Knowing that the old hunter Zhao Man hunted independently when he was five or six years old, he began by interviewing the "Khan King Dog" of Changbai Mountain.
The Khan King Dog, the indigenous hound in the Changbai Mountains, now seems to be about to become history, because it is difficult to see them in the vast White Mountains and Forests.
In my book Nurhaci Paddock, I first used the name "Khan King Dog". It was learned from an old hunter who has now died, "Zhao Man Hunter".
The old hunter "Zhao Man Hunt" had eight or nine hunting dogs under his command, all of which were fierce "Khan King Dogs". Not only is the hunting story of his life full of legends, but the name of the "Khan King Dog" in his mouth is enough to attract me. I am a person who has loved dogs since I was a child, especially the brave hounds, that is the hero in my eyes. Therefore, I pestered the old hunter "Zhao Man Hunt" to explore the origin of the "Khan King Dog".
Old Hunter. Cheng Yingtie photography
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="32" > ★ Zhao Man hunted in the mountains at the age of five or six, relying on the "Khan King Dog"</h1>
The old hunter "Zhao Man Hunter" was a Manchu, whose ancestors were the registered hunters of yamen, the chief of the Jilin Dynasty of the Qing Dynasty, and lived independently in the large shack of Birch Tun on the shore of Songhua Lake in the foothills of Changbai Mountain after liberation. He said that he had both lost his parents since he was five years old, and that he had no close relatives, that he had been raised by his Han brothers who had broken into the Kanto region, and that it was the Han brothers who had named him "Zhao Man Hunting" based on his family history of being a Manchu and hunting for generations, which meant: the surname Zhao, the Manchu, the child of the hunter family.
All his belongings left for his five-year-old were a shack, a shotgun and five "Khan Dog." And, of course, there's also the experience of how to use the Khan King Dog. He said that when he was three or four years old, his father led him to hunt in the woods around the shack with the "Khan King Dog". Don't believe me! It is like a farmer leading his child to serve the crops in the field, just like a fisherman leading his child to cast a net at the river to fish, just as parents now lead their children to the playground to play.
So, after the death of his parents, he would go up the mountain to hunt independently from the age of five or six. That's ear-to-ear education. Of course, not with guns, nor with traps or traps, but with hunting dogs.
The old hunter said that he had the deepest feelings for hounds. He remembered that when he went into the mountains to hunt when he was five or six years old, there was always a hunting dog that always protected him from behind him. It was not his father's education, but the hound's own division of labor. The hound that protected him was called Erhei, the second king of the hounds, and that was the head dog Rhubarb "commanded". The head dog Rhubarb's mission is mainly to lead the other three hounds to hunt. They are smart, they know that the old master is dead, and I am their little master!
The old hunter said that at that time, the songhua river was densely forested, sparsely populated, and there were many wild beasts. Roe deer and deer often sneak into people's vegetable gardens and yards, and wolves and foxes are often seen when they go out. Of course, these wild creatures did not dare to enter his house. Because his "Khan King Dog" is so powerful, your beasts will not come, they will still go out to catch you, and if they come, most of them will never come back.
My interview with the elderly Zhao Manhun was in the early 1990s. I should not have suspected this highly respected old Manchu hunter. However, the fact that he could hunt with a hunting dog at the age of five or six was really incredible. I know the truth that "the children of the poor are early in their own homes", although I have been with my friends since I was four or five years old and followed the adults in the farmland of the Great Plains of Shandong in Guannei to collect ears of wheat, collect beans, cut cattle grass, and dig wild vegetables, but it is sometimes a difficult job, and there is no danger at all. As for a five- or six-year-old child, daring to hunt alone with a dog in the sparsely populated Changbai Mountains, Forests, and Seas, it is really unbelievable.
However, when I interviewed the other elderly people in Birch Tun that year, everyone said in unison that the "Zhao Tarzi"—Zhao Man's nickname—was a natural hunter in the Changbai Mountains. When he was five years old, his father died, and at the age of five or six, he led his own dog into the mountains to hunt. The dog ran in front, and he pulled a small climbing plow to follow the hound. He didn't go into the mountains empty-handed, you say God doesn't? If he was playing with roe deer and deer and other wild animals, he would put them on the climbing plow and let the hounds drag them back, anyway, it was a snow road downhill. His dog listens to him too...
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="31" > ★ Zhao Man hunter knew when he was a child: prey first rewards dogs</h1>
It seems to be the nature of manchu hunters in Changbai Mountain. Zhao Man hunter said that he never went empty-handed every time he hunted. Moreover, every time he hunted, he had to fight a certain amount. This was what he remembered as his father's practice.
For example, if you go out to hunt roe deer, then under normal circumstances, you will hunt two at least one day, leaving one for yourself as food for the hunting dogs, and the other for the neighbors. This is the practice of the hunter's father, who has heard about it since he was a child and naturally learned it.
He said that as long as the father stopped the prey, he would pull out the "leg fork" (dagger) from the leggings with a loud cry, open the belly of the prey, take out the heart, liver, lungs and intestines of the beast, and feed the dog steaming. His father told him that if he stopped his prey, he would feed it to the dog, which was the biggest reward for the hounds. Useful for boosting the fighting spirit of hounds. The Hound was expectant, so he remembered it with great care.
