Terravis properly recounted another piece of information he had just learned.
"Vipsilene? Vipsians? Are they actually servants of the Karelians?" Aric pinched his beard and thought for a moment, then told Terravis: "Just kill this kind of servant."
"Is it really necessary?" Televis looked confused.
"What? Mercy? Just like my brother."
"No. Sir, since they have explained the information, we can spare their lives. Do you, Sir, hope to destroy their camp?"
"Why not? They are weak beings. If they meet me, they should accept the fate of death."
"Is it really necessary?"
Taravis took courage, and he was not a Russian in his heart. He himself only admired Rurik, but he did not think highly of the arrogant Arik.
Rurik is a smart hero, but the guy in front of him is a reckless man who kills indiscriminately.
These captured women and children are like weak rabbits. They have no ability or willingness to resist. Why should they be executed?
But Arik, the fighting madman, stopped him forcefully because he was afraid that this person would not accept this trick at all. Besides, I am really a humble person.
Tyravis thought of a move and said deliberately: "If you choose to kill ruthlessly, I will tell Lord Rurik afterwards that the captain of the first banner killed the tribe that wanted to surrender, causing the principality to lose a tribute income."
"You!" Arik, who was originally bloodthirsty and arrogant, was aroused by these words, and he frowned hesitantly. He immediately ordered not to take action.
Arik walked into Tyravis angrily and grabbed the young man's neck.
"You are very brave."
But looking at Tyravis, he forced out a smile in pain and said reluctantly: "Those who are killed indiscriminately and do not resist will die miserably."
The look in his eyes seemed to be murderous. Arik shook his head, pushed hard with his right arm, and pushed Tyravis to the ground. "Forget it!" he said, "Just spare these people and tell me, what are your plans? If their tribesmen really choose to surrender to Ross and are willing to pay tribute honestly, I can spare their lives."
This Arik is a lunatic who wants to make a profit.
Terravis got up. He really couldn't bear to be with this madman, and just wanted to end the mission and return to the command of Rurik himself. He hurriedly negotiated with the prisoners, telling them in all seriousness the terrible consequences of resisting Ross.
He spoke of horrific death. It was not an ordinary death, but a situation where men, women, children and people were left alone, canoes were destroyed, houses were burned, and finally grass covered the settlement, as if no one had ever been here and all traces of existence had been obliterated.
In order to survive, the prisoners chose to cooperate, but they didn't know whether they were luring the wolf into the house.
Seeing that Tyravis had been sitting down talking to the captives in a language he did not understand, Aric asked impatiently: "Have you negotiated terms with these guys? Hurry up, if they don't cooperate, they will be killed now."
"They have agreed."
"Very good. What is your countermeasure?"
"That's right." Terravis composed himself: "Our fleet arrived directly near their camp, and I took a small boat to negotiate."
"You? Are you going to persuade them to surrender alone? You are looking down on yourself."
"It doesn't matter, I'm confident."
Arik shook his head. Saipolava, one of the women of his brother Rurik, is this boy's sister. This kid once almost shot Rurik during the war. Although my brother could let him go during such a holiday, Arik could not let him go. It was because of this factor that Arik could never really regard this boy Covin as his buddy.
But this kid shouldn't make mistakes. If something happens, I will still have to blame him.
Arik warned cautiously: "If you choose to log in to negotiate with them, I have no ability to protect you."
"I understand! You still plan to kill them directly and rob a large amount of property. After all, you have no psychological burden in robbing the servants of the Karelian people."
"That's true." Arik smiled and patted his chest: "I can guarantee that I will not rashly choose an all-out attack, but..."
"I understand." Telavis knew that he was risking his life, "I will convince them. We try to approach their camp in the morning. If I don't return in the evening, it means that I have been killed by them." .At this time, it doesn’t matter if you burn the camp to charcoal.”
"Oh...that's the arrangement. Boy!"
"Um?"
"Don't die."
When he said this, Arik actually had a smile on his face? This was abnormal, and Terravis felt disgusted.
The captives described the existence of a definite settlement, one called Kekisalmi.
What does this song mean? Terravis easily understood that the original meaning of the settlement's name was simple and crude - a large-scale swampland beside a fjord.
