Chapter 5, Selection of Ding

In the afternoon, nearly all the villagers of Quanjia Village gathered in front of Ouyang's gate. The men waited for him to make his selection, while the women and children watched the commotion from the side. Several hundred people were bustling about, creating a scene reminiscent of a market day. Previously, out of fear of disturbing the master's family, the villagers dared not set up their thatched huts too close to the Paijia family, resulting in a small open space forming in front of Ouyang's gate. This small square would also serve as a threshing ground after the harvest, but now it had become the venue for selecting the able-bodied men to accompany him.

In the open field stood several straw man targets, and a few Yi Ding were demonstrating archery with soft bows. In terms of archery, the Han people are far inferior to the Tatar people, who excel in mounted archery, not to mention the Jurchens, who rely on fishing and hunting for their livelihood. However, the self-made firearms (matchlocks) favored by the Han are exceedingly sharp, which is why, in recent decades, the surrounding Di Yi have rarely gained an advantage in direct confrontations with the imperial army. Over the years, the once-dominant northern power, the Golden Empire, has perished. The subjects of the Golden Empire have either migrated westward or become slaves of the Huaxia Empire. Nowadays, most of them cannot even find a good bow or a few iron arrows, let alone think about firearms.

Hamuham, who was dejectedly squatting at the edge of the crowd, could hardly believe his ears upon hearing this. He almost immediately regained his spirits, and his drooping tail began to wag vigorously again: "Thank you, my lord... uh, thank you, sir, I will definitely perform well." The little girl beside him was so delighted that she jumped three feet high and hurried to the straw target to find a few arrows for her brother. His drooping tail began to wag vigorously again: "Thank you, my lord... uh, thank you, sir, I will definitely perform well." The little girl beside him was so delighted that she jumped three feet high and hurried to the straw target to find a few arrows for her brother.

"Whether it works or not, we will know once we try," Ouyang commanded. "Heheli, go outside the village and find a place to lie in ambush."

Hamuham's ears twitched twice, seemingly not understanding what it meant to find someone. However, the other strong men were seasoned hunters, and a few of the quickly enlightened Deren slaves urged Hamuham to act swiftly. If this time it still did not work, even the patience of the card armor would be exhausted, and Hamuham might not make it through today. They were regarded by the barbarians as an even more barbaric race, and they shared a sense of sympathy, not wishing for this half-grown child, who was struggling to support his younger siblings, to perish here.

These Di Yi are unaware of this; they only know that the Pai Jia has the right to life and death over them, so everyone calls their master according to the customs of their hometown. However, since the Pai Jia master has instructed everyone to call him 'Da Ren' (Sir), then let us call him 'Da Ren'. To go against the master's wishes would not yield any good outcomes.

Hamuha jumped up excitedly: "Thank you, my lord! I am skilled in archery and can run fast; I will definitely be of use." As he spoke, a girl from the Qiang tribe, around twelve or thirteen years old, handed him a soft bow and ten bone arrows.

However, Ouyang did not intend to test his marksmanship again. He commanded Hamuhada: "You know Geheli, right? I have sent him to lie in ambush outside the village. You have a quarter of an hour to find him"

This Hamuham has just turned 16 this year. According to Ouyang's thoughts, regardless of strength, he does not intend to select these half-grown boys, and thus has not allowed them to take the field at all. However, this young Xirong has lost his parents and is left with only himself, barely counting as a household, while also taking care of younger siblings. He has not yet grown strong, is discriminated against by the foreigners, and always fails to meet the logging standards, resulting in very little food being allocated from the supplies brought to the town at the end of the year. If he cannot be selected for the hunt this time, he will have no choice but to send his sister to the town's brothel in search of a way to survive. Therefore, seeing the vacancies decreasing, Hamuham has no choice but to jump out and fight for a chance.

The final result is 6 out of 10, which can be considered barely acceptable, but it does not even rank within the top twenty. This score is quite good for his age, but given his current predicament, it is uncertain whether he will have the opportunity to grow, especially since he cannot join the hunt this time.

Just for a moment, the ears of the young Qiangrong suddenly twitched, and he swiftly dashed to a large tree, growling softly like a true hunting dog at a snow pile beside the tree, "Woo... Woo..."

Ouyang said to the frustrated youth of the Qiang tribe: "I will give you one more chance."

