed be a very powerful hunter outside the Great Wall, but this is near the capital after all. The situation is completely different from outside the Great Wall. We can't just listen to his one-sided story."
"Then what do you think it is?" Mu Zheng asked back.
The hunters looked at each other in confusion when they heard this, and were speechless for a moment.
Finally, an old hunter spoke up and said, "Regardless of whether it's a tiger or not, it must be a ferocious beast to have caused such a big commotion.
"So I think that part of Ye Qingchen's proposal is still worth adopting."
As he spoke, he broke off a branch and drew a few simple strokes on the snow beside him.
"Let's not go any further north. Let's go west from here and there's a river. We'll go south along the river.
"This way we can be closer to Lord Luo's team, so we can look after each other if anything happens."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone else nodded repeatedly.
They originally felt that they were the ones left over by Luo Jinsheng and were not as capable as the other team.
Now I hear that there might be ferocious beasts in the mountains, and I feel even more uneasy.
But most people were still trying to save face and refused to admit that Boss Ye's analysis made sense.
So after hearing what the old hunter said, everyone immediately expressed their agreement as if they had found a way out.
Mu Zheng didn't care what they thought, as long as they achieved their goal in the end.
He ordered two people to collect some firewood to make a fire, then he folded his hands across his chest, leaned against the tree trunk behind him, and closed his eyes to rest.
The fire quickly started, and just then Boss Ye came back with the prey.
Looking at the harvest hanging around his waist, everyone except Mu Zheng was stunned.
They had no idea where Boss Ye was doing and thought that Mu Zheng had sent him away on purpose. They didn't expect that he was actually going hunting.
Several hunters felt numb as they watched Boss Ye throw the fish in his hands to the ground, pick three pheasants from his waist, and take out four rabbits from the basket on his back.
It’s been less than half an hour, and they’ve brought back so many prey?
Mu Zheng opened his eyes when he heard the sound of Boss Ye coming back. Although he knew that Boss Ye would definitely not return empty-handed, he did not expect that the harvest would be so rich.
Although the dozen or so soldiers had never hunted before, they still had the most basic common sense. If hunting was so easy, wouldn't all the hunters have made a fortune long ago?
Mu Zheng said: "What are you all just looking at? Hurry up and help clean up!"
After hearing what he said, everyone finally reacted.
Some soldiers hurriedly said, "I'll go get some more firewood and build a few more fires. That way it will go faster."
"I'm going too!"
"I'm going too!"
The soldiers who were listless just now all became active. After all, it was freezing cold, and who wouldn't want to eat something hot?
Who wants to eat hard and dry jerky when there is fresh meat?
I saw more than a dozen soldiers rushing in different directions to collect firewood.
The old hunter who had just spoken took the initiative and said, "Then let's clean up together! How are you going to eat it?"
He was asking this to Boss Ye.
Boss Ye turned his head to look at Mu Zheng, waiting for his opinion.
Mu Zheng said without hesitation, "Didn't we bring two pots? Let's clean up the fish and make soup, and roast the pheasant and rabbit. It just so happens that everyone has their own dry food."
"Okay!" Everyone got busy after hearing that.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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