A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 456 Tiger Hunting
Song Xuan was riding a horse.

He noticed a notice posted ten miles outside the city gate warning of tiger attacks, urging passersby to be cautious.

Song Xuan frowned. The further north they went, the more notices they saw about wild animals attacking people.

In Henan, especially where Zhao Kuangyin rose to power, the government took special care of the area, and the tiger problem was basically eliminated.

Therefore, it's understandable that Song Xuan hunts wild boars when there are no top predators around.

However, there are still quite a few tigers active in Hebei.

As the apex predator, the king of beasts requires a large habitat to support a sufficient number of prey.

During the Song Dynasty, there were records of a large number of tigers distributed in the Guanzhong Plain, the Central Plains and surrounding mountainous areas north of the Qinling Mountains and the Huai River, including Shaanxi, Henan, Hebei and Shandong.

Even in the Qing Dynasty, when a county magistrate went to Sichuan to take up his post, he didn't see a single living person for half a month on the way.

His seven strong followers, armed with knives and spears, were killed by a tiger. Two fast runners protected him as he fled and hid. He then wrote a petition requesting a tax reduction.

Because Sichuan had suffered from war and massacres, literally there were very few survivors left.

Subsequently, the first batch of 600 people from Huguang migrated to Sichuan, and 285 of them were killed on the way. Of course, it is also possible that they died of illness or exhaustion on the way, and those who fled were also attributed to tigers.

The problem of tigers has always existed.

After liberation, various local authorities launched anti-corruption campaigns to eliminate harm for the people.

At the same time, a tiger near Indonesia ate more than 400 people.

During the Tang Dynasty, tigers were able to break into Chang'an and feast on its prey, and not just once.

"Twelfth Brother, you wouldn't be thinking of organizing a group to hunt down the tiger, would you?"

"I'm mad?"

Song Xuan angrily told Wang Gui, who was eager to try, to get lost.

Without guns or cannons, relying solely on your physical body, a tiger could kill you with a single slap, let alone a throat-biting attack.

Even a bullet with slightly lower power wouldn't stop a tiger immediately.

Especially when Song Xuan was facing a tiger charging at him alone, it was difficult for him to use his archery skills, which were always accurate.

They can climb trees, swim, and are faster than you.

How can we possibly get through this?

Unless you're like Sun Quan, trapping yourself inside a sturdy wooden cart to shoot tigers.

Di Qing also clicked his tongue:
“In my hometown, there are occasional reports of tigers injuring people, but I never imagined that the situation would be even more serious in Hebei.”

"Then you haven't been to the land of Qi and Lu."

Song Xuan made a sarcastic remark:
"There are even more tigers there, and there aren't enough tiger handlers."

During the Northern Song Dynasty, the government recruited hunters to eliminate pests and protect the villagers.

However, whether they were hunters or tiger hunters, they were usually terrified when they encountered tigers.

A single tiger's roar can terrify many people.

Compared to tigers, hunters preferred to shoot leopards and wolves, and there were people specifically assigned to collect wolf dung and wolf pelts.

As for hunters in agrarian societies, they were even rarer.

The martial arts champion Wang Shizhong, whom Song Xuan and Han Yi mentioned, gathered hunters from an entire prefecture to kill tigers, but the number was only a little over a hundred.

Rather than hunting tigers, which are high-risk and low-reward prey, hunters preferred to hunt deer, foxes, and birds favored by the wealthy and powerful, in order to obtain higher economic returns.

Guo Yanyu immediately thumped his shoulder: "My lord, we Jurchens consider hunting tigers and bears to be the mark of a warrior."

"So, you're all quite skilled hunters?"

"You could say that," Guo Yanyu nodded with considerable pride.

Song Xuan nodded slightly:

“In that case, I will write a letter to designate all your people as tiger hunters, so that they can make a living by hunting. They don’t know how to farm anyway.”

Guo Yanyu's smile vanished instantly.

Although they were skilled hunters, they came to the Song Dynasty to enjoy a life of comfort, not to actually fight tigers.

Warriors in the tribe can hunt tigers and bears, but such people are still a minority.

"Pass on my order: keep the troops away from each other, lest they have no room to escape or hide. There are tigers lurking here that can harm people, so you must not stray from the group."

"Here."

A messenger was sent back to relay the message.

At this moment, Song Xuan also strung the bowstring in preparation for any unexpected events.

Given the current conditions in the wild, you can't be too careful.

Otherwise, how come we didn't see a single passerby?