The result was out, and the young boy stood there in a daze, his ears and tail drooping humorously. The two children beside him, who also had dog ears and tails, were already in tears from anxiety. Especially the girl, who looked at Ouyang with a pitiful expression, as if hoping to give her brother another chance

As commanded, Heheli immediately took his leave and departed

Ouyang felt that his curiosity still needed to be satisfied. However, he believed that Hamuhaha was not entirely accurate in his statements, as there seemed to be some exaggeration from a marksmanship perspective. Therefore, Ouyang waved his hand to call over Heheli, who was standing nearby, and asked: "I have heard that the noses of the Qiangrong are very keen?"

Nahamuha lay on the ground, still struggling and shouting: "Please, my lord, give this servant a chance! Please, my lord, give this servant a chance!" The other several Di slaves in the village showed expressions of compassion, but feeling their low status, they did not dare to come forward to offer advice.

After all, Ouyang grew up in modern society, and hearing his pitiful cries evokes a sense of compassion. Moreover, he is curious about the legendary abilities of the Di people, wondering if these dog-like barbarians truly have dog noses. If it is true, bringing him along might even allow him to be used as a hunting dog

This hunting expedition marks the first since the arrival of the new commander. Those selected can be regarded as the warriors of the village, and life will undoubtedly improve significantly for them in the future, making the competition quite fierce. Ukeshan is the best archer in the village, Heheli is a commoner, and everyone knows that he excels in close combat. Batu possesses great strength, able to lift over twenty large logs, each one and a half times a person's length and as thick as a waist, earning the respect of the villagers. However, the competition for the remaining spots is more intense, with several impatient individuals resorting to physical altercations.

Hehe Li hesitantly replied: "I have not tried it, but I have hunted in both Liaodong and this Anxi Town, and I have yet to see any of the gentlemen use these lowly servants to find game."

Returning to the main point... In response to the adult's words, it is indeed the case, just like a dog's nose, which can detect the scent of a person from two or three miles away. In the past, during hunts, even if we found their lairs, they would have already fled without a trace, making them extremely difficult to capture.

The empire discriminates against the Di people as a whole. Although some books refer to the Di as beasts, in the eyes of scholars, the Yi people are also considered "brutes." On the contrary, among the Di people (who actually possess only a few animal-like features, such as animal ears, tails, and horns), there are many who are exceptionally beautiful. It has become quite fashionable among the wealthy to keep a few of them as pets

The young man from the Qiangrong stood on the shooting line, seemingly using his right thumb to pull the bowstring, with the tail of the arrow nestled between his thumb and index finger, drawing the soft bow into a full moon shape before releasing an arrow. Ouyang noticed that his strength was indeed relatively small. Even without considering Wukeshan, Heheli and Batu could shoot five arrows in quick succession, completing ten arrows in just two breaths. The other selected candidates also shot two or three arrows in rapid succession, all maintaining a shooting accuracy above standard. Even without considering Wukeshan, Heheli and Batu could shoot five arrows in quick succession, completing ten arrows in just two breaths. The other selected candidates also shot two or three arrows in rapid succession, all maintaining a shooting accuracy above standard. Only this young man took his time, aiming and shooting one arrow at a time.

8 Jia is considered a royal estate, and the slaves in the village are the private property of the royal family. Ou Yang, who comes from a scholar background, volunteered to settle on the border and has connections with the academic supervisor of Lingxi Road. He has jurisdiction in the village, but he does not possess true ownership. Even if a minor eunuch is sent from the palace, the villagers would find it more appropriate to call him 'master' than to refer to themselves in such a manner.

From now on, you must address me as "Master!" However, Ouyang turned to everyone and commanded, "You are slaves belonging to the inner court, not my personal servants. You may call me 'Master' only when someone from the inner court arrives."

Hege Li realized that he could no longer hide, so he had no choice but to crawl out from the snowdrift. Just a moment ago, he had scattered a large handful of dry leaves on himself and lay in the snow pile. Indeed, he was easily found by Amuha.

