"Er Wazi, keep your shots farther away."
"Everyone, bring out your weapons. We'll flank them from three sides, leaving an opening towards the mountain. Let's drive these beasts out of our fields."
Although everyone hated these wild boars and wanted to kill them, just as the old village head said, the killing power of these muzzle-loading guns was insufficient at a distance.
If they got too close and missed, the shooter would be in danger. No one could afford to gamble.
No one could predict exactly when the wild boars would raid their crops. It was already pushing the limits for the village militia to keep a few of these muzzle-loaders.
Even to borrow rifles from the commune's militia company, they had to file a report. If they could borrow them, Shen Fuguo would have liked to use a rifle to fight these beasts to the death. Suzhou Novels Network
So, despite their anger, everyone could only suppress their temper and try to drive these beasts away.
Chen Yang also felt frustrated. An entire village was so infuriated by these beasts, yet there was nothing he could do.
He could only follow everyone with his crude bow, shouting at the wild boars.
In his past life, he had trained his archery skills, but unfortunately, the power of this crude bow was too weak.
Due to their living habits, wild boars loved to roll in the mud and would often rub against trees. This constant friction made their hides extremely tough.
At dozens of paces, even muzzle-loading guns struggled to inflict significant damage, let alone Chen Yang's crude bow.
Under the sound of gongs and the curses of so many people, the wild boars, which had been ravaging their crops, reluctantly shifted their hindquarters a few times.
The largest wild boar at the front, estimated to weigh six to seven hundred pounds, was not afraid of humans due to its imposing size.
It even charged at the crowd provocatively a couple of times. Fortunately, Old Master Tu reacted quickly and fired a shot at it.
"Bang!"
The muzzle-loader puffed smoke, but it had no sights, and shooting relied entirely on feel.
Moreover, after firing, Old Master Tu had to quickly clean the barrel, then pour out the black powder wrapped in cowhide paper, and reload the steel pellets.
Fortunately, the shot hit. Coincidentally, it struck the big wild boar's forehead, breaking its tough hide and splashing blood.
However, due to the distance, it only grazed the skin. The steel pellets were embedded in the wild boar's hide, causing no significant damage.
Instead of scaring the big wild boar, Old Master Tu's shot enraged it, and it charged towards Old Master Tu and the others, baring its teeth.
"Second shot, Lin Jun, protect Old Master Tu. Aim your spear at it. If this beast charges, stab it in the head."
Seeing the big wild boar going berserk, everyone was startled. Even after being hit by a muzzle-loader, this beast dared to charge at people.
If they had gotten closer to shoot, and if Old Master Tu had been caught unprepared, he would have lost his life today.
Shen Erfa and Shen Linjun, who were called upon, were also hunters from the village. They had learned some hunting skills from Old Master Tu and now guarded the old man with their spears.
These were standard weapons for the militia, and the two had practiced with them often, so they weren't intimidated by the beast.
"Bang!"
Before the big wild boar could reach Shen Erfa and Shen Linjun, Tu Er Wazi, Old Master Tu's son, fired his muzzle-loader.
However, this shot was far less accurate, merely grazing the wild boar's back. The steel pellets from the muzzle-loader couldn't even penetrate the tough outer skin on its back.
Nevertheless, it managed to momentarily halt the wild boar's charge. With this delay, Old Master Tu's muzzle-loader was reloaded with powder and steel pellets.
This was the brothers' usual coordinated tactic: one fired, the other provided cover, allowing the two muzzle-loaders time to reload.
"Shaggy beast, today I'll let you taste your Grandpa Tu's bullets!"
After reloading with powder and steel pellets, Old Master Tu fired another shot directly at the charging big wild boar.
As the wild boar had charged closer, the old man's shot luckily hit one of its eyes. The steel pellets shattered the wild boar's eyeball and penetrated its brain.
"Roar!"
This shot directly injured the wild boar, causing it to let out a pig-like scream.
With one eye shot through, the wild boar's vision was immediately impaired, and its charge became wobbly.
The rest of the wild boars, which had been observing, were terrified by their leader's piercing scream and fled in disarray.
As if sensing its herd running away, the already injured and enraged big wild boar also panicked and tried to escape.
Just then, Chen Yang, who had been holding his bow and arrows, made his move!
The big wild boar, with one eye blinded and severely wounded, was a golden opportunity that couldn't be missed. If they missed it, it would be difficult to kill it later.
Chen Yang aimed at the other, still intact eye of the panicked, darting wild boar. He wanted to make this boar blind.
In his previous life, for the thrill of it, he had even practiced riding horses while shooting at fast-moving targets. Although this crude bow had much less accuracy, his familiarity with archery remained.
Aim, release!
The moment Chen Yang released the bowstring, the iron arrow in his hand directly pierced the big wild boar's other eye.
Blood splattered!
The big wild boar let out another piercing howl. With both eyes shot out, the already panicked wild boar immediately stumbled onto the embankment and fell hard.
At this moment, the people who had recovered their senses shot their arrows at the wild boar.
Tu Er Wazi even rushed up to the enraged wild boar with his muzzle-loader and fired a shot directly at its forehead.
"Bang!"
This shot hit the big wild boar's forehead squarely. Blood poured out, but the creature's vitality was astonishingly strong.
Even so, it wasn't dead!
With its frenzied movements, it almost collided with Tu Er Wazi, making everyone's hearts leap into their throats.
Now Chen Yang understood why the old village head had vehemently opposed Old Master Tu's idea at first. This time, they had the advantage of time, place, and people.
They had blinded the big wild boar in both eyes, and Tu Er Wazi had fired a close-range shot at its head, yet it was still alive.
If they had rushed forward to shoot, after two shots, the wild boar would certainly not have died, and with Old Master Tu unable to reload in time, Er Wazi would have been in grave danger.
"Bring out your spears and long pikes, aim at this beast, and take its life!"
However, with the big wild boar in a frenzy and its eyes blinded, Old Master Tu was not afraid. With a shot to its head, this beast was merely in its death throes.
In fact, the safest method would have been to wait for the wild boar to weaken from blood loss, then finish it off easily.
But these beasts were too arrogant, and Old Master Tu was furious. All the villagers were also furious.
They couldn't wait for the beast to weaken. While it was injured, they would take its life!
The villagers, who were already filled with pent-up anger, could no longer hold back. The blind wild boar couldn't aim at people, and with Er Wazi's shot hitting its head squarely, the big wild boar could barely stand.
Before Chen Yang could react, his father-in-law, Shen Futang, was the first to rush forward with his long spear.
He thrust the spearhead directly into the big wild boar's neck!
"Swish!"
The twenty to thirty centimeter spearhead plunged directly into the most vulnerable part of the wild boar's neck. At the same time, the other villagers' spears and long pikes also targeted the wild boar's neck.
"Roar!"
This six to seven hundred pound big wild boar was pinned down by over a dozen spears and long pikes.
Blood gushed out instantly.
But at this moment, instead of fear, everyone in Shenjiaba Village felt a surge of relief.
Damn beast, how dare you come and ravage our crops again!