The Kovin man Woima Kashad who led the way not only escaped while the guards were not paying attention, but even stole some wheat cakes and dried meat as food during the escape.
He escaped into the snow nest using the village buildings as cover, and then hid in the snow to observe the battle between the Rus people and the powerful Salmon Lord tribe from a distance.
In this guide's view, the Salmon Lord Tribe was warlike and willing to fight because of its large population. As a last resort, the Gray Squirrel Tribe built a low wall on the border and even passively strengthened the wall to protect the village. Without these facilities, the gray squirrel tribe would have disappeared long ago.
Voima Kashad is happy to see the Russians launching an offensive. Both sides are enemies, and it is best for them to lose both sides!
The development of the situation was as he expected, and the next result was completely beyond his imagination.
Hidden, he deliberately waited for a result. As a result, he saw from a distance a large number of strong men wearing helmets, escorting a large number of short people wearing animal skins, and a large number of people who were obviously women. , moving down the hill.
"Damn it! Are the Rus people so strong?! Your Salmon Lord tribe is so invincible?!"
All the surviving tribesmen of the old enemy Salmon Lord must be Became a prisoner of the Rus and became a slave.
The old enemy was probably completely destroyed, but Woima Kashad was not happy at all.
Because the Varangians, to which the Rus belong, are greedy guys. Those friends in the south have long criticized that the Varangians from all walks of life always raid their territory and capture their tribesmen like wild boars, brown bears, and deer.
Under the cover of night, the solemn-looking Woima Kashad had no intention of lingering anymore, and he fled far away towards his hometown.
He dug a snow pit in the snow in the forest as his shelter. He didn't have the ability to light a bonfire, and even if he had the ability, he wouldn't dare to actually light one.
He broke off a branch and polished a sharp spearhead, using it as a weapon and his own "Kewen", which was a marching stick. After all, as a Kewen man, it is most appropriate to be on the road with a short spear in hand.
Now, no beast can bring fear to him. Only Russians! Presumably even the most ferocious beasts would have to run away when faced with the Russians.
Woima Kashad struggled through the cold night, and the subsequent trek became even more difficult. He had to speed up in order to enter the low wall built by his tribe in the shortest time and meet the tribesmen who deliberately stayed at the low wall for a long time.
A lonely traveler walked for a full day and a half relying on limited food. He finally met his own tribe, even though the tribesmen regarded him as a deliberately offensive hostile force and attracted an arrow in his arm. .
It must be said that the penetrating power of bone arrow clusters on thick leather is really bad.
Woima Kashad's arrow wound was very shallow, and he didn't bleed much. Naturally, there was no need to worry about fever caused by infection.
Two full days since his escape, the wall of the village finally came into view. However, it seems that this wall that gives the tribesmen a strong sense of security may not be able to withstand the Russian offensive.
Woima Kashad didn’t know how the Rus broke through the wall of the Salmon Lord tribe, but they succeeded.
Maybe the defense of these walls is no longer so effective.
He was full of ideas. After being escorted into the village, he announced to all the watching tribesmen the fact that a powerful Varyag people had invaded.
Originally, the tribesmen were inquiring about the expedition team. As a result, the leader of the expedition team came back alone and in an extremely embarrassed state, and all he told was horrific news.
The happy tribe members quickly panicked.
Because, everyone believes that this guy Woima Kashad will not talk nonsense.
The bad news reached the leader’s ears before he himself.
The leader Mechasta, according to the local language, the leader's name is "Hunter".
The reality is that this Mechasta is an excellent hunter. He is the son of the old leader. As the old leader died of wound infection caused by injuries caused by hunting brown bears, the thirty-year-old Mechasta, as the only son of the old leader, killed the violent brown bear with an obsidian short spear. He was elected as the new leader.
Compared with the weak gray squirrel tribe, people need a brave person to lead everyone.
But this Mechasta, besides being brave, always wants to do some new tricks. So he tattooed his face with some black mottled stripes. Through the strange appearance, he felt that he was blessed by some mysterious power.
Of course, by smearing mud on your face or directly tattooing it, you can most likely deceive your prey.
After all, squirrels are alert animals, and wild deer and argali are not stupid either. A hunter needs a little camouflage.
Compared to his dead father, this leader is really aware of the three major reasons for his tribe's disadvantage: small population, lack of iron tools, and lack of domestic livestock.
Strive to eliminate the disadvantages of the tribe, he feels that this is his life's responsibility.
As soon as he heard that Woima Kashad was back, the leader in his prime was overjoyed.
However, only one person returned, and a piece of hellish bad news.
"What? The Varyags are attacking?!"
"Head, that's what he said." The messenger kneeling on one knee reported.
"Where is that guy?"
"He is just outside the cabin."
"Let him come in!"
Sitting on a wooden chair made of brown bear skin (the same bear that killed his father), Mechasta tried his best to remain worried, but his heart was beating like a drum.