Ou Yang waved his hand, instructing He Heli to release the dog-rong youth: "What abilities do you possess? I can offer you an opportunity, but if you still fail to be selected, do not blame me for punishing you for not adhering to discipline"

However, for the barbarians, those who originally lived in a primitive society and valued iron more than gold were considered even more backward and barbaric. In contrast, the barbarians developed a sense of superiority, believing themselves to be civilized. This sense of superiority established a social hierarchy in the small border village of 8 Jia, where the status of the barbarians was even lower than that of slaves, and the barbarian slaves directly referred to the slaves of the Di people as "servants"

The youth was dressed in a manner even more tattered than others, with an astonishingly low amount of leather and fabric used. In many places, he simply tied a bundle of straw to himself with coarse hemp rope. However, the youth was relatively handsome, with pronounced features and a fair complexion, giving off a mixed-race impression of yellow and white ancestry. What left Ouyang speechless was the pair of long-haired ears atop the youth's head and the tail that was desperately wagging back and forth behind him in a bid to please—this was a Di person. The Empire distinguishes between the surrounding Di and Yi, categorizing beast-like humans, beastmen, and humanoids all as Di, colloquially referred to as 'barbarians.' Even more perplexing to Ouyang was the youth's pair of long-haired ears and the tail that was desperately wagging back and forth behind him in a bid to please—this was a Di person. The Empire distinguishes between the surrounding Di and Yi, categorizing beast-like humans, beastmen, and humanoids all as Di, colloquially referred to as 'barbarians.' In contrast, the Tatar, Jurchen, and other human barbarian tribes are classified as Yi, also known as 'Dazi.' It is said that some idle officials from the Ministry of Rites have even been discussing whether the Western races such as elves and dwarves should be classified as Di or Yi.

Regarding Hamuham, Ouyang asked: "How did you find him?"

Then, can they also locate those indigenous settlements from a distance of two or three miles?

Ouyang glanced at Heheli, whose nose was running from the cold. He stood with his head down to the side, showing no signs of complaint. He felt that such an obedient person deserved to be rewarded.

After choosing an afternoon, as the number of available spots dwindled, some could not help but cause a commotion in the end. Suddenly, a half-grown child jumped into the center of the open space and shouted at Ouyang: "My lord, I am skilled in archery and can run very fast. Please take me along with you!"

Hehe Li and others did not care whether Hamuham had any grievances; seeing that he did not have the command of the armor, they immediately jumped out to interrupt the selection of Ding, and with a low roar, they advanced with Ukeshan to pin him to the ground

The youth named Hamuhua is a member of the Qiangrong people, a group that exhibits certain characteristics akin to canines. It is said that their endurance is indeed remarkable, and their sense of smell is quite acute. Ouyang is uncertain whether this is true or not. For the past two years, he has continued to find it absurd that these beings, which should only exist in fantasy novels, coexist with firearms, artillery, and steam engines, creating a stark sense of incongruity.

He ran to the vicinity of the village entrance. The snow had not stopped all day. Heiheli had been out for less than a quarter of an hour, and the snow had already covered his footprints. However, he did not check the marks on the ground; he simply stretched his neck and sniffed the air vigorously. Behind him, Ouyang and the others were watching intently.

Fortunately, these barbarians still possess remarkable archery skills. A few individuals standing fifty paces away can achieve a hit rate of seventy to eighty percent even with soft bows and bone arrows. The most impressive among them, such as Ukeshan, not only hits the target with all ten arrows but also manages to penetrate the head of the straw man with half of the bone arrows, demonstrating astonishing power and accuracy. Ouyang estimates that if Ukeshan had a good bow and iron arrows, his lethality would surpass that of a matchlock gunner.

However, most of the foreigners are born into a strictly hierarchical semi-slave society, and they certainly know to obey their masters. The crowd dared not continue their nonsense, and one by one stepped forward to demonstrate their archery skills and martial arts.

At this moment, Wukeshan approached and said, "My lord, this matter is feasible. Back when the Great Khan... when the Khitan's Khanate was still in existence, there were scouts composed of the Qiang people, skilled in night battles and tracking. However, at that time, those individuals were all trained by various Taiqis using their personal guards. As for the Hamuha, it has not yet matured, so I cannot guarantee its effectiveness."

Hamu is still too young and lacks experience, so there are still some things he does not understand. However, he should heed the advice of the elders. He is aware that the orders from the commander are not to be questioned. If he cannot comprehend it, he should first complete the task and then reflect on it.

The servant detected that Heheli had his own sheep, and the scent was somewhat stronger than others The young man's tail wagged even more excitedly

Ouyang was unceremonious, instructing those who had already been selected, including He Li, to beat the few who had acted out with a flurry of sticks. After all, he came from a modern society and understood the importance of discipline. Those who do not adhere to military regulations and rely solely on brute strength in battle can only be considered brutes; allowing such individuals to accompany him would be an act of irresponsibility towards his own safety.