Wild 1979: From Fishing and Hunting to Becoming a Literary Master

Chapter 126 Going to the Grassland

"That's perfect. Even if you hadn't mentioned it, we would have gone to the Forestry Bureau anyway. Without a certificate from the Forestry Bureau, we wouldn't be able to take the train."

Su Dao has been busy for more than half a month in the Dobukur settlement.

In addition to contacting other hunting settlements, he was also procuring supplies for exchange.

Although border trade among border residents and hunters has a long history, all parties have turned a blind eye to it.

However, the scale is limited, making it impossible for them to come and go as they please.

The goods have been exchanged, but how to transport them to the grasslands remains a problem.

A round trip by reindeer sled takes at least one or two months.

Transporting too little is not enough to cover costs, while transporting too much carries high risks and incurs high costs.

Su Dao had connections to exchange guns, but the distribution channels were restricted to Songling.

One or two going to the grasslands is fine, but dozens or hundreds is impossible.

They used the goods obtained through border trade to exchange for hides and mountain delicacies from various hunting settlements, then went to the grasslands to exchange for hides and horses, and finally used the cattle and sheep hides from the grasslands to exchange for brick tea.

We took the train there and drove the horses back.

Everything went smoothly for half a month.

It didn't go very smoothly; it took a month.

This was the business Su Dao had mentioned, and its scale was quite different from what Chen Tuo had imagined.

"Uncle Sudo, can you really transport Beretak and Water Link over there by train?"

Although Chen Tuo knew the current rules, he didn't know much about them.

He could accept transporting livestock by passenger train, but he had reservations about transporting firearms.

"No way! You can bring one gun, but if you bring too many, you definitely won't be able to get on the train. Besides, the Forestry Bureau won't allow guns to be taken out of Songling!"

Su Dao's explanation still failed to make Chen Tuo understand the scope of his business.

This is also the biggest difference between a supply-side system and a market economy.

In Chen Tuo's eyes, anything not prohibited by law is permissible.

If Su Dao said that it wasn't allowed on the train either, he would understand.

Su Dao said he could bring one gun, so Chen Tuo thought he could bring many guns.

Su Daoneng could sell guns at the market in Songling, and he could sell guns on the grasslands as well.

Whether Songling Forestry allows it or not falls under the category of flexible application.

"Uncle Su, if Section Chief Xiao from the Forestry Bureau's logistics department could help transport the gun to the grasslands, and cover the costs of making hunting boots, hunting gear, wolf-head hats, and hunting knives..."

Often, doing things requires spending money, and sometimes things can't be done simply because of a lack of funds.

If he had money, Chen Tuo wouldn't mind buying hides and materials to have the hunters in the Dobukur settlement make the physical artifacts he designed to preserve.

But he only had a little over a hundred yuan on him.

I originally had 76.37 yuan saved up, and Huacheng's royalties were 90 yuan.

During that time, I spent twenty yuan on wine and a little over ten cents on mail.

The upper part of the Blood Wolfhound was mailed to Huacheng, and Hongye paid the postage in advance.

I had over 140 yuan in my pocket, which isn't a small amount now, but it depends on what I buy.

I bought clothes, but not enough for a complete outfit.

The hides are something you can only look at...

Su Dao was the richest person Chen Tuo knew.

If he was unwilling to pay, Chen Tuo thought of borrowing some money from him first and paying him back later with royalties.

"Chen, if you can really get the guns to Hulunbuir, I'll pay whatever it takes!"

The old-style Russian shotgun, while not suitable for hunting in the Greater Khingan Mountains, was one of the best hunting rifles on the grasslands.

With an effective range of four to five hundred meters or five to six hundred meters, for herders with good eyesight, the old-style water-based rapid-fire weapon is no worse than the five or six semi-automatic firearms fired in rapid succession.

Once you reach the grasslands, an old-fashioned water bead that's worthless in Songling can at least be exchanged for a draft horse, and a Mongolian horse can be exchanged for two!

