Taiheiki

Chapter 95 Hunting
In recent history, the Yangtze River joined the Han River at Yunmeng Lake, west of the Dabie Mountains. Then, trapped between the Dabie and Mufu Mountains, it flowed from west to east. After passing Wuxue, the Yangtze River left the mountain range and once again flowed leisurely over the low-lying land. Meanwhile, the Gan River, flowing south to north, had just emerged from the gap between the Mufu Mountains and the southern Anhui mountain range—the Lushan-Hukou Gorge. The two major water systems converged in this graben-like valley, bounded by three mountain ranges, ultimately forming the world-famous Pengli Lake.

During the pre-Qin period, the Pengli Lake was enormous. Stretching from Wuxue to Anqing, it stretched over 200 kilometers from east to west and over 50 kilometers from north to south at its widest point. The aforementioned Jiangbei Lakes, as well as Wushan Lake and Taibai Lake upstream, and Wangjiang Wuchang Lake and Anqing Shimen Lake (Qili Lake) downstream, were all part of the ancient Pengli Lake. Even before these lakes and rivers formed, the vast alluvial plains along these lakes and rivers were also part of the vast Pengli Lake. The widest and deepest part of the lake stretched from the east of Huangmei County to the west of Wangjiang County, encompassing the entire county area from south of Zaoshan in Susong County to north of the Yangtze River. At that time, there was no clearly defined river surface; instead, it was a boundless expanse of water. The vast expanse of water, sometimes deep lakes, sometimes swamps, sometimes islands, was so vast that flocks of birds flew across it, as if it were land or sea.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, silt accumulation gradually separated the Pengli Lake north of the Yangtze River from the Yangtze River by a series of sandbars and swamps, forming a semi-independent lake. This Pengli Lake encompassed present-day Longgan Lake, Daguan Lake, and Po Lake, which were then connected and known as the "Thunder Pond." After siltation formed a sandbank on the northern side, the Yangtze River began to pour southward. Combined with influx from rivers like the Gan River to the south, the narrow strip of water south of ancient Pengli Lake began to expand, gradually flooding the original swampy area to the south and forming a new lake, which later became Poyang Lake. Wei Cong lived during this period of change.

Therefore, it is not difficult to understand why, after the disastrous defeat of Cao Cao's navy in the Battle of Chibi, he took the initiative to retreat while his army was largely intact, and suffered heavy losses in the process of retreat. There are many different opinions on the specific location of Cao's army camp in the Battle of Chibi, but generally speaking, it was located somewhere on the north bank of the Yangtze River between today's Wuhan and Jiujiang. At that time, this area was full of swamps, rivers, and lakes. Whether from Jiangling or Xiangyang, it was extremely difficult to transport supplies by land. The only reliable logistical supply route was the Yangtze River waterway. Therefore, after the Cao army suffered a huge blow to its navy, it was no longer able to maintain the safety of its original water supply line. The only wise choice was to take the initiative to retreat by land, otherwise it would be annihilated by the double blow of hunger and epidemics.

"It seems this map is no longer reliable!" Wei Cong glanced at the vast expanse of water before him and shook his head in disappointment. He had once treasured his 1:50,000 map, but now it seemed the locations of mountains and mineral deposits wouldn't change much, while rivers and lakes would undoubtedly have undergone significant changes. However, this meant the river system between the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers and the Yellow and Huaihe Rivers would undoubtedly be far more developed than in history, greatly increasing the power of the inland fleets. Perhaps, as during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, when the spring and summer rainfall was plentiful, they could sail directly to Luoyang and purgatory the emperor's side in schooners and triremes. They just had to be careful not to wait until the waterways dried up in autumn and winter, when the Hebei cavalry would drive them back.

"My dear, my dear, which way are you going now? South or north?" Guo Kui saw Wei Cong staring at the vast water in a daze, and asked carefully after a while.

"Go south! To Hukou!" Wei Cong looked at Sangluo Island with nostalgia. If he remembered correctly, the camp of Zhou Yu, the general of the Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period, was there. However, he had more important things to do right now.

"Yes!" Guo Kui responded and shouted twice to the helmsman. The "Yuhuang" made a huge turn and headed southeast. The other six sailing boats followed closely behind, like water birds following their mother.

At noon the next day, the Yuhuang arrived at the lake mouth and the water became turbulent. Wei Cong stood by the bow and could see that the river surface showed two different colors. That was the confluence of the two major water bodies, the Yangtze River and Poyang Lake, which flowed into the Yangtze River. To his right, the Lushan Mountain Range was rising from below the horizontal plane little by little, slowly getting higher and bigger.

