Republic of China: Guandong Ginseng King

Chapter 222 Snow Road Wolf Pack
Everyone rested at home for three days, and then Qu Shaoyang and the Chen brothers set off again with their men, driving the horse-drawn sleigh.

The front area includes Badaojiang, Banshigou, Shirengou, Qidaojiang, Hongtushan, and some areas around Tonghua.

Compared with the upper reaches of the Yalu River, these places have relatively more villages and towns and the population is much denser.

However, the various mountain products, hides, medicinal materials, etc. are not as good as those in the vicinity of Tadian, but the collection of pig bristles, soybeans, etc. is more.

The group wandered around these places for about ten days, and then Qu Shaoyang sent people back to Maoer Mountain to inform Liu Dongshan to bring people to meet at Shuidonggou.

Liu Dongshan received the news and immediately arranged for personnel.

He left five or six men to look after the house, and the rest followed him, carrying guns and bullets, and driving the horse-drawn sleigh.

Pulling all the goods at home, they sped down the Yalu River and headed straight for Shuidonggou.

It is the end of winter, the end of the 29th day and the beginning of the 39th day. The weather is freezing cold and the wind is like a knife, cutting your face and causing pain.

They all wore fur hats with the ear flaps let down and tied with thin ropes, and then they wrapped their faces with scarves, leaving only their eyes exposed.

He was wearing a cotton-padded jacket with a large fur coat on the outside, and sheepskin trousers over his cotton trousers.

He wore boots with high-waisted socks inside, and put some Ula grass between them.

I wear a big hand muff on my hand. The hand muff is usually made of animal skin and filled with cotton, which keeps me warm without trapping sweat.

The surging Yalu River had now frozen into a thick layer of ice, forming a vast icy road.

The wind on the river was very strong, and with the sled speeding across the ice, the wind blowing in our face felt sharper than a knife.

Even if everyone is fully armed, they will still be freezing cold if they just sit on the sled for a long time, and they will have to find a place to build a fire to cool down.

"Let's rest here for a while, drink some hot water to warm ourselves up, and then we'll leave.

At this rate, we should be able to reach Shuidonggou tonight and join up with Shaoyang and the others."

Everyone set out early and were hungry by noon, so they built a fire on the side of the road.

I boiled the snow in the double-handled pot I brought, boiled some water, and roasted some dry food to eat.

After eating some dry food and drinking a bowl of hot water, everyone felt much better.

We are in the wilderness and cannot stay on the road for too long.

After it warmed up a little, everyone put out the fire, packed up their belongings, and continued on their way.

In winter, the days are short and the nights are long. Just after the hour of Wei, the sky starts to get darker.

Liu Dongshan sat on the front sled, holding a whip in his hand, driving the horse forward quickly.

But as he walked, he felt something was wrong. He felt a chill down his spine, as if he was being stared at by something.

"Take out your guns, hold them in your arms, and pay attention to your surroundings. I don't think something is right."

Liu Dongshan handed the whip to the person next to him, then turned around and passed the message to the back.

After hearing this, the person behind hurriedly unbuttoned his fur coat and held the gun in his arms to keep it warm.

It's freezing cold, and the gun has been outside for a long time, so the bolt is likely to freeze. Once a special situation occurs, the gun may not work properly.

Liu Dongshan is an old hand, and his sensitivity to danger is unmatched by ordinary people.

All the guys knew the capabilities of their old boss, so no one dared to neglect him and they all followed Liu Dongshan's instructions.

There were two or three people sitting on a sled, one of them drove the sled while the other two looked around.

"Master, look, there are wolves on the hill by the river." Someone with good eyesight noticed something unusual. It turned out that there were several wolves on the hill by the river, staring at the river.

The river is calm in winter, making it easy to walk. Many people either drive sleds or walk, and there are many pedestrians coming and going on the river.

There were those unlucky ones who were so tired, hungry and cold that they fell to the ground without even knowing where they were walking and couldn't get up.

If a kind-hearted person passing by could have saved him, it would have been a good thing. But if not, in this weather, he would have been dead after being frozen outside for two or three hours.

During the coldest days of winter, it was difficult for wolves to find food in the mountains, so some simply ran to the Yalu River, either to attack lone people or to pick up the corpses of those who had frozen to death.

Liu Dongshan also saw the wolves, but he didn't take it to heart.

With more than ten people, five horses, and more than ten rifles and muskets, they were not afraid of three or five wolves.

"Don't worry about those wolves, speed up and try to get to Shuidonggou before dark." Liu Dongshan shouted loudly.

The guy at the back heard it, cracked his whip, and drove the sled forward quickly.

On the river bank, a few wolves seemed unwilling to give up their target easily. When they saw the sled running away, they howled and ran along the river bank.

In this way, the sled moved on the river and the wolf followed on the river bank.

Before we knew it, the sky was getting darker and more and more wolves were gathering by the river.

Pairs of yellow-green eyes, like small lanterns, stared at the people and horses on the river.

Seeing this, everyone felt a little scared. Oh no, they had encountered a pack of wolves.

With so many wolves surrounding the sled, it would be dangerous.

"Ignore them and keep moving forward. Those with guns, please pay attention. As long as the wolves get close enough, just shoot them."

Wolves are very cunning animals. They have great endurance and can track people for dozens of miles.

The wolf will not attack unexpectedly and kill the prey until the person or animal being tracked is exhausted or relaxes its vigilance.

Liu Dongshan looked at the terrain along the river and estimated in his mind that it seemed that he was not far from Shuidonggou.

There is only one way now, which is to get there as soon as possible and meet up with Qu Shaoyang and the others.

Everyone was extremely anxious and wanted to rush to Shuidonggou immediately, but the horse couldn't bear it.

We traveled quickly on the ice that day and stopped to rest for a while at noon. The horse was very tired, and no matter how hard we whipped it, it kept going slower and slower.

The horses walked slower, and the wolves slowly caught up from both sides.

When the guy behind saw that things were not going well, he immediately took out a gun from his arms, aimed at the wolf that was chasing him, and pulled the trigger.

There was a bang of a gunshot, and the wolf was not hit, but was frightened.

No matter how cunning a wolf is, it is still an animal. It will instinctively be afraid of this black pipe that can spit fire and make loud noises, and then it will hesitate and retreat for a short time.

However, at this moment, a strong wolf behind him howled to the sky, making a howling sound.

The wolves in the front, who were still somewhat hesitant, immediately became fierce again and continued to run forward, attempting to encircle the people and horses in front.

"Attention, sled drivers, slow down when turning, and everyone else, hold on tight and don't fall off.

Don't shoot too early, wait until the wolf is close, aim carefully and then shoot, don't waste bullets."

At this time, Liu Dongshan had already moved to the back of the sled. He aimed his gun and shouted instructions to the other people.

(End of this chapter)