Mountain driving career since 1982

Chapter 723 The imprint that should be in memory

Chapter 723 The imprint that should be in memory

The marmot is the largest species in the squirrel family, and everyone is more familiar with its other name - marmot.

Of course, there are also those called Hara, which are called Tarbagan by herdsmen in Inner Mongolia. There are different names in different places, and they are also found in the wilderness. The number is much smaller, far less than that on the grassland.

"During the Qing Dynasty, the fur of marmots was just like the 'mink' today. It was a very popular fur that symbolized 'noble' status. After tanning and processing, the quality was comparable to the mink fur that has always been popular in the market. As a result, marmot fur has become a very sought after commodity in the market.

Do you know how much a marmot fur could sell for at that time? "

Lu Lu looked at several people and asked with a smile.

Because it is relatively rare in the Great Wilderness, Zhang Shaofeng saw it for the first time, he was a little dazed, but at the same time full of curiosity: "How much?"

"At that time, most of the furs were sold to Lao Maozi. At that time, they could be sold for more than one ruble. You must know that one ruble at that time was equivalent to one tael of silver, which was very valuable."

The ruble was stronger than the U.S. dollar at the time, but in recent years it has become a bit unfavorable, and the depreciation will become more and more severe in the days to come.

Lu Lu said as he walked into the snow house, and several people followed him in.

"The one tael of silver at that time...it was really valuable." Liang Kangbo nodded: "But, there are also purchases at the purchase station, so why don't you want it?"

"The purchase station does purchase, and the purchase price is not low. On the grassland, it is easy to catch. If you find a cave, you can get several. There are many on the sunny slope. This thing is good at making holes, and it is easy to ride a horse. You have to be careful, it's especially easy to hurt the horse's leg. But this matter..."

Lu Lu shook his head: "The plague broke out in Manzhouli, and then it swept across the wilderness, killing many people. This plague was not caused by things like rats in the house, but it was caused by marmots.

Because of the high value of this thing, local officials and businessmen in the Northeast and Lao Maozi hired hunters to kill a large number of marmots for profit, and even many inexperienced people went from the mainland to the northeast to join the ranks of hunting marmots.

At the beginning Manzhouli was just a small remote place, but every year tens of thousands of hunters flocked to Manzhouli to catch marmots, and Manzhouli became more and more lively day by day.

However, many of them have no hunting experience. They can't tell which marmots are good and which are sick. The marmots they hunt are placed in piles, and some people sleep on the rotten marmot fur , I didn’t eat anything, I ate marmot meat directly, and an unprecedented plague broke out. "

It is estimated that many people who have seen this kind of tragedy in the early years have disappeared. After all, it was seven or eighty years ago.

After so many years, many things have been forgotten.

But Lu Lu feels that this is still something that needs to be vigilant. After all, even in later generations, the fatality rate of this disease is still very high, let alone now.

As far as Lu Lu knew, it was very popular to use marmots as pets on Yingjiang's side for a while, and a marmot can be sold for two hundred dollars, but one day people suddenly discovered that the marmots were on their side, and they were very popular all of a sudden. No one raises them anymore, so the reason goes without saying.

And Lu Lu watched a lot of short videos in his previous life, and many people in China seem to have begun to love this kind of marmot, which is considered to be very cute. Many people are raising it, and many people are feeding it everywhere. Lu Lu also thought it was interesting to get in close contact with each other and pose for a variety of photos, but he was taken aback when he checked the information casually.

They seem to have forgotten that the kind of masks with cotton wool inside that doctors use today were invented during that plague.

"I've heard some elders mention this before!"

Liang Kangbo's expression became serious: "It's quite serious, but I always thought it was a mouse. I have also shot this marmot occasionally. It looks fat and strong, and I have eaten it. It tastes good. I didn't expect it to be this thing. "

He was a little apprehensive.

"Actually, at the very beginning, the plague broke out from Lao Maozi's side. It's just that the people there are sparsely populated. When something happened, it was quickly brought under control. It's different when it spread to our side. Then Call it serious.”

Lu Lu also sighed: "But then again, it also appeared earlier. In the middle and early Qing Dynasty, the Northeast was known as the land of Longxing for the Manchus. At that time, few Han people moved to the Northeast. At that time There have been many diseases.

However, there were too many people and few lands in the Great Wilderness at that time, and the people living there had their own methods to avoid the danger of being infected with the plague.

For example, marmots can only be shot, not trapped.

If you see a marmot lounging, avoid contact with it.If a nearby groundhog colony showed signs of illness, people simply tore down the tent and moved elsewhere.

They all know that if they violate the traditions of their ancestors, they will be punished by heaven.But it is this kind of tradition that is very reasonable, because it effectively reduces the probability of being infected. Even if someone is accidentally tricked, it is considered to be possessed by evil spirits. They have their own traditional coping methods.

But those who crossed the Guandong didn't care about these things. In order to catch them efficiently, they set up a large number of traps, no matter whether they were alive or sick, they all hunted and killed them, and the result can be imagined.

Some things that are considered superstitious actually have their own truths. If you don't follow them, there will really be disasters.

In short, although this thing is still available for purchase, I still don’t recommend it.At the very least, I won’t be able to distinguish whether this thing is sick or not. If I take it back, it will be really bad for my family and the people in the village. "

"Since this is the case, then don't fight!" Lei Meng said in a deep voice.

The other people also nodded one after another. Zhang Shaofeng even ran out carrying the antimony pot hanging on the fire. He poured out all the meat cooking in the pot and wiped his hands with snow. After wiping the pot well, I came back and smiled awkwardly at a few people: "I've cooked everything... I might be late for dinner today."

"It's okay, boil some water, wash it well, take it easy!" Lu Lu said with a smile.

