Qin Fang glanced at him, the corner of his mouth curling up: “Guess.”

Yang Xiaowei felt a bit chilly under his gaze: “I can’t guess, sir.”

In fact, he didn’t dare to guess something bad; that would be too disrespectful to the general.

Qin Fang wasn’t one to play word games.

Since Yang Xiaowei couldn’t guess, he said directly, “The things to take down that bunch of bandits are good things, right?”

Yang Xiaowei felt embarrassed; the knockout drug and sedative were low-grade items, and the general actually carried such third-rate things with him.

How was he supposed to persuade him?

After putting the items away, Qin Fang looked at him and said, “Take the remaining wild rabbits and wild chickens back to the military camp. Also, being open and aboveboard applies to both matters and people; as long as one has a clear conscience, using some underhanded means is nothing to worry about.”

This was said by Lord Du Ke.

If everything is about what a gentleman should do, then there would be no scoundrels in this world.

What gentlemen do and what scoundrels do, as long as they are on the right side of things, are essentially the same.

Yang Xiaowei learned a lesson and asked, “Aren’t we sending anyone to guard this place?”

Qin Fang shook his head: “Wild animals are very sensitive to unfamiliar scents, especially since no one has been here for over twenty years.

Having someone guard it may not yield results, plus our sudden appearance has already alerted them.

Moreover, wild animals usually come down from the mountains only in winter. Until then, everyone is safe, so there’s no rush. Before we assess the situation here, we won’t send anyone to guard it for now.

Let’s go. Perhaps if we come back tomorrow morning, there will be some clues left by these traps.”

Yang Xiaowei replied, “Understood… everyone, gather and return.”

Qin Fang whistled, and Wu Shuai ran over.

Qin Fang mounted his horse, giving a shout, and rode away.

Dongjiao Military Camp

“The general has returned… the general has returned…” The soldiers at the lookout tower were the first to notice.

With a shout from the lookout, other soldiers became excited: “Did the general bring back any wild animals?”

“Can’t see clearly.”

“I wonder if we’ll have meat to eat today.”

“We’ve raised poultry in the military estate; in three or four months, we’ll have eggs to eat.”

“That’s thanks to the general’s wife.”

“Absolutely! The general’s wife is truly a good person.”

Every day, one hundred soldiers stand guard at the military estate.

But they’re not just watching the estate; they also have to feed the chickens, ducks, and pigs.

Otherwise, relying solely on Niu Er, those poultry would starve to death.

If they hired people, the military funds would be stretched thin, so the soldiers make do, which is quite clever.

Although these hundred soldiers are stationed at the estate, they don’t neglect their training.

They run along the thousand-acre estate daily, so the training volume isn’t small.

As Qin Fang and the others approached, the soldiers ran out, each one looking at Qin Fang with anticipation.

Qin Fang and Tao Shan were at the front, while Yang Xiaowei and his men were still running behind.

Everyone saw that Tao Shan had quite a few wild chickens and rabbits, but none were large enough.

Still, how could these possibly satisfy their hunger?

Captain Lu came out: “General, are these wild chickens and rabbits going to be cooked today?”

Qin Fang said, “Wait a moment; Tao Shan, go to the residence and invite Dr. Li over, then invite a well-known doctor from the county town.”

Tao Shan didn’t understand but didn’t ask: “Yes.” He quickly rode back to the city.

Captain Lu was puzzled: “General, did someone from Yang Xiaowei’s group get injured?” Otherwise, why invite a doctor?

Qin Fang replied, “No. I suspect there’s something wrong with this meat.”

Now not only was Captain Lu confused, but the other soldiers were puzzled as well, looking at Qin Fang.

Qin Fang explained: “Think about it. Why don’t the wild beasts from Shoushan attack the county town except in winter? They attack the county town in winter because they have no food; they want to eat, right?”

One soldier said, “Yang County Magistrate and the common people have said the same.”

Qin Fang continued, “So the question arises: ever since King Liang passed away, Shoushan has not been visited for over twenty years.

Even in winter, small animals still exist there. Do those wild beasts have no food?

Therefore, I initially thought that they didn’t eat small animals and instead descended to attack the people in the county town as food, which doesn’t hold water.

Moreover, it’s other people’s claims that they descend in winter due to lack of food. Whether it’s true or not can only be answered by the wild beasts themselves.”

Lü Xiaowei said, “But we can’t understand what the wild beasts are saying either.”

Qin Fang smiled and said, “It’s simple. We’ll find out tomorrow.”

If the wild rabbits in the traps were eaten, it would indicate that the wild animal was safe, meaning that the winter attacks on the county by wild beasts were not due to a lack of food.

Furthermore, if the beasts attacked the county in winter due to food shortages, did that mean there was food available in other seasons?

Thus, the idea that food scarcity was the reason for the beasts attacking the county didn’t hold water for Qin Fang.

He decided to call a doctor to check if there were any issues with the wild rabbits and wild chickens.

Although Captain Lu was unaware of Qin Fang’s plan with the traps, he waited to see the results the next day.

