A new voyage is now! Otto feels a lot of pressure to collect the last tribute before the water freezes completely.
In his life, he had never organized a fleet to sail to the waters north of Roseburg in late October.
Although it hasn't snowed yet, the severe cold of early winter has chilled most of the people to their cores. Those who are wearing thin clothing are the most dangerous. If they fail to keep warm any night, it is likely to be their last night in life.
Otto couldn't help but think back to Sorgon, which was seriously delayed last year. It was also the end of October. After all, the fleet returning home returned from the southern seas, where it was warmer and there was no need to worry about dangerous sea ice.
"Damn, maybe I should wait until the sea blows and organize a reindeer sleigh team to collect the tribute."
With the great victory across the ice sea, those who have experienced it feel that it is not difficult to repeat it again.
Otto thought for a while, and considering many practical problems, he had to take an adventure.
Use cargo ships! The fleet is entirely composed of cargo ships.
"If a small piece of ice appears in the sea, the cargo ship will definitely smash it!" Otto really had an ideological struggle and decided to act quickly.
After all, he had an appointment with the Balmoks, and if he didn't take them away, wouldn't it seriously damage the credibility and honor of the Russians?
Otto wants to sail by force, and those who are willing to follow him on another adventure are under tremendous pressure.
Everyone knows the dangers involved in sailing in ice-infested waters. People are generally not afraid of collisions or shipwrecks. Their fearlessness is actually limited to warm periods.
The season is like this, and the sea in October is already very rough. No matter how brave a winter swimmer is, he will soon freeze to death after taking a dip in the water.
For squirrel skins, chrome axes, and greater interests, a small fleet of five cargo ships and five longships, under the leadership of Otto, headed toward the depths of the bay in a historic move. The coldest and first frozen sea area moves against the north wind.
A longship with a blue oar pattern printed on the sail, she is Otto's flagship.
It's a pity that this ship does not have a clear name. She is just a tool to complete Otto's resolution.
The core of this fleet is the cargo ship, and all the longships play a defensive role.
Otto, who had changed into extremely thick leather, stood proudly on the bow of the ship as usual, looking towards the east.
Unfortunately, as a large ship that closely imitated the Caravel-type sailing ship began to be built, Rurik no longer looked down on the long ships of the tribe.
Rurik must follow his father on this adventurous winter voyage because the tribute paid by Ironburg is his property. Moreover, the local Steel Squirrel tribe was legally his slaves.
A girl naturally got involved. She followed Rurik closely on a cargo ship carrying a batch of grain.
"Have you decided what to say to your father when you get there?" Rurik asked casually.
The girl Saipolava, she was wearing a coat sewn with ferret fur. After some careful dressing up, she looked like a cute little angel.
"I...I don't know."
"Are you nervous? Don't be afraid." Rurik looked at the girl's red face. It was definitely not shyness or caution, it must have been blown by the north wind.
"I'm not afraid. Rurik, I don't know how to talk to my father. You are a good man, but..."
"What's wrong?"
"I..." Even in Roseburg, the child Saipolava was unwilling to say anything.
She didn't know that the quieter she acted, the more interested Rurik became.
She is born with such a temperament and behaves submissively most of the time.
"Do you have what you want to say?"
Saipolava looked into Rurik's eyes anxiously. Needless to say, she was excited when she thought that in about ten years she would give birth to a child for the boy in front of her.
However, there are also contradictions. Rurik is a good man, she thinks so, but the Russians are conquerors. On this trip, the fleet is going to the big river where Covin was born, and not only to Ironburg.
The killings last winter had deeply shocked Saipolava's young heart.
She was just a simple and depressed girl. Rurik reached out and stroked her clean hair, "Don't worry about anything. I want to see how well your father built Ironburg." "
"But!" The girl suddenly raised her head, "The tasks you gave them are too difficult. I'm worried..."
"That's what they have to do."
She thought Rurik would relent and stop forcing his people, but she didn't expect Rurik to say he would never compromise with a smile on his face.
Of course Rurik softened his heart in an instant, but he also became cruel in an instant. A king must be consistent, and since Mechasta of Ironburg feels he can complete the smelting and forging of a thousand chromium ax heads and even spearheads, he must complete it. Because what they produce is essentially military supplies, this promise is a military order. What's more, Rurik remembered that the deadline given to them to complete the task was the end of September, and it was already the end of October. If they still couldn't finish it after working for an extra month, that would be a malicious neglect!
Rurik had no intention of continuing to appease Saipolava, he had essentially become the girl's master.
Saipolava is the virtual marriage girl of the Iron Squirrel tribe, while the boy Tyravis is the proton.
Rurik ordered her to sit down and wrap herself in a layer of wool felt to keep her warm. He often leaned against the side of the ship and gradually saw the land in the east.