(Kekisalmi, present-day Priozersk on the northwest shore of Lake Ladoga)
The captives claimed that the Vips were separated from the Karelian community unknown how long ago. Their population was very good and they lived by raising a group of reindeer, hunting, and making canoes for fishing.
This kind of life is not surprising, because the people of Kewen used to live a similar life.
With the exact same production model, the exact same face, the same hair color, and even basically the same language, Telavis firmly believes that these people and his own community of Kewen people must have the same origin!
After all, he was very close to Rurik. As he learned more about the Vikings, he learned that the Russians, Swedes, Danes and even people in the West were like brothers separated from each other.
In this way, the Kovin people he knew were a tribe that split from the Tavastia community. Obviously, the Kovin people and the Karelia people were also of the same family.
Should we call ourselves brothers if we have a common ancestor? not necessarily. The Danes and Swedes fought to a bloody head, and the Russians slaughtered the Gotlanders with blood.
What Terravis was most worried about was that the leader of Kekisalmi would refuse to surrender and eventually kill himself and resist resolutely.
Resist the Rus invaders? Bravery is truly brave. However, wouldn't it be unwise to rashly resist and lead to the annihilation of the entire family in half a day?
Tyravis had no time to think anymore. He boasted that Haikou could go to Haikou alone to persuade him to surrender, and he no longer had the right to hesitate.
Kekisalmi is just a regional name, and its original intention is a good description of the landforms of this area.
A waterway leads from the lake area in central Finland. She is the Vuksi River. Just when it is about to enter Lake Ladoga, the river quietly expands into a lake in the flat area, and finally converges into a waterway and flows into the large lake.
The special geographical structure has resulted in a large amount of moist grassland near the lake, creating a suitable pasture for feeding reindeer.
The Vips people found this land of abundant water and grass during their constant migration. To the east of this place is a boundless lake, and the surrounding environment is surrounded by dense pine and fir forests, creating this closed world. This is their little world.
Hence the name Kekisalmi.
A matrilineal clan settled here, with a meager population of 800 people. They were all the Vips!
An old lady named Kartenaka is the most noble being in this tribe. She is the high priest of the Vips people, the highest wise person, and the witch doctor of the tribe.
Men, women, old and young all obeyed her teachings and regularly handed some reindeer as tribute to the envoys of the arriving Karelian leaders in exchange for their protection. Their daily lives were so ordinary and uneventful.
It was as if the disputes outside this area had nothing to do with them.
Even some fishermen described some strange sightings in the southern part of the Great Lakes, claiming that some ships as huge as icebergs appeared there. The tribe regards this as a joke, and some people take it seriously. The explanation of the most noble Grandma Kartenaika is very mysterious: "It must be some mysterious outsiders who have broken into our world. If we don't provoke them, we won't do it." There will be disaster.”
She foresaw disaster, but she did not foresee that disaster would come uninvited.
No, when the morning fog on the lake cleared, people in the entire settlement saw the giant thing floating on the lake in the east.
The men squinted against the sunlight, and the light blurred the image of the giant thing. They instinctively recognized that it was some ships.
Especially those who had spied on suspicious presence were now running around the settlement villages screaming.
The men spontaneously picked up stone and iron spears, and the bow holders rushed to the lakeside with wooden bows.
An old woman was escorted out of the tent by a young woman, leaning on a cane and urging everyone not to panic.
However, when she saw the moored ships with her aging eyes, this existence that surpassed her three views also scared her back one after another.
"Quick! Get the women and children out of the way! Take the deer into the woods and hide."
"Men, don't provoke them rashly."
"Everyone retreat slowly!"
She thought of avoidance, and avoidance was not shameful. Men and women also lack the consciousness to fight hard. They all just want to live a peaceful life. What's more, these strange giants don't look like human beings. Maybe they are messengers sent by the lake god!
What a coincidence! This is what Grandma Kartenaka thought, and she became more and more certain after having this idea. The tribesmen can avoid it. They have to stand here and come into contact with the envoy of the Lake God or the Lake God himself.
