Ellon Olava Castle, a Russian settlement, was built in the area of the later city of Kemi, Finland, or closer to the village of Kantola near Kemi.
The site itself is not of particular significance. What is really important is the only chromium mining area in continental Europe, just five kilometers east of the settlement.
It must be said that the Russians did not build towns at the mouth of the river, but settled deep into the river. The reason for this choice is that they who are good at navigation must take into account the factors of the tide. Building a dock on the coastline may not be suitable for the current ship conditions. If the dock is built in the river, there will be no problem.
They must take into account the serious erosion of piers and embankments caused by rising and falling tides. It's just the tide. Even if the entire Bay of Bothnia is frozen, tidal action is still pushing the water up. What results did it bring? Sea ice will break slightly due to tidal forces, and the broken gaps will quickly freeze again. Also because the ice itself expands, the tides intensify this expansion. Over time, the sea ice in some areas became thicker and thicker, eventually forming ice lumps several meters high and extending for long distances.
The heavy snowstorm lasted for more than ten days. Even in the next few days, the snowstorm basically stopped. The howling north wind was like the whisper of the devil, warning the people nestled in the thick wooden houses that going out would risk their lives.
No brave hunter dares to boast that he is not afraid of strong winds and snow. Of course there are people like this, who end up getting lost in the wind and snow, and when the snow melts, they become food for hungry brown bears who have ended their hibernation.
Gradually, it seems that the strong wind is no longer strong?
Rurik, who had nothing to do, had to stay in the chief's mansion these days and had no choice but to give to Mechasta, Saipolava, and even Yevlo, regardless of their age or age. It was interest, and Rurik instilled in them some knowledge that seemed enigmatic and difficult to understand.
He was just telling stories to kill boredom, but it really refreshed the three of them's understanding of the world.
It’s enough to say that the world is a big ball, but also to say that there is no sea at the end of the world. A strong ship is put into the sea of the far north. It only needs to drift westward to discover a new world. What's there? There are huge golden grains, huge plant roots, small red fruits that are more exciting than onions, strong bison, and...
So, what is the name of that new world? ? Couldn't it be called Asgard?
"That is a place of miracles. As long as we really set foot there, miracles will become a reality."
Rurik explained this, only having a very small understanding of the scope of the world. The cognitive Mechasta couldn't help but ask: "Can the Russian ship really pass through the endless sea?"
"Of course not."
"Then, how can we "I am sending people to build a large ship, only it has the ability to go to the place of miracles, and you, Mechasta, will do it for the greatness of us Rus."ideal and make important contributions. ”
Mechasta was a little confused, but he quickly came to his senses. Rurik did give him a task, which was to cut down trees.
Logging is not random cutting, it is necessary to cut down trees. Choose a red pine or spruce with an extremely straight trunk and the right thickness. The tools for cutting wood are not just axes. Make a new tool as soon as the wind and snow are over.
Go to America? The original meaning is "a miracle". This word is pronounced "attmirakker" in the current Rus dialect of Norse.
The Norwegians and Danes had longships along the North Atlantic. The currents first drifted to Iceland, and then to Green Island. From Green Island, you can easily drift to Hudson Bay. It is very likely that you will come into contact with the indigenous people who speak the Algonquian language. In fact, they did come into contact.
If these things come true, it would be too dreamy.
Rurik wants to be pragmatic. If the tribe continues to develop northward, it will not only come to the so-called " In the Arctic Ocean, which is the "Sea at the End of the World," you should also be able to find Murmansk, which will never freeze. It would be best if the Russians could form an alliance with the Norwegian residents of Narvik Port. Even if they cannot form an alliance, they can still find Murmansk. The northernmost port of the Rus should be established.
This port is really great.
As long as this port is developed, the Rus will have the ability to attack Britain. A feasible starting point for the theory of the new Western world.
The wind and snow finally stopped.
The outdoor world was silent, as if the entire Elon Orava was frozen.
The thick wooden door was gently opened, and the cold air came down. Yevluo hurriedly closed the door again.
"Master, please change your clothes. "
"Are you worried that I am afraid of the cold? absurd. "As Rurik spoke, he had already put the ferret hat on his head.
His whole body is covered with white fur, plus his fair face. As long as he does not deliberately expose his blond hair, he will be nestled in the snow. The ground is integrated with the silver world.
The wooden door is completely opened, and the heat accumulated in the room instantly dissipates. The outdoor sunlight gives great visual stimulation to the people who lived in caves in the century. He boldly walked out and squinted his eyes under the "scorching sun" in winter.
The sunlight was not soft at all, but the light was too dazzling. He wished he could put on sunglasses. Of course, the Russians already had the ability to make sunglasses. Add some ore to the molten glass.
No one can really happily complete pure hibernation at home. When the wind and snow stopped, people began to let their pent-up hearts go outdoors. .
Of course they have very practical needs. The chicken carries an ax to chop wood into pieces to cope with the coldest days.
Actually, a strong wind. The snow caused the nighttime minimum temperature in Ironburg to approach minus 20 degrees.
This was really an unexpected situation, and no one expected it.A heavy snowstorm can last for half a month. If someone hadn't been carving wood to record the time, people would have forgotten the date of the Julian calendar.
As soon as the snowstorm passed, the temperature began to slowly warm up, but it was impossible to return to the days before the snowstorm.