The fleet spent the night at sea and sailed all night. Before noon the next day, the fleet reached the mouth of the Oulu River quite skillfully.
All of this, of course, is also due to Rurik's unique measurement skills, which made the fleet walk in a straight line after leaving the fjord. Rurik used his mathematical skills to select a quite appropriate position for the fleet. route, the fleet has arrived at the small island at the mouth of the Oulu River early.
When the Oulu River enters the dry season, cargo ships may be able to use its shallow water channel, but no one wants to take the risk.
When he returned to his hometown, he was worried that they would rebel, so Otto brought a group of armored warriors. Even if there were only a hundred people, they would be enough to frighten the Catfish tribe and other Kewen tribes.
Of course Rurik felt that his father was too cautious, and caution was a good thing, but the people who stayed in Kovin obviously lost a lot of men in the war. Do they have the strength to rebel?
The five longships entered the Oulu River smoothly, and Rurik followed the ships upstream. Being in the river, I really can't help but wonder about this damn diving, that is, a long boat with a shallow draft can travel smoothly.
Is the Oulu River only one meter deep in autumn and winter?
There was always someone on the long boat carrying a long wooden stick to check the depth of the water to ensure that the boat would not run aground. If there is any benefit to the dry season, it is that the weak current makes navigation less resistant, and the Ross boat can still paddle forward at high speed.
Otto just wanted to get things done as soon as possible, so the fleet moved quickly against the current. They rested overnight on the riverside and continued moving forward the next day. They suddenly found themselves in a small lake with an unstoppable momentum.
There are clusters of haystack wooden houses appearing on the lakeside, and the Catfish Lord tribe is here.
There were some canoes floating on the lake. When the fishermen saw the long boats, they seemed to see monsters.
News of the arrival of the Rus quickly spread in the small village. Even though the tribe had expressed its surrender, many people were running away in panic, dragging their most important little ones with them. Because they didn't know whether the Russians came to collect tribute or simply plunder.
Is it right to run away?
Leader Kehas recalled that he had sent people to fight alongside the Rus last year. With this kind of friendship, they would not plunder again.
But he didn't convince many people.
The old man was leaning on a cane and stood in the village that had quickly quieted down with a mere twenty tribesmen to welcome the landing of the Rus.
Soon, five longships landed.
Nearly a hundred heavily armed warriors jumped off the ship, and the first to take action were naturally a small group of mercenaries commanded by Yevlo.
This place was the first battle of the mercenaries loyal to the Russians, and it was also the place where blood was first shed.
Yevluo, who arrived here again, had to be more vigilant: "Brothers, be careful. We can't expect them to really surrender."
Jevlo's concerns are warranted, or it could be said that all this was the instruction of Otto himself. At first, Rurik felt that his father was being too cautious, but his father said: We killed many of them, and they really surrendered?
Rurik was a little confused for a moment.
Looking at the canoes placed randomly on the shore, it is obvious that the fishermen escaped very suddenly.
Feeling the unusual silence here again, Rurik, who was tightly protected by the shields of the Ross warriors, had to become nervous.
"Rurik, these catfish-catching guys... they..." A timid voice came from beside Rurik.
It's Saipolava...
"What's wrong with you? Scared?"
"I...I attacked those catfish guys. They...are bad people."
Bad guy! Bad guy? The world is really a bit absurd. Shouldn't it be that the Russians are the evil ones at this moment? Thinking about it, although they are both Covin people, the Gray Squirrel Tribe and the Catfish Lord Tribe have always been in a state of hostility. Saipolava must have been taught that those who catch catfish are bad people since she was a child.
But do these have any meaning?
"Jevro, load the crossbow! Take your people to explore." Rurik shouted softly.
Jevro looked back and understood.
For many mercenaries, due to long hours of paddling, it became inappropriate for them to wind it up with their strong arms. At this time, the winch they carried came in handy. They slowly approached those houses with crossbows in hand, and many old mercenaries directly recalled the scene of the last winter.
Aren’t those haystacks by the lakeside and the shadows of the wooden houses full of murderous intent?
When they thought that their companions were actually choked by a sword from an enemy with superb shooting skills, while they were worried about their necks, the two fingers of their right hands never left the trigger, and the shooter aimed at any suspicious location.
Suddenly, a small group of figures emerged from hiding.
If the crutch hadn't been revealed first, a mercenary would have suddenly fired a terrifying arrow.
An old guy on crutches appeared. He was Kejas, the leader of the tribe. From Otto's perspective, he hadn't seen him for more than half a year, and this man was getting even older. They are old and should not lose the cards they have.
The spear-wielding warriors followed closely, holding up a small but necessary card for their leader. It was this so-called armament that obviously could not withstand two or three rounds of fire from the Ross crossbowmen.
[ fo ] They appeared openly and had no intention of fighting. Upon seeing this, Otto got on alert.
