Chapter 28 of 100

Chapter 28

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Daixi Guoji found a wild boar den.

In Japan, there are few fierce beasts, and bears, wolves, and wild boars are the most ferocious large animals. The first two are rarely seen, or those who see them often become their food. Wild boars, however, are the most common. They usually travel in groups of 4 to 10, and are quite fierce and hard to provoke. Because wild boars are common, they often become synonymous with fierce beasts in Japanese folklore, and hunting wild boars is a symbol of courage. In Japan, "going to hunt wild boars" and "going to hunt tigers" essentially mean the same thing. Therefore, if you suddenly hear that a wild boar hero has emerged, don't be surprised. To people of this era, it's no different from the tiger-hunting hero Wu Er in China.

In most cases, wild boars follow the principle of "if you don't attack me, I won't attack you." They rarely attack humans unless they feel threatened. However, the problem is that although they don't attack humans, they eat a lot and can swallow almost anything. Thus, crops in the fields often become their meals. As the cultivation of suitable farmland between the original Xiaomu Village and Daixi Village neared completion, the direction of land reclamation gradually shifted to the southwest of the current Yetao Village. However, since the reclamation began in this direction, the frequency of wild boar attacks on the fields has gradually increased. In just over half a month, wild boars have appeared several times in the newly cultivated and recently sown fields, causing widespread damage, and even chasing villagers once. Although no one was injured in this incident, everyone now fears wild boars like tigers, and they are very cautious when reclaiming land, fearing that wild boars might suddenly rush out from the forest. This has significantly slowed down the pace of land reclamation, seriously affecting the normal development of the territory.

According to Tokugawa Heiji's description, although wild boars often damaged the fields in the past, the frequency was low. In recent times, the frequency of wild boar attacks has almost matched that of last year. Wild boars generally have an activity range of 8 to 10 square kilometers. Luo Shizheng speculated that his territory probably overlaps with the wild boars' activity range and is not far from their den. As the cultivated land expanded southwest into the forest, it encroached on the wild boars' territory, leading to an increase in attacks.

As the saying goes, "two tigers cannot coexist on one mountain." If the wild boars were willing to stay in the forest and not invade Luo Shizheng's territory, Luo Shizheng would be willing to turn a blind eye and let the wild boars enjoy a few more days. Now, the wild boars have declared war on the territory first, so Luo Shizheng will not be lenient. Besides, the residents of the experimental fields' wild boar pens are counting on these wild boars, and they can also be used to test the results of the foot soldiers' training over the past half month.

Therefore, after the wild boars attacked the territory's fields again the day before, Luo Shizheng immediately had Daixi Guoji arrange for several old hunters to follow the wild boars into the forest to gather information. "Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will win a hundred battles out of a hundred." First, understand the situation before making plans.

In Luo Shizheng's small mud and wood house, five people were kneeling. Luo Shizheng sat in the main seat. On his right were Tokugawa Heiji and Tsuda Masaharu, and on his left was Daixi Guoji. Below Daixi Guoji was a 40-year-old old hunter. The old hunter, who was attending such a meeting for the first time, appeared very nervous, his body trembling slightly due to tension.

"Guoji, tell me what you found," Luo Shizheng said.

"Yes, Your Highness. The wild boar den is about an hour's journey from our territory. The specific details will be explained by Shinzo," Daixi Guoji replied.

"Shinzo, I greet Your Highness," the old hunter quickly bowed to Luo Shizheng when Daixi Guoji mentioned him.

"Shinzo, tell me about the wild boars. Where is their den, and how many are there?" Luo Shizheng asked urgently.

"Your Highness, the wild boars' den is under a small hill deep in the forest. There are several small caves there. We did not get close to avoid alarming the wild boars. From a distance, there are about 20 wild boars," Shinzo stammered.

"Twenty? So many?" Tokugawa Heiji was shocked by the number of wild boars. Usually, the wild boars that attack the fields only number about ten. How did they suddenly increase so much?

"Yes, sir, about 20, but about 10 of them are piglets," Shinzo continued.

Piglets? Hearing this information, Luo Shizheng's eyes lit up. They would be perfect for capturing and taming. In fact, Luo Shizheng had always planned to capture some piglets for taming. As for the adult wild boars, they were not within his consideration, unless there was no other choice. After all, capturing adult wild boars is extremely difficult, and it would be better to kill them. Additionally, if he missed the opportunity to hunt them while trying to capture them, he would face the fierce attacks of the adult wild boars. These adult wild boars are as formidable as two or three samurai.

"Your Highness, although there are only about 10 adult wild boars, we need a well-thought-out plan to avoid a direct confrontation with the wild boars," Tokugawa Heiji, seeing Luo Shizheng's eyes light up, worried that the lord might impulsively decide to attack the wild boars and suffer their attacks, so he bravely reminded him.

"Yes, Heiji, I understand," Luo Shizheng reassured him, knowing Tokugawa Heiji's good intentions. Of course, Luo Shizheng had never considered a direct attack on the wild boars. After all, the main threat to the territory was the bandits on Yetao Mountain. If his hard-earned foot soldiers were significantly damaged in this boar extermination operation, the territory would be in danger. Therefore, if he could not defeat them by force, he would have to use strategy.

"Let's do this. Masaharu, immediately gather the archer foot soldiers and have Shinzo lead the way. We will go to the forest to see the situation on the ground," Luo Shizheng decided to see the actual situation before making a decision.

"Yes, Your Highness," Tsuda Masaharu and Shinzo replied in unison.

"Heiji, you stay behind and continue to reassure the villagers. Tell them that the lord will eliminate the wild boar menace. How to convince the villagers is up to you," Luo Shizheng thought for a moment and continued to make arrangements.

"Your Highness..." Tokugawa Heiji was shocked and immediately planned to argue. After more than half a month of interaction, Tokugawa Heiji was increasingly satisfied with the temporary son-in-law he had chosen. First, the territory had greatly improved under Luo Shizheng's leadership, and they no longer had to worry about going hungry. Second, the abilities Luo Shizheng demonstrated during this process gave Tokugawa Heiji hope for the revival of his family. Therefore, Tokugawa Heiji was extremely worried that Luo Shizheng might be injured or worse due to a lack of sufficient understanding of wild boars. If that happened, the territory and his hopes would be lost. For this reason, Tokugawa Heiji was determined to stay close to Luo Shizheng and provide advice at any time.

"Don't be upset, Heiji. This task is also important. Additionally, the territory's defense must be strengthened, as the bandits on the mountain are watching us closely," Luo Shizheng quickly reassured him before he could continue. How could he let his future father-in-law, who was already in his forties and considered old for a commoner in this era, take any risks? If anything happened during the operation, how would he explain it to his young wife? Moreover, the territory currently lacked capable administrators, and as the chief administrator, he could not be put in danger.

In the end, Tokugawa Heiji reluctantly stayed in the territory after Luo Shizheng repeatedly assured him that this trip was only to survey the terrain, not to attack the wild boars.

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