Chapter 40
Chapter 40: Without Legs, Life Must Still Be Preserved
This method was indeed good – much easier than setting up a tent.
Most importantly, it was safe.
Alatan didn’t hesitate to follow his suggestion and waved his hand. “Quick, unload two carts.”
These were carts loaded for the winter migration, naturally packed full.
There were too many things, so they could only unload the ones that had left half the space for sleeping anyway.
No one disturbed the cart where Xie Changqing and Hairile were sleeping. To avoid affecting their sleep, the herders even consciously used two carts that were farther away.
They first moved the things to other carts, then set up the bases, fixed the wheels.
Then they used rope to tie the middle connection in three layers, binding it very tightly.
“Let me try.” Someone jumped up and bounced a few times. “Hey, this really works.”
It was not only very stable but also more comfortable than a tent.
“Where is that person injured?” Alatan asked while carrying felt blankets over. “Is it serious?”
Suren had calmed down by now and helped spread the blankets. “I didn’t see, but he was covered in blood.”
He didn’t know where the injury was exactly – the person had just been thrown into a cart, and everyone was in chaos.
Thinking back to that scene still made him shudder.
There were howls everywhere, and who knew which direction the wolf pack had come from.
The livestock fled and wailed, charging about wildly. The sheepdogs barked frantically but were scattered and couldn’t form an effective attack.
Some people tried to aim and shoot, but the light was too dim and the torches kept swaying – they couldn’t see clearly.
Even if they hit a wolf, the other wolves weren’t afraid and bit even more viciously.
If from the beginning someone had organized an orderly counterattack, abandoned those livestock, and directly attacked the wolf pack to injure more than half of them, the pack wouldn’t dare continue the assault.
But unfortunately, by the time Suren arrived, the situation was already lost.
So what he saw was a scene of tragic defeat.
“…Sigh.” Alatan let out a long breath.
Usually Suhe took the lead, and when Suhe wasn’t there, he dealt with wild animals.
But he couldn’t persuade them at the time and got angry with Erdun, so he directly brought his family and friends and left.
They had taken about a hundred people, but so many herders remained, yet they couldn’t find a single person who could handle things.
Really… he didn’t know what to say.
While they were talking, people had already caught up.
Suren went to meet them, happily talking with them. “Are you all okay?”
“We’re fine, thanks to you pulling us along.” They all dismounted, looking at Suren gratefully.
After Suren saved them, he had left first to notify Alatan, but even so, they were the first group to arrive.
You could imagine how fast Suren had ridden.
They talked as they walked and soon met up with Alatan.
Seeing Alatan’s serious expression, everyone didn’t dare make a sound.
Qiaoba and his group stepped back a bit – they wouldn’t get involved in others’ scolding.
“How is Changqing doing?”
Even with all this chaos, Sangtu hadn’t gone anywhere. “I’m watching. Changqing just woke up, but I told him to keep sleeping.”
They had their own veterinarian. Even if people were injured or livestock were hurt, until people asked, Xie Changqing should continue sleeping.
Rushing to offer help wasn’t good business – their Changqing couldn’t be ordered around by just anyone.
“Mm, that’s what I think too.” Qiaoba was actually getting sleepy too and randomly picked a cart to sit in. “Come on, you sit for a while too.”
Sangtu looked back – those people were being scolded by Alatan like grandsons, and in the distance torch light was already approaching. “With wolves chasing them, they’re moving much faster now.”
Of course they were.
Before they were dragging their feet – urging them a little was like asking for their lives.
Now that something really was threatening their lives, they were running quite fast.
“Their losses are huge.” Qiaoba shook his head and sighed. “This place is still some distance from our pasture… but not too far. Let’s make another trip tomorrow.”
Go back and call a few people, bring a few carts.
They couldn’t bear to slaughter their own livestock to eat.
Now they could directly come pick some up – smoke them, roast them, ready-made jerky.
Sangtu immediately brightened up and nodded repeatedly. “I was thinking the same thing!”
The snow kept falling. At this rate, quite a few livestock would die.
There would be more dying along the way from injuries and blood loss, and more dying from sudden exertion they couldn’t handle…
The wolf pack could only eat some of those killed on the spot, but with so many livestock dead this time, the wolves couldn’t necessarily finish them all.
And the Tenth Pasture’s winter grazing grounds were quite far – they definitely couldn’t come back to collect them.
So this would benefit the nearest pasture.
This was also one of the advantages of a good pasture location.
With all that noise earlier, Xie Changqing had indeed woken up, but listening to their chatter, he drowsily fell back asleep.
After a while, everyone had gradually arrived.
Fortunately, no one had fallen behind.
After counting, they had lost nearly a hundred head of livestock.
One family in particular had lost over thirty head directly – the whole family was crying and wailing in grief.
“Livestock that are dead are dead – we’ll raise them well next year.” Erdun was disheveled but still maintained his superior attitude. “What’s important now is treating all the injuries.”
Everyone nodded and quickly brought the wounded forward.
But when Erdun glanced around, he immediately got angry. “Alatan! Weren’t you supposed to set up a tent!?”
If not for the fact that people were actually injured, Alatan wouldn’t even bother with him. “Don’t you have two holes in your face to see with? In snow this deep, what use would a tent be!? Bring the people over!”
Those two bloody people were carried together onto the cart.
Their faces were pale with pain, moaning continuously.
“Zhuolige, where’s Zhuolige?” Everyone looked around.
The elderly Zhuolige, with graying hair and beard, leaning on a wooden staff, slowly walked out from the crowd.
Behind him, a thin girl with cold sweat beading on her forehead had to carry a huge medical kit.
Zhuolige walked to the cart, looked down, and shook his head. “The injuries are too severe. This leg can’t be saved.”
“Whether it can be saved or not, let’s deal with that later.” Alatan frowned and said directly, “First stop their bleeding. Can these wounds be stitched?”
Without legs, they at least had to preserve their lives.
Zhuolige glanced at him, snorted, and then reached for the medical kit.
No one dared make a sound. Even the injured could only moan quietly – Zhuolige didn’t like too much noise.
The medical kit opened to reveal a mess inside.
But Zhuolige could precisely find the syringe he wanted and began preparing medicine.
After preparing the medicine, Zhuolige waved his hand. Someone immediately held a torch closer and provided him with a higher chair to sit on.
Just as the needle was about to go in, a leisurely voice spoke up nearby: “If you inject that, these two really won’t be saved.”