Thanks to a batch of fish caught, the Russians recovered their strength by sleeping on the river beach.
The journey waiting for everyone is still long, and soon they will enter another river, the Volkhov River.
The long journey upstream will be a strenuous expedition. Otto does not expect how much help the change in wind direction can bring to them. Instead of counting on the wind to push the boats forward in the river, it is better to believe in the power of all the oarsmen. .
The south wind blows on the sparkling lake, and the morning glow in the east is brilliant!
The Russians added a few more firewood to the bonfire that was about to burn out, grilled the leftover fish from last night, and finished their breakfast in a hurry.
The hard oak keel allowed itself to be scratched by sand and gravel, and the ship was pushed into the lake. A mighty army quickly formed and paddled toward the east.
Otto's long experience made him very familiar with the hydrological conditions in this area, and he even said that he knew it better than the residents of Novgorod who lived not far away.
Although the Novgorod region has a huge population of up to 200,000 people, they have a common ancestor and they all migrated from other places and settled here.
Of course it starts with the fall of Western Rome.
When the Hunnic army forced a large number of Germanic tribes to forcibly enter Roman territory to seek protection, many Slavic peoples fled to the north and east in order to escape the war. There were also some who desperately rushed to Greece. These Slavs heading south hoped to be protected by Eastern Rome.
Three hundred years have passed and many things have changed.
The Slavs who fled to Greece began to speak Greek and became the new Greeks under Rome.
The furthest group of Slavs who desperately fled to the north settled in Lake Ilmen. Of course they can continue to move north. Due to the colder climate in the north, the land there is no longer a good land for growing wheat, so there is no need to continue migrating.
However, the residents of the Novgorod region have no concept of historical records.
At most, they vaguely remember the faces of their grandparents and the great deeds some legendary figures did, such as hunting a bear.
After that, they focused on the present, and they did not have much ambition for the future.
Even if there are powerful Russians who exploit them twice a year, as long as they give them what they need one by one, peace can be guaranteed.
You can even get a safety promise, the so-called "Russians will help you attack whoever comes to attack you."
The promise was lip service, and all Novgorod learned was that the Rus never fought for them.
Because Novgorod does have a real enemy, and that is Smolensk in the south.
If you want to gain greater wealth, you must trade with the people in the south. If possible, several big families in Novgorod very much hope to trade with the Romans and Khazars on their own. However, in this era, there are almost no roads in the vast land of Eastern Europe, and it is rare to see the kind of trails that people have walked on.
Novgorodians rowed their canoes from Lake Ilmen into the Musta River and then upstream to its source. Finally, after hiking for more than 50 kilometers, we can find a small river that can enter the upper reaches of the Dnieper River, and finally successfully reach Smolensk, which is surrounded by pine trees on the river bank.
Novgorod merchants who wanted to go to the south were often exploited by the Smolensk people. They were robbed, their ships were destroyed and people died.
After all, even though each other was theoretically a Slavic people, the Smolensk people in the ninth century did not regard the Novgorodians as their compatriots, but regarded them as their competitors.
A trade line that leads directly to the Black Sea has always existed, and many forces on the road want to get a share of this long-standing trade line.
Another powerful force is needed to clear out all the forces that affect smooth trade.
As of now, no such force exists.
It took only half a day for the forty Russian boats to reach the entrance of the Volkhov River along the lake shoreline.
There is a great similarity between the Volkhov River and the Neva River. Perhaps purely by accident, the width of the two rivers is particularly close.
But the volume of the Volkhov River is only one-eighth that of the Neva River.
The Rus have to contend with strong currents on the Neva, and on the Volkhov, paddling is no longer an overly tiring task.
I'm going home!
Peravina's face was always filled with a happy smile, and the lush pine forests on both sides of the river moved her even more.
Only half a year ago, when I learned that my parents were greedy for some amber, I gave myself to a Russian to be my wife. She expected to face a terrible fate, but it turned out to be a fantastic journey.
According to what the big leader said, the fleet will be able to reach Novgorod in one more day and the next evening!
Specifically, the fleet's first target was not the Sosnovahka family estate named "Pine Needles" in the core area.
It is the Bellareka family estate named "White Tree".
Once upon a time, Peravina was a member of the "White Tree".
It was another evening, and it was also the last evening the fleet spent in the wild.
A smooth road by the river became a campsite for the Russians.
Some of the pine trees were felled, and the Rus chopped large quantities of branches into firewood for their bonfires, which were filled with the odor of burning pine resin.
