The backward productivity and production relations require people in the Svealand area to require a large amount of land resources to maintain their lives.
Almost all of their ancestors came from the Jutland Peninsula. They were the first ancient Germanic people to land in Scandinavia. Once they landed, they immediately clashed with the Sami people, the owners of the plains.
The expulsion of the Sami people continued even after the Siwea Tribe Alliance occupied the entire Svealand.
The living space of the Sami people, Europe's ancient indigenous inhabitants, is constantly being compressed, and their groups have to move to the Arctic Circle.
Gradually, the Sami people seemed to disappear from the world, leaving only many ruins in Svealand to prove to the conquerors that they had lived here.
The living space in Svealan became increasingly narrow, and a tribe named "Oars" decided to go north.
There is no literature describing the exact reason why they went north. After all, they followed the coastline of the Gulf of Bothnia for hundreds of kilometers north until they entered the edge of the Arctic Circle and settled down.
Perhaps it is because of the huge temptation of animal furs that they continue to expand further to the far north.
Every summer, there are always a large number of longships rowing over from the north, bringing a large number of various northern furs to most tribes in the Siiya Alliance.
The Ross tribe always makes a nice profit on summer deals like this.
So Otto and his tribe had to go on an expedition after winter, hoping to hunt some reindeer.
All those involved are mentally prepared.
They can endure severe cold, know how to survive in snow, and have ways to withstand possible blizzards.
Hunting one reindeer is enough to feed a family until spring, so the hunters' requirements are not high, as long as they hunt one.
They carried axes and daggers, as well as short spears for hunting.
There is a set of basic principles for hunting, which is not to kill small animals, but only to hunt the largest and strongest deer. Who is the strongest? The antlers are the largest.
Once successful, the hunter begins skinning and cutting the meat on the spot.
Otto led his men and dragged a large number of sleds. Two hundred people formed a huge hunting group, fully armed and riding on skis, advancing rapidly on the vast snow-covered land.
Winter hunting is really difficult without skis wrapped around your feet.
They first moved along the frozen coast and continued walking for three days. When the coastline began to extend to the east, the critical moment finally arrived.
In a forest, tents were built.
Reindeer skin is a wonderful material to keep out the cold. Four pieces of the skin are sewn together and then built up with branches to create a wonderful tent.
The night was already deep, and more than a hundred tents suddenly appeared in the snow, and more than twenty bonfires were lit.
Otto held the grilled fish in his hands and listened to his subordinates' outlook.
Holding his son Kanuf in his arms, Harold Zuosen truly expressed his excitement: "If we continue to go north, maybe we will reach the end of the world. I really don't know if all the deer that were once easy to find have escaped now. Went further north?”
"Haha, because they are afraid of us."
"Maybe. Look at our tents and our clothes. They all once belonged to running deer. I'm a little worried that if we always operate on a large scale, one day we will wipe out all the deer."
"You overestimate our strength, my brother." Otto shook his head, "This world is very big. Besides, if we continue to go deeper into the north, we may encounter those people."
"Deer farmer?"
Deer farmers refer to the so-called Sami people. However, in Norse, the pronunciation of the word is similar to "Lapp". This "Pu" is a tongue-licking sound, which means "deer".
"Yes! He is the deer farmer." At this point, Otto's eyes were filled with the desire for wealth.
Otto's reminder also made Haro Zuosen excited, "Ah, those deer herders. They always raise a large number of reindeer. If we get them, this trip will really be a great success."
"Of course! However, it will be difficult for us to meet them. Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"My brother, maybe we can..." Otto turned his head nervously and looked at Harold Zuosen with sincere eyes, "We will start heading northeast tomorrow. As long as we go far enough, we will encounter deer. People. We will attack when the time comes! Their wealth is ours."
"Like what our ancestors did? If we were to fight those people, I think we would be victorious."
"Yes, they are still a group of guys who use stones! First, we must move toward the northeast. There may be a large number of deer there, and we can also meet deer farmers."
“Maybe you’ll even encounter bears and wolves.”
