By now, the purpose of the Russians has been transformed into complete conquest.
The Rus lived in the homes of the Gray Squirrel tribesmen, while the real tribesmen had to build temporary shacks outdoors. Otto decided to use this move to reward his hard-working warriors and to recruit new surrenders. He declares the relationship between master and servant.
Including the warriors of the Salmon Lord tribe whose servants participated in the war, they also had to build a shack.
The "Gray Squirrel" and the "Salmon Lord", two tribes with economic conflicts in fishing and hunting, now meet in such an embarrassing way.
Mechasta and Kehas, the two tribal leaders no longer have any hatred for each other.
Because the two tribes, which belong to the same group of Kovin people, have been set by the conquerors with completely different fates.
Hatred was meaningless, and the two even sat by the bonfire on a cold night, discussing their futures.
The fire was burning brightly under the night, and all the clansmen who had built the shacks were asleep.
Mechasta threw wooden sticks into the fire in boredom: "In the end, you won."
"No. I failed, you failed, we all failed." Kaihas sighed secretly.
"We can't defeat them, and we all have to accept their rule. I can't believe that our hunters, who have been catching squirrels for generations, have to leave our homeland. From now on, this will be your territory."
Kejas forced a forced smile: "Are you trying to flatter me? Where are you going?"
Mechasta points first to the west and then to the north. "Everything is fate. If I hadn't sent that damn expedition, how could we have suffered such a misfortune. I was originally complacent about the discovery of iron ore, but I didn't expect that it would become the treasure of the Russian people. Now, we are gray The squirrel tribe will eventually become miners, and the entire tribe will only migrate. From now on, you and I will never be enemies again."
"Perhaps, this is not a bad thing for you." Kejas pointed at the occupied mountain fortress, "You dedicated your son and daughter, and you dedicated your child to that Rurik. You are very smart."
"It's stupid. You know, there's nothing I can do about it," Mechasta said regretfully.
"We are all helpless, and I also gave away my daughter. Maybe, just because my daughter is not beautiful, she cannot become that boy's wife and concubine. You are lucky, because that boy will be the leader of the Rus people."
"Who knows?" Mechasta shrugged, "I have been ordered to send out all the messengers. The leaders upstream of the river will definitely come. If they don't come, the Russians will send more people next year. Crusade. Anyway, after we leave, you will be in charge of the remaining Corvin people. You are now the leader of them all."
Kejas did not respond immediately. He stared at the flames with empty eyes, thinking a lot in his mind.
Rule over all the Kovin tribes? How can you be so virtuous and capable?
Obviously, the Salmon Lord tribe was never powerful enough to annex all the tribes, and Kaihas never thought of this possibility in his life. The arrival of the Rus forced a complete reshuffle of tribal politics in the Oulu River Basin.
The future Salmon Lord Tribe will be under the supervision of the Ross people and will control all Corvin people on behalf of the Ross people.
If the Russians are principled, this future seems not bad.
In fact, on the first morning after the battle, several messengers controlled the reindeer sleigh and ran towards the other three tribes.
The other surviving tribesmen began to clean up the headless corpses of the war dead that had been frozen into lumps of ice under the supervision of the Russians.
The souls of dead bodies with missing heads will not be able to return to the Sea of Souls, and their miserable souls can only wander in the snow-covered forest.
The Covin people believed these claims. They spontaneously collected the bodies, dug a pit under the pine trees, and threw the bodies and heads in. The shaman who was good at imitating bird songs performed a strange dance in front of each mass burial.
Yes, in Rurik's opinion, it was a strange dance, coupled with the unique chirping when dancing, it seems that this can connect with the sea of souls they believe in.
This is their belief, and Rurik is just a spectator.
At least they were struggling to bury the dead and finally have a peaceful ending.
When the belated spring melted, Rurik knew that the Gray Squirrel Castle would be empty of people, and the traces of the war would be completely washed away by the Oulu River that surged with melting ice.
The Ross people have to stay in Gray Squirrel Hill Castle for a while, because the Ross people must conclude a sacred agreement with the leaders of all the Corvin people to determine the master's power over the servant, and the servant's obligation to the master.