The vigilant warriors relaxed, and the swords and axes they held were circling gorgeously in their right hands. This was an unintentional move, but it was terrifying in the eyes of the spear-wielding Covin people, and many of them were on the verge of peeing in fear.
Fortunately, Kehas met many times, and he tried his best to stay calm.
He approached Otto respectfully: "Great Chief Ross, I know the purpose of your coming. I have prepared the squirrel skins you asked for."
Jevro immediately made the correct translation, and who was dissatisfied?
"You did a good job, but your village became quiet again. Why is that? I thought you were armed again and planned to betray me."
Kejas was so frightened that he trembled all over. He had no doubt that if he angered the Rus, the village would burst into flames. He hurriedly explained: "My people were very humble and very scared. They fled into the woods."
"Are you scared out of your wits?" Otto was about to laugh, but then he thought about it and couldn't. "Where's the leather? I don't care about your tribe, I want leather. Kehas, you are responsible for collecting all the tributes from the Corvin people. Are you really ready?"
"Yes!" Kejas insisted that he had completed the task, and pointed to the location of the mountain fort not far away: "The leathers are all there. They are tributes from us Kewen people. There are enough...ten thousand pieces."
"What? So many?!"
"Yes." Kejas was very happy that Otto would be surprised, so he continued to flatter: "They are all donated to you. Of all the squirrel skins, my tribe provided more, and those three tribes provided more ..." At this point, Kejas became cruel and deliberately slandered: "Great leader, I have something I don't know whether to say."
"speak!"
"They, Bakan, Terho, and Ojedo, the three leaders did not provide much, maybe just because I was the one who collected the tribute. Each tribe should provide two thousand squirrel skins, and the three tribes only provided Three thousand are delivered to me. Great leader, we are good at fishing and hunting squirrels. In order to realize my loyalty, I provide seven thousand."
Here Kejas tries his best to portray himself as a loyal eagle dog and the other three tribes as potential traitors. It was this old guy who said this, but Otto did not doubt these words for a moment.
A murderous aura rose in Otto's heart, and Jevro, who was responsible for the translation, was also willing to believe that the three tribes were suspected of rebellion.
Rurik was not directly present during their exchange, and he had no intention of staying in the village for a long time. He walked boredly beside the ship with Saibolava, waiting for the Russian warriors to load a large amount of leather away.
Seeing that the leader of Ross was showing signs of anger, Kaihas kept doing nothing: "Great leader, I am your loyal servant, but those tribes are questionable. I am even worried that they will defect to Tavastia not far away. People, there is a group of more powerful enemies. In my opinion, we should form a coalition to completely defeat those three tribes, and then attack the Tavastians."
Otto felt something was wrong with the situation: "Do you... want war?"
"I don't want war, I just want to continue to be your servant. Let us live better, and you can get more leather."
"Not bad." Otto nodded deeply: "It's a pity that they didn't really rebel. But don't worry, you continue to collect tribute from them and tell them that if they dare to disobey, I will attack them! Listen, we are You are true to your word, you are a loyal dog of mine, and any hunter will love and cherish his hounds."
In a Western context, calling others "hounds" and "loyal dogs" often not only means no malice, but is a compliment for loyalty.
This was the kind of verbal commitment Kejas wanted so he could better prey on his enemies.
The invasion and conquest of the Rus were simply acts of conquest, and Otto had no idea of mediating the conflict between the five tribes of the Corvins. The Catfish Lord Tribe itself has a certain advantage, but now the Gray Squirrel Tribe has been forcibly relocated, and the men of the other three tribes have suffered extremely serious losses.
Although Kejas' own tribe suffered losses, fortunately, the women of the tribe were not affected by the war. Many men naturally occupied more women, and the tribe lost population. The best solution was to speed up childbirth, so a large number of women actually fled into the woods with their stomachs full and deliberately avoided the Russians.
This small group of humans living in the Oulu River Basin can be said to live in a worse community.
Kejas was indeed able to provide as many as ten thousand squirrel skins, of which there were actually as many as nine thousand, which he, as a tax collector, forcibly collected from the three tribes. He himself only provided a mere thousand.
Even though the three tribes moved farther away and tried to hide, they were still found by Kejas's people. Relying on the greater number of men, the Salmon Lord tribe did not hesitate to forcefully order them to pay tribute.
Kejas, when the Rus are not coming, he is the little bully of the Oulu River Basin. The Rus came, and he transformed into a wagging tail puppy.
Otto didn't know the inside story and didn't want to know it for the time being. In fact, even if he learned about it, would he pursue it? Of course it's negative.
The conquest of the Kovin people was a complete accident, and the Russians' winter expedition was a temporary act.
Long-term governance here? Otto has no plans in this regard. He thinks that maybe his Rurik has some thoughts.
It is most practical to at least collect a batch of squirrel skins. As for where the leather comes from, why do you care so much?