Qin Fang was about 80% sure that the wild game in the traps would be eaten.

First, there were many beasts in Beast Mountain; the scent of fresh blood would surely attract them.

Second, the droppings from wild beasts near the mountain indicated that they often lingered at the foot of the mountain.

Thus, if the beasts discovered the meat in the traps, they would not resist eating it.

However, the beasts preferred to stay in the forests.

The area at the foot of Beast Mountain was uninhabited and not forested, lacking trees.

The journey from the mountain to the county wasn’t short, so logically, the beasts wouldn’t venture down such a long distance to the county unless they were migrating.

Yet, if no one had stepped foot on Beast Mountain for over twenty years, the beasts would not migrate away from such a prime territory.

Moreover, the regularity of these attacks on the county by the beasts every year was puzzling.

Considering all these doubts, Qin Fang concluded that the winter attacks by the beasts on the county were not straightforward; he suspected human involvement.

It wouldn’t make sense for wild animals to act in such a systematic manner without human influence.

But who would it be, and what was their motive?

County Magistrate Yang had reported the beast attacks to the court, but the court instructed Yongxiang County to handle it themselves.

From the court’s perspective, their response was justified.

If they had to intervene in every place with wild beast issues, what were local officials there for?

Alternatively, it could be that the court didn’t consider the beast situation a significant problem.

Soon, Lieutenant Yang returned with the hundred soldiers.

The hundred soldiers were waiting to drink meat soup, but when they saw the wild rabbits lying on the ground, still uncooked, they were puzzled.

Captain Yang asked, “Are we not cooking the wild animals? The brothers were looking forward to some meat soup.”

Captain Lu replied, “The general said we should wait for the doctor to check them first.”

So the soldiers began waiting for the doctor.

Doctor Li arrived quickly, accompanied by Doctor Yu from the county seat of Yongxiang.

They had taken the general’s carriage to the eastern suburban military camp, not knowing why they were needed, but assuming it was because there were many injured or sick individuals who required two doctors.

However, upon arriving at the eastern suburban military camp, they were surprised to see the soldiers sitting on the ground.

What was going on?

Tao Shan reported, “General, the doctors are here.”

Doctors Li and Yu stepped forward. “Greetings, General.”

Qin Fang nodded and pointed to the wild chickens and rabbits on the side. “We have some wild animals here from Beast Mountain. Please check to see if they are safe and clean.”

Doctor Li and Doctor Yu exchanged glances, puzzled as to why the general wanted them to inspect the wild game.

Nevertheless, they promptly began their examination.

The examination of the wild game was quick.

After discussing among themselves, Doctor Li stated, “General, both myself and Doctor Yu believe there are no issues with these wild chickens and rabbits. Based on the blood analysis, they are clean and show no signs of poisoning.”

Qin Fang asked, “So they are safe for human consumption?”

Doctor Li confirmed, “Yes, they are safe to eat.”

Qin Fang replied, “Good, you can go back now. Tao Shan, give them their fee.”

Doctor Li was the official physician of the general’s estate and received a fixed monthly salary, so he didn’t require a fee.

However, Doctor Yu was not in the same position.

Upon hearing that the general was going to pay them, Doctor Yu quickly said, “No, no. It’s enough that the general is here to protect our people in Yongxiang County. It is the court’s grace. I feel it’s my duty to help the general, so I cannot accept any payment.” He genuinely refused the fee, not merely as a polite gesture.

But Qin Fang insisted, “Take it.”

Seeing that he wouldn’t relent, Doctor Yu had no choice but to accept the fee given by Tao Shan.

After the two doctors left, Qin Fang instructed to have the wild chickens and rabbits taken to the kitchen. “These are the wild animals caught by the hundred soldiers today. Tonight, they will enjoy a feast. The rest of you will have to wait until tomorrow for your turn. We’ll send another hundred men with you tomorrow.”

“Understood.”

With the matters in the camp settled, Qin Fang returned to the general’s estate.

Yang Haiyan had been waiting for Qin Fang.

After Doctor Li returned, she had already been informed about the happenings in the military camp.

This made her curious.

Why did Qin Fang call Doctor Li to check the game?

As soon as Qin Fang arrived, she eagerly asked, “Husband, why did you have Doctor Li inspect the animals? Is there something wrong with it?”

After washing up and sitting at the dining table, Qin Fang was waiting for the food to be served.

Hearing Yang Haiyan’s question, he pondered for a moment and then said, “I was analyzing my thoughts, Yan Yan. What do you think the chances are that this is human involvement?”

Upon hearing Qin Fang suggest human involvement, Yang Haiyan felt it was unlikely. “If it were humans, wouldn’t that require taming the beasts? Who would be so capable of controlling so many wild beasts in Beast Mountain?” This world was normal, not a fantasy one.

Qin Fang responded, “I also find it unlikely. But beyond that, I have no other theories. Otherwise, why would the beasts attack the county every winter, especially with such regularity when there is so much game available on Beast Mountain? It doesn’t seem reasonable.”