Some people went hunting in the nearby woods, and soon a wild deer appeared on their shoulders. Some people also tried fishing and achieved certain results.
If five hundred people share a wild deer, it would be good if each person can share two finger-sized pieces of venison.
Otto was the leader after all, and this time he was fortunate enough to hold a whole deer calf. Regardless of the blood bruises or the fishy smell of the deer meat, he started to feast on it.
While he was chewing the meat, he did not forget to face Peravina, who was ordered to sit next to him, and said the next thing: "My child, I have already thought of it. You have basically learned our language. When you return, Your hometown, you will be my translator."
"Dad...is this okay?"
"You don't like it?" Otto asked displeasedly.
"No. I just kind of want to...meet my biological parents as soon as possible. They must also miss me very much. I want to tell them that I am doing well."
Otto shrugged, and his thoughts couldn't help but go back to half a year ago, and he deliberately said: "Instead of missing you, they miss getting the amber and silver coins. Listen, Peravina, forget your past, now you are Russian. You are my nephew's wife, and the child in your belly is my brother's grandson. Do you expect your parents to be your relatives? I am the relative you can trust."
Peravina's mood was a little complicated. She raised her head boldly and saw Otto looking at her eyes, and she couldn't help but lower her head quickly.
"Look directly into my eyes!" After saying that, Otto stretched out his hand directly and pinched Peravina's chin roughly: "Listen to my arrangement and be my translator. This year I will be doing it at White Tree Manor. I need your help for something big.”
"Yes! Dad, I will."
So, why go to White Tree Manor in the first place?
The reason is not complicated. The biggest reason is that it will be a manor that the Russians encounter on their way forward.
The core of Novgorod is the "Pine Needles" estate of the Sosnovachka family, right at the entrance of Lake Ilmen into the Volkhov River. The location of the estate is very advantageous.
The "Pine Needles" estate is undoubtedly the richest in Novgorod and has the largest population. If you want to exploit wealth, of course you have to focus on the big fat sheep, and you have to exploit the lower-level manors appropriately.
Whitetree Manor has a smaller population than Pine Needle Manor, but even so it is still the second largest manor in the region.
White Tree Manor is six kilometers northwest of Pine Needle Manor, with a dense pine forest between them.
White Tree Manor is adjacent to a river that is still more than thirty meters wide, and the river directly flows into the Volkhov River.
In the era of lack of roads, communication between the various manor people relied heavily on boats. This situation also meant that they had to live in the lakeside area near Lake Ilmen. This was also to use the fertile lakeside area to cultivate farmland and provide stable water resources for irrigation.
Although they basically only had wooden plows, thanks to the natural land conditions, they could still reap good harvests from the seeds they sowed.
After they settled down, the once pioneering rush was weakened a lot. Because the population living along the lake is still small, and there are still a lot of forest resources on the lakeside, most of the manors have actually become isolated islands in the ocean of pine forests, and the existing large and small rivers have become roads of practical significance.
However, the new day is not a warm morning.
Otto looked at the sky that was starting to turn gray and the wind direction that had changed. He always felt that a heavy rain was about to hit.
"Oops, it rained while I was sailing and things were going to be really bad."
After the fleet resumed sailing, Otto, who was nervous, ordered all the ships to raise their sails.
Of course, his own flagship was not allowed to line up at the front of the queue. The big sail with the huge blue crossed oars was an obvious symbol. All the residents of Novgorod who stayed by the river saw such a sight. A large group of dragon-headed warships and a large sail with a special pattern, you know that the fierce Russian army that seems to have crawled out of the cemetery is here to search for wealth again!
The strong north wind changed the warmth of the previous time. For the people paddling, the coolness was very comfortable.
On a macro level, a cold air is on its way to hit Novgorod, and it will blow all the way to the shores of the Black Sea.
Rain? That's inevitable.
Eastern Europe is prone to rain in May in the Julian calendar.
Some local children gathered by the river, playing with their crude fishing hooks, hoping to catch some small fish by the river and take them home to stew.
There are also some women in long skirts, with their heads wrapped in linen cloth to keep out the cold, holding very sharp stones in their hands to harvest reeds that can be taken back to feed rabbits.
There are also some men, holding long thin wooden sticks in their hands, driving their own small flocks of sheep to graze in the areas with the thickest water and grass along the river.
It's such a pastoral song. Even if it's going to rain, they still have to do some necessary work.
