Chapter 84

People are naturally available when needed.

Now that it was nearly winter, there was no more farming to be done in the fields, and the villagers could gather to build the school. They could also spare dozens of people to capture the elephant. However, Lin Bei underestimated the enthusiasm of the crowd. Upon hearing that Lord Yaolong wanted to capture the long-nosed beast, almost everyone with any skills sought out Cui Lan, saying they wanted to participate in the operation. Cui Lan consulted with Lin Bei and finally selected the thirty best hunters she thought were suitable, plus herself, making a total of thirty-one people.

Just as they were about to set off, Zhen Ding arrived at the Dragon Pond, and he was not alone. He brought a group of people, and there was one person at the back who was quite different.

"Lord, this is a Kash person from the Bai Man tribe. I brought this person to assist you," Zhen Ding pointed to the man and said.

The man was bare-chested, wearing only a short leather skirt, and had no shoes. His appearance was very strange, with bristling hair and many stripes on his body and face, making him look like a primitive man.

"Bai Man tribe?" Lin Bei was a bit puzzled and looked at Bian Ji.

Bian Ji explained softly, "Lord, the Bai Man tribe is a general term for the San Yue region, which is divided into Southern Yue, Northern Yue, and Mountain Yue. These people are not Han, and they live a primitive life, so we call them Bai Man. The Kash tribe is said to be skilled in taming long-nosed beasts, but they are not in Southern Yue, but in Northern Yue. Zhen Ding has indeed put in some effort to find such a person for you."

The Kash man looked at Lin Bei and suddenly started to jump and shout in a language Lin Bei couldn't understand. His eyes were very passionate, and he then knelt down and crawled forward in a very devout manner. Lin Bei looked at Bian Ji, who frowned, as he didn't understand the language either and didn't know what the Bai Man's actions meant.

However, among the people Zhen Ding brought, there was a capable person who cautiously approached and bowed to Lin Bei, "Lord, my name is Zhen Jiu. I can understand this person's language. His name is Ali. He says that Lord is the Snake God and hopes that Lord will bless the Kash tribe with a good harvest next year. In return, he will have his tribe offer rich sacrifices to Lord."

Snake God? Lin Bei chuckled inwardly. This body seemed to be well-received wherever it went, but it was also normal. Ancient ethnic minorities indeed had many deities they worshipped, and dragons and snakes were among the most common. These tribes worshipped their deities with great fervor, even offering virgins to their gods. The Kash tribe seemed to be one of these tribes.

"Tell him that we don't need sacrifices, just that he should help us capture the long-nosed beast," Lin Bei said.

Zhen Jiu nodded and quickly translated Lin Bei's words. After Ali got up, he started jumping and shouting again. Zhen Jiu translated that Ali would be very dedicated and would not let the Snake God down.

Thus, the team gained two more members: Ali and Zhen Jiu. Zhen Jiu was the only one who could understand Ali's language, and as a businessman who dealt with different people, he was quite capable.

Lin Bei initially planned to use brute force to subdue the elephant, but now that he had a professional like Ali, he naturally had to listen to his advice. Since the Snake God had a request, Ali was straightforward and told Lin Bei how to capture the elephant.

First, they needed to make several nets, not too large, just enough to cover the elephant's head. Once the elephant was covered, it would be disoriented and run around. At this point, they needed to use traps to trip the elephant, and then they could capture it. However, this method would make the elephant very agitated, so they also needed to slap its ears.

"Is that all?" Lin Bei found it hard to believe, and the hunters exchanged skeptical glances. In their minds, these long-nosed beasts were incredibly strong, and capturing them alive would be very difficult. But what Ali said seemed too simple.

Ali's hairy face showed a proud expression, and he started to chatter. After a while, Zhen Jiu hesitantly said, "Ali says that this is not enough. They need to recite the Kash tribe's spell before the long-nosed beast gets angry. This will make the captured long-nosed beast easier to tame."

"There's a spell too?" Lin Bei was very curious, "Ask him what the spell is."

Zhen Jiu asked, and Ali shouted a few times. Zhen Jiu also shouted a few times, and Ali panted but didn't speak, just looking at Lin Bei.

"What's wrong with him?" Lin Bei was puzzled.

Zhen Jiu said, "Lord, this guy says that the spell is a secret of his tribe, and he will never tell anyone outside the Kash tribe, but he can tell you, Lord. If you want him to say it in front of us, he will die for you to see."

Lin Bei thought, "What a serious matter," but he didn't think Ali was joking. Many ethnic groups had their own taboos, which might seem strange to outsiders but were considered very important by those groups.

So, Lin Bei didn't ask anymore. After all, Ali would recite the spell when they captured the elephant, and Lin Bei's hearing was very sharp, so he could hear it.

Preparing the nets took a day, so it wasn't until the next morning that the team set out with provisions.

At the same time, the Zhen family's caravan was approaching Southern Yue. According to the journey, it would take at most three more days to enter Hepu County. By this time, the caravan, which originally had about a thousand people, had been reduced to about six hundred. Most of the merchants who had joined the caravan had reached their destinations and left, and those who remained were specialized merchants who traveled the route between Southern Yue and the Central Plains. There were only about a hundred of them, and among them was Xu Shu.

Xu Shu had a free-spirited and chivalrous personality, so he got along well with many people in the caravan. At that moment, several people were gathered in a carriage drinking, and Xu Shu was one of them. However, he had changed his name to Shan Fu.

"Brother Shan Fu, we are now close to Southern Yue. Do you think the story about the demon dragon is true?"

"I hope it's true. I've traveled far and wide, but I've never seen a real demon," a merchant laughed.

"Ten zhang long, with a mouth as big as a vat. Brother Wang, you must be careful. The demon dragon could swallow you whole, leaving no bones behind. Your beautiful wife at home will have to live alone," another merchant joked.

Everyone laughed. Xu Shu, who had been reflecting on himself, had become more composed and only smiled lightly, saying, "We'll see when the time comes."

Xu Shu originally intended to travel and seek great scholars, but after hearing from a Zhen family's clerk that a demon dragon had appeared in Southern Yue, his curiosity was piqued. History took a small turn, and Lin Bei had lured Xu Shu over.

PS: To the reader named "Liyudongqiang," I'll consider you my reader. You criticize me while reading my book. I won't say much else, but let's talk about the elephant soldiers. You say developing elephant soldiers is foolish. So, I ask you, with the same number, are elephant soldiers more powerful or are cavalry more powerful? Don't talk about mobility. The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry wore heavy armor, which made them less mobile than light cavalry, but they were the most famous cavalry in the Three Kingdoms period, being Cao Cao's elite force. Even without armor, elephants are more resilient than the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. It all comes down to numbers. The protagonist lives in a large mountain, and it's not impossible to raise tens of thousands of elephants with the resources of a mountain. You say that injured elephants will trample each other, but it's as if you think horses will face death with honor when injured. Even soldiers can panic and flee, let alone animals.

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