The threat of tigers is not something ordinary people can handle.

As for sending the army, do they really think the tiger lacks judgment and will fight head-on?

The king of beasts is also a master hunter.

Upon hearing this, Han Yi immediately dismounted from the mule cart and jumped onto his warhorse.

It facilitates escape.

As he traveled on, he came to understand that these soldiers were all subservient to Song Xuan and did not take his words, as the chief envoy, seriously at all.

It's not that they were arrogant and fierce, but rather that these soldiers were all selected by Song Xuan and attracted by his empty promises.

Han Yi didn't offer these people any real help.

They were acting on the orders of the Empress Dowager, obeying the words of the top scholar Song, not the others.

Han Yi wasn't sure if these arrogant and fierce soldiers would protect him at a crucial moment.

He never had high expectations for warriors.

The idea of ​​unity is something that many people don't even consider.

The first choice for everyone was to flee.

As for the Khitan Yelü Gou'er, upon hearing that there was a tiger, he scoffed and shouted for a two-stone bow and arrow.

He wanted to lead a group to hunt tigers, to show the Song people the strength of the Khitans.

The Song army officers around them just laughed, not taking the Khitans' words to heart.

An old geezer wants to hunt tigers? Does he really think he's a master archer?

Despite his exceptional archery skills, Song Zhuangyuan remained humble and not arrogant at all, even leading his brothers to fight tigers.

I've been in the military for so many years and I've rarely met a commander who treats his brothers' lives so well.

The Khitans were even more puzzled by the Song soldiers' nonchalant attitude.

After all, in their view, hunting tigers was a way to prove their bravery.

Yelü Gou'er barked loudly, demanding that Song Twelve come to see him, as he wanted to prove the bravery of the Khitans by hunting tigers.

Lu Demao quickly advised that there was no need for them to take the risk.

As they traveled, Yelü Gou'er was kept under Song Xuan's control, which made him very unhappy.

He had finally found something that the Song people feared, so naturally he was going to humiliate them severely.

Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to vent my anger.

After all, there was a brotherhood alliance between the Song and Liao dynasties, and neither side would be the first to provoke a border conflict.

But sabotaging someone behind their back is a common tactic of resistance.

When Song Xuan received the news, he burst out laughing:

"Does that old dog really want to hunt tigers and rid the people of this scourge?"

"In response to Scholar Song's question, I think he doesn't want to rid the people of evil; he probably just wants to show off his bravery and humiliate us."

"Hahaha."

Song Xuan nodded repeatedly and offered his suggestion directly:

“Go to this county and find a good hunter to track the trail. Don’t let him do the work; we’ll pay him to guide you.”

"I'll see just how brave the Khitans are to kill this mountain king."

"Here."

After the messenger left, Song Xuan was not in a hurry:
Wang Gui expressed his incomprehension: "Twelfth Brother, why are we giving up such a good opportunity to make a name for ourselves to the Khitans?"

"Since the Khitans are arrogant and willing to die, it wouldn't be bad to let the mountain king teach them a lesson."

"If he can really kill the tiger, then it will be considered as eliminating a scourge for the people, and we will not suffer any loss."

Song Xuan glanced at Wang Gui:
"Both sides are holding their breath on the way here. We can't very well just kill the Khitans ourselves, can we?"

"They brought this on themselves; it has nothing to do with me."

Wang Gui remained silent and stepped back to his side.

Di Qing did feel that he hadn't intended to get involved with his twelfth brother at first, but the Khitans had come knocking on his door.

He immediately changed his mind, probably wanting the tiger to devour the Khitans, urging them to act as bait, creating a scenario where the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

The Khitans were indeed not obedient to the Song people's rule, and this was already evident on the road, so the envoy Han Yi could only mediate.

Unity?

Unity my ass.

We weren't originally part of the same team.

Yelü Gou'er requested Liu E to send troops to escort the treasure, simply because it was a precious item.

There is also this risk if someone were to rob someone on the road within the territory of the Song Dynasty.

After all, such a treasure is hard to find in this world.

This is how the Imperial Guard was able to join the mission.

As long as we don't resort to violence, we can continue on our journeys.

In addition, Song Xuan deliberately trained his troops, sometimes stopping to rest and sometimes advancing rapidly, which made the Khitans very unhappy.

Furthermore, with the weather getting hotter and hotter, Song Xuan has the final say on when to travel.

Most importantly, they did not want to follow the Song people's arrangements.

Song Xuan didn't have to wait long before the central army arrived.