He said that when he was a child, whenever he hunted with hunting dogs, if the first thing he killed was a rabbit or a badger, then he would also follow the example of his father, very proudly pulling out a dagger from the leggings, forcefully opening the belly of the beast, and then throwing it to the hound in its entirety. The hounds quietly surrounded him at this time, waiting for his reward. He said his hounds were united and never had a time when you ate more and he ate one bite less and fought. They didn't dare, he said. This is the rule made by Dad.
He recalled, don't look at me when I was only five or six years old, I will also learn to say loudly like my father: don't compete, eat slowly! After eating, I will shout again: Fight the siege! Rhubarb, the head dog, will immediately lead the other three hounds and quickly disappear into the woods, and in a few moments, another will be hunted. If they are farther away from me, they will crow twice and report to me, that is, the hunt is successful!
So, usually, if a roe deer is bitten to death, it must be left as a reward for being a hunting dog. Can't give away. The hounds watched intently! If two or three roe deer are hunted, then it must be a reward for a hound, leaving a spare one, and giving away one. The spare one was told to me by my father—I'd rather be hungry than a dog.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="19" > ★ the tradition of Manchu hunters: dogs are the hunter's half-life, and if there is a dog, there is a life</h1>
That day, the old hunter Zhao Man hunter drank old roast knife wine and asked me: Do you know the tradition of Manchu hunters? I sincerely say, I don't know. He swallowed half a bowl of old roasted knife wine fiercely, chewed on roe deer meat like a young man, and said to me: The tradition of Manchu hunters is: dogs are the half-life of hunters, and if there are dogs, there is life!
(The copyright of this figure belongs to the Network)
I knew that the old man's words must contain rich stories, even blood lessons, so I toasted the old man attentively and listened to his memories and stories.
The old man said: All Manchu hunters are unaware of this tradition, even women, who love hounds very much. Therefore, when a Manchu woman goes into the mountains to pick wild vegetables, wild fruits, and mushrooms, there will be a hound dog that will automatically and consciously follow the hostess into the mountain, running back and forth, protecting the hostess, and not needing the hostess to greet her at all. In fact, this is also a good thing for the two of them. If your mistress doesn't know how to love and care for the hounds, the hounds won't like to protect you from the heart, right? I listened and nodded silently.
He said that his grandfather and father had been rescued by hunting dogs from the mouths of tigers, leopards, bears, pigs, and wolves on many occasions. You people in the city only know that the story of hunting in the Changbai Mountains is good and fun, but who knows the danger here. Where are the non-wet shoes at the riverside station? Hunting these ferocious beasts all day long, how can they not resist or fight? As long as the beast fights for its life, the hunter will be in danger, at this time. Only the hounds can save the lives of the hunters if they bite the beasts with their lives. Otherwise, it is a dead end. If you look at my hounds, which one is not scarred?
I looked closely, and under the big shack, eight or nine dogs were lying on the ground in a formal manner, quietly watching us, waiting for their owners to reward them with a bone to gnaw at any time. Under the illumination of the shining Matsu Akiko torches, sure enough, their faces were full of scars, some of their ears were open, some of their noses were open, some of their faces were hairless, and some of them were left and right. It can be described as scarred and stained.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="37" > ★ Zhao Man hunter said that when I was ten years old, my Khan King dog saved my life from the wolves</h1>
The old hunter said that when I was ten years old, I knocked down a big roe deer with a gun in the back of the room, and just when I wanted to drag it, I came across seven or eight wolves.
The old man saw that I was stunned, and hurriedly explained: Don't think that my old man is bragging, I dare to shoot the beast with a gun when I am eight or nine years old, this is called the son of the Dragon King's son will float. In fact, my four- or five-year-old father taught me to shoot a gun before he died. Don't believe it, it's no different than a child putting on a cannonball!
The old hunter recalled that when I ran over to drag the roe deer that day, I was suddenly surrounded by five or six wolves, and the wolves wanted to rob my roe deer. Fortunately, Dad taught me a hand: hunters don't empty guns! I killed the roe deer and immediately reloaded it. The wolf was so close that he probably bullied me so little that he didn't take precautions, and let me shoot me in the head and kill me on the spot. The other wolves immediately fled in fright.
I immediately took the opportunity to shout rhubarb and two black. The dogs heard me shouting and immediately flew in like arrows. By this time, I was surrounded by wolves. The wolves probably didn't look that tall yet, and they were sure to bite me and eat me. I could only stab them with a shotgun like a burning stick, because the wolf would no longer allow me to load a gun. Fortunately, the five dogs that My father left for me attacked and drove the wolf away. Otherwise, I'll be eaten by wolves that day, and I won't even be able to sit here and drink with you!" Say it, haha laugh.
It's unbelievable that a ten-year-old can shoot a roe deer with a gun, and be besieged by wolves, and that he can shoot a hungry wolf again in a crisis, but I have to believe it.
However, the story of this young hunter who began hunting at the age of five or six caused me to think deeply about the education of modern children. (About the author: Wang Tianxiang, a native of Qingdao, Shandong, is a senior journalist and writer, who has published 42 monographs on novels, tourism literature, reportage literature, history and culture, tourism culture, poetry appreciation, enterprise management, market analysis, success studies, and talent studies, written more than 200 episodes of TV series, created dozens of special TV films such as history, culture, scenery, and documentary, published hundreds of articles in various newspapers and periodicals, and published more than 1,000 online articles. ）