Otto immediately arranged for the surviving tribesmen to act as messengers, giving the messengers only three days to deliver the message.
It can be said that Otto gave the three tribes that had not yet appeared some time to prepare.
The Ross people will wait at most four more days. If it is the fourth day and the three tribal leaders do not come in person, it will be equivalent to declaring war on the Ross people, and the Ross crusade will definitely come next year.
During the three-day waiting period, all the Russian warriors had to do was rest. Some young warriors focused on the women of the Gray Squirrel tribe whose husbands died, women who had completely lost their support. In order to survive or passively accept without any thought, they had relations with the Russians.
But these survivors have all become Rurik's slaves, and in order to appease the tribal warriors who did not get slaves after the war, Rurik said that after returning to Fort Ross, all warriors will be given a special reward of ten silver coins. In reality, it was to buy out one's own ownership of slaves.
As a result, things developed quickly, and many tribal warriors and conquered women became romantic couples. They broke the rules, but neither Otto nor Rurik wanted to interfere.
In the past two years, the Rus people have been absorbing foreign women. This policy has caused a new normal in the development of the Rus tribe population. There are a large number of women who are actually unmarried. Rurik, as the leader now, will also find ways to introduce marriage to them, and women in this time and space need to rely on a man to survive.
This was the normal life in Northern Europe in this time and space. Women never thought that polygamy was inappropriate in the past.
Otto and Rurik have only two demands: warriors who have women will not receive bonuses. Once a relationship occurs, the relationship must be established forever.
Although there was no sense of ceremony, as many as twenty Rus warriors immediately had a Corvin wife recognized by the chief family.
The young warriors feel that they have made a lot of money, and they clearly have the opportunity to marry more women in the future.
A perfect example is here - Rurik.
Since the future leader was still just a child, he was destined to have as many as four wives in his hometown, and now he had conquered a fifth. A warrior is naturally not as good as a leader, so if you seize the opportunity, you will have to marry two or three in your life.
Without the addition of a large number of foreign women, the situation in Roseburg would be quite serious: there would be more men than women. Somehow, the excessive number of young men forced the Russians to go out collectively to conquer the new world of the Russians with their swords. The best way to solve the marriage problems of the majority of young people is to forcibly marry foreign women.
Rurik was very happy that his tribe had no requirements for his wife's ethnicity, and they were particularly tolerant on this issue. A national integration is taking place, and the strength of the Russian people is expanding.
Finally, within the agreed time, the three defeated leaders drove their sleds to the conquered Gray Squirrel tribe.
Eight hundred men went out to fight. They hoped that this army could completely annihilate the invading Varyags, but in the end very few escaped.
It can be said that after this battle, the three tribes living near Lake Oulu in the upper reaches of the river had their backbones broken by a tragic defeat.
Originally, the population of these tribes was only five to six hundred people. After exhausting their strength in the expedition and failing miserably, they almost lost even their fishermen.
What kind of concept is this?
After a great war, the three tribes now have an average of 300 women left, and only 50 or 60 men of all ages, among whom there are only a handful of men in their prime. The three tribes were in a similar situation. After the war, their demographic structure completely changed!
So when the messenger brought the ultimatum from the Russian conquerors, the three tribal leaders discussed and decided to surrender due to the current miserable situation.
In theory, they could flee as a family to build new settlements. However, how can a tribe that has lost most of its men have the motivation to build new settlements?
Besides, if we reject the Russians now and are discovered by them in the future, the result will be a dead end.
The three leaders followed the messenger's advice and brought a batch of tributes with them, hoping that the Rus would be merciful to their tribes by accepting the gifts.
The gloomy days finally turned into snowfall, with fine snowflakes floating in the sky. The new snow covered the frozen bloodstains after the war, and the silver-covered earth covered up all traces of the war.
At noon on the third day, some sleds suddenly appeared on the glacier. Their appearance immediately attracted the attention of the Russians who were cutting wood for firewood.
