When setting off, three hundred warriors dragged some sleds and carried a batch of food, heading for the mysterious, dangerous and opportunity-filled north.
It’s almost March in the Julian calendar, and the warriors are back in larger groups with new means of transportation.
A large number of Russians, either carrying swords or carrying short spears, gathered in the sleigh team.
Many people subconsciously touched the giant horns and fur of the reindeer, and many people stared at the strong leather tied with hemp rope, as well as the strange men and women wearing animal skins and rough linen clothes.
They are outsiders!
They are probably new slaves.
But these people's hands and feet were not bound in any way, and they tried their best to avoid the eyes that stared at them.
Otto jumped off the sleigh like a king and met Harold Zosen who was the first to rush over on the frozen coast of Fort Ross.
"You have been gone for nearly two months, and it feels like you have been gone for a full year. My great leader, you are..."
With a smile on his face, Otto pointed to the east and responded to his close friend: "Hallo Zossen, we not only hunted, we explored the land of the east."
"real?"
"Of course!" Otto, who was in a good mood, greeted his Rurik, and immediately after, Rurik jumped off the sled, pulling the brother and sister, and stood beside Otto.
"Look, my son has new servants. They are people of the East, they are not Finns, they are called Corvins."
Haro Zuosen glanced at the two children, and with just this glance, he concluded that their appearance was indeed obviously different from that of his own tribe. They look more like Rumia, such as their round almond-shaped eyes, their overall face is flatter, but their hair is more golden than Rumia's.
Looking at the other weirdos riding sleds, they all have similar looks.
Haro Zuosen was really happy for the leader: "It seems that your gains are huge. My leader, you have made great achievements. We thought you were strange attackers, but we didn't expect that you came across the ice sea."
Otto took three steps forward with a smile and patted the old man on the shoulder: "They are not my slaves, they are Rurik's slaves. I'm back now, tell me, is everything okay?"
"Oh! Of course! Everything is really peaceful and everyone's life is quiet. Now that you are back, everyone is very happy."
"Then let's go! We need a big celebration."
Roseburg, the thick fjord, and the hills near the fjord are like a mother, tolerating her sons who are out to explore.
"Operation Northern Hunting" officially ended in a way that no one had expected. The biggest gain from this operation was the large amount of furs and hundreds of slaves that were extorted and plundered.
That was a great piece of information, which made the boundaries of the known world in the Russian worldview extend much further to the east.
Those Corvin people from the "Eastern Land" are a group of people that the Ross people have never seen. Now, after returning to their hometown, the big leader conveyed exciting news - the Rus people have conquered the land of the Corvin people.
"The land of the east! All the lands of the east, except the territory of the Chaufen people, belong to us!"
The Ross tribe fell into a carnival, and a huge number of bonfires were quickly lit in the snow-covered Rossburg. Just at night, Rumia, who had just returned, put on her antlered helmet and performed a "give back to Odin" at the Stone Ship Altar late at night, regardless of the fatigue of traveling. ceremony.
The ceremony was a luxurious one, and two stags were sacrificed.
Although he was a little reluctant to execute the two deer, Rurik tried to overcome his fatigue and still held the steel sword with his own hands and killed the deer. In his opinion, everyone felt that only after completing this sacrifice would everything be considered to have a clear end.
Deer blood dyed the altar red, and steaming deer liver was placed on a bronze plate. Rumia carefully placed it on the altar. At this moment, the sky, which was originally a dim green aurora, suddenly became brighter.
Villa's face, which looked like a crack in the earth, looked toward the sky, looking at the shining aurora, and two lines of hot tears moistened her withered face.
She couldn't help but murmur in the sanctuary: "God has received our feedback. Your great move across the ice sea has been recognized by God. We have conquered those people in the east, and we have been approved by God."
"Grandma, is this a good thing?" Rurik asked deliberately.
Villa lowered his head again, and he slowly looked around, looking at Otto and his close associates, as well as all the warriors who had participated in the operation and returned safely. She looked at Rurik again: "How are you going to treat those conquered Kovin people? They are your servants."
This seemed to be a question from the soul, and Rurik couldn't help but think a lot!
