The conquest of the Corvins seemed to be over, with the Rus's achieving complete victory at the cost of only the deaths of more than thirty warriors.
The Rus still paid a small price, but the population of the tribe was expanding rapidly. The new generation of young warriors grew up normally and actively, and with the addition of a large number of servants, Otto believed that the strength of his tribe had increased a lot.
Everything he did was laying the foundation for his son Rurik's future rule.
At this point, it’s time to end the seriously overdue “Operation Northern Hunting”!
When they arrived, there were more than 200 warriors pulling sleds and running on foot. Can I still hike on my way home?
No! On the way home, the Russians will embark on a new path!
Because right at the mouth of the Oulu River, the gods had given Rurik a revelation, and everyone believed it. That was what Rurik said, and he could take a shortcut home by heading west.
Otto believed it, and the others believed it and were proud of it.
No one is worried about the dangers of crossing the frozen sea on foot, and no one is walking home. The sleds pulled by a large number of reindeer are the perfect means of transportation for the tribesmen.
No one was worried about getting lost, because the navigator returning home was Rurik himself.
The Russians want to cross the frozen Gulf of Bothnia! Once this route was passed, starting from the thaw of the sea ice, the Russian ships used the new route to rush directly to the Oulu River to complete their rule over the locals.
What's more, Otto did not give up the idea of establishing a stronghold at the mouth of the Oulu River and naming it something like "Oulu Castle".
Smart leaders can all realize that the mouth of the Oulu River is an important strategic location in the north of Finland.
Historically, it was the Swedes who invaded Finland and built a fortress at the mouth of the Oulu River, which eventually evolved into a city.
The appointed day arrived, and the three new servants of the Kewen tribe proved their sincerity in surrender through practical actions.
The frozen Oulu River has no intention of being unblocked, and the temperature is really cold. The only thing that makes everyone happy is that the snowfall has finally stopped.
The night is no longer dark, the moonlight and starlight shine on the snow all over the world, and the reflected light is enough for people to trek at night.
The frozen river formed a perfect road, and a team of reindeer sleighs hauling some cargo arrived safely at the Rus' camp.
Otto led a group of warriors, who wore terrifying metal helmets and strong chainmail armor, and faced the trembling intruders in a martial manner.
"These are your tributes?" Otto casually asked a submissive leader.
The leader nodded repeatedly, and then called on the little boy of the tribe to display the goods covered with burlap.
As the linen was pulled away, Otto saw a large amount of leather.
fur! Lots of fur! Fur is money! It’s an asset!
Otto's eyes just emitted green light, and his men were shocked.
"How many furs did you bring?"
The leader suppressed his reluctance: "My tribe has a thousand squirrel skins, fifty wolf skins, and some rabbit skins. We pay these tributes and hope that in the autumn..."
There were some deviations in Jevro's translation. Originally, the leader meant to reduce some of the burden of tribute, but unexpectedly it was translated as using this to offset this year's tribute.
Otto was furious. He pulled out his sword directly, and the blade accurately sliced off the leader's leather hat, revealing the steaming Mediterranean head.
The leader immediately knelt down and trembled, while the others were shocked and at a loss.
"In autumn, two thousand squirrel skins must be handed over. And these reindeer sleighs for hauling goods, I will be your tribute."
Upon hearing that the Russians wanted to permanently confiscate the sled and even the reindeer, the three leaders were all panicked.
They crawled to Otto and kept praying, but Otto knocked him down.
"You all get out! Take your cubs and get out! Otherwise all of you will die!" Otto kept shouting with his teeth and claws, urgently ordering his men to disperse these tribesmen.
Dozens of people, carrying almost only wooden sticks, rolled and crawled on the ice to escape, checking from time to time to see if the Russians were catching up.
Rurik was just a spectator for the time being. He felt that his father's approach was too rough. After all, those guys were all sheep. If the sheep lived in fear for a long time, then don't imagine how much wool they could shear in the future.
Rurik glanced at the tribesmen who were fleeing in panic amidst the laughter of the tribesmen.
