A new voyage is now! He has to collect the last tribute before the water freezes completely, and Otto feels a lot of pressure for this.
In his life, he had never organized a fleet to head to the northern waters of Fort Ross in late October.
Although it hasn’t snowed yet, the severe cold in early winter has chilled most of the people to the core. 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 it, 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, anyone who has experienced it feels that it is no longer possible. It is not difficult to make a replica.
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 into pieces!" Otto actually had an ideological struggle and decided to act quickly.
After all, if he had an appointment with the Balmoks, it would be like letting go of the dove and not taking them away. Wouldn't it seriously damage the credibility and honor of the Russians?
Otto has to sail by force, and those who are willing to follow him on another adventure are under tremendous pressure.
Everyone knows the dangers of 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 the sake of squirrel skins, chrome axes, and greater interests, a small fleet of five cargo ships and five longships, under the leadership of Otto, created a The trend of history is heading towards the coldest and first frozen sea deep in the bay, going against the north wind.
A longship with a blue oar pattern printed on the sail, she is Otto's flagship.
Unfortunately, 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 longships play the role of guard.
Putting on Otto who was wearing extremely thick leather, he 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 upon 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 is legally his slaves.
A girl naturally participated. She followed Rurik closely and was 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 is wearing a coat sewn with ferret fur. After some careful dressing up, she looks 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, which was definitely not shy. and caution 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 behaved, 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?"
Seporava looked into Rurik's eyes anxiously, thinking about what she would be doing in about ten years. Needless to say, the boy was very excited when he gave birth to a child.
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 Kovin’s homeland is, and it is still going there. Ironburgh.
The killings last winter have deeply shocked Saipolava’s young heart.
She was just a simple and depressed girl. Rurik stretched out his hand and stroked her clean hair, "Don't worry about anything. I want to see what your father did to Elon." How is the construction of the fort going?"
"But!" The girl suddenly raised her head, "The task you gave them is too difficult..."
"That's it. They must complete the task."
She thought that Rurik could relent and stop forcing his own people, but she didn't expect Rurik to say that 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 has no intention of continuing to appease Saipolava. He has essentially become the girl’s master.
Seporava 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 warm. He himself often leaned against the side of the ship and gradually saw the land in the east.
The fleet spent the night at sea. They sailed all night. Before noon the next day, the fleet touched the Oulu River quite skillfully.Estuary.
All of this, of course, is also due to Rurik’s unique measurement skills, which allowed the fleet to walk in a straight line after leaving the fjord. Rurik used his mathematical skills to provide the ship with The fleet selected a quite appropriate route, and the fleet arrived early at the small island at the mouth of the Oulu River.
Entering the Oulu River during the dry season, cargo ships may be able to pass through its shallow water channel, but no one wants to take the risk.
To return to his old place, 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 scare 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 Kewen obviously lost a lot of men in the war. Do they have the strength to rebel?
The five long ships 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 long boat can still paddle forward at high speed.
Otto just wanted to get things done as soon as possible. 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.
A cluster of haystack wooden houses appeared on the lakeside, and the Catfish Lord tribe was here.
There were some canoes floating on the lake. When the fishermen saw the long boats, they seemed to see monsters.
The news of the arrival of the Russians 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?
The leader Kejas recalled that he had sent people to fight alongside the Russians 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 Russians.
Soon, five longships landed.
Nearly a hundred fully 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."
Yevluo's concern is necessary , 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 will kill him.There are many of them, do they really surrender?
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 ran away from those catfish guys to attack. They... It’s a bad guy.”
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-term paddling, it became inappropriate for them to wind it 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 lake 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 Kehas, the leader of the tribe. In Otto's opinion, he had not seen him for more than half a year, and this man was even more aged. 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. This so-called weapon obviously could not withstand two or three rounds of shooting from the Ross crossbowmen.
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 Kewen people. Many people On the verge of freaking out.
Fortunately, Kehas met many times, and he tried his best to stay calm.
He approached Otto respectfully: "Great leader Rus, I know the purpose of your coming, and I have prepared the squirrel skins you asked for."
Jevro immediately Who would be dissatisfied with a correct translation?
"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."
Kehas He was so shocked that he was shaking all over. He had no doubt that if he angered the Russians, the village would burst into flames. He hurriedly explained: "My people were very humble and very scared. They fled into the woods."
"Are you frightened?" Otto was about to laugh, but then he thought about it. I couldn’t laugh again. "Where's the leather? I don't care about your tribe, I want leather. Kaihas, you are responsible for collecting all the tributes from the Kovin people. Have you really done it?"
"Yes!" Kaihas Si 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 dedicated to you. All the squirrels Pili, my tribe provides more, and those three tribes..." At this point, Kaihas became cruel and deliberately slandered: "Great leader, I have something I don't know whether to say."
“Speak!”
“They. Bakan, Terjo, and Ojedo, the three leaders did not provide much, maybe just because I was the one who collected the tributes. Each tribe should provide two thousand squirrel skins, and the three tribes only gave me three thousand. Great leader, we are good at fishing and hunting squirrels. In order to realize my loyalty, I provided seven thousand. ”
Here Kehas tried his best to portray himself as a loyal eagle dog, and to portray 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 when they communicated, and he did not want to stay in this 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 the other side." The Tavastians in the distance are a more powerful enemy. In my opinion, we should form a coalition to completely defeat those three tribes and then attack the Tavastians.”
Otto felt that something was wrong with the situation: "You... want a war?"
"I don't want a war, I just want to continue to be your servant. Let us live better, and you will get more." A lot of leather."
"Not bad." Otto nodded deeply: "It's a pity that they didn't really rebel. But don't worry, you can continue to collect tribute from them and tell them if they dare to disobey. I will attack you with force! Listen, we will!You are true to your word, you are my loyal dog, and every hunter loves his hounds. ”
In the Western context, calling others “hounds” and “loyal dogs” often does not mean any harm, but is a compliment to loyalty.
This is Kai Haas hopes to get a verbal promise so that he can better prey on those enemies.
The invasion and conquest of the Rus are simply acts of conquest, and Otto mediates between the five tribes of the Corvins. There is no idea about the conflict. The Catfish Lord tribe has a certain advantage. Now the Gray Squirrel tribe has been forcibly relocated, and the men of the other three tribes have suffered extremely serious losses.
Although Kaihas's own tribe has been forced to relocate. There were losses, but fortunately the women of the tribe were not affected by the war. Many men naturally occupied more women, and the tribe lost its population. The best solution was to speed up childbirth, so a large number of women essentially ran away with their stomachs full. Entering the forest deliberately avoided the Rus.
The small group of humans living in the Oulu River Basin can be said to live in a worse community.
Kehas indeed. He could provide as many as 10,000 squirrel skins, of which there were actually as many as 9,000. As a tax collector, he himself only provided a mere 1,000 squirrel skins. p>
Even if the three tribes moved further away and tried to hide, they were still found by Kejas' people. Relying on the greater number of men, the Salmon Lord tribe did not hesitate to use strong methods to order. They brought out tributes.
Kehas, when the Rus didn't come, he was the little bully of the Oulu River. When the Rus came, he turned into a wagging little dog. < /p>
Otto doesn't know the inside story and doesn't want to know it yet. In fact, even if he learns about it, will he pursue it? Of course it is negative.
The conquest of the Covin people was a complete accident. As a result, the Russians completed the winter expedition on a temporary basis.
Otto has no plans in this regard. He thinks that maybe his Rurik has some thoughts. >
It is most practical to collect at least a batch of squirrel skins. As for where the leather comes from, why do you care about so much?