Otto had no intention of disturbing the miscellaneous people in the village, and he didn't even have the intention of spending the night here.
As a landowner, Kejas wanted to serve these untouchable Rus. He complimented: "Chief, I invite you to live in my village. I will... donate women to reward your warriors. .”
woman? To be honest, Otto suddenly became excited. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that this shouldn't be done, at least not at this critical moment.
"Don't talk about this, I just want the leather." As he said that, he looked at the sun in the sky, "It's not too late. Let's leave as soon as we get the leather, and let all the people you have hidden come back."
"Oh! You are so kind." Kejas realized that he would not encounter other disasters. He was actually prepared. If the Russians made some rude demands, as a weakling with extremely poor strength, he was willing to lose some dignity in order to survive.
All the hides were stored in hillforts, fortresses on mounds that the Russians quickly captured.
This time Otto brought a group of brothers, armed with swords and axes, and some empty sacks, intending to revisit the old place.
There is another group of warriors led by Rurik, who are actually mainly mercenaries. Their role is to guard the returning ships.
Kejas himself was powerless, and Otto didn't need to be wary of this dying old guy, but those young people really needed to be wary. If any of the young people from Kewen were carried away by anger and took the opportunity to sabotage the ship, the return journey would become a problem.
"Let's go, brothers." Otto greeted, and the excited warriors followed closely.
Kejas coughed for a while and spit out the old phlegm again. He obviously seemed to be suffering from some disease, which made Otto think that this person was really going to die? No, he can't die? Kejas is a tool man. If this man dies suddenly, who will pay the taxes in the future?
Otto asked in a pretentious manner: "Are you really sick?"
"No, just a little cold." After saying that, Kejas coughed again.
"Then you are not going to die. Listen, if you really die, you have to elect a successor for me before you die. If you don't do it, I will select someone from the gray squirrel tribe."
Hearing this, Kejas's face suddenly turned pale, and he shook his crutch: "Don't do this! I choose! I will choose a puppy that is loyal to you."
"You're smart."
In fact, all of Kehas's sons have died, either due to illness or in last year's war with the Rus. He became a complete loner, and even his last youngest daughter was kidnapped by the Russians and made a slave.
Who is the appropriate successor in this situation? There are not many men in the tribe, and even fewer are strong and promising. Since a large number of people in the tribe are his distant relatives, there is nothing wrong with choosing a nephew to succeed him. How will this successor view the Rus? At least, don't think of foolishly resisting them.
Otto was very familiar with the path to the mountain fort. After saying this, he took his brothers up the mountain.
"Come on Kejas, I hope you can still walk."
"I'm leaving now!"
It was true that Kejas was in frail health, and he was far from dying. He hurriedly led his tribe to catch up with the Russian army, and it was at this time that he noticed a boy and girl from the corner of his eye.
The two children were surrounded by a group of mercenaries and gathered near the Russian ship. A bonfire had been lit, and the group of people were warming themselves around it.
Needless to say, the boy's beautiful golden ponytail had made a deep impression on Kejas as early as last year. That was Rurik, a beautiful and magical boy.
As for the girl Kejas is also very familiar with her.
She was Saipolava, the youngest daughter of the leader of the hostile Gray Squirrel tribe. Seeing the two children so close, it was like a stone was pressing on his heart. How could Kaihas be so uncomfortable?
On crutches, he burst out with strength and hurriedly caught up with the team. He did not dare to ask Otto himself directly. Since the Finnish mercenary who served as the translator was in the climbing team, he boldly approached and said, "My daughter, Lumi. Is she okay?"
"You? You actually asked me?" Jevro was surprised, "You should ask the leader."
"I don't dare to embarrass him."
"So you're giving me a hard time?"
"Then... don't ask. Let's continue on our way." Kaihas was a little frustrated. Their last daughter was kidnapped by them. Now Lumi is probably still alive.
Seeing Kehas' depressed face, Jevro felt a little sorry: "That girl is very good, she will serve as a priest."
"Huh? Is this true?"
"It's true."