After all, the composition of the Russian people has become more complicated now. A large number of Novgorod women, as well as Russians and their mixed descendants were added to the huge population. A group of deer herders and Kovins joined in, and some of the women became Rus' wives.
Rurik didn't think much about it: "I am their master, and they are my servants. Servants must be loyal to their masters and work for their masters. And their masters must give their servants protection. This is the contract between me and God."
"What a perfect contract. Keep it! Just like your name, Rose will be strong again."
Rose will be strong again.
This is a bit mysterious when you think about it seriously. Could it be that the Russians were very powerful a long time ago? Rurik couldn't help but think that Vilia might still have some past stories buried in her heart. After all, she was already over seventy years old. As for those things, they were not written on the wooden boards.
The grand sacrificial event was just part of a much grander carnival throughout Roseburg.
The tribesmen not only congratulate the returning warriors, but also because March is coming soon, and the huge, weirdly twisted mass of ice in the center of the ocean will soon loosen, and the ice-covered ocean will thaw at an extremely fast speed. In order to welcome When the trade season resumes in April, the Russians also deliberately find a reason to use up their various material inventories at home.
Compared with previous winters, the winter that the Russians are experiencing is unprecedentedly rich. The reason for the wealth is not other than the huge amount of currency looted from last summer's war against the Gotlanders, and Rurik's request for ancient money. Ed and a large number of small businessmen who followed the big businessman brought a huge amount of daily necessities.
Rurik originally estimated that all the grain supplies could sustain the Russians until early February.
What about reality? Small Russian families do not eat wheat every day. Even if the wheat is delicious, they are more accustomed to a small amount of wheat and a large amount of meat.
You can still eat a lot of fresh meat in winter. This is entirely because of the new "soap trade" established by Rurik. The trade has caused a large number of men to stay behind, operating huge Nordic forest axes to chip away at the extremely thick sea ice and lure seals to breathe. .
Two months after Otto's team left, more than 500 Rus men dragged sleds south along the coastline in search of thinner sea ice to catch more seals.
Fishermen know that it is better to catch herring in the southern waters, so they must try their luck in catching seals in the south.
Their luck is a symbol of their strength. In just two months, as many as 6,000 seals were captured. There were so many seals that in Rurik's soap workshop, large amounts of seal suet could only be thrown into the snow for long-term storage. Only a group of children's soap processing work could not consume dozens of tons of soap in a short time. Seal oil.
As for the seal meat, it went into the stomachs of the Russians one after another. The smooth and fine seal skin drives a group of fur traders crazy.
Gould, of course, is also a part of this "fur craze".
All merchants saw huge business opportunities in the future, because those warriors who had just returned began to look for merchants to negotiate a reasonable sales price for squirrel skins.
Therefore, a large number of Russians not only drank ale around the campfire, they also negotiated with all kinds of businessmen, and some business was concluded on the first night.
They took advantage of the carnival to dump their share of the spoils, hoping to use the money they earned to buy some strange things. And the merchants are not fools. A pair of invisible hands is controlling the fur trading market that appears in an instant.
According to past situations, the fur market began to appear when the Ross hunters returned with their full loads. For a period of time, the entire Ross people were a big market.
After the transaction was completed, all the tanners' families in Roseburg began to be immersed in the stench of tanned leather.
This year's situation is not fundamentally different from previous years. However, the large quantity and high quality of the new furs entering the market were beyond the expectation of all those who stayed behind.
Almost from the first transaction, some businessmen began to lower the purchase price.
Or they are eager to sell the leather on hand for money, return the credit to the blacksmith shop, order a new steel sword, or just want to buy some wheat and frozen carrots to make soup to satisfy their appetite.
Or simply like the feeling of holding silver coins in your hands.
Leather owners began to sell leather in large quantities. In order to realize cash quickly, they either took the initiative to lower the price, or passively accepted the merchant's pricing.
Sacrificial activities can serve as a watershed for prices.
Before the sacrifice, those who sold squirrel skins could get one silver coin and fifty copper coins for one piece of skin.
After the sacrifice, the purchase price dropped at a speed visible to the naked eye. At one time, some people were even willing to sell two squirrel skins for one silver coin.