Yelü Gou'er stood on the carriage, looking down on Song Xuan.

Song Xuan's expression was extremely serious:

"May I ask, Grand Chancellor Yelü Gou'er of the Southern Liao Dynasty, do you truly intend to lead your own men to hunt tigers?"

Yelü Gou'er chuckled: "What, are you scared?"

"The tiger here has already abducted and killed dozens of our Song Dynasty people. A tiger that has seen human blood and flesh is no ordinary tiger."

Song Xuan simply didn't answer his question:

"In short, I advise Yelü Gou'er that he is too old to be reckless, lest he endanger his own life."

"hehe."

Yelü Gou'er's son, Yelü Zhigu, sneered:
"After all these years, the Southerners are still so cowardly that they can't even fight a tiger."

"Yes, Prime Minister Nan, don't act impulsively."

Lü Demao didn't think Song Xuan had any good intentions in advising him; he was clearly trying to provoke him.

"What impulse?"

Yelü Gou'er was not intimidated by Song Xuan's words.

It's not like he hasn't fought tigers before.

"Let the Song people see how my great Khitan warriors hunt tigers. If they don't kill dozens of people, I won't bother with them."

Yelü Gou'er shook off his arm and directly asked Song Xuan for weapons.

"Have you really thought it through?"

A look of doubt appeared in Song Xuan's eyes as he looked at Lü Demao:
"You know this is no small matter. If something goes wrong, the Khitan emperor might use it to blame our Great Song Dynasty, and I won't take the blame."

"You, you should say less."

Song Xuan snorted:
"Why should I say less? I already said that the tiger is extremely fierce. Yelü Gou'er was willing to lead the Khitans to hunt the tiger. I had already tried to dissuade him, but he insisted on going. It has nothing to do with me."

"Humph."

Yelü Gou'er was well aware of the tiger's ferocity, so he found Song Xuan's cowardice quite amusing.

The Song people were indeed masters of "internal strife".

When faced with a ferocious tiger or other enemy, they knew to retreat, which is why the local people were dragged away by the tiger.

Song Xuan's current state further confirms Yelü Gou'er's suspicions.

Yelü Gou'er was indeed intimidated by Song Xuan's swift actions at the time, but after seeing him train troops like it was child's play these past few days, he regretted how he had been so intimidated!
"What, are you afraid that my Khitan people will become famous in your Song territory?"

"hehe."

Song Xuan chuckled: "There's an old Chinese saying that goes, 'Good advice is hard to persuade a damned ghost.'"

“If you’re cowardly, just admit it,” Yelü Zhigu mocked.

What kind of weapon do you want?

Song Xuan looked at Yelü Gou'er: "I'll give you three days. Can you do it? It'll be a good time for the army to rest."

"Three days?"

Yelü Gou'er naturally declared:

"No need."

Song Xuan ignored him and directly called Liu Ping over.

Tell him to bring a cartload of weapons and let the Khitans choose one or two.

Yelü Gou'er, naturally, made his selections in a boisterous and disapproving manner, constantly complaining about how inferior the Song people's weapons were.

In terms of weapons manufacturing, the Khitans were indeed more advanced.

The Song Dynasty decision-makers did not place as much importance on weapons manufacturing as the Khitans did.

Song Xuan gave Di Qing a look, and Di Qing immediately started joking with the people next to him about how powerful this mountain lord was, with dozens of errand boys surrounding him.

In this day and age, the belief in ghosts and gods is quite popular, and it's almost common knowledge that people eaten by tigers all become vengeful spirits.

Their discussion only fueled Yelü Gou'er's disdain. He was a believer in shamanism and had no faith in the so-called "Changgui" (伥鬼) of the Song people.

Lu Demao was so anxious that he kept stamping his feet. He couldn't understand why Yelü Gou'er, who was always so steady, would take such a risk.

How could he not see through Song Xuan's provocation?
In Lü Demao's view, Song Xuan wanted to hunt tigers, but did not want to lose his own men, so he pretended to be afraid and let the Khitans do it.

Lu Demao had experienced firsthand how ruthless Song Xuan was. Back when this treasure was auctioned at Fanlou, he had people deliberately inflate the price.

Now they're using the same old tricks again, and Nan Xiang just happens to fall for it!
How could people fall into the same trap twice? Lü Demao couldn't understand it.

After they had taken their weapons, Yelü Gou'er looked at Song Xuan:

"Wait for Grandpa to come back and I'll treat you to tiger meat."