He couldn't laugh, but he was somewhat excited.
The source of excitement here is the reindeer pulling the cart!
The difference between male and female deer can be seen in appearance. What Rurik saw was a new batch of reindeer sleighs left behind by the three tribes. Each sleigh was still hauled by the standard four deer, and the total was eighty adult deer!
In his daily life, out of boredom, Rurik discussed some serious knowledge about reindeer with Rumia. Reindeer enter estrus in September and wait until the warmest summer to give birth to their fawns.
Rurik couldn't see the pregnant female deer, so he judged from this that the three Kovin tribes who had not personally inspected the area still had a large herd of deer on hand.
Who is a deer farmer? They are deer farmers in the true sense of the word.
Dad and his tribe are very interested in the local fur reserves, and what Rurik is most concerned about right now is all the deer he has captured.
During the stay, ten male deer had been killed, but the female deer were completely safe.
To date, the Russians have captured as many as 270 reindeer, and Rurik immediately declared sovereignty over all the deer. So many well-tamed reindeer instantly satisfied Rurik's needs. My dream of building a reindeer population was actually so successful!
Also arriving along with the reindeer was a batch of fodder. They were piled randomly on the sled. This was the winter food prepared by the Kewen tribe for the reindeer. After all, they were not really "deer herders". They tended to settle down and had no motivation to engage in winter grazing.
It was a new dawn. Rurik had forgotten which day in the Julian calendar. The only thing he knew clearly was that half a month had passed since he and his tribe left the mouth of the river.
Since the northern hunt, the tribe has lost some warriors, but the team has swelled to more than 500 people!
Early in the morning, after another breakfast that was almost entirely meat, it was time to start the journey home.
Today, the Rus control as many as seventy large sleds, which can theoretically carry a thousand people. Since the return trip is on smooth ice, the reindeer dragging the sled will only have some difficulty at the beginning. Once it starts moving, the fully loaded sled can move forward at high speed.
Of course, this still consumes the reindeer's physical strength, and may even cause some deer to die from exhaustion.
In order to go home early, no one is willing to use a pair of feet to measure the earth.
As many as fifty sleighs were packed with people, the Rosses, all the survivors of the Gray Squirrel tribe, and some of the Salmon Lord tribesmen. The rest of the sled is fully loaded. The former Gray Squirrel Hill Fort was not completely abandoned, and Kejas left some men behind to declare its occupation. But those who stayed behind were not happy. The Russians took away almost everything of value, leaving only a little dried meat. Those left behind must turn into hunters in the snowy forest and carry them until the ice melts.
A large amount of seized furs, smoked dried fish, and even some frozen fresh meat were piled on the sled. There is also a large amount of reindeer forage to support the herd's future trek needs.
Rurik, he got on the strongest sled selected by Otto, followed closely by the two brothers Terravis and Saipolava.
An unprecedented sleigh team suddenly appeared on the glacier, and the army was waiting for the leader's order to set off.
The girl Saipolava reluctantly looked at the ruined mountain fortress of her tribe. She felt sad for a moment, and tears kept flowing from her eyes.
"Are you sad?" Rurik asked.
"Master, I...have some..."
The cold breeze blew the golden threads on the girl's cheeks, and Rurik sighed: "Alas. This is your hometown after all. Just cry when you are sad. Your tribe wants to follow us, and I have arranged a better place for you. Local life. The environment there is very similar to here, and your life will be better."
When the girl kept sobbing, Telavis, who was good at archery, couldn't hold back his doubts: "Is the hometown of your Russians beautiful?"
Rurik was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but puff up his chest: "Rosberg is beautiful. Because of your joining, it will be even more beautiful in the future. Taravis!"
"exist."
"From now on, you are my people, and your people are all my people. I will be the leader of all of you. When we arrive at Fort Ross, I will support you for a while. When summer, you all go to the mines. You can Build a new hillfort there, because that's where your expedition discovered it."
Taravis knew what Rurik meant, and felt a little relieved. He actually had no choice and was worried about the unknown future.
Otto negotiated with Kejas and Mechasta at this moment, and he finally got on the sled.