You know, although the price of squirrel skin in normal times is not as amazing as six silver coins per piece of ferret skin, it is also close to the price of forest cat skin, which is two silver coins. Now, who is making a fortune in the "Northern Hunting Operation" and in the attack on the Kowen tribes? !
It's businessmen!
And this is the economy, which is the greatest profit motive that once allowed residents to bring their families with them.
Merchants are waiting for the opportunity to make a fortune, and a large number of small businessmen have joined the crazy army. The merchant families living there are busy buying furs under the night, and they have even forgotten what it means to be embarrassed. The whole family is dreaming about the trade season. After recovering, he went to the south to sell leather products and make a lot of money.
All this happened quietly without Rurik being aware of it.
The carnival lasted until the sun came up!
In Fort Ross, a large number of bonfires were still slowly burning with hot embers, and many drunk and exhausted people lay beside the bonfires and fell asleep.
There were also many warriors who participated in the action. They sold their furs and went to sleep with a handful of silver coins in their arms and reunited with their long-awaited Novgorod wives who had just given birth to a child.
Isn't this the case with Rurik?
Fortunately, Otto was reminiscing with the old guys who stayed behind. He took a batch of spirits from the blacksmith shop and told the guys about his great journey at the house of Harold Zosen. They formed a large group of rotten and unshaven uncles, lying in a heap in a heap, just like soldiers who had just finished a bloody battle and were lying directly on the battlefield to rest.
This caused the leader's house to become a children's nest.
"For the new children, I must train them to be reliable partners. Either wives, or strong men."
No, Rurik was dragged directly to the bed by Niya, who missed his son so much, and held him in his arms. This bed was supposed to be where the sturdy old guy Otto was lying. When the team was hunting north, Niya pulled the little sister Carlotta over out of sheer emptiness.
However, no matter what, she did not feel at ease and happy like holding her own son in her arms.
A total of four people, one senior and three juniors, were squeezed into a big bed. Although it was a bit crowded, everyone felt happy.
Lumia took Lumi, the daughter of the leader of the Salmon Lord tribe, a little girl with the same name as herself, and the two slept on the bed in Rurik's own room.
As for the Tyravis brother and sister, they lived in the room that originally belonged to Rumia.
Seven children were crammed into a warm wooden house, and Rurik was naturally one of them.
The three newcomers marveled at the wonderful feeling of sleeping on the bed, the wonderful feeling of being wrapped in blankets, and even the indescribable safety and warmth.
Compared to her sister, Tyravis is very sensitive to everything that is going on. The child knew that it was impossible to defeat the Russians on the battlefield, and the Russians also expressed their kindness to the surrenderers. Surrendering and becoming servants was the only cost-effective option.
However, this so-called kindness is simply a kind of care!
"Slaves? Are the Covin people we entered into the homeland of the Rus really slaves?"
What Terravis knew was that all the Corvin people with their families were required to live temporarily in an empty desert beach. There are also those deer farmers who have been designated to live in another deserted beach.
The leader of Ross provided a batch of linen and leather, as well as some low-quality axes, which allowed the Covin people to quickly build tents that could protect them from the wind and cold. When the new day comes, people in Kewen will surely start to build their own houses on the spot.
It is said that all Corvin will migrate to the mines in the north and build a new settlement there.
Originally full of worries about the future, Terravis fell into fear for a moment when he saw the huge Rossburg and the staggering number of Ross people. Now, he was lying on a soft bed, with his feet on a pure wooden floor. Because of a built-in stone hearth, the air in the entire room was warm.
He couldn't describe this feeling of happiness in words, everything was like a dream. He was even very confused. The Russians were all flesh and blood, and they even paid great attention to joy. They were even full of warmth. This and their terrifying performance on the battlefield were completely different concepts.
Taravis knew that he had left his homeland and that his future and that of his sister were not something he could control by himself. What Kewen people enjoy is clearly preferential treatment, and this treatment is probably a simple favor from their master.
He and his sister became wanderers wandering to the world on the other side of the sea. For the Kewen people, the land of the west also existed in legends.
The reality is completely different from the legend. The Varangians are not barbaric monsters emerging from the land of ice and snow. They are human beings who know how to enjoy themselves. They are a tribe with a huge population, an astonishing village size, and powerful strength.
Fort Ross was a presence that completely shocked Taravis.