"I...thought she could only be a slave."
Originally, it was not easy for Yevluo to answer this matter. Indeed, Yevluo had not seen the little girl named Lumi a few times since the team returned to Fort Ross. Because the priests always stayed in the longhouse, he only saw this little Kewen girl in plain robes during previous sacrifices.
Jevro didn’t want to disturb Otto, let alone Rurik.
He deliberately said: "Your daughter is very smart. She will be a good priest. Now she is a servant of the gods that the Russians believe in. The Russians are very contract-oriented. As long as you surrender sincerely, you will get security and even some rewards." .”
At this point, Kejas did not pursue the question any further. He really wanted to see his daughter again in his lifetime, but maybe it was a luxury wish after all.
A large amount of leather and food were stored in the cellar of the mountain fort that was cold all year round. The cellar basically maintains constant temperature and humidity all year round. It is a natural refrigerator. First of all, it stores the smoked fish meat of the Salmon Lord tribe for overwintering. Secondly, it stores the leather that is exchanged for daily necessities with the Finns in the south.
Now, after being exploited by the Rus, how much leather can the tribe bring to the south for trade?
The tribesmen of Covin are good at using trip nets to catch squirrels. They will spread traps widely, and what they harvest is often a large number of stiff corpses that die from exhaustion in the struggle. Compared to the gray squirrel tribe who were forced to immigrate and were good at shooting squirrels, the Salmon Lord tribe could only capture them in this way. Fortunately, the squirrel skins they peeled off were all high-quality goods with no holes.
Otto again saw huge quantities of squirrel skins.
It is actually very easy to count 10,000 pieces of leather, because the locals obviously processed the leather first and did a little "packaging" for the convenience of drying.
They severed the squirrel's head and all its claws, cutting away the hide with maximum efficiency.
Such leather is first spread out to dry or dried, and finally strung together in groups of ten with hemp rope.
All squirrels are exactly the "Eurasian red squirrel". The weight of the wild species is often only 300 grams. The thick and extremely soft and dense fur is brownish red. Hiding in the rotten wood piles in the Finnish woods is the best camouflage. color.
Shooting these vigilant squirrels tests the skill of a bowhunter, and placing widespread traps is a good way to catch them.
A living squirrel is very light, how much does the stripped fur weigh?
Last winter, the Russians from Sorgon brought back thousands of squirrel skins, which were measured on a scale. It often took twelve lengths of skin to weigh one pound. Therefore, a string of leather does not even weigh a pound. The total weight of as many as a thousand strings of squirrel skins is just over three hundred kilograms. Measured by the Roman pound that the Russians were accustomed to, their total weight is close to one thousand pounds.
The Rus took the leather with them easily, and they saw that there were also a large amount of dried fish in the cellar that the Corvin people used to pile up. After all, they are the salmon master tribe and are obviously better at catching fish than squirrels.
Otto, who was standing in the mountain fort, also learned about what Kejas had done not long ago, which was to lay out a large number of nets on the river and catch a large number of salmon that came upstream, almost providing the tribe with all their food for the winter. question.
It's all because of Lake Oulu upstream of the river, which is the spawning ground for a large salmon population. The population of the Salmon Lord tribe is already small, and the amount of salmon required to feed a few hundred people is not large, so the harm to the entire population is minimal.
However, Otto learned the news and an idea came to his mind.
How could they catch fish so efficiently? Did the fish suddenly appear from the sea? So why don't I set up a big net at the mouth of the river to catch fish? Oh, and the salmon run is actually in September.
In terms of food alone, from the history that Otto knew, the long-term source of food for the Rus people was various catches, and grains and vegetables were a long-term supplement to their lives.
Even if the Rus began to have the ability to obtain a large amount of wheat, fish meat was still an extremely important part of ordinary people's diet. Even the shark meat with extremely unusual taste was still unwilling to be discarded by ordinary people.
Otto recalled his son's idea of establishing a settlement at the mouth of the river, and maybe he really needed to think about it.