"Rurik, did you enjoy your chat with your servant?"
"Yes." Rurik replied with a dull face. He could only be called happy when he saw his father's face.
"Okay, it's time to go back."
Otto cleared his throat vigorously, stood up suddenly, raised his sword high, and called on all those waiting to set off: 'Brothers! Let's go home! Now let's go! '
The charioteers are actually local Kovin people, and they are actually better at handling sleds than the Russians.
Even though most of the sleigh was full of people, the four reindeer with thick winter fur pulling the sled still provided strong power. Even a small female deer was still very capable.
The non-slip hooves of the reindeer sprinted across the ice, and the speed of the sled quickly reached the level of ordinary people jogging. For this group of summer rowing masters, the Ross warriors sitting on the sled judged from their own rowing experience that the speed of the sled seemed to be as fast as the speed of a long boat when the wind was downwind!
They found the feeling of rowing again and lamented the importance of sleigh and reindeer.
Otto kept a deep expression on his face, and his son and two servants were all in his ears, talking in a language that the people of Covin could understand. What are they talking about? Otto didn't know it clearly, but Otto was keenly aware that his son did not show the majesty of his master, as if the three of them were just friends of the same age.
"Ah! They are all children after all. Rurik, are you sincere to your servants? I hope they will always be loyal."
The sled "ran" on the frozen Oulu River at a speed of ten kilometers an hour!
The huge team arrived at the Salmon Lord tribe after a long absence in the evening.
The sudden appearance of the dark group of sleds naturally aroused the alarm of the locals. The Russian soldiers who stayed behind immediately picked up weapons, and the remaining local women and children also picked up wooden sticks and short spears.
The Ross soldiers who stayed behind instinctively felt that the visitor might be an enemy, and they couldn't help but feel an ominous premonition in their hearts.
Many women shouted in Old Finnish: "It's the Squirrel Man! The Russians failed! Those people's sled team is coming!"
The tribesmen were in turmoil. Fortunately, the Russians who stayed behind did not understand these words that caused panic.
They were on guard at first, but when they saw the light reflected from the people on the sled under the setting sun, they were sure that they were the enemy. They were clearly the victorious leader and the victorious brothers!
"We won! The leader is back!"
"Let's light a bonfire quickly to celebrate their return!"
…
The Russians who stayed behind fell into extreme excitement, and Rumia, who understood their words, also cheered up.
In the past period of time, Lumia had comforted the girl with the same name as herself, Lumi. She was also trying to comfort the local Kewen tribesmen, telling them that as long as they remained loyal, they would be protected by the Ross people.
Seeing that this strange girl actually gained the respect of the Ross warriors who stayed behind, the women and children of the Salmon Lord tribe believed her words.
Rumia herself is a priest, and she has a sacred future. It is normal for her to be respected by the Ross warriors. To others, this woman's identity was clearly that of a deer herder. Perhaps as long as she remained submissive to her, the Russians would respect her.
Otto got off the sled proudly, and his soldiers followed suit.
The huge team entered the riverside village of the Salmon Lord Tribe. As a large number of women and children were mixed in the crowd, the identities of these people were quickly exposed, instantly causing a large number of tribesmen to smoke.
The conflict between the "Grey Squirrel" and "Salmon Lord" tribes cannot be resolved by the two leaders shaking hands and making peace in front of the campfire due to special circumstances. After all, the past conflicts between the two tribes have left each other dead. Few people.
It was only because of the might of the Rus that the ordinary tribesmen of the two tribes did not fight together.
Night falls again, and a large number of bonfires are lit along the frozen river.
There is a large amount of frozen fish being urgently processed into grilled fish, so-called food for future journeys.
After a long day of boating and traveling, the Gray Squirrel tribesmen hated the guys from the Lord of Salmon, even though they were the same race. They didn't want to get too close to those people, so they built temporary shacks by the river. Many people even wrapped themselves in animal skins and fell asleep around the campfire.
Otto and Rurik were not idle. They summoned the most key personnel and held a key meeting before leaving at Kejas's home.