“Since you really want to go, I’ll find you a local hunter to track the trail. Even if you can’t find it, you won’t get lost and unable to return.”

"Heh, you're smart to know your place."

Yelü Gou'er did not refuse.

He desperately wants to vent his anger.

The local hunters were brought before Song Xuan and given a brief explanation:
"Remember, protect yourself. The Khitans seek death for their own amusement. Don't get yourself killed because of this mission."

"I have also heard of the illustrious reputation of the top scholar Song."

The hunter quickly clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Don't worry, Scholar Song, I will definitely protect myself."

"Okay." Song Xuan nodded. "I'll wait for you to come back and collect your reward."

The local hunters led the menacing Khitans away.

Before leaving, Yelü Zhigu mocked Song Xuan, and Wang Gui wanted to slap him, but was stopped.

"Twelfth Brother, how could you tolerate this!"

"You don't necessarily have to use a knife to kill someone."

Wang Gui blinked, while Di Qing understood Song Xuan's intention.

"How can you kill someone without a knife?"

When questioned by Wang Gui, Di Qing offered little explanation:

"Twelfth Brother has always been intelligent; when has he ever suffered a loss?"

"That's true, I forgot about that."

Wang Gui was waiting to see if the Khitans could bring the tiger.

Song Xuan directed everyone to set up camp at the post station and await good news.

These imperial guards, in small groups, discussed whether the Khitans would succeed.

Many people bet that they wouldn't succeed. If a tiger could be killed so easily, would it still be a tiger?
Han Yi looked at Song Xuan and said softly:

“Scholar Song, if something goes wrong, the Khitans won’t listen to our explanations.”

"Envoy Han, although Song and Liao are sworn brothers, you can't even control Yelü Gou'er, so how can I?"

"I hope nothing bad happens."

Han Yi didn't say much. In fact, Song Xuan's initial order was correct.

He didn't understand why Yelü Gou'er would suddenly jump out.

“I do hope he can kill the tiger, so I can flatter him a bit, but the local people will definitely benefit.”

Song Xuan stood with his hands behind his back: "After all, it's not good for a tiger to hurt people."

Han Yi was somewhat dumbfounded. He thought Song Xuan had always been proud, so how could he easily bow his head?
Surprisingly, when the Khitans offered to help fight the tiger, he not only didn't mock them, but showed such pure intentions.

It seems that many people have some misunderstandings about this Song Zhuangyuan!
"Twelfth Brother!" Liu Congde jumped down from the carriage. "Did a tiger really eat dozens of people?"

"That's what the notice said."

"Then let's get out of here quickly. I think those Khitans will just die in the tiger's mouth."

Liu Congde served as a prefect in Hebei and actually took action against the local tiger problem, but many hunters died and no one even managed to touch a tiger.

"Those tigers wouldn't attack the post station, would they?"

Song Xuan pointed outside: "There are vehicles blocking the way and soldiers patrolling. Although it's only a small comfort, it's still much better than being in the wild."

"Oh dear, you don't understand," Liu Congde said, pointing to the door.

"A tiger could easily smash this wall with a single slap, or even leap over it."

He then told Song Xuan about his past experience hunting tigers when he was the prefect, which was a truly disastrous defeat. The tiger problem in this area was no joke.

Song Xuan was still talking to Liu Congde.

Under Lü Demao's tutelage, Yelü Shucheng, his face pale, came to find Song Xuan:
“Song Twelve, the Southern Chancellor is of noble status. If something happens to you, you will not have an easy time in the Khitan.”

"Did I send him?"

Yelü Shucheng opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Song Xuan sat on the chair:
"Liu Liu, you're here too. I've given him orders repeatedly, but he insists on making his own decisions and won't listen to any instructions. Should I tie him up, or should I just give him a good whack?"

Faced with Song Xuan's questioning, Yelü Shucheng immediately fell silent.

In fact, not only him, but even Lü Demao could not suppress the Southern Chancellor.

Instead of relying on Song Xuan of the Song Dynasty to suppress the Southern Chancellor of the Liao Dynasty, it would have been better to just kill the Southern Chancellor.

"But."

"No buts, he did it himself, and judging from his son's words, he's hunted tigers before."

Song Xuan invited Yelü Shucheng to sit down:

"Could it be that you lack confidence in the Southern Chancellor?"

"If he were twenty years younger, I would still believe in him."

Yelü Shucheng sat down, and in his heart he agreed with Lü Demao's speculation about Song Xuan.