While a group of people were standing in the mountain fort, a small group of bold tribesmen quietly slipped into the village from their hiding place. They were some women with their children. They saw a small group of Russians wandering by the lake and were too timid to approach them.
Rurik naturally saw them too. He had no idea about this group of women and children, just because he was thinking about another thing, which was the "art of governance."
The sun is still hanging in the blue sky, but it has a tendency to sink.
Do you want to stay in this village overnight? Rurik knew that his father had no such plan. He understood what his father was thinking. After dark, who knew whether there would be bold Covin people to launch a sneak attack? With so many people dead, are all Covin people willing to kneel down?
Rurik can believe that Kehas is willing to surrender. He believes that this guy will not act rashly because his daughter Lumi is a hostage. The other Covin people do not know. The night will blind the eyes of the Russians, and the fatigue will weaken the strength of the Russians. Staying here overnight is not a good choice.
As for where to spend the night, there are many small and soothing meadows on both sides of the Oulu River, and there are endless pine trees in the surrounding forests. It is a good place for camping.
But the Russians must rule here for a long time. Otto completed the conquest by force. Of course, military deterrence cannot make the conquered completely surrender. They need to eat a little carrot to feel at ease. Rurik felt it was very necessary to give them some rewards, especially material rewards.
His blue eyes naturally saw the three bags of wheat in the cabin that were used as food for the journey.
Every soldier and mercenary carries some wheat cakes with them. This is a constant source of dry food to help soldiers avoid starving to death in a short time in critical situations.
The three bags of wheat were indeed too much, and Rurik did not doubt that his people would open their stomachs and eat them all in the only place they could sleep in the open.
Rurik made up his mind that after seeing and accepting the ten thousand pieces of leather, he could give Kehas a little wheat as a gift.
They finally came back, and the sacks filled with leather were carried by Russian soldiers. When they were thrown into the cabin, Rurik persuaded his father to inspect the goods first.
"Huh? Are you still worried about them cheating?" Otto asked in surprise.
"Nothing, I just wanted to touch the leather."
The pierced sack was opened, and the touch of the delicate and soft squirrel skin made Rurik feel numb all over.
Otherwise, squirrel skin is thin and delicate, and its biggest drawback is that it is too small. It is usually processed into products such as gloves, boot pads, and even the lining of hard leather clothing and leather armor. It is not a mainstream leather. It is an excellent auxiliary leather, but once it is obtained in large quantities, it is very comfortable to wash, cut, and sew the leather together into a soft blanket to sleep in.
"Have you seen enough?" Seeing that his son was very serious, Otto couldn't help but continue to say excitedly: "Look, this place can provide us with a lot of squirrel skins, and we can make a lot of money by shipping them to Mälaren!"
Rurik felt that his father was showing off, and his words made him look very low.
Rurik deliberately sighed: "I just don't know if they can maintain the tribute of 10,000 pieces a year."
"Of course they can, they know the price of betrayal."
"So they are all smart people?" Rurik put his pockets in, picked up the light sack and threw it directly into the cabin. He then directly ordered Yevro to jump into the boat and carry out a bag filled with wheat.
"You...this is?"
"Dad, I think we need to give them some rewards. I have changed my mind. Those rewards that are going to be given to the Iron Squirrel Tribe should also be given to these people."
"Huh? Why?"
"This is called strategy. We defeated all the Corvin people. Now the Corvin people in Ironburg are making a lot of iron tools for us. According to my agreement with them, I will exchange wheat for more iron. That's why I I brought some wheat."
Otto shook his head angrily: "I thought you had something to show kindness to."
"Kindness? There is no unreasonable kindness. I just hope to use this method to encourage them to continue making. Dad, you have forgotten that we promised the people here to exchange iron tools for a batch of their squirrel skins, but we forgot to bring them. I’m afraid it’s not really necessary to carry it.”
"Of course we can't give them iron!" Otto said bluntly, "We must always maintain the advantage of iron."
"Yes! Rather than forcing them to pay tribute, in my opinion, we can gain more through trading."
"How can I see it?"
