Chapter 43: Hunting Down

  At this point, a hunting dog got too close to the stag and barked loudly at it. The stag suddenly lowered its head and charged forward. The dog hastily jumped aside, but the sharp antlers still pierced its body. The stag shook its head violently, and the dog flew out like a crushed rag. The stag rushed to the corpse and let out a triumphant cry.

  "Halt the archers!" Khutulun suddenly raised her right hand and loudly commanded: "Is there a brave warrior who can kill this stag with a sword or spear? If he is an Ariki, let him be my companion; if he is my companion, let him be a Bo'orchu; if he is a Bo'orchu, let him be a Mergen!"

  No one in the crowd responded immediately, almost all Jurchen people knew how terrible a furious elk was, it had just thrown a hundred-pound fierce dog into the air like a bundle of straw, and that pair of beautiful antlers were simply two sharp knives. Even the oldest hunter had never seen such a tall and strong male elk, in the eyes of many devout Jurchen people in the mountains, this was simply the embodiment of the mountain god.

  "Is there no one who dares?" The sticky face turned gloomy: "Isn't there a single man who dares to show off his strength and skills?"

  "I'm not without strength and ability!" A few minutes later, someone in the crowd replied: "I'm just afraid of offending the mountain god. If you're willing to guarantee compensation for offending the mountain god, I'll kill this stag!"

  "That's good, I guarantee that if you don't catch any game next year, I'll make up for your losses!" Khutulun smiled: "Speak, brave Hulagu, you can choose any weapon you like from my attendants!" As he said this, he made a gesture and his attendants laid out spears, swords, axes and other weapons on the ground for Hulagu to choose from.

  Hubis walked up to the front of the Khitan, and the surrounding Khitan people couldn't help but let out a low, admiring sigh. Everyone looked at Hubis with envy, measuring his legs as thick as tree trunks, his chest as solid as two shields put together, and his shoulders as strong as those of a Vajra Arhat. For these people who lived in an environment filled with hunting and warfare, having a strong physique had especially significant meaning. Khitan looked him up and down for a moment before asking: "What a sturdy fellow! How is it that I don't recall ever seeing you before?"

  The village chief standing beside him replied, "Reporting to the National Master, Hu Bi Si is not a local, he came down from the mountain half a year ago, saying that he was from the north. His appetite is too big and his family can't afford it."

  "Ah, I see!" Aguda laughed, this situation was very common in the local area. The Wanyan Jurchen tribe where Aguda was located belonged to one of the later opened-up tribes among the entire Jurchen nation, and the region they were in was also relatively poor. In Liaodong, there were many more civilized Jurchen tribes, their civilization level was much higher than that of the Wanyan tribe. However, in the more northern regions, there were still many other more barbaric tribes, the areas they were in were even poorer, and for survival, people kept migrating southward. And Aguda incorporated them into various tribes, strengthening his military power.

  Hubis looked at the weapons on the ground, turned his head to look at the male deer and said: "The deer has horns, I have two hands, no need for spears or knives." After speaking, he turned around and walked towards the male deer.

  The stag saw the approaching man and instinctively sensed danger, lowering its head and digging a hole in the snow with its hooves, emitting a threatening snort. Ignis responded by opening his arms wide and letting out a loud "Hah!" The stag couldn't withstand the provocation and charged at Ignis with all four legs, but the giant dodged to the side with incredible agility, avoiding the stag's attack. The Jurchen onlookers let out a collective gasp. The stag turned around and came back at its enemy even faster, but Ignis rolled on the ground again, avoiding the sharp antlers; the stag turned around in anger and charged at its opponent on the ground, but Ignis flipped over and grabbed the stag's neck, using his strength to push it down to the ground. The stag struggled to lift its head, trying to flip its enemy over, and the two engaged in a fierce standoff.

  The onlookers held their breath, even the usually calm and collected Glutton had stood up from his horseback, clenching his fists and staring at the duel in the arena with wide eyes.

  Hubis strained every nerve to grasp the stag's antlers, his back arched like a tightly drawn bow, his head buried between his shoulders, and his feet sank deep into the snow up to his ankles. The muscles on his arms bulged, as if they would burst through his skin. But he held the stag's head firmly pressed to the ground, man and beast locked in a motionless struggle of strength. To Zhen Shan, it seemed like a statue before him, but he knew that beneath this seemingly static surface, both sides were engaged in a desperate battle to the death. The stag's four hooves and Hubis' two legs were equally sunk deep into the snow, sweat seeping from its skin, wetting its fur and matting it into clumps.