The Dobukur settlement now has more than two hundred old-fashioned water beads and old Belek tanks that Su Dao had just brought over.

If it weren't for Chen Tuo's idea, he planned to transport the guns down the mountain in a few days and exchange them for grain with the Songling Town Armed Forces Department.

Now that there's a chance to transport them to the grasslands, the value of those two hundred guns would increase at least five to ten times.

If we could talk to the herders on the outer grasslands, increasing the profits tenfold or twentyfold wouldn't be a problem.

Compared to cattle and horses on the Hulunbuir grasslands, firearms are cheaper, and herders have a higher demand for them.

Unlike Hulunbuir, there are many gazelles on the grasslands there, and just as many wolves.

Moreover, the closer you get to Hulunbuir, the stricter the Russian control becomes, and the herders on the outer grasslands don't have many proper firearms.

If we start from the Russian side, an old-fashioned water-chain, traveling thousands of miles, would have a premium of at least several dozen times.

It's the time of year when the snowstorm blows across the grasslands. I took advantage of the heavy snow to make a trip there and finalize the deal.

Then Su Dao's business will take another big step forward.

"Uncle Su, it's settled then. I'll ask Section Chief Xiao when we go down the mountain tomorrow."

Having finalized the funding source, Chen Tuo wanted to design hunting boots and hunting attire.

Su Dao couldn't wait until tomorrow, and grabbed his hand urgently, saying:

"The guns are on the mountain. We'll just transport them down. Once the itinerary is finalized, I can get dozens more!"

The dozens of rifles that Su Dao mentioned are the hunting rifles held by the hunters in the Dobukur settlement.

If time permits, there are still over a hundred new guns at his own hunting grounds.

With these guns, he could trade them for a herd of horses even without going to the outer grasslands.

If they traded horses for brick tea from inside the pass, just transporting it across the river would be enough to sustain them for a whole year.

"Uncle Su Dao, I've only just arrived at the mountain, is there any need to be in such a hurry?"

Chen Tuo, who had just arrived at the mountain, did not want to come down immediately, so Su Dao simply grabbed his hand and left the newly built wooden house, finding a secluded spot.

They described in detail their trade routes between the two banks of the Yangtze River and the grasslands.

After listening to Su Dao's explanation, Chen Tuo suddenly realized that he had misunderstood the scale of their business.

Thinking of some well-known so-called business miracles, Chen Tuo also briefly explained his thoughts to Su Dao.

If you follow the methods of Su Dao and Morigen, you'll at most earn a hard-earned one or two thousand yuan a year.

With the popularization of Su Dao, Chen Tuo's suggestion might allow them to earn forty or fifty thousand in one trip.

After listening to Chen Tuo's suggestion, Su Dao pressed him into the folding stool, went out for a while, and then pushed Su Mo, who was full of resistance, back in.

"I, Abu, say this: from now on, I am your woman, and I will be as loyal to you as a hunting dog!"

Hearing Su Mo's wild and resistant confession, and seeing Su Dao's anxious expression outside the tent, Chen Tuo said:

"No rush. We'll see how things go, just like with the White Dragon. You're not Abu's personal property, and you don't need to be as loyal to me as a hunting dog!"

Su Dao's arrangements are probably fine for the settlements and hunting grounds in the mountains.

But Chen Tuo could clearly see the resistance on Su Mo's face.

Bailong and Sumo were both Evenki girls who had met educated youth from the countryside; they were not women from some semi-primitive tribe.

Moreover, the hunters in the mountains today are only living a semi-primitive life, but the education they receive is not the semi-primitive tribal education.

"Abu, I told you Mergen wouldn't be like you! He's the real hero of the mountains!"

With Chen Tuo's promise, Su Mo glanced provocatively at Su Dao outside the folding basket.

This scene left Chen Tuo somewhat dazed, unsure whether his inheritance plan was good or bad for the hunters in the mountains...