PFC Chapter 310 Your magnanimity is admirable.
Chapter 310 Your magnanimity is admirable.
That evening, the village committee hosted a banquet for Captain Yang and his group. The table was laden with dishes made from wild boar, venison, and other game, which made Captain Yang and his companions' eyes light up.
"Wow, the food in your village is really good!" one of the young men who was traveling with them exclaimed.
The old Party Secretary chuckled and said, "This is all thanks to the hunting team, thanks to Xiangyang and the others."
Captain Yang raised his glass and looked at Li Xiangyang: "Captain Li, you're so young, yet you possess such skill. I admire you greatly. I look forward to your guidance tomorrow."
Li Xiangyang raised his glass in response: "Captain Yang, you flatter me. We can learn from each other."
After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, everyone was somewhat tipsy.
During the meal, Captain Yang frequently toasted Li Xiangyang, seemingly trying to gauge his true intentions through the alcohol.
However, Li Xiangyang's excellent alcohol tolerance and skillful handling of the situation surprised Captain Yang.
"Captain Li has a good capacity for alcohol!" Captain Yang exclaimed, his face already showing signs of intoxication.
Li Xiangyang replied with a smile, "It's cold in the mountains, a little wine will warm us up."
The next day, just as dawn broke, Li Xiangyang led the hunting team and Captain Yang's group to meet at the village entrance.
"Today we're going to Xishan, where there are many wild rabbits and pheasants, making it a good place for beginners," Li Xiangyang said to Captain Yang.
Captain Yang shook his head: "We've hunted before, so we don't need to go to places like that. I heard you hunted wild boar in the North Mountain the day before yesterday, so let's go there!"
Seeing that the other party insisted, Li Xiangyang couldn't refuse.
"Alright then, but the terrain in the North Mountain is complex and the wild animals are ferocious, so everyone must follow instructions and be careful."
Captain Yang shrugged it off: "Don't worry, we're not newbies either."
The group headed towards Beishan.
Along the way, Li Xiangyang kept explaining the common sense and precautions for mountain life to Captain Yang and the others, but they seemed to be listening inattentively.
Seeing Captain Yang's absent-minded appearance, Li Xiangyang felt somewhat helpless but didn't say anything more.
He knew all too well what these people were thinking. Nowadays, apart from some small villages in impoverished areas, most villages have their own militia organizations.
Take Heping Village for example. As a large village far larger than Xiaoliang Village, it not only has a militia company with a complete organizational structure, but also conducts regular training.
In Captain Yang's eyes, militiamen who have undergone formal training should far surpass the hunting team, which was hastily assembled and was not even a proper militia, in terms of both physical fitness and combat skills.
Li Xiangyang's lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile. He knew in his heart that changing mindsets was not something that could be accomplished overnight, and no matter how much he tried to persuade them, it would probably be in vain in the face of the other party's deeply ingrained beliefs.
Since that's the case, we might as well save our energy and let the facts speak for themselves.
Shortly after entering the mountains, Li Xiangyang squatted down and carefully examined the footprints on the ground.
“These are wild boar tracks, very fresh, they should be nearby,” Li Xiangyang said in a low voice.
Captain Yang leaned closer for a look, then said noncommittally, "It should be, but how can you be sure it's fresh?"
Li Xiangyang patiently explained, "You see, the edges of this footprint are still very clear, and it hasn't been blown away by the wind, indicating that it was left recently. Judging from the depth, it should belong to an adult male boar."
Captain Yang was skeptical, but he still ordered the team to proceed according to Li Xiangyang's instructions.
After walking for less than ten minutes, a rustling sound came from the bushes ahead.
Li Xiangyang immediately made a shushing gesture, signaling everyone to stop.
“There’s prey,” he whispered. “Everyone be quiet and approach slowly.”
Just then, a young man behind Captain Yang saw the wild boar and couldn't resist showing off his skills. He ignored Li Xiangyang and fired.
The gunshot startled the wild boars ahead, and a dark figure darted out of the bushes and ran quickly into the distance.
"Don't rush!" Li Xiangyang hurriedly shouted.
However, it was too late; Captain Yang and his men had already opened fire.
Li Xiangyang watched helplessly as his prey was startled and ran away. His anger flared up instantly, and his face turned ashen.
He whirled around, glaring at the young man who had fired without permission, veins bulging on his forehead, and roared, "I've repeatedly emphasized following orders! Did you ignore me? This is in the mountains, not a shooting range! Your reckless shooting not only scared away this wild boar, but could also attract other, even more ferocious beasts. Who will be responsible then?"
Seeing this, Captain Yang knew that his men were in the wrong, and his face turned red and white in turns.
He quickly turned around, glared angrily at the men he had brought, and shouted, "All of you, behave yourselves! Here, you have to listen to Captain Li. Look at the mess you've made! If you don't obey orders, get back to where you were!"
After being scolded by Captain Yang, the young men lowered their heads and dared not utter a sound.
Li Xiangyang took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed the anger in his heart.
He understood that they had already shown weakness, and if he continued to press the issue, he would appear petty: "Alright, let's all learn our lesson. The commotion has disturbed the nearby prey; we need to find another spot."
Li Xiangyang led the group deeper into the mountains.
After walking for about an hour, we arrived at an open hillside.
“This is the habitat of wild deer, so don’t act rashly this time,” Li Xiangyang said, pointing into the distance. “We’ll approach from downwind and use that patch of bushes for cover.”
He gestured for everyone to follow, and moved forward in a low, slow, and precise manner, without making a sound.
Seeing this, although they were still not entirely convinced, the men who followed Captain Yang had no choice but to do as he said.
When the distance was reduced to about 100 meters, Li Xiangyang stopped and took out a bundle of hay from his backpack.
"What is this?" Captain Yang asked, puzzled.
“Deer-attracting grass,” Li Xiangyang explained in a low voice, “I found it in the mountains; this grass has the scent of a doe.”
As he spoke, he crushed the hay and let the wind carry the scent to the hillside.
A moment later, a male deer emerged from the bushes in the distance, looking around warily.
Li Xiangyang raised his hunting rifle, slowly adjusted his breathing, aimed, and then steadily pulled the trigger.
boom!
After a sharp gunshot, the stag fell to the ground without even struggling.
"This...this is too incredible!" one of the team members from Peace Village exclaimed in surprise.
Hearing the exclamations, Li Xiangyang turned around and saw the admiration in everyone's eyes, and the slight resentment in his heart completely disappeared.
He waved his hand with a smile: "Hunting is seven parts skill and three parts luck. Today, luck is on my side."
As he spoke, he crouched down to examine the stag, and after confirming that the attack had been fatal, he began to prepare the prey.
Captain Yang walked up to Li Xiangyang with a guilty look on his face. Just as he was about to speak, Li Xiangyang interrupted him: "Captain Yang, everyone is hoping for a good harvest, and some impulsiveness is inevitable."
Captain Yang was taken aback for a moment, then nodded vigorously: "Alright, I won't say anything more. I admire your magnanimity!"