Chapter 368 The tributes from the Kewen people were received

Otto had no intention of disturbing the miscellaneous people in the village, and he didn't even have the intention to spend the night here.

As a landowner, Kejas wanted to serve these Rus people who could not be offended. He complimented: "Chief, I invite you to live in my village. I will... enter Reward your warriors with women."

Women? 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 say 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 get the leather and leave. 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 the hillfort, a fortress on a mound that was quickly captured by the Rus.

This time Otto brought a group of brothers, holding swords and axes, and carrying 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 is powerless. Otto does not need to be wary of this dying old guy, but those young people really need 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 enthusiastic soldiers 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 choose a successor from the gray squirrel tribe. Pick someone."

Hearing this, Kejas's face suddenly turned pale, and he shook his crutch: "Don't do this! I will choose a puppy who is loyal to you."

"You are smart."

In fact, all of Kaihas's sons have died, either due to illness or in the war with the Rus last year. 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 about 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!"

Kejas is weak It's true, 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 for boys, that beautiful golden ponytail impressed Kejas as early as last year. That was Rurik, a beautiful and magical boy.

As for that girl Kehas is also very familiar with her.

She is 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 her heart. How could Kaihas be a The pain is indescribable.

On crutches, he burst out with strength and hurriedly caught up with the team. He did not dare to ask Otto 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? "Yevluo was surprised, "You should ask the leader."

"I don't dare to embarrass him."

"So you are embarrassing me?"

"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? This is true "

"It's true."

"I...thought she could only be a slave."

That's right. It was not easy for Flo to answer. The little girl named Lumi had indeed not been seen by Flo 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-minded. As long as you sincerely surrender, you can 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 it might be a luxury 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, it stores the smoked fish meat of the Salmon Lord tribe for overwintering, and secondly, it stores the leather that is exchanged for daily necessities to the Finns in the south.

Now, after being exploited by the Russians, how much skin does the tribe still have?Can Ge be brought to the south for trading?

The tribesmen of Kewen are good at using trip wires 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 saw a huge amount of squirrel skins again.

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 cut off the squirrel's head and all its claws, and cut off the hide with maximum efficiency.

The 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 three hundred grams, and the thick, extremely soft and dense fur is brownish red. It is hidden in the rotten wood piles in the Finnish woods. Inside is the best camouflage color.

Shooting these vigilant squirrels tests the skills of bow hunters, and placing traps widely is a good way to capture 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. When 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 Russians brought the leather with them easily, and they saw that there were also a large amount of dried fish meat that the Corvin people used to accumulate in the cellar. 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 arrange a large number of nets on the river and catch a large number of salmon that came upstream, almost A comprehensive solution to the tribe’s food problem during the winter.

It is entirely because of Lake Oulu upstream of the river, which is the spawning ground of 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.

They are actually such efficient fishers? 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.

Only in terms of food, according to the history that Otto knew, the long-term source of food for the Russian people was various fisheries, and grains and vegetables were a long-term supplement to their lives.

Even if the Russians began to have the ability to obtain a large amount of wheat, fish was still an extremely important part of ordinary people's diet, even those with extremely unusual tasteEven ordinary tribesmen are unwilling to throw away shark meat.

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. 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 people in Covin 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 the place 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, which 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 supply of dry food to help soldiers avoid starving to death in a short time in crisis situations.

Three bags of wheat were indeed too much to bring, 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. The sacks filled with leather were carried by the 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.

"It's nothing, I just want to touch the leather."

The pierced sack was opened, and the touch of the delicate and soft squirrel skin made Rurik's whole body feel so good.

Nothing else, 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, the leather is washed, cut, and sewn together to piece together a soft blanket.Damn, it's so comfortable 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 large amount of squirrel skins, and we can make a lot of money if we transport them to Mälaren. It’s a fortune!”

Rurik felt that his father was showing off, but 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 pocket in, picked up the not heavy sack and threw it directly into the cabin. He then directly ordered Yevro to jump into the boat and throw a Take out the sack full of wheat.

"You...is this?"

"Dad, in my opinion, they need to be given some rewards. I have changed my mind. Those rewards that are going to be given to the Iron Squirrel Tribe are also Give some to these people."

"Huh?"

"This is called strategy. Now we have defeated all the Covin people. They are making a lot of iron for us, and according to my agreement with them, I will exchange wheat for more iron."

Otto shook his head angrily: "I still have it. Think you have something to show kindness."

"There is no mercy for no reason. I just hope to use this method to encourage them to continue making. Dad, you have made a promise to the people here. We forgot to bring a batch of their squirrel skins, and I’m afraid it’s not really necessary to bring them.”

“Of course we can’t give them iron!” Otto said bluntly, “We must always maintain the advantage of iron. ."

"Yes! In my opinion, we will gain more through trading."

"Why?"

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 Mälaren Market , the price of a piece of squirrel skin 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. The wheat is exchanged for ten squirrel skins, and other leathers are clearly priced. Are they willing to eat fish, squirrel meat and mushrooms forever?"

Otto certainly knows the power of trade. After many battles and getting older, this brain becomes a bit stubborn. He really looked down on this group of 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 there actually a hundred times profit here?"

"I'm afraid if you take our food They will also appreciate our generosity and work harder to catch us.squirrel. I'm even worried that they will wipe out all the native squirrels within 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 smoothly and give birth to children. As long as he sees his grandchildren, it means The future of the Ross tribe is bright! This is what Otto thought.

Otto waved his hand: "You can do whatever you want, after all, you will inherit the entire tribe. ”

Rurik nodded understandingly.

Kehas didn’t understand when he handed a large bag of wheat to him. What he didn’t even understand was that it was not Otto who gave the wheat, but Otto. It's the beautiful Rurik.

Isn't this a precious reward?

Due to geographical reasons, it is extremely rare for the Kovin people to eat wheat, so they can only pay a high price. He exchanged a batch of oats from the Finns in the south, so he regarded oats as a treasure.

Rurik was fully capable of talking and laughing with the Kovin people. He said proudly: "This is your reward, you do it." Not bad! "

"Oh, noble... Rurik, thank your father for me. "

"No! You should thank me! Rurik stamped his feet vigorously, "This is my reward to you in my personal name." Now, maybe we should set a second rule. From now on, you will provide a tribute of eight thousand squirrel skins every year as usual. In addition, 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? Is there a lot of leather? "

"Huh? ! I..." Kejas looked flattered.

"Can you do it? "

"I...can! ”

“Okay, we’ve settled. If you keep this wheat, you may get more next autumn. ”

The deliciousness of wheat is so delicious that you will never forget it after eating it once. Kejas dreams of eating wheat every time. It is really not limited by the environment. Who would be willing to eat fish every day?

"She? Of course she is very good, and she eats wheat every day. The child even gained weight. Suddenly, Rurik had an idea, "Catch the squirrels for me. As long as you make me happy, I will bring your daughter back." Oh, I wish you could still get to know your daughter. "

"Huh? 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. Kejas, do you have a hound? Would you abuse your hunting dog? ”

“Oh! You... are so kind. ”

What Rurik stated is a fact. Especially for children like the girl Lumi who are destined to be trained as priests, their daily food level has always been good. A large amount of wheat enters Rossburg, and a considerable part of it will enter. KeepThe mouths of the children that Rick raised were all indispensable: grain, fat, meat, and some vegetables.

Rurik did not explain this kind of food standard clearly. 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 Yevro said, Rurik is very contract-minded, so he must cherish this hard-won contract.