Chapter 129: The Eve of Hunting the Elephant

It is much more effective for the main hunters to figure out for themselves that they are willing to hunt elephants than for Baifeng to force them to go; however, even with that motivation, how to hunt and kill them is a very difficult problem. The methods the few of them came up with were not necessarily the best, so they simply called all the hunters together to think about it.

Everyone had different opinions, but none seemed very reliable. After all, no one had ever hunted an elephant before; in every aspect, they could not be compared to other prey, and there was no reference experience.

Baifeng still felt that using spears to throw and kill them was best. After all, there is a saying that mammoths were hunted to extinction because humans had spear throwers. They had spear throwers and stronger, better spears, so killing elephants should not be a problem.

But others felt it was still not very safe. After all, even a cow would struggle for a while after being stabbed, let alone a larger elephant. I do not know how thick an elephant's skin is, or whether their spears can pierce it.

As for bows, there was no need to even think about them; they were not enough in front of an elephant. Thinking it over, the spear-throwing method really seemed the most reliable. What was more difficult now was how to escape; an elephant that was not dead or was struggling in its death throes was the most terrifying thing, and it felt like it could tear a mountain apart.

Thus, the focus of their discussion shifted from how to kill the elephant to how to escape safely after wounding it until the elephant died. Things like using ropes to block it or using wooden stakes to stop it showed a complete ignorance of the elephant's strength.

After discussing for a while, a clansman proposed a very feasible method, which was to dig a pit. Only if the pit was wide enough and deep enough could the elephant be unable to chase them.

However, this also gave Baifeng another idea, which was a trap.

When he was a child, he used to play a game called a horse-trapping pit. Because the place where Baifeng grew up in his previous life had been a place of strategic importance since ancient times—the throat of the northwest—many things could be related to military affairs, regardless of place names or habits.

The horse-trapping pit was the same; it was actually a half-meter pit covered with thin branches and grass, then covered with a layer of soil so that it was no different from the surrounding environment. A horse's hooves and lower legs are actually very fragile; as long as there is a slight sprain, they will be completely ruined, losing their combat effectiveness on the spot.

With a horse-trapping pit, no matter if the horse is running or walking slowly, as long as it steps in once, it can no longer walk.

Although the principle of a horse-trapping pit could not be applied to an elephant, they could still use a hidden trap to make the elephant fall into it. It would be simpler, and even if it did not hurt its legs, they had so many people; wouldn't it be very simple to dig a trap?

After telling everyone, they all felt there was no problem. This could be considered the most likely method among all the plans. Whether they used food to lure them or used weapons to anger them, there was no problem.

However, Baifeng seemed to have forgotten one thing, which was whether the elephants were still in that area. What if they all went to that place, only to find that the elephants had long since migrated? Wouldn't that be a huge embarrassment?

Food should still be found outside now, but he did not know if they would leave after a while. Baifeng had never seen an elephant in his later life. He knew that Asian elephants almost all lived in subtropical or tropical regions, and he did not know how these North Temperate Zone elephants survived the winter, nor had he seen them covered in fur like mammoths.

Now was the time to test the training results. The Scout Team and the Messenger set off first to scout for information at the location where they last discovered the elephants. Although they were scouts, they were also hunters, and they still possessed the basic skills for searching for prey.

To allow them to run better, the shoes they wore were the best made, and they also had leg wraps; these were treatments that other clansmen could not enjoy. Although they used to run barefoot, shoes could allow them to avoid injuries from gravel and various thorns, and after getting used to them, they were better than being barefoot.

Although Baifeng valued Lu, he was still somewhat childish and could not take charge alone for the time being. Baifeng was not at ease letting him lead the team, so the person leading the team this time was a relatively mature, steady, and capable Soldier.

After receiving the mission, they set off very early in the morning because the days were short now, and the time available for activity was much shorter than before. Although the weather was very cold at night, they still carried out the mission seriously.

They first went to the Peach Forest, but they found no trace of the elephants at all, not even footprints. There were only a few groups of monkeys that seemed to be constantly at war; with winter approaching, the ownership of apricot kernels and peach kernels was very important.

In winter, if animals want to stay warm, they can only move to lower places; it is impossible for them to move toward higher places. Thus, the few of them searched toward the lower-lying Low-lying Land.

Because there were still mountains blocking the way, the further down they went, the higher the temperature and the warmer it was. It was already winter now, but the few of them even felt that it did not seem cold, and the surrounding vegetation was relatively green.

Slowly, they discovered traces of the elephants; such large feces could not be excreted by ordinary animals. Following the footprints all the way, they discovered the elephants eating in the distance; their physiques were too large and too obvious.

Finding them was not enough; they checked the surrounding area again to confirm that the elephants had settled here, not just passing through while looking for food. Having figured out the elephants' tracks, it was time to go back and report the news.

But no matter how fast they ran, they could not return tonight. Thus, they found a cave of suitable size on the road to spend the night, waiting until dawn to return to the tribe.

When they returned to report the news at noon the next day, since the elephants were still there, all plans could proceed smoothly. However, going out this time, they were afraid they would not be able to return in one or two days; it was even possible it would take three or four days.

Thus, they prepared Dry Rations that could last for five days. Wheat ground into powder, as well as various nuts also ground into powder, then added with salt and stir-fried, made for delicious and filling Dry Rations. For meat, Salted Fish would suffice.

Just like when they went to hunt cattle, they brought a great many spears and set off pulling carts. However, this time they also brought many hoes and Iron shovels, just for the purpose of digging pits.

It was impossible to set everything up that day, so they set up camp at a distance where the elephants could not discover them. After everything was packed and settled, they went to find a location to dig the trap. It was best to be in a relatively narrow place so that they would not have to dig too many traps.

But this Low-lying Land was still relatively spacious, and there were no places that were narrow enough. If they dug too far away, the clansmen going to lure them might not be able to escape.

Thus, Baifeng decided to dig a long trench; there would always be a position where they could step into it. Digging several more lines in front and back would ensure the success rate.

After determining the location and length, they would start working early tomorrow morning. It did not need to be very deep; half a meter deep and one meter wide would be perfectly fine. Leave a relatively obvious escape marker for the clansmen; just do not dig in that area. As long as the elephant steps in and loses its mobility, then they would start the attack directly.