Otto hurriedly led a group of warriors to stand on the bank of the frozen river, watching a team approaching him.
After a while, three men in very furry clothes, accompanied by a small group of followers who looked like children, approached the mighty team of Russians.
The visitors were none other than the three opponents who had never met but sent troops to join the war.
The image of Otto in chain mail, with a beard and a steel sword in his hand gave the three leaders great fear. Look at these Rus people again. They are indeed Varangians, exactly like the legendary figures!
"Kneel down!" Jevlo, who was originally acting as an interpreter, ordered on behalf of Otto.
The three people and their entourage knelt down and explained their intentions.
After hearing the translation, Otto looked at the reindeer sleighs pulling some leather, and couldn't help feeling that those three tribes were very smart.
Rurik was watching all this with his eyes, and beside him stood the brothers Tyravis and Saipolava.
"Who are those three people? The three leaders?" Rurik asked.
"Yes master. They are Bakan, Terjo and Ojedo."
Some weird names.
Rurik shrugged and asked, "Do you know them all?"
"I just heard it from my father. We are friends with them, so..."
"How is it?" Rurik asked.
"That's why they sent troops to help us fight. Master, I hope you don't resent them."
"Then it depends on what they do. They'd better be loyal servants," Rurik said no more. He turned around and left with a flick of his neck: "You two, don't linger outside anymore and come into the house with me."
Now, Rurik naturally arranged for the brother and sister to be his followers. Because the two of them cooperated so well, Rurik felt in a trance, as if he had known each other for a long time.
Rurik heard the names of the three leaders for the first time, and he didn't think it made any sense. Rurik knew exactly what was going to happen next, so he immediately took his followers back to the warm semi-crypt house, which was the home that once belonged to the Taravis brothers and sisters, and the shabby mansion of the leader of the Gray Squirrel tribe. .
After a while, the three leaders and their servants, escorted by the Ross warriors holding swords and shields, entered the preset meeting place.
Otto, who was sitting on the animal skin mat, looked arrogant. There were more than 20 warriors wearing chainmail standing in the room, which further demonstrated the illustrious martial virtue of the Russian people.
Now, it is extremely rare that all the tribal leaders of the Kovin people gather together. At this moment, even though everyone has many grudges and grudges in daily life, everyone has become a slave of the Ross people.
Otto had no intention or reason to talk to these failed slaves in polite and conceited words.
He directly stated his requirements as the leader of Ross, while Yevro tried his best to translate at the same time.
"You Corvins are now slaves of our Rus! Those who surrender will be protected by us. Those who are traitors will be killed."
"You three leaders actually sent troops to attack us. You are guilty. Seeing that you have a good attitude of pleading guilty, I can grant you leniency."
"We Rus people are the masters of all of you, but I do not intend to control you directly. The Gray Squirrel tribe will be taken away, and the four tribes below will continue to stay in your existing land."
"I recognize the Salmon Lord Tribe as the leader of all remaining tribes. Kaihas, rule over you on our behalf."
"Except for the gray squirrel tribe, your remaining four tribes must fulfill their obligations as servants. Each of your tribes must pay tribute to us Rus people two thousand squirrel skins every year. If you fail to do so, you will encounter our crusade. You. You have no right to refuse! You must pay tribute to us, even if you lose a squirrel skin."
"In exchange, if outsiders attack any of your tribes, they will go to war with us Rus. It is said that there are Tavastians. If this group of people attacks you, we Rus will take the initiative to attack them."
When Otto said this, the leaders were really sitting on pins and needles.
"Do you have any other ideas?" Otto asked deliberately.
The scene was strangely calm for a while, and finally a tribal leader said weakly: "Great... great Rus people. Because of the war, almost all the men in my tribe died. You ordered us to take out two thousand cards every year." The tribute of squirrel skin. Actually, it’s a bit difficult.”
Otto suddenly pulled out his sword, and the metallic buzzing sound startled Rurik, who was sitting quietly and watching, and almost made the five leaders urinate.
Otto's sword was pointed directly at the leader who spoke, so frightened that the man almost collapsed on the ground.
