I am a temporary worker in Jinyiwei, how did I become a powerful official?

Chapter 183 Bear Trap
Half a month later, in the evening, at Jiagu Tribe.

Lin Shisan arrived at the Jiagu tribe as promised. Fu Manhui led fifty young and strong tribesmen to help him go into the mountains to hunt bears and find wine.

Sun Yue and Zha Dashou went to Liaoyang City without anyone accompanying them.

Before the Jurchens go hunting, the shamans will first hold a ceremony to pray to the gods for a smooth hunt, and they will also blow a bull horn to inform Chuhazhan Ye.

After a series of tedious ceremonies, the crescent moon had risen in the night sky, dotted with stars.

Fuman said to Lin Shisan, "The shaman said that the prayer went well and the gods allowed us to enter the dangerous mountains."

There were twenty hunting dogs in the team of more than fifty Jurchens, and six ox carts with wooden cages on them.

In addition to finding the black bear demon and seizing the Hundred Flowers Fairy Wine, they also had to capture six black bears alive, bring them out of the mountains, and transport them back to Beijing to present to the Xiyuan Bear House.

In addition to the Jurchens, Lin Shisan also had more than 30 of his comrades in arms, each of whom was equipped with a bird-beaked gun.

Lin Shisan also borrowed ten three-barreled guns and a Portuguese rapid-fire cannon from Li Chengliang to prevent any unexpected events.

Fuman said that an average black bear weighs 400 kilograms, but a black bear demon weighs more than 1,000 kilograms.

When the black bear goes crazy, it will tear apart any animal or human it sees, and can fight against a hundred people.

Lin Shisan, however, believed that no matter how big the black bear demon was, it was still made of flesh and blood. It could not withstand the Portuguese cannon. If the black bear demon went crazy, a direct shot would make a big hole in it even if it had a copper skin and iron bones.

Lin Shisan asked Fuman, "Why didn't you bring any dry food? Our trip into the mountains will take at least ten days. Are we going to starve in the mountains?"

Fu Man smiled and said, "You don't know, my lord. Jurchen hunters don't bring any dry food when they go into the mountains to hunt. There is food for us everywhere in the vast mountains and forests."

"It is considered shameful for the Jurchens to bring dry food into the mountains to hunt."

Lin Shisan, who was standing by, was shocked when he heard this: the northern barbarians rarely prepared military rations when they invaded the south. They always used the stored grain in the Han people's homes as supplies.

In the first year of Emperor Jianwen's reign, a very clever man named Huang even suggested that the area within 500 miles south of the Great Wall be relocated and residents be banned, creating an artificially uninhabited area to cut off the northern barbarians' supply.

Fortunately, Emperor Jianwen was not stupid enough to listen to the opinions of that clever scholar.

Taking advantage of the night, the group left the Jiagu tribe with torches. They walked for an hour and entered the dangerous mountains.

Fuman and a group of Jurchens suddenly stopped, put down their hunting bows and arrows, knelt in the direction of the waning moon, spread their hands and prayed devoutly.

A group of Jinyiwei comrades discussed: "What are these Jurchens doing now?"

"It's like worshipping a god. Ha, is it useful?"

Lin Shisan said, "When in Rome, we follow the local customs. We may not believe but we must respect. The money launderers in our Jinyiwei who are responsible for confiscating property have to pay homage to Zhao Gongming before confiscating property."

The ceremony of worshipping the Moon God of Xianshan lasted for a moment. The Jurchens stood up one after another.

Fu Man said, "Sir, we don't hunt at night in the mountains. We just set up tents and camp in the mountains to rest."

Lin Shisan nodded: "Everything will be subject to your arrangements, old man."

A group of Jurchens took action and set up more than thirty animal skin tents.

They had strung numerous deer sinew ropes outside the tents, with bells hanging from the ropes, and set dozens of traps around the camp.

There are too many ferocious beasts such as wolves, tigers, bears, etc. in the dangerous mountains. This is done to protect the safety of the camp.

Lin Shisan ordered the thirty-odd Jinyiwei: "It's too humid in the woods. You must take good care of your gunpowder to prevent it from getting wet. This will prevent your guns from misfiring when you fire them in danger."

"Especially the Portuguese cannon. We must keep an eye on the three sub-cannons. They can save our lives at the critical moment."

Everyone rested in the tent.

Fuman opened Lin Shisan's tent, stuck his head in, and handed in a bamboo tube.

Fu Man said, "This bamboo tube is filled with sulfur. Sprinkle it on the ground to ward off snakes, my lord. The white-browed snakes and middle-level snakes in the dangerous mountains are very dangerous."

"If you are bitten by these two poisonous snakes, even if Lord Cuhazhan appears, he can't save you."

Lin Shisan followed Fuman's instructions and sprinkled sulfur all over the tent. Although the smell was pungent, it could prevent snakes and save lives.

The fatigue from the journey made him fall into a deep sleep. He didn't know how long he had slept when he suddenly heard the woman's "chuckle".

Lin Shisan stood up with a start: How could there be a woman in the deep mountains and old forests? Could it be haunted?
He left the tent and entered Fuman's tent next to it.