On the other hand, Arik restrained his men. The squadron had easily seen that this settlement was not too small. Based on his experience in conquering Finland, he estimated that there were indeed only about a thousand residents in this camp. .
"They are all shacks and tents, but there are quite a few deer."
Aric sighed with emotion, and then asked Tyravis and the prisoners who had already boarded the longship: "Boy, are you ready?"
"Okay! Sir, remember our agreement!"
"Of course. Boy, don't die..."
Terravis was accompanied by four Corvins, and as many as eight other captives. The sail was lowered, and the long boat slowly rushed up to the soft lakeshore water grass at an inclined angle. They followed the bow of the boat and caressed the bow dragon head to get off the boat.
This is home. The captives returned to their homes, but they didn't feel the warmth of going home at all.
The tribesmen all evacuated, and the captives were very pleased with the tribesmen's smart choice. After all, there were hundreds of terrifying warriors watching behind them.
"Is this your camp? Is it Kekisalmi?" Terravis asked.
Someone immediately responded: "Yes. I hope you will never do anything."
"It depends on whether you cooperate. The Russians are ferocious monsters, and the consequences of offending them will be disaster. Let's go. Look at this village, everyone seems to have fled."
This was not necessarily the case. Taravis soon saw a man on crutches standing quietly at the edge of the settlement, accompanied by his entourage.
"That's our old leader." Someone pointed out.
"Looks like an old woman?"
"It's Grandma Kartenaika."
The name originally meant yellow flower, and Terravis was glad that he understood the meaning easily. He raised his head, and his Russian warrior attire made him look heroic, especially the leather helmet on his head, which shone in the sunlight.
It was his own tribe who came with a strange landing person. Could it be that he was the messenger of the Lake God?
Kartenaka remained calm until he came into contact with the messenger.
She asked respectfully: "Messenger of God, may I ask, did you come to my camp to issue a decree?"
Messenger of God? absurd.
Tyravis took off his leather helmet, revealing his face and brown-black face.
Although he looks similar to the locals, his physique is quite strong, which makes him very surprised.
"I am not God's messenger."
The old lady heard this clearly and couldn't help but open her narrowed eyes: "You...you...are you the envoy of Karelia?"
"Not really."
"Who do you represent?"
"I represent Rose. I heard that you are the leader of the Veps. Grandma, maybe we should have a good chat. Listen, this is related to the lives and future of your people."
Tyravis remained serious, his words revealing murderous intent.
The old lady was not stupid, and immediately invited the young man into her wooden shed to have a good chat.
For a tribe with a small population and strength, it is not shuddering to give in and pay tribute regularly. The Karelia people are strong, they are the servants of Karelia, and the Tavastian people are strong, they are the Tavas Servant of Theia.
Covin people? Who is he? Who are the Russians?
In the wooden shed, Terravis introduced the relationship between his Covin ethnic group and Tavastia and Suomi, and then also introduced the powerful Principality of Ross.
He did not need to explain too much, but focused on one fact: "The Principality of Rus is about to gather an army of 5,000 people to completely annihilate the Karelian forces. You must find a new master."
Five thousand people? This number challenges the mathematical limits of the Vips people. Terravis used "fifty one hundred" to describe the strength of the Russian army, but he was surprised to find that it was difficult for the Vips to understand a number of this scale.
Maybe Grandma Kartenaika understands?
They had told each other their names, and Terravis's appearance terrified her.
"Now, five hundred strong Rus's are preparing to land, and they order you to surrender immediately and recognize Rus as the new master. They will land, and they will be safe if they pay tribute. This year the Karelians will be destroyed, You will continue to live under the protection of the Russians..."
The old lady was in a dilemma. In fact, far from finding this young handsome boy disgusting, she admired the boy's strong muscles at a young age, as well as his honest and courageous character. This boy has something that the tribal men lack - the courage unique to a warrior.
The returning prisoners nervously explained their experiences, but now the old woman gave up completely.
The Vips surrendered and immediately declared themselves the new masters of the Rus.
In exchange, the Rus' conquerors could receive immediate tribute, but they had to promise not to harm any Vips.
Grandma Kartenaka lamented the fate of her tribe and accepted this new fate.