But when he chatted with Song Xuan, he felt that Song Xuan wasn't that kind of person.

"If he can't beat them, can't he at least run away?"

Song Xuan casually poured Yelü Shucheng a cup of tea:

“He has led troops in battle for so many years, while I have only been leading troops for a short time and I don’t know anything. But he dares to take on so many responsibilities. You should still have some faith in him.”

Yelü Shucheng had just nodded when he heard something else.

"What a fucking idiot, he doesn't even know how to spell 'death'!"

Liu Congde had no intention of comforting the Khitans; in his view, the tigers of the Song Dynasty were extremely formidable.

Were the Khitans skilled tiger hunters?

Don't they like to use gyrfalcons to hunt swans?
Otherwise, they wouldn't have spent so much money to buy this treasure.

Faced with Liu Congde's curses, Yelü Shucheng felt somewhat distressed.

Now that he has no official position, he is counting on escorting this treasure back so that he can gain face in front of His Majesty and obtain an official position.

"Hey, Liu Dalang, don't say such unpleasant things." Song Xuan waved his hand and said seriously:
"They don't understand the concept of 'honest advice is hard to swallow,' and instead they'll think you're deliberately preventing them from making a name for themselves."

"That's true, they don't know how many ancient sayings there are in the Central Plains."

Liu Congde dared not face the fear brought by the tiger, and he did not want to stay here, so he vented his anger on the Khitans.

They're courting death, and they're dragging me down with them. They all deserve to die.

Those who went to hunt tigers should all die one by one in the tiger's mouth. Liu Congde certainly didn't have anything nice to say about that.

Yelü Shucheng felt somewhat uncomfortable, as he was extremely knowledgeable about Central Plains culture.

As Song Xuan sipped his tea, he was slightly taken aback. When he was scheming against Yelü Gou'er, had Yelü Gou'er turned around and schemed against him?

Otherwise, why would he act so impulsively?

After all, he cherished that treasure so much that he wouldn't let anyone else get close. Why would he suddenly leave to fight a tiger?

Could it be that something went wrong with that treasure during transport?

So he wants to shift the blame in advance?
Song Xuan put down the tea in his hand:
"Liu Liu, did Yelü Gou'er take many of your soldiers with him?"

Although these people included Khitan nobles, they also brought many slaves and soldiers. However, they were not allowed to bring weapons when they entered Song territory to avoid conflict.

"Nanxiang took most of them, but left some people behind to look after the treasures."

"That's good."

Song Xuan looked at Yelü Shucheng and said, "This item is also for your advancement, so you should take a close look at it."

"Ok?"

Yelü Shucheng looked at Song Xuan: "I wonder what you mean by that, Song Twelfth?"

"Liu Liu, you're still too inexperienced in politics," Song Xuan sighed.

"You have studied too much Central Plains culture but do not know how to learn from your mistakes. If this continues, you will likely fall into the hands of women, not to mention in the struggles of the court."

"Why?"

Yelü Shucheng was resentful, as Song Xuan was not even as old as him.

Furthermore, given his lineage from the Yelü royal family, how could Song Twelve possibly outmaneuver him in political maneuvering?

Do you even understand what political struggles are about, where emperors and ministers are killed at the drop of a hat?
What was impossible in the Song Dynasty happened more than once in the Liao Dynasty.

Therefore, Yelü Shucheng shook his head again: "I do not agree with your statement."

"Twelfth Brother, why are you wasting your breath talking to him!"

Liu Congde chuckled:
"With his bookish nature, he wouldn't even realize he's fallen into a pit."

"Liu Liu, don't mind Liu Dalang's harsh words. His sense of smell is even more sensitive than yours."

Liu Congde snorted through his nostrils.

Song Xuan coughed lightly:

"This treasure has always been kept by Yelü Gou'er himself, and he doesn't allow anyone else to touch it."

"Why did he suddenly leave here today without a care in the world, to take people hunting? Doesn't he care about that treasure at all?"

"What is his purpose in coming to the Song Dynasty this time, once again acting as an instigator?"

"Of course, I came for this treasure."

Yelü Shucheng did not understand why Song Xuan would say that.

"Both of us have handled this treasure. Do you know the properties of glass?"

Faced with Song Xuan's question, Yelü Shucheng blurted out:

"It's pure and transparent on ordinary days, like a block of ice. I've never seen such glass before. Not to mention how colorful it is in the sunlight, it's simply a miracle!"

"Bullshit."