Woima Kashad felt that his mission was being disgraced. As soon as he entered the house, he knelt down on the ground of the semi-crypt wooden house with a bang, crying at the top of his lungs about his past.encounter.
Mechasta couldn't hear clearly at all. He suddenly shouted: "Calm down first! Tell me, where are the others?"
"Them! They are all dead. !" Woima Kashad knelt straight, showing his face washed by tears.
To be honest, Mechasta has never seen such a miserable expression among his men.
However, his words were really unconvincing. Not only Mechasta, but all the tribesmen present felt that the matter must be very complicated.
Woima Kashad first tried his best to remain calm and described his successful past, and then complained hoarsely about everything the Russians had done.
"Wait? The Russians? Who are they? Are they the Varangians? I thought you had successfully connected with those people in the distant mountains to the west. How did you encounter the Russians? ?”
Mechasta here just can’t distinguish the relationship between the Rus and the Varyags, but he knows that there is a Balmok tribe in the far west (the Norwegians in Narvik Port) ), the locals own ore and know how to smelt iron. He hoped that the expedition he sent would either attack the deer herders to plunder their supplies, or find the Balmok tribe and exchange their leather for some iron.
Woima Kashad said angrily: "The Rus are the Varyags! They are exactly the same. They attacked our old enemies a few days ago, those guys who caught salmon, salmon They were all dead, and I saw them capturing the remaining women, and then..."
"Then what?" Mechasta stretched his head and asked with wide eyes.
"Those women were humiliated in reality, and then they were all killed."
From the look in Voyma Kashad's eyes, Mechasta could not see the doubt of lying. This subordinate of his had obviously encountered too many terrible things, and he was completely frightened.
Mechasta was still a little skeptical: "Okay, I believe you, those Rus are Varyags. But since they are Varyags, why do they want to kill the prisoners? Don't they want to A woman?"
Although Voyma Kashad felt that his lie was not logically tenable, because according to the news that everyone knew, the Varyag people had always attacked their southern friends. Those who plunder treasures and seize people as slaves.
But the Russians are absolutely greedy, and they will expand their victory.
Woima Kashad's attitude is extremely determined: "Chief! They are a group of crazy enemies! Now that all the Salmon Guys are dead, the next target is us, followed by those to the southeast of us Friends. Maybe we should give up the past disputes, because the goal of the Ross people is all of us Covin people." "You..." Mechasta trembled because what his men said was too bizarre. , he felt more and more that something was wrong.
At this time, a man standing in the wooden house said: "Chief, what he said is so amazing. Varyag people? At least in my more than 20 years of life., never seen the Varangians. ”
Someone else echoed: “Yes! Was Voyma Kashad making excuses for the failed expedition? That's fifty brothers! Our tribe has lost fifty men! ”
When he thought of this, Mechasta suddenly realized that the task he assigned to Woima Kashad was a complete failure.
Not only did the risky move he approved fail, but the tribe The fighting power has also been greatly weakened, because the entire tribe now has less than 150 men who can be armed to fight. Even if some young women are mobilized, how many will there be in the end?
Putting the human nature aside, when Mechasta thought that his tribe was severely weakened, he raised his big foot in anger and knocked down Woima Kashad who reported the news.
" Damn it, I can't just take your word for it. Varangians? I don’t care whether they are real or not, but you came back alone and the remaining fifty brothers were simply killed by the Varyags? ”
Woimakshad, who staggered up, roared in grief and anger. The roar was like a wolf howling. Then he stood up, as if he had no intention of evaluating his superiority, although the entire tribe was not so clear-cut.
He rushed over, grabbed Mechasta's neck when he was defenseless, and shouted against the opponent's tattooed head: "We have no time! The Russian army, armed with iron, was already on the way to attack. I persist until now just to report news to my tribe! My expedition team was wiped out and I could die! But our tribe is doomed! Are you still hesitant here? ! ”
Mechasta was taken aback. He had never been so offended before.
Woima Kashad was quickly pulled away and pulled away. He was kicked hard several times and then pushed to the ground.
“Chief, this kind of waste must die! Fifty of our brothers died, someone must be responsible. "
"No! Mechasta flatly refused, "Now, I want to believe that his words are true." I advise you all to believe it too. "
The suppressed Woima Kashad was very grateful. Although his face was on the ground, he still shouted: "We must be ready! Send someone to tell our friends! I heard with my own ears that the leader of Rus said that he wanted to destroy all the Corvin people. Only if we unite can we defeat the enemy. "
"Is this true? ! "Mechasta stepped forward and asked.
"It's absolutely true. We must take precautions! Please believe me. If the enemy still does not show up after a few days, you can naturally kill me. I will never run away! "
Mechasta nodded and signaled his men to let go of this guy.
The sudden vicious situation shocked the entire gray squirrel tribe.
Learning to participate Upon hearing the news of the death of the expedition's family members, their relatives cried and cried, and the deceased's father and brother decided to take up arms for revenge.
All the tribal men chose to stand up and defend their own.home.