It's good that things are taken seriously.

In Lu Lu's view, this should be something that has been branded in memory.

"How do we go next?" Liang Kangbo asked while helping with the cooking.

Lu Lu thought for a while and said: "Manzhouli has always been a defensive area, and there are very few opportunities for us to find Lao Maozi's side from there. Moreover, there are at least two or three hundred kilometers away from here, so there is no need In the past...we went to Yakeshi to replenish some food and supplies, and gave the meat on the sledge to the herdsmen, then turned to the northwest, near the border, and looked all the way towards Mohe.

Let's hunt wolves, deer, sables, water dogs, blind bears, leopards... there are quite a few things in the mountains, and it is estimated that there will be more animals like wolves, foxes, water dogs, and badgers. There are more, and the terrain is open, which is easier to use! "

When he said this, Lu Lu touched the semi-automatic machine with a scope mounted on it and the white jade standing on the wooden pier beside it.

In the open area, it is time for them to show their power.

"Actually, why don't we go directly from the direction of Hegang and Jiayin, which are also close to the border and convenient for travel." Zhao Yongke asked with some doubts.

"I also know which places are close to our village, but don't forget, the two sides of the river are where the most people live, especially Lao Maozi's side. Many important cities are along the coast, and they are also the most heavily defended places. This is The years are not easy to pass. On the contrary, it is a mountainous place with fewer people defending it, so it is most convenient to enter and exit.

Don't forget, we didn't simply go there, we came back with many things.Naturally, try to avoid sending it to the opponent's muzzle. "

Although I have thoughts in my heart, entering and exiting the border has never been that simple, especially these days, so the more secretive the better.

After dinner, a few people packed up their things and continued to drive the sledge toward the northwest. When they saw a few yurts scattered among the mountains from a distance, they rushed over.

Five sledges and six dogs were running in the mountains. The movement was not small. The flock of sheep was frightened and seemed a little flustered, and the guard dogs even started barking early.

Soon, a burly Mongolian man rode a horse and led a dog to greet him, and shouted from a long distance: "What are you doing? You scared my flock, stop..."

"Fellow townspeople, we are hunters in the mountains, here to hunt...the meat on the sledge can't be put down, and I want to hunt for two more days. I saw that there are people here, so I sent the meat to you, and freed up the sledge to pull. Things! I also want to ask if there are wolves, leopards, blind bears, etc. in the vicinity. By the way, I will stay overnight."

Lu Lu reined in his horse and stopped the sledge, called Yuan Bao and the others who had been barking at the strong man in front, and went up to explain the purpose of coming.

Hearing that he was here to deliver meat, the man immediately jumped off his horse and looked at the meat piled on the sledge. His face, which was not very good before, immediately eased down.

In fact, hunters are very popular these days. It is no exaggeration to say that with a gun in hand and a dog on the collar, they can be entertained wherever there are people.

Killing wild boars, blind bears, brown bears, jumping cats, badgers, and pheasants can protect crops, and killing wolves, leopards, and foxes can reduce the losses of herdsmen.

This is very beneficial to them.

What's more, this comes with meat.

Naturally, the few people slowed down, and as the Mongolian man went to their yurt, Lu Lu and the others didn't say anything, and immediately unloaded the prey they didn't plan to take away from the sledge.

Several people were also invited into the warm yurt.

By the fire pond inside, an old man was cooking porridge, and an iron box was placed on the fire, which contained a black liquid.

Lu Lu knew at a glance that they were preparing to make lead pellets.

Looking at the wall again, there are two double-pass shotguns hanging.

This is preparing to make bullets.

People these days are very capable of doing things, and many people are reluctant to spend money in hunting gear stores like Lu Lu and the others to buy bullets.

Most people make their own shotgun bullets.

A shotgun for a two-way shotgun, which uses reusable cartridge cases to put gunpowder and shotguns into them for reloading.

The lead pellets used for shotguns are also made by myself.

The melting point of lead is only more than 300 degrees, so it can be easily melted. When hunters make shotguns, they also use their ingenuity.

Use cornmeal to cook a large pot of porridge, and pour the melted lead water into the boiling porridge. The lead water will boil into tiny lead particles as the porridge boils, and then solidify and fall to the bottom.

Then put the gunpowder and lead beads into the cartridge case according to a certain ratio and method, and then you can get the shotgun bullet after packaging.

Anyway, how to save money.

People who like to play with shotguns have always been obsessed with equipment. Bullets should be loaded in bullet belts. Some people wear them cross-body, while others wear them around their waists, holding a shotgun. The majestic appearance always attracts others. Envious eyes.

Moreover, people in the city also like to run to the mountains, because there are many prey in the mountains.

Even many workers are not idle on Sundays and rest days. They try their best to go into the mountains in the morning, and when they come back in the evening, they can show off for a long time with a pheasant or a jumping cat. If they get a wild boar, it will be even more serious.

These years, the enthusiasm for hunting is at an all-time high, accompanied by a large number of prey dying out.

Seeing that this old man also plays with guns, there are naturally many topics to talk about. After just a few words of conversation, they have become very familiar with each other.

Of course, the old man didn't hunt for fur like Lu Lu and the others did, he did it to take care of his flock.

"Just in the past few days, a group of wolves have been eyeing my sheep. On the most one day, more than a dozen of them were killed in a row. You are well, I must ask you to help get rid of this scourge! I know those wolves Where is it, I can take you to find it!"

The old man looked at the semi-automatic actions of several people, and then looked at the piles of meat delivered, and immediately knew that several people were good hunters, so he begged.

There is no reason for Lu Lu not to agree to the matter of killing multiple birds with one stone.

(End of this chapter)