  It's also unknown how much time had passed, but the Jurchen people watching seemed to have forgotten about the passage of time. A roar that sounded like a groan echoed through the arena, and people saw that the stag's head was twisted around by Ignis' iron arms. Its face, back, and shoulders all turned purple-red, its spine arched even more severely. Clearly, it was exerting its last bit of superhuman strength, but it didn't have much left. The stag's roar grew heavier, hoarser, and more painful, mixing with the gasping sounds coming from the giant's broad chest. Its tongue lolled out, foaming at the mouth.

  Suddenly, the people closest to it heard a dull thud, the sound of bones breaking. The stag's neck had been twisted and broken, like a toy whose spring has run down, and it fell to the ground motionless.

  "Whoa! Whoa!" Hubis stood up straight, one foot on the head of the public deer, and raised his arms to roar wildly. His face was pale, his hair was stuck together with sweat, but his eyes were filled with astonishing power.

  The Jurchen women watching from the sidelines cheered and rushed forward, using their own hands to touch Hulisi's arms and torso, praising his strength and bravery. Seeing this scene, Zhishan's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and he instinctively lowered his head.

  "Great monk, what do you think?" Zhan Han smiled: "We Jurchen people may not have anything else, but we have such good men! Even without the alliance of the Song Dynasty, we can still eliminate the Liao State!"

  The hunt had come to an end, and Khitan had fulfilled his promise, adding the Hu Bi Shi into his retinue. According to Jurchen custom, the precious hides obtained from hunting belonged to the nobles, but the meat, internal organs, horns, and tendons belonged to all who participated in the hunt. The women participating in the hunt cut the meat of the prey into pieces, putting them in pots to boil or roasting them on a fire heap, while the men gathered around, drinking wine and loudly boasting about how many preys they had caught. However, most of the men were subdued today, because they knew that there was only one true hero, Hu Bi Shi, who had broken the neck of the stag with his bare hands.

  He was drinking and glancing at Zishan with the corner of his eye, very satisfied with the effect of the play just now. Unlike the high-ranking Jurchen officials at that time, Xiangke belonged to a small number of people who had a long-term vision. He and Wanyan Aguda both realized that although the newly born Jin Dynasty was constantly winning victories on the battlefield, the political and economic foundation of this country was still very weak. The military system of the Jin Dynasty, namely the "Meng'an Mouke" system, was essentially a system of combining soldiers and peasants. During wartime, soldiers had to bring their own weapons and dry rations, and there were no military salaries. War spoils were the only source of income for soldiers. At that time, the Jurchen people had not yet completely broken away from tribal society, and the contradictions between the upper and lower classes were not very sharp. The primitive tribal ties had not disappeared, and the Jurchen army had amazing unity and morale, achieving great victories in wars with the Liao Dynasty and the Song Dynasty. However, as the war deepened and expanded in scale, the distance and time of the Jurchen army's expeditions also increased. In this situation, the "Meng'an Mouke" system also encountered many problems: for example, not all battles could obtain a large amount of spoils, and solid fortresses required long-term sieges, which might result in heavy casualties but no gains. Under such circumstances, the soldiers' morale was easily frustrated, and it happened that the Han land under the Liao Dynasty had many solid fortresses; prolonged warfare also destroyed the Jin Dynasty's fragile economic foundation. Strong men were away fighting for a long time, and domestic lands were not cultivated. If the wealth obtained through plundering could not compensate for this loss, the war would be difficult to sustain. To solve this problem, there are only two ways: either to stop the war with the Liao Dynasty and negotiate; or to form an alliance with the Song Dynasty and let allies attack the solid fortresses of the Liao Dynasty's Han land, thoroughly eliminating the Liao Dynasty.

  On this issue, the high-level officials of Jin have been divided into two factions, one leaning towards negotiating with Liao and the other towards allying with Song. Envoys from both Liao and Song were sent, but the envoy from Liao had a much higher rank and authorization, and their sincerity in negotiating peace was also much greater. The Liao side has already agreed to recognize Jin's independent status; return the Jurchen escapees; cede the territories of Liaodong and Changchun; and provide 250,000 silver bolts as annual tribute. However, Wanyan Zonghan did not agree with negotiating with the Liao people, for a very simple reason: among the various high-ranking officials in Jin, he was only the son of Aguda's paternal uncle, making his bloodline the most distant.