Suddenly, a large number of sailboats turned out of the river covered by a forest.
Children fishing, women mowing grass, and men herding cattle all became alert.
It stands to reason that because of the quite successful marriage half a year ago, the Ross people began to have a new view among the residents of White Tree Manor that was not bad.
However, the image of the Russians as pirates rooted in their memories has basically turned into their instinct to run away.
"What a bunch of cowards! Young people, do you see it? This is called cowardice."
Otto had seen the people scattering back to their estates, and he couldn't help but want to teach the young people of the tribe a lesson.
When he met the Novgorod people for the first time, he saw their fleeing figures, and Kavey felt a little regretful about this.
"Chief, am I going to choose a woman from a group of cowards to be my wife?"
"Maybe!" Otto sighed, "Maybe they are cowardly, but your children will be brave. As long as you are willing to teach well... Oh, I forgot, you are a blacksmith."
After saying that, Otto laughed stupidly.
Arik also laughed awkwardly: "Yes, I am a blacksmith. It should be no problem for me to marry a cowardly woman and have a group of young blacksmiths. We are not warriors after all."
"But you make the best weapons for warriors, work hard, my Kawei, I will find a way to choose the most beautiful woman for you."
"Ah! Great leader, you..." Kawei was sure that he heard correctly. The leader should actually worry about his marriage?
In fact, the problem is simple. Before setting off, the blacksmith Clavarson secretly gave Otto a sum of money, which was considered a bribe. Klavasen has only one purpose, which is to help his son Kawei marry the most beautiful woman, preferably with some noble status in the local area.
As a leader, you have to do things after you get money.
As for Otto's decision to choose a bride for the young blacksmith Kawei, he indeed had a goal.
"Brothers! Follow my command and prepare to turn into the river ahead! We will camp at White Tree Manor tonight!" Otto, who was standing on the bow of the ship, gave an order, and the forty ships lined up in a column, like a huge The water snakes turned neatly into the small waterway.
Those who fled fled back to the manor. They shouted on the road inside the manor, announcing the terrible fact that the Ross people had arrived!
Times have changed!
Originally, everyone should have been surprised by the disgusted attitude, but now some families have new expectations for the Russians.
Now is the time to verify whether the Russians have kept their promise, because for those daughters who were married off, the Russians promised that when they return in spring and summer, their sons-in-law will take their pregnant daughters back to their parents' homes.
More people were still nervous. After all, the Russians always came with an army of more than 400 people.
Most of those terrible Rus were tall and strong, holding bronze or iron weapons in their hands, and some of them were even wearing chainmail.
The total population of Baishu Village members is indeed 2,000. If all the combatable forces are organized, they will definitely be easily defeated by the Russians. Those spears with stone tips and hammers made of boulders were almost unable to break the shields of the Russians. The men in the manor were generally a head shorter than the Ross men, and their strength was much lower.
Maybe a Ross man could lift a White Tree dealer's man with one hand and then throw him to the ground.
A large number of leading warships settled at the dock of Baishu Manor. Compared with the canoes in Whiteshu Manor, the leading warships were truly giant.
The big ship pushed the canoe away, and all the trestles on the dock were completely occupied by the Russians.
The ships had already begun to dock. Otto stepped directly on the wooden planks of the trestle, hunched his back and shouted to his subordinates: "Move quickly, push all the ships to the shore. Remove the canvas and cover the entire ship!"
After all, the sky darkened, and dark clouds obscured the sunset in the west.
Rain is always very bad for the leading warships who do not work overtime.
The rest of the canvas covered the hull as much as possible. The quality of these canvases made entirely of linen was not high, and it was not waterproof. Therefore, many canvases have many patches when viewed up close. Even so, the canvas can at least divert rainwater and prevent the ship from filling the entire cabin with rainwater.
Five hundred Russians disembarked one after another, as well as ten women who had followed their husbands back to their hometown and once belonged to the White Tree Manor.
The current situation made these ten women a little disappointed. The people in their hometown stamped their feet one after another, as if they had no intention of communicating with the Russians who landed.
Of course, this is indeed the case. An ordinary farmer went to talk to the Russians in person? It's crazy.
When it comes to chatting, these are things that the village leader has the right to do.
A large number of ordinary families were hiding in their houses. Some people even took the necessary supplies and took their families to the nearby pine forest to settle down.
Some people planned to stay away until the Russians left with enough tribute.
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Chapter 139 The Russians come to White Tree Manor again