"What difficulties are you having? Is it because we killed your men?"
The leader lying on the ground stammered: "The great...Russians. We...lost too many men. My followers are all boys, and my people even lack fishermen. Two thousand squirrel skins a year... …”
Otto immediately scolded: "Shut up! Is this your reason? Why don't we lead people to kill all of you, so that you don't have to pay tribute in the future, because you are all dead."
The leader got up hard, knowing that bargaining was meaningless.
At this moment, Rurik could feel his father's domineering power. Although his father's request was obviously unreasonable, his father always did things for the benefit of the Russian people.
Rurik felt that his father's decision was too harsh. After all, there was no war, and the combined population of the five Kovin tribes was only 4,000 people. After a series of wars, Rurik estimated that with all the dead Kovin people, the population had exceeded a thousand. Among the remaining population, a group of people will leave this place permanently.
According to Otto's request, the remaining Covin people, young and old, must each pay tribute four squirrel skins every year.
Did Rurik even think there were that many squirrels in the area for the Kovins to hunt?
Although he felt a little inappropriate, Rurik said nothing. After all, the Russians needed to show the authority of their masters, and these conquered guys needed unconditional respect. Completing a demanding tribute obligation is not only a long-term bloodletting of their strength, avoiding a theoretical counterattack, but also forcing them to show their loyalty through harsh tasks.
Otto finally reiterated his only reason for worrying about all the tribal leaders: "You four tribes must pay tribute to us eight thousand squirrel skins in autumn every year. If you fail to do so, you will be attacked by us."
No one dared to question or refute, any reason with practical significance became meaningless in Otto's case.
But Otto's demands were not over yet.
This time, Otto targeted the three tribes that sent reinforcements, but were nearly wiped out by the Ross army.
"I heard that your three tribes raised some reindeer, is this true?! Ah, you don't have to say it, I know you must have it. Now I order you to pay tribute of one hundred reindeer, as well as the hay you have stored. . I also want you to provide twenty reindeer sleighs. If you fail to complete this, you will definitely encounter our attack."
Everything about the deer was actually what Mechasta said. At this point, Mechasta could no longer care about the relatively harmonious relationship with the three neighboring tribes. In order to work hard to provide high security for his tribe in front of the new master, he tried his best to reveal what he knew. Everything can be said to be a thorough betrayal of one's friends.
Most of the reindeer of the Kovin people were snatched from deer farmers in the north.
Wild reindeer still need the means to tame them. Rather than catching wild reindeer, it would be better to rob other people's reindeer. Looting and conquest, these concepts are all clear to everyone in Kewen. But they had not thought that one day they would be conquered by all the Varyags in the west of the sea. What they did not expect was that the deer herders had already defected to the Varyags.
This is what the various science and culture tribes have learned.
In other words, after the Russians declared their conquest of all the Kovin people, the north of Finland, all the way to the Arctic Ocean, became the territory of the Russians.
Otto, as leader of the Rus, declared himself the master of all deer herders and all Corvins.
And Rurik will inherit all this.
Rurik couldn't help but think that Otto was clearly a hero and a profound pioneer to the Ross tribe. Looking back on myself, perhaps due to my small body, I am still too conservative.
"No. I must be stronger than Otto. I must lead the Russian army and conquer a huge territory. The whole of Finland, the whole of Lapland, the whole of Murmansk, they all belong to me! They all must be mine! Oh, There must be Karelia in the future.”
In fact, after Rurik knew that Otto had made such a claim, Lapland, Murmansk, and the Oulu River Basin, because the limited residents in these areas were either sparse in number and poorly equipped, Or they are servants. The claims of the Russians have a very practical significance.
The three leaders left dejectedly. They had no power to bargain. They could only carry the brutal orders of the Russians and drive the reindeer carriage unloading all the gifts to their tribes. They were forced to collect the tributes that the Russians needed. And rushed back within three days.
If the deadline is delayed, it will be a betrayal of the Russians. Otto's threat to punish him will be fulfilled.
The three leaders did not dare to disobey because they had completely lost the capital to resist.