"Lower the sails, lower the oars!" The oarsman's booming voice echoed across the deck as the sailors busily furled the "Yu Huang"'s magnificent sails. The fierce river breeze whipped the sails against the sails, making them snap and slap. The sailors cursed the sudden gale and struggled to pull at the ropes. Wei Cong pulled up his hood to shield himself from the splashing water and gazed at Mount Lu in the distance.

In fact, there was a copper mine in Chaisang, located in Chengmen Mountain, Jiujiang County, Jiujiang City today. This copper mine was a co-existent with the iron ore, and the ore body was not deeply buried, allowing for open-pit mining. The mine was adjacent to a lake, with waterways connecting directly to Poyang Lake and the Yangtze River, making mining and transportation costs very low. The only problem was that it was too close to the Yangtze River, and the Eastern Han government was too powerful. Unlike iron ore, copper mining involved enormous interests and would attract numerous deities. With Wei Cong's current power, even if he succeeded, he would only be doing good for others. Therefore, this point was only a backup plan in Wei Cong's plan.

First on Wei Cong's list was the Dexing Copper Mine. This mine, known as Asia's largest open-pit mine, lay at the foot of Kongque Mountain in the Huaiyu Mountains of present-day Dexing City, Jiangxi Province. Needless to say, its reserves were abundant, and prospecting was also very convenient—plenty of malachite lay exposed in the mountain, which is how our ancestors discovered the mine. Transportation via the Raohe River was also possible. Crucially, the Dexing Copper Mine then belonged to Yuhan County, whose seat was located in present-day Yugan County. This distance was over 130 kilometers from the Kongque Mountain mining area in Dexing City, and more than half of that distance was mountainous. Furthermore, the copper mine hadn't been discovered at the time (mining at the Dexing Copper Mine dates back to the Tang Dynasty). It's hard to imagine how much control Yuhan County had over this desolate mountainous area, just five or six days' journey from its seat.

The steady clatter of oars hitting the water brought Wei Cong back from his thoughts. The "Yu Huang" had already begun its journey across the lake's mouth. The turbulent current lashed against the boat, sending up billowing white foam. A flock of waterfowl soared overhead, wings spread, gliding on the air currents created by the ship's passage. Occasionally, fish stunned by the oars surfaced, and the birds folded their wings and swooped down to snatch these easily accessible meals. Wei Cong leaned against the side of the boat, watching with interest these opportunistic individuals scrambling for food.

"Sir, we've already passed the lake mouth!" Guo Kui bowed to Wei Cong and said, "Our next voyage is..."

"Continue south!" Wei Cong said.

"Continue south?" Guo Kui was stunned when he didn't hear the distance to the destination. He carefully raised his head and looked at Wei Cong's face. He had already experienced the tactics of this man in front of him. He was so tight-lipped at this time. Could he be planning to launch a surprise attack on some unlucky guy?

"Hmm!" Wei Cong nodded, trying to look confident. It wasn't that he wanted to keep it a secret from Guo Kui, but he simply didn't know what Raohe was called back then. After all, the current name of Raohe came from Raozhou Prefecture, and since Raozhou didn't exist yet, it naturally wouldn't have been called Raohe.

That evening, Wei Cong's fleet camped on a deserted lakeside branch. The shoreline was dotted with vast expanses of wintering waterfowl, eggs, and shellfish, while flocks of white-tailed deer and wild boar drank from the water's edge. The sailors and soldiers easily captured a large amount of prey, then joyfully processed it on the shore. Wei Cong ordered a few days of rest, both to store food for the upcoming voyage and to allow the sailors and soldiers to rest. This good news filled everyone with jubilation, and they erupted in cheers.

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"Money! I never thought life would be so good as an oarsman for that general. You even get to eat meat!"

Qian Wen snorted coldly, ignoring his companions, and carefully turned the sharp branch in his hand, on which was stuck a bunch of stripped water birds, which were shiny after being roasted by the campfire. At his feet, there were dozens of water birds and more than 20 rabbits waiting to be skinned.