"That's right! We have not yet penetrated far into the northeast, which is full of unknowns. How about it, my brother? Maybe I should call everyone together now, I am full of confidence in the adventure ahead."
More than 500 people participated in this winter's hunting trip north.
Is winter a good season for hunting? All hunters have to endure the extreme cold in the Arctic. Only the reindeer covered in thick fur don't care about the cold and still eat the snow-covered grass.
Furs attract hunters and they are worth the risk.
There were actually only 200 people following the leader Otto, and the other 300 people were not really part of the Ross tribe.
Today, the population of Rossburg at the "end of ice and snow" is basically stable at 7,000 to 8,000 people, of which less than half are real Ross people.
More than half of the population comes from other tribes belonging to the Siiya Tribe Alliance. They live in Fort Ross and play a very important role.
For example, some residents from the Melalen tribe have lived in Rossburg for a long time to purchase furs from the Ross tribe, and then rowed long boats to transport the goods to their tribe's ports in the warm summer. These people have only returned to their tribes in the summer and stayed in Rossburg the rest of the time. It seems that they are no different from the Ross people.
This is not the case at all.
Because all foreign members do not enjoy the material dividends of the Ross tribe, they do not have any actual power, so they do not bear various obligations.
But they can be hired, even as mercenaries. Only when they become mercenaries do they have a share in the distribution of the spoils.
The Ross tribe is also willing to intermarry with these outsiders. After all, everyone essentially belongs to the same tribal alliance and speaks the exact same language. It's just that different family lineages separate each other.
A married woman can enjoy the dividends of the Ross tribe because of her husband.
Women who marry out of the tribe, or men who decide to leave the tribe, lose all their rights and obligations.
The Ross tribe has had a very good relationship with outsiders for a long time. They seem to be as close to each other as brothers. After all, leader Otto and other elders of the tribe know that if the tribe encounters a major crisis, outsiders are unreliable. of.
Because they are all businessmen, the crisis in the tribe means that their safety can no longer be guaranteed and they will evacuate quickly.
This is very realistic and human nature. It doesn’t even need to be promoted. The knowledgeable people of the Ross tribe understand this truth.
This can be seen in this hunting trip to the north!
Those outsiders are allies and traders. They are also brave warriors and good hunters.
Whether it is itself or outsiders, the biggest factor in Rossburg's ability to maintain a large population in the far north is the lure of fur.
A smart person would do some economic calculations and find out that purchasing a whole deerskin requires a "good quality" silver coin. The purchasing power of silver coins is really huge in the Baltic market.
Rather than buying them and selling them in exchange for the price difference, wouldn't it be a good choice to hunt them yourself?
Three hundred foreigners moved north. They were fully prepared, intending to sweep across a large area and catch all the beasts they encountered.
Because compared to the huge deer skin that can be spread, the furs of Norwegian forest cats, ferrets, white foxes, gray wolves and even white bears are precious.
The furs that excite hunters the most are those of forest cats and ferrets.
According to the prices of peers in the region, one silver coin can only buy a forest cat pelt, while three silver coins can buy a ferret pelt.
In fact, it was precisely because of half a century of large-scale hunting by the settlers of Roseburg that the wildlife within a radius of fifty kilometers suffered a catastrophic blow!
After all, humans are the most ferocious predators. They do not need huge strength or fangs. They use their own wisdom to create a large number of traps and make a batch of throwing spears. No matter how big or ferocious the animal is, they will become a lump of barbecue.
The foreigners did not follow the leader of the Ross tribe and went in different directions.
In fact, foreigners are more willing to move northwest into the central mountains, set traps in the pine forests to catch ferrets, and also have the opportunity to catch deer wandering into the forest.
They did intend to separate from Otto and his party, otherwise they would be suspected of competing for the prey of the Ross tribe. If Otto was blamed, they might be expelled.
Otto was very happy that foreigners did not participate in his unit's actions. He really did not want to be interfered by foreigners when he personally led the warriors to encircle and suppress the discovered deer herd. After all, when allocating prey, it is easy to say how to distribute it within the tribe, and no matter what, it will basically not harm the harmony.