Fuman hasn't slept yet.

Lin Shisan asked: "What's that noise outside?"

Fuman replied: "That's the yellow fox worshipping the Moon God. The sound of the yellow fox worshipping the Moon God sounds a lot like a woman laughing."

Lin Shisan asked: "Yellow skin? What is it?"

Fu Man replied, "It's what you Han people call a weasel. My lord, just go back to your tent and sleep peacefully. We have deer sinew bells and traps outside our camp, and experienced hunters patrolling the nights inside. It's as solid as a rock."

"As for ghosts, spirits, and monsters, you are the son of clouds, born with good fortune. They dare not approach you."

After hearing this, Lin Shisan felt much more relieved and went back to the tent and slept until dawn.

The next morning, a cow horn sounded, signaling the Jurchens to get up.

Lin Shisan was also awakened by the horn, and he walked out of the tent and stretched.

Fu Man came over and said, "My lord, I have prepared some horse girl tea and a roasted flying dragon for you."

Lin Shisan was surprised: "Flying dragon?"

In the capital, flying dragons are rare, but they are readily available in the dangerous mountains.

Lin Shisan sat in front of the fire, and Fuman took the roasted flying dragon off the fire, placed it on a clean stone and tore it into several pieces.

The flying dragon legs and flying dragon wings were given to the most honorable Lin Shisan.

The roasted flying dragon is tender and juicy. It does not require any special cooking. Just sprinkle some salt on it and it will be the ultimate delicacy.

While eating, Lin Shisan asked Fuman: "Are we going to catch black bears soon?"

If you want to lure out the black bear demon, you must capture the black bear.

The bait used to lure the black bear out is honey.

The bait that lured the black bear demon to appear was actually his cubs and grandchildren.

Fuman replied: "No, we have to catch black bears at night. Let's dig traps during the day."

After eating, they began to look for a place to set traps. Twenty hounds were unleashed and ran wild in the forest.

A moment later, several dog barks were heard. Fuman walked quickly towards the hounds, and Lin Shisan followed.

Several hounds were circling a large pile of feces.

Fuman stretched out his finger, dipped some feces, put it into his mouth and sucked it: "This is bear feces, um, it's fresh. It means bears often pass by here."

Lin Shisan showed a disgusted expression on his face: "I say, old man, do you have to taste the bear feces when you hunt bears?"

Fu Man nodded and said, "Yes. Bear feces are not like human feces. They are very clean. They are sweet. If you don't believe me, why don't you try it while it's fresh, Imperial Envoy?"

Lin Shisan waved his hands quickly: "I am not worthy of it, I am not worthy of it."

A group of Jurchens began to dig bear traps.

Catching a live bear is different from killing it for its skin, and setting a trap is very troublesome. The Jurchens were so busy that the Jinyiwei comrades could not help and just stood by to watch the fun.

There are two fools among Lin Shisan's subordinates, one nicknamed Yu Juanmao and the other nicknamed Li Dayan.

These two were well-known in the Northern Pacification Division for their stupidity, loyalty, and martial arts prowess.

The two were bored. Yu Juanmao suddenly had an idea and made a bet with Li Dayan: "Brother, you are always brave. Let me ask you, do you dare to eat bear shit?" Li Dayan said: "I dare. But why should I eat it?"

Yu Juanmao said, "If you dare to eat it, I will give you thirty taels of silver."

Li Dayan's eyes, as big as copper gongs, gleamed: "Thirty taels of silver? Are you going to keep your word?"

Yu Juanmao said: "Well, a gentleman's words are as good as a whip. If you can't do what you say, your life will be ruined."

Li Dayan was a man of few words! He walked to the pile of bear dung, picked up a piece, and put it in his mouth to chew.

Yu Juanmao was surprised and said, "Oh my god, you really eat it!"

Li Dayan chewed and said, "The Jurchen leader was not lying. Hmm, it tastes sweet. I have some knowledge of pharmacology. This bear dung can be used as medicine."

"Gudong." Li Dayan swallowed it all up in one gulp: "Okay, I'm done. Give me thirty taels of silver."

A group of Jinyiwei comrades looked at the two men, trying hard to hold back their laughter, waiting for them to do something stupid again.

Yu Juanmao said, "Who would carry so much silver when they come to the deep mountains and old forests to do business? I'll owe it to you first."

Li Dayan nodded: "Okay. Brothers, bear witness that he owes me thirty taels of silver."

Thirty taels is not a small sum, and the more Yu Juanmao thought about it, the more painful it became. He said, "I dare to eat bear feces, do you believe it?"

Li Dayan shook his head: "I don't believe it."

Yu Juanmao said, "If I dare to eat it, you can also give me thirty taels of silver, how about that?"

Li Dayan said, "Okay." Then he made a "please" gesture towards the pile of bear dung: "Brother Yu, please. Eat it while it's hot."

Yu Juanmao walked to the bear dung, picked up a piece with his hand, and put it into his mouth to chew: "Hmm, it is indeed sweet."