Everyone is never afraid of fighting, because in daily life, the battle with the Salmon Lord tribe never stops. What's more, many times, tribal hunters also conflict with tribes upstream of the river.
The various Kewen tribes are never monolithic. Only when a powerful enemy invades, can they unite.
Because of this bad news, the winter life of the gray squirrel tribe was completely disrupted. Originally, everyone could feel much more relaxed during winter, because hostile tribes would never be stupid enough to cause trouble in such a season.
The Varyags are the legendary enemies. They came with the purpose of killing all the Kovin people.
Although no one knew why they had provoked the distant Varyag people just by catching squirrels quietly in the forest. After all, the war is coming, and all the members of the Gray Squirrel tribe unite under the iron sword of their young leader.
At this critical moment, the tribesmen can only hope that their heroes will bring victory.
It cannot be denied, because Woima Kashad’s crazy escape behavior really gave the Gray Squirrel tribe a very critical time to prepare for the battle.
The leader Mechasta thought for a moment that since the Rus, that is, the Varyags, their purpose is to destroy their own tribe, for this purpose the enemy will definitely attack at all costs. The enemy will definitely attack the tribe's wall frantically. It is difficult to defeat the enemy with only one's own strength, so the tribe relies heavily on the protection of the wall.
Secondly, the tribe needs reinforcements!
Just to the southeast of the Gray Squirrel tribe, there are five Kovin villages, each with a population of only five or six hundred people.
The reality is this. The total population of local people living in Finland is only 50,000 to 60,000.
The total population of the Kovin people is less than 5,000. That's it, their population is still highly dispersed. But this is not surprising, because the Covin people are a relatively young ethnic group. They are a group of people who broke away from the Finns in the south. They were heading north in pursuit of furs. Their motivations for migrating were completely consistent with the reasons why the Rus people on the other side of the bay moved north to settle. Moreover, their behavior in migrating north to actively attack the deer herders was also surprisingly consistent.
Mechasta sent some messengers to order them to walk on reindeer sleds as quickly as possible along the frozen river to the allied tribes.
Yes, the gray squirrel tribe raised more than fifty reindeer, all of which were snatched from deer breeders in previous years and further bred and cultivated.
Mechasta believes that the tribes in the southeast will send reinforcements, but he cannot pin his victory entirely on the reinforcements. Moreover, Mechasta can rationally believe that he will be rescued, but people's hearts are It's hard to torture. Maybe those guys will flee with their tribe first when they learn that the Varangians are attacking. After all, the world is very big, and the fleeing tribesmen are just trying to open up new settlements.
Gray Squirrel TribeCan't you also escape?
Mechasta chose to refuse, and decided to fight to the death with his angry tribesmen.
Because what Mechasta advertised was that the expedition team was killed by the Varangians, and almost all the small families in the tribe had members die. This was the hatred of the entire tribe, and no one was willing to flee.
After all, Woima Kashad is the leader of the expedition, and he must bear certain responsibility for the fact that the entire army was annihilated. Instead of killing him, Mechasta imprisoned him in a cellar.
Even so, Woima Kashad was satisfied, the war alarm finally turned into war mobilization, and the gray squirrel tribe took action! Even large numbers of boys were organized.
The gray squirrel tribe began to strengthen the walls of their villages. Due to the special climate, they had their own magical tricks.
Underneath the snow is hard frozen soil, so relying on a stone shovel for digging would be too harmful to the tools. Also because the limited iron tools are precious lumps, it consumes iron power to dig the soil, which is something that no one is willing to do.
They at least dug through the snow and piled it in front of a wall made of tribal stone and wood. There is more and more snow, so if there is a side profile, the tribe's wall has become an outward right triangle.
The snow was accumulated and then compacted deliberately. According to Mechasta's requirements, the solid snow must be able to ensure that a man can slide from the top to the bottom of the wall without being depressed.
With everyone mobilized, the job became easy.
The wall was made smooth. This was Mechasta's idea. In order to make it smoother, he also organized the women of the tribe to boil snow water. The snow water was boiled into warm water and poured directly on the snow pile outside the wall. In just two days, the gray squirrel apparently built himself an ice castle!
The leader sent people to conduct experiments, and the results proved that no one can climb this ice slide by relying on their own abilities, even with a dagger.
The walls are like this, and the two gates of the "Ice Castle" have also been reinforced. If the enemy attacks the gate, the gray squirrel tribe has prepared a large number of wooden blocks and stones, and they can block the city gate in a short time. In theory, the city gate is stronger.
With such a defense, it is only a passive defense.
Mechasta sent people with a batch of wolf dung and charcoal blocks to guard the low fence at the border of the territory.
The sentry has only one purpose: to light up the smoke when a man wearing a metal helmet appears. Mechasta also learned this warning trick from his friends in the south. When the Finns saw the Varyag ships docking, the sentries lit up the smoke, and the settlements in the interior hurriedly evacuated to avoid disaster.
Although he had never tried it before, Mechasta decided to try this trick.
The Varyag army will definitely come. This is a certainty.