Song Xuan couldn't help but roll his eyes:

"It's fragile, you understand?"

"fragile!"

Yelü Shucheng's voice became shrill.

"Of course."

Song Xuan looked at his ignorant appearance:

"On this journey to Khitan, there will inevitably be some bumps along the way. Just in case, I mean just in case."

"Do you think you can withstand your emperor's wrath?"

Yelü Shucheng couldn't sit still any longer; he wanted to stand up and open the box to take a closer look.

But my legs were too weak to move.

His Majesty knows how much he likes this treasure.

If what Song Xuan described happens—if there's a bump or a crack—then everything will be ruined.

No wonder Nan Xianghui suddenly went hunting and didn't personally look after the treasure!

So there was this other layer of relationship.

Yelü Shucheng looked at Song Xuan: "Song Twelve, don't scare me."

"Tsk."

Song Xuan snorted and laughed:
“I have served as an official in the capital city of Tokyo for many years. I remember just now Yelü Gou’er mocked us Song people for being good at internal strife and not daring to kill tigers.”

"Actually, he's right!"

"Don't underestimate me just because I'm young when it comes to internal strife."

“But my experience is indeed much greater than yours, Liu Liu, so you’d better listen to my advice.”

Yelü Shucheng swallowed hard, his whole body trembling.

He was the one who first discovered this treasure, and then he single-handedly facilitated this matter, which His Majesty also approved of.

If anything goes wrong, he will truly be severely punished.

"Song Twelve, save me!"

Yelü Shucheng thought about it more and more and felt that Song Xuan was right.

"you are sick."

"I am sick?"

Yelü Shucheng didn't think he was sick, but he quickly realized:
"How should I be sick?"

"I don't know, so I'm taking you to the county town to see a doctor and rest for a day or two. As for when Yelü Gou'er will return, we don't know either."

Song Xuan said, "It just so happens that I need to conduct field training for my troops and hunt some game to supplement our military rations."

"We're not here, so what?"

"Good good."

Yelü Shucheng nodded hurriedly, knowing that if anything happened to that treasure, he really couldn't carry it.

"Now just pretend you're dizzy, slide off the chair and lie on the floor."

Song Xuan picked up Yelü Shucheng's teacup: "You know how to feign illness, right?"

"what?"

Yelü Shucheng obediently lay on the ground, when Song Xuan swiftly smashed a teacup beside him and shouted:
"Liu Liu, what's wrong?"

"Someone come quickly."

Yelü Shucheng lay on the ground and began to groan, complaining of a headache.

Song Xuan's shout not only drew out Han Yi and the others, but also brought out the Khitans to watch the spectacle.

Yang Ji ran out and saw what was going on, somewhat surprised: "What happened?"

"do not know."

Song Xuan told people not to touch him easily: "Could it be that he's suddenly suffering from acclimatization problems?"

"what?"

Yang Ji found it hard to believe. Yelü Shucheng had lived in the Song Dynasty for so long, how could he suddenly be suffering from acclimatization problems?

"Nonsense, maybe it ran into a ghost that was eaten by a mountain tiger."

Liu Congde, not minding the bigger picture, said, "It's not a good omen at all. If you ask me, we should leave this place as soon as possible."

"Let's take him to see a doctor first."

Song Xuan ordered the Khitans to take Yelü Shucheng away.

"I have always been on good terms with Liu Liu, I'll go there."

Song Xuan called Liu Ping over.

He was told to send two hundred men with him on a hunting trip, while the rest would remain at the post station to guard it, especially at night.

"Is the top scholar Song also going to hunt tigers?"

"Stop it."

Song Xuan quickly waved his hand: "Tigers aren't something anyone can fight!"

"Just hunt some wild boars and deer, or at the very least help the people get rid of the wolves."

Liu Ping nodded, then he was relieved.

So the group rode their horses and followed Song Xuan away from the post station.

Yelü Shucheng lay in the clinic for three days. Song Xuan went hunting in the surrounding area and sold a lot of wild boar, wolf, and deer hides. He also sent people to exchange them for wine to reward the people.

As for wild boar meat, Song Xuan was not willing to eat it.

I didn't bring much money with me this time, so there's almost no hope of buying spices here.

He just eats venison.

After Song Xuan brought Yelü Shucheng back, many soldiers returned with their prey, which improved everyone's meals and also left some wild boar meat for the post station.

He found it hard to swallow, but many people didn't care.