"Gudong" he swallowed it all and stretched out his hand to Li Dayan: "Where's the thirty taels of silver?"

Li Dayan actually had several ten-liang silver notes in his purse. He was about to take out his purse when he suddenly realized, "Wait a minute. You owe me thirty liang of silver. I also owe you thirty liang of silver. Isn't it even now?"

Yu Juanmao nodded: "Ah, yes, it's even!"

All the comrades finally couldn't hold back anymore and burst into laughter.

Lin Shisan came over, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: "You two made a bet just to share that pile of bear shit!"

Half an hour later, the Jurchens dug a large pit that was one and a half feet deep and one foot in diameter.

They put a large deer tendon net into the pit, with a deer tendon rope extending in each of the eight directions of the deer tendon net.

Near the edge of the trap, there is a pulley nailed to the edge of the trap, connected to the deer tendon rope.

Then the Jurchens cut sixteen thin branches and placed them over the mouth of the trap, and laid a large piece of tarpaulin on top of the branches.

The tarpaulin was filled with leaves. A bear trap was ready.

After the trap was set, we needed bait. The bait was a big bucket of honey.

However, the bait must be set at night.

Everything is ready, just waiting for nightfall.

At this moment, an accident happened. A flagman saw a fat hare in the distance. He seemed to want to show off his shooting skills in front of his boss Lin Shisan.

Xiaoqi lit the fuse of the bird-beak gun, opened the firing port, raised the gun and aimed. With a "bang", a bloody hole was pierced in the fat hare's body.

All the comrades exclaimed: "What a good shooting technique!"

Fu Man shouted, "Don't fire! It's over! It's over!"

Lin Shisan asked: "What's wrong?"

Fuman explained: "Black bears have very sensitive noses. If you set off a gun here, there will be a smell of gunpowder. Black bears will never come near."

"This trap was set in vain. We need to find another place to set the trap."

Lin Shisan cursed the flag bearer: "Who told you to fire the gun? Now, Elder Fuman and his men have worked for less than an hour for nothing. I will fine you one month's salary when you return to Beijing."

Fu Man said on the side: "Hunting is like fighting a war. My dear officers, you must not act on your own initiative or act rashly."

The traps here were no longer useful. Fuman had no choice but to order his tribesmen to put away the tarpaulin and the deer sinew nets.

Fortunately, there were many black bears in the dangerous mountains, and in the afternoon, they found a pile of fresh bear dung.

The Jurchens used the same old trick and set the trap again.

Lin Shisan said, "Old Man Fuman, tell me what are the taboos when hunting bears. This will also prevent my comrades from breaking the taboos and ruining things."

Fuman explained them one by one.

Lin Shisan ordered his men: "Did you hear everything? I will severely punish anyone who breaks these taboos."

At night, Fuman ordered people to build a fire in front of the trap, put honey in a clay pot, and boil it on the fire.

The aroma of honey immediately spread.

Everyone lay in ambush in the bushes around the trap, holding their breath and waiting for their prey to appear.

The twenty hounds were all put into sheep-rib muzzle cages and could not utter a single bark.

This wait lasted from dusk till midnight.

Lin Shisan was a little anxious. He asked Fuman, "Old man, why doesn't the black bear fall into the trap?"

Fuman replied: "Whether hunting bears or catching live bears, patience is required. It is normal to return empty-handed after two or three nights."

"You Han people have an old saying, called Xixi Dancer, oh no, it's another saying, you can't eat hot tofu in a hurry."

They waited around the trap all night, and six jars of honey were burned dry.

Fortunately, there are many beehives in the dangerous mountains, and the Jurchens are good at collecting honey, so they don't have to worry about running out of bait.

In the early morning, everyone returned to the camp.

Fu Man said, "Master Imperial Envoy, we will sleep in the camp during the day and get up before the sun sets."

Lin Shisan said: "I didn't expect this black bear to be so hard to catch."

Fu Man said: "It is difficult to say, but it is also easy to say. It depends on whether Master Cuhazhan is willing to give us a black bear."

A Jurchen exclaimed: "The trap has caught the wolf!"

Lin Shisan followed Fuman and ran over, only to see a dying gray wolf caught in a trap.

Fu Man said, "I think the wolves wanted to enter the camp and prey on the six cows we brought while we were away. This gray wolf fell into the trap and scared away its companions."

"Wolves are the most vindictive. We need to double the number of patrol officers during the day. Beware of wolf retaliation."

"Sir, please have your men fire dozens of shots. I guess the wolves are lurking around the camp. They are most afraid of the sound of muskets."

Lin Shisan nodded: "Brothers, fire your guns."

"Bang bang bang", the sound of muskets rang out above the camp, startling countless flying birds.

Lin Shisan returned to the tent and fell asleep immediately. He did not wake up until the evening.

He had dinner with everyone and set out again, lying in ambush around the bear trap.

The earthenware jar of honey was once again placed on the fire, and the aroma of honey wafted into the air.

The wait tonight was not in vain. At about midnight, a huge black shadow appeared in the dense forest.
(End of this chapter)