Cannon Fodder Group Ch.171

Chapter 171 – Borrowing the Hunting Gun

Xu Jinning naturally didn’t know that her inner thoughts could be heard by the cannon fodder.

So, upon learning that this was the Bloody Hunt, she became very worried.

She appeared somewhat restless, constantly persuading them to not go or to bring more powerful weapons.

For example, the hunting guns in the hands of the militia!

Except for the Xu brothers, no one in the Xu family heard the inner thoughts about this matter, nor could they see the images.

But seeing Xu Jinning’s anxiety and worry, they felt that she must have a reason for this.

So, Xu Aiguo spoke up.

“I think it’s definitely not feasible to cancel and not go hunting.”

“Yes, I also think so.” Xu Xiangdong nodded as well.

Everyone was very excited about the hunt and had already prepared for it. How could they cancel just because of a few words from them?

Perhaps the two brothers could choose not to go.

But they couldn’t ignore the lives of the villagers when they knew there would be trouble.

Although they might not usually interact much, everyone was from the same village, and many of them had grown up together.

Of course, if possible, they didn’t want the upcoming Spring Festival to be overshadowed by blood and sadness.

“Well, let’s think about it again.”

“Or we could go talk to He Yi and ask to borrow hunting guns from them,” Xu Xiangbei suggested.

With hunting guns, even facing seven adult wild boars, about thirty people would have a fighting chance.

And the He Yi he mentioned was the captain of the militia.

“Big brother, do you think he would be willing to lend us?” Xu Xiangbei asked.

They had a militia, which was formed by people from each production brigade and was responsible for ensuring the safety of each production brigade when necessary.

The militia had hunting guns, but these guns couldn’t be lent out casually.

Initially, Xu Xiangdong had joined the militia and was even its captain at one point, while He Yi had a competitive relationship with him.

However, in a competition, He Yi lost to Xu Xiangdong, so Xu Xiangdong became the militia captain.

Later on, Xu Xiangdong had to leave the militia due to personal matters, and He Yi took over as his successor.

Xu Xiangbei was a bit worried that He Yi might not be willing to lend the hunting guns due to their past competition.

Xu Xiangdong fell silent; he couldn’t say for sure about this.

From what he knew, He Yi was somewhat stingy, but he was clever, had clear-cut grudges and favors, and was quite smooth in his dealings with people.

Overall, he was okay.

But lending hunting guns was a serious matter. Even though He Yi was the militia captain, he might not necessarily lend the guns, especially if they needed more than just one or two.

“I’ll ask about the hunting guns,” Xu Xiangdong said.

They had to ask to find out whether He Yi was willing or not.

If He Yi refused, they would have to rethink their plans for the hunting trip.

Therefore, with the hunting trip coming up in a few days, Xu Xiangdong didn’t delay much. As soon as he left home, he headed towards where the militia was stationed.

When he arrived, He Yi was commanding the militia members during training.

“Everyone, focus up!”

“Zhang Tiezhu, straighten your legs.”

“As the New Year approaches, we, the militia, must train ourselves better, maintain our condition, and be ready at all times to protect the villagers.”

He Yi’s voice echoed across the spacious ground, commanding attention.

At just over twenty years old, He Yi’s face and skin were tanned from the sun. He was tall with a strong build.

Perhaps due to his dark complexion and rugged features, when he sternly scolded, he seemed not easy to approach, somewhat difficult to get along with.

Spotting Xu Xiangdong approaching from a distance, He Yi’s brows furrowed slightly, then he walked over…

…

“You’re asking to borrow hunting guns to hunt wild boars?”

“Yes.”

“How many do you need to borrow?”

“At least ten, how many can you lend us?”

The two sat down to talk, and He Yi poured Xu Xiangdong a glass of water.

“If it’s just three or four wild boars, with around thirty of you and some axes, machetes, and such, you should be able to handle it.”

“But we’re concerned about the possibility of more than one group of wild boars, so we need to be prepared.”

He Yi listened but remained silent, not speaking.

“If it’s inconvenient, then I’ll…”

“It’s fine.”

Just as Xu Xiangdong was about to leave, He Yi agreed without hesitation.

“Alright, on that day, I’ll lend you fifteen hunting guns. But I have one condition: if you encounter a lot of wild boars, more than five adult ones, then the meat from the boars can be shared with us militia members. We don’t need much, just at most half a boar.”

Actually, He Yi’s request wasn’t unreasonable. After all, if these fifteen hunting guns were used, the bullets inside weren’t just readily available.

And if they really encountered what Ningning mentioned — two groups of wild boars, nine adult boars, and two piglets — then there would be a lot of meat.

Even if they shared half a boar with the militia, it would still be more than enough.

“That’s fine, but I’ll have to ask the other villagers about this.” After all, when they actually hunted the boars, everyone would have a share of the meat; it wasn’t something he could decide alone.

“Of course, I’ll wait for your response.”

Without delay, Xu Xiangdong left He Yi’s place and gathered the people planning to go hunting on the mountain to ask for their opinions.

Everyone’s spirits lifted upon hearing about the hunting guns.

Those were hunting guns! If they encountered a significant number of wild boars, even facing a fierce bear, they would have a fighting chance and could hunt more game.

Of course, the most important thing was that their safety would be more assured.

Although they had been to the back mountain since they were young, the deeper parts of the mountain were rarely explored.

Deep mountains often concealed unknown dangers.

Sometimes, just having axes, sickles, and machetes wasn’t enough.

How could they compare to hunting guns with bullets?

Moreover, if they hunted enough game, it wasn’t unreasonable to share some with the militia. After all, they were taking a risk by lending them guns; they deserved some benefits in return.

Besides, they were the militia. Whenever a production brigade needed help, the militia was always the first to show up.

People generally had a favorable impression of the militia.

“I think it’s okay.”

“I agree.”

“Then Xiangdong, it’s up to you to talk to Captain He Yi and finalize this matter.”

“Alright.” Since everyone agreed, Xu Xiangdong readily accepted the task.

Soon, he went to inform He Yi of their decision.

“Alright, I’ll prepare the hunting guns, fifteen of them. You can come and pick them up when you’re ready.”

“Great, thank you.”

Watching Xu Xiangdong leave, Zhang Tiezhu asked He Yi, “Captain, why did you agree to lend hunting guns to Xu Xiangdong?”

After all, everyone knew about the competition between He Yi and Xu Xiangdong in the past.

“Why not lend them?” He Yi countered.

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