Through his battle with the wild boar, Song Xuan discovered that the Song Dynasty's weapons did indeed have some problems, as some had been damaged.

Of course, it's related to the hardness of wild boar hide; it's normal that a single shot couldn't pierce it.

Yelü Shucheng was very uneasy when he saw that the Southern Chancellor had not yet returned.

They should have been back by the agreed time, why haven't they returned yet?

Could it be that we're lost?

Yelü Shucheng was still considering whether to pretend to have a headache again and go to the clinic to avoid "being killed".

He is now convinced that Song Xuan is indeed more prescient than he is in political infighting.

Now Yelü Shucheng felt that he was of little influence and that it was best not to touch that treasure, since transporting it was not his job anyway.

Song Xuan was also a little puzzled. Could it be that Yelü Gou'er and the others had pursued them too deeply, and had not yet returned?

Da da da.

The sound of horses' hooves rang out:
"Report, Scholar Song, those Khitans have returned, and it looks like they suffered heavy losses."

Song Xuan said "Oh," and replied, "Yelü Gou'er has fought in the south and north for many years. How could he possibly suffer a defeat because of a tiger?"

"Song Zhuangyuan has indeed failed and has now gone to the county town to find a doctor."

Yelü Shucheng blinked. He hadn't expected that it would be the Southern Prime Minister who went to find a clinic, instead of him.

"Let's go take a look."

Song Xuan glanced at Yelü Shucheng: "Perhaps you two live in the same place."

The group then followed Song Xuan to the county town and found the pharmacy.

The hunter, covered in sweat, was called over by Song Xuan to ask what had happened.

They started off very well, finding clues, setting traps, and even managing to wound the tiger with arrows and other weapons.

The tiger did retaliate, but it was caught off guard and ultimately escaped with serious injuries.

Yelü Gou'er intended to press his advantage, but unexpectedly, a tigress appeared and ambushed them.

Many of the Khitans were killed or wounded, and some even fled.

The hunter said that the leader's son had been bitten on the arm and it was probably going to be severed.

Both tigers were injured.

After hearing the general outline of what had happened, Song Xuan was indeed somewhat surprised.

The notice mentioned a tiger, and tigers are usually lone wolves.

Who would have thought that the tiger would fall in love?

This time, he's really angered the tigress.

"Twelfth Brother, shall we go into the mountains too?"

"I'm not going." Song Xuan waved his hand dismissively.
“A wounded tiger is more dangerous. I would rather fight the enemy on the battlefield than face a wounded tigress.”

"You should probably put away that tiger-hunting mentality of yours."

Song Xuan didn't think Wang Gui could compare to a demon god like Wu Song, so it would be easier to save his strength for killing on the battlefield.

Yelü Gou'er was roaring furiously at the doctor.

When the doctor saw Song Xuan arrive, he immediately begged for help.

“Scholar Song, this Khitan is unreasonable.”

He purchased some wolf meat and wolf throat lozenges, which can be used in medicine, from Song Xuan.

"what happened?"

"I couldn't heal his injuries, but he insisted that I do it."

Song Xuan went over and saw that Yelü Gou'er was also injured.

He glanced again at Yelü Zhigu, who had made harsh remarks and mocked him before leaving; he looked seriously injured.

“Yelü Gou’er, your son’s injuries are very serious, and he cannot cure him.”

Yelü Gou'er's eyes turned red as he glared at Song Xuan, his eyes filled with anger.

"If it weren't for you..."

"Did I warn you?!"

Yelü Gou'er gritted his teeth; things were getting out of his control.

Even if he argues with Song Xuan now, he can't save his son's life.

Song Xuan walked over, sat down to take his pulse, and waited a while:
"Tsk, your son's condition is really not good."

"You also know medicine?"

Yelü Gou'er's expression changed slightly, and then he heard:

"Know a little bit."

He recalled the boast he had made to Song Xuan, and now he forced back his anger:

"What's the use?"

“My son is a warrior of the Great Khitan.”

"He dared to fight a tiger."

"Even if they die, they will still be warriors of my Great Khitan!"

Listen to Yelü Gou'er break down and start reciting the eulogy.

Song Xuan felt he should find a shaman to play the drums with him to that rhythm.

In this way, Yelü Zhigu could still feel the sense of ritual from his hometown before he died.

Unfortunately, there are no people in the Song Dynasty who practice shamanism.

"Yelü Gou'er, I have a method with a slim chance of survival that might save your son, but I can't guarantee that it won't cause him to contract rabies."