"Yes!" Another oarsman was carefully sharpening a flint arrowhead, next to a handful of freshly gathered reeds and bird feathers. Across the campfire, a short-bearded man was carefully using a dagger to cut a freshly felled mulberry tree trunk, a high-quality material for a single bow. As he expertly shaved off the useless parts, he smiled and said, "Today we only have waterfowl and rabbit meat. Once we have bows and arrows, maybe tomorrow we'll have venison!" "Venison? Seriously?" The scarred man, who was carefully attaching tail feathers to reed arrow shafts, looked up. "You can hunt deer with this stuff?"

"What? Are you looking down on me?" The short-bearded man blew sawdust off his hands and said proudly, "Before I joined the army, I was a hunter in the countryside, and the tools I used were similar to this. The most important thing for hunting deer is not a good bow, but knowledge and patience. Deer are very stupid creatures. As long as you stay in the right position and don't move around, they will hit you in the face. Even a blind man can shoot them!"

"That's great! We've only heard that venison is delicious, but we've never tasted it!" said the scarred man with a smile.

"It's ready! Give each of you a little. Don't worry, there will be more!" Qian Wen spread out a wing of the roasted water bird and handed the branch to the people next to him. No one spoke anymore. They all tore off a piece from it and put it into their mouths to chew without caring about the burn.

Qian Wen chewed the bones until he had sucked the marrow dry, then spat out the residue. Even with a light sprinkle of salt, the cooked bird meat still tasted incredibly fresh. He expertly skewered six waterfowl and placed them over the bonfire. Then he began gutting and skinning a hare, smearing it with salt and roasting it over the bonfire. Qian Wen noticed that since arriving in Chaisang, the control over the oarsmen seemed to have loosened. Before departure, they even gave each of them fifty coins, allowing them to go out for two hours. While the others spent their money and time on the cheap prostitutes at the dock, Qian Wen used the fifty coins to buy a net and a bag of salt. The former was useful for catching fish, birds, and other small animals; the latter served as seasoning, disinfecting wounds, and even as money when necessary. Many barbarians didn't accept copper coins, but everyone needed salt. With these two things, he felt confident that he could cross hundreds of miles of uninhabited wilderness on his own and return home.

"Did you guys get quite a harvest tonight?" a voice called from behind. Qian Wen quickly stood up and saluted. He recognized Wei Cong standing not far away, surrounded by a group of personal guards, looking at him with a grin.

"It's all thanks to the captain!" Qian Wen knelt down hurriedly, feeling uneasy. He was a meticulous man. Just now, someone was preparing to make bows and arrows by the campfire. Given their status, this was a bit taboo.

"Then I'm really lucky!" Wei Cong walked to the fire and said, "Are there any roasted ones? Give me a piece!"

"Yes!" Qian Wen quickly picked up a bunch of birds from the fire, picked out a small piece of the already roasted one, and presented it to Wei Cong. Wei Cong didn't hesitate and put it in his mouth and chewed it twice: "Well, it's roasted well, but the taste is a little bland, Liu Jiu!"

"exist!"

"Send some salt to the rowers later. Eating too much of this bland meat will make you sick!"

"Here!"

"Thank you for the reward, Captain!" Qian Wen bowed hurriedly.

"Forget it!" Wei Cong waved his hand. "You've all worked hard on the boat these days. Due to your status, it's difficult to pay you. You need to have something to eat, otherwise you won't have the energy to work!" He looked at the rabbits on the ground. "These water birds are stupid and easy to catch. But these rabbits are smart and vicious. How did you catch so many?"

"Reporting to the Captain!" Qian Wen said, "I worked as a hunter in the county for two years when I was young. I know the nature of these rabbits. All I have to do is find the exit from the rabbit's nest, cover the hole with a net, and smoke out the other entrances. The rabbits will run out and into the net on their own. There's no need to use any effort to catch them!"

"I see, it really is true that every profession has its specialties!" Wei Cong laughed. "Well, I'll have a few more nets delivered tomorrow, and you guys can go catch rabbits. I see there's plenty of them here. The meat can be smoked and dried, and the saltpeter is also useful."

"I obey your command!" Qian Wen hurriedly lowered his head. When he raised his head again, Wei Cong and his group had already walked away.

"Captain!" Liu Jiu lowered his voice, "I think we've been a bit lenient with these guys!"

Wei Cong didn't say anything, but simply nodded, motioning for Liu Jiu to continue. Liu Jiu took a deep breath and said boldly, "When I passed by just now, I saw some of those guys making bows and arrows. I know they're only used to shoot prey, but if they can shoot deer, they can also shoot people. After all, they fought us so hard in Baqiu!"

(End of this chapter)