Rurik felt that Otto should be very clear about this kind of thing, "Well, only when people feel that they are fighting for themselves can they have the greatest enthusiasm and courage. Besides, I learned at the Malaren Market that a picture of a squirrel The price of skins is often maintained at one silver coin. There is also the price of wheat. In good harvest years, one silver coin can buy seventeen pounds of wheat. In fact, the price of food in Melalen this year is eight pounds. In my opinion, one pound of wheat can buy them ten pounds. A piece of squirrel skin, and other leathers are clearly marked with prices. Are they willing to eat fish, squirrel meat and mushrooms forever? They must be craving for wheat."
Otto certainly knew the power of trade. He had experienced many battles and was getting older, so his mind became a bit stubborn. He really looked down on these Kewen people. Allowing them to pay tribute and save their lives was a reward given to them. Do they still need to trade? Are they worthy? Or has his son discovered the potential of this group of people?
Rurik's explanation really alarmed Otto: "Wonderful, is this actually a hundred times the profit?"
"After taking our food, I'm afraid they will be grateful for our generosity and work harder to catch squirrels. I'm even worried that they will catch all the local squirrels in a few years."
Otto's biggest wish for many things in the future is that his son will grow up early and the girls he raises will grow up and give birth to children smoothly. Just seeing his grandchildren means that the future of the Ross tribe is bright! That's what Otto thought.
Otto waved his hand: "You can do whatever you want, after all, you will inherit the entire tribe."
Rurik nodded understandingly.
Kejas didn't understand when a large bag of wheat was handed to him, and what he didn't understand even more was that it was not Otto who gave the wheat, but the beautiful Rurik.
Isn't this a precious reward?
Due to geographical reasons, it is extremely rare for the Coven people to eat wheat. They can only exchange a batch from the Finns in the south at a high price, so they regard oats as a treasure.
Rurik was fully capable of talking and laughing with the people in Kewen. He said proudly: "This is your reward. You did a good job!"
"Oh, noble... Rurik, thank your father for me."
"No! You should thank me!" Rurik stomped his feet vigorously, "This is my reward to you in my own name. Now, maybe we should set a second rule. From now on, you will provide 8,000 yuan a year as usual. In addition to the tribute of squirrel skins, for every ten more squirrel skins you provide, I will reward you with a pound of wheat. Don’t worry, we Russians have a lot of wheat. What about you? Do you have a lot of leather?"
"Ah?! I..." Kehas looked flattered.
"Can you do it?"
"I can!"
"Okay, we have an agreement. You keep these wheat, and you may get more next autumn."
The deliciousness of wheat is so delicious that you will never forget it after eating it once. Kejas dreamed of eating wheat every time. It was really not limited by the environment. Who would be willing to eat fish every day?
Seeing how kind Rurik was, he couldn't help but boldly ask the question he was most concerned about: "My...my Lumi, my daughter. Is she okay..."
"She? Of course she is very good, and she eats wheat every day. The child even got fat." Suddenly, Rurik had an idea, "Catch squirrels for me. As long as you make me happy, I will kill you." Bring your daughter back. Oh, I hope you can still get to know your daughter."
"Ah? Is she really eating wheat every day?"
Rurik felt that Kehas's startled look was boring, "Of course, those loyal servants, both men and women, eat wheat every day. This is my reward for the loyal ones. Kehas, do you raise hounds?" ?Would you abuse your hound?"
"Oh! You... are so kind."
Rurik was elaborating on the fact that, especially for children like the girl Lumi, who were destined to be trained as priests, their daily diet was always good. A large amount of wheat enters Rossburg, and a considerable part of it goes into the mouths of the children raised by Rurik. Cereals, fats, meat and some vegetables are all indispensable.
Rurik did not explicitly state this kind of food standard. He just mentioned that "Rumi drinks wheat porridge almost every day", which shocked an old father's heart.
So what does Kejas think?
At least this Rurik is a more benevolent conqueror than Otto. As the Finn Jevro said, Rurik is very contract-minded, so he must cherish this hard-won contract.