Rabies is not only carried by dogs; canines and felines can also easily carry it.

"what?"

Yelü Gou'er was somewhat bewildered, and his tone changed:

"really?"

Yelü Gou'er didn't think Song Xuan would take the initiative to take responsibility for something like this. Song Xuan was such a smart person!
"Since your son is going to die anyway, I wouldn't have done anything if it weren't for the sake of diplomatic relations between our two countries."

"If this gets back to the Empress Dowager, how am I supposed to explain this?"

"If you hadn't insisted on proving yourself!"

"We should have left here long ago, why did we have to make things like this?"

"You are in this situation entirely because you refused to listen to advice."

Song Xuan's impatient tone rendered Yelü Gou'er speechless, despite his anger.

Yelü Shucheng blinked as he listened to Song Xuan's words.

He didn't actually believe that Song Xuan could handle it.

Having secretly studied medical books for so long, Yelü Shucheng naturally knew how difficult it was to learn medicine in the Central Plains.

Yelü Gou'er looked at Song Xuan. He knew that Song Xuan was well-read and capable, and perhaps he really had a solution.

"What method?"

"Cut off his right arm," Song Xuan said casually.

"He'll bleed to death."

Yelü Gou'er immediately became excited.

He had seen many soldiers with severed limbs on the battlefield.

Even if these people did not die immediately on the battlefield, they would soon die in the wounded soldiers' camp.

"As I just said, it's a nine-out-of-ten chance of death."

Song Xuan said impatiently, "Otherwise you won't survive either. Do you even have the guts to do it?"

Yelü Zhigu, his face pale, shook his head with difficulty:
“A-dian (Khitan word for father), I do not want the Song people’s treatment.”

Yelü Gou'er shook his head.

If he were younger, he would have granted his son's request.

But as he grew older, he couldn't bear to see his son die in front of him, especially since it wasn't because of war.

"You treat him."

Song Xuan sent someone to find a large axe and also asked the clinic to start burning charcoal.

Actually, without even looking closely, Song Xuan felt that Yelü Zhigu was really lucky.

The tigress only bit his arm to pieces; she didn't tear it off completely.

If it's completely torn off, then there's no need for treatment.

Such a long journey, they'd bleed to death.

"Make him drink."

Since Hua Tuo's anesthetic powder was lost, most people have used sleeping potions or alcohol to induce anesthesia.

The Taiping Shenghui Fang (Prescriptions for Universal Relief) from the Song Dynasty also records many surgical cases.

Highly complex surgeries such as tumor removal and eyeball repositioning.

Even pleural effusion drainage can be done, but the risks are very high.

Of course, in cases like this amputation, the mortality rate is about half, usually due to blood loss and infection.

Yelü Gou'er didn't stand on ceremony; he poured himself a drink first, and then poured one for his son.

After Yelü Zhigu's eyes became glazed over, Song Xuan thoughtfully gave him a wooden stick to chew on.

Have someone hold him down.

He looked at the red-hot axe, then sprayed some wine on it without any hesitation.

They didn't give anyone time to react at all.

The axe fell with his hand.

"Ah~"

Yelü Zhi was sobered up instantly by the pain in his bones, his eyes bulging and veins standing out.

While everyone was still in a daze, Yelü Zhigu was pressed down like a pig.

Song Xuan immediately instructed the doctor to wrap the wound with the medicine, but Yelü Zhi fainted from the pain during the process.

Yelü Shucheng turned pale with fright; he had never seen anything like it before.

"Yelü Zhigu's arm is ruined; there is no chance of saving it."

Song Xuan threw the axe aside:
"Yelü Gou'er, now it depends on whether your son is tough enough."

"Ah."

Yelü Gou'er responded but didn't say anything more.

He couldn't find the words to express his gratitude.

As for Song Xuan, he wiped the sweat from the heat of the roasting axe, and went outside to find the hunter:

"Those two tigers are seriously injured and will become weaker as they bleed. Go check on them in a few days. If you can kill them, do so. You can take the reward; it will be considered as ridding the people of a scourge."

The hunter readily agreed, "Don't worry, Scholar Song, I know what I'm doing."

"Ah."

Song Xuan turned around and went inside, where he picked up a pen and ink from the pharmacy and began writing a memorial.

After all, as an escort, such a big incident must be reported actively and there should be no major concealment.

Song Xuan was writing something when Han Yi, having received the news, rushed over. He quickly walked up to Song Xuan and whispered:
"Is everyone dead?"

(End of this chapter)