Winter arrives in this way, and winter life begins immediately.
Those Covins and Rus settlers had to obey the command of Rurik, who was essentially the most noble person. They obeyed his orders and accepted their respective jobs.
Some people are responsible for cleaning up the debris in the fence, some are responsible for climbing on the roof and pushing the snow down, some are responsible for crushing the snow on the ground and leveling it, and some are responsible for giving it to Laborers cook.
They spent a short day and more than 300 people clearing the most threatening snow on the roof. The children of the tribe also held hands, and were asked by Rurik to tread as neatly as possible to smooth the snow on the ground, and he was the leader.
Rurik was just putting on a show. His figure was not outstanding among the children of the Iron Squirrel tribe. When he warmed up from walking, he took off his hat and revealed two beautiful golden ponytails. He walked around the wall, and all the laborers came to him.
At night, people who had worked all day struggled to eat the reserved fish. In order to obtain more energy, they had to eat fish crazily. After all, fish is fish, and its caloric value is only one-third of that of oats of the same weight. Expecting that eating fish will enable you to perform high-intensity work is a mentally retarded behavior.
Rurik estimated that the most tired guys, who worked hard to prevent their houses from collapsing, might have consumed 4,000 calories today. To make up for this loss, you would have to eat four kilograms of pure salmon meat.
"It seems that I am going to bring 70,000 pounds of wheat, but maybe I will bring too little."
They spent one day sorting out the housework, and the next day, the wooden walls The thick door was pulled open by strong Ross fishermen and mercenaries, pulling on hemp ropes as thick as forearms.
Due to design reasons, all wooden doors in Ellenborough open inward. It was a last resort in design, but it plays a key advantage at the moment.
Why?
A huge wooden door was opened, and Rurik and the others saw a snow wall as high as one person!
"Ah?! What's going on? Is there really a snowstorm."
"Master, it seems that it is difficult for us to go out. We can't even walk in the snow." Jevro said worriedly.
Rurik gritted his teeth: "I don't care, bring me brothers, a shovel or something else, and help me open a path in the snow."
"This..."
"Go quickly."
Originally, Yevro was reluctant. Considering his status as a mercenary, even for the sake of professionalism, he had to Work hard and do it without complaining.
They are trying to dig a passage through the snow wall, YevloI thought it would be a difficult job, but I didn't expect that the road would be dug quickly.
Due to overexertion, he and the guys were sweating profusely. They took off their warm leather jackets and held long-handled shovels in their hands. As they walked through the snowy road, they saw unsightly things everywhere. It was just snow above my knees. The wall behind him became a bit alarming. The large amount of snowflakes carried by the north wind had created a circle of snow-covered slopes on the wooden wall.
“It’s not bad, we can still leave.”
Jevro was breathing heavily, and his companions called him: “Look at the south! The sea! There are rivers! It's ice!"
He lifted it up and followed the direction of the man's finger, "Ah! That should be... the sea."
"The sea is completely frozen. You have to tell the master."
"Let's go back first." Jevro shook his neck and walked back to the wooden wall.
Soon, everything became clear, and Rurik completely understood his situation.
There is a saying that three feet of ice does not freeze in one day. What if it is extremely cold for two consecutive weeks? It is not unusual for the sea, which is already showing signs of freezing, to freeze into a one-meter-thick layer of ice.
If he hadn’t kept records, Rurik wouldn’t have known that today was November 15th in the Julian calendar.
The fact that the sea freezes is still new to the residents of the Iron Squirrel tribe. They were forced to cross the ice sea only last year, and now they have completely become coastal residents. They are actually more accustomed to living in the woods, and the men are also good at winter hunting.
As long as they don’t venture too far, men are not afraid of snow. They would cut trees and hunt in the snow, but it would be better for the women and children to stay in their warm homes.
But Rurik must implement his plan.
It is a new day, it is short and very important.
Rurik was short in stature. He stood on a small reindeer sleigh, facing all the adult men who had been summoned.
There are Iron Squirrel tribesmen, Ross settler fishermen, and his own mercenaries.
All the men in Ironburg are here, waiting for the leader’s order.
Human beings are not truly social animals, but they can develop the habit of obeying orders and demonstrate strong organizational skills. In essence, this is a mutually beneficial measure. Especially in extremely harsh situations, everyone should follow a smart person to stay together for warmth.
After previously rectifying the internal affairs of Ironburg, everyone believed that the Rurik children would not mess around.
Rurik spoke. He did not want to stand here like a sculpture in the cold weather, and his words were concise and to the point: "Blacksmiths, clean the furnace, raise the fire, and continue smelting. Burn. Charcoal makers, continue to burn charcoal to meet the needs of smelting. Carpenters, I need a large number of large sledges that can seat twenty men. Build them for me immediately, and I will pay you. Ross's woodcutters, carry your axes. , show your ability, I want the big tree to fall down, and then pull it to the coast."
Everyone was a little surprised, and Rurik didn't want to explain more: "You do it now. Soon, a large number of people will rush to Ironburg. They will drive the deer and carry a large amount of oats. Don't have any doubts. , complete my request, and I will reward you with the oats you have won.”
As long as you have tasted oatmeal with salt, you will understand that it can bring wonderful warmth to people in the extreme cold.
They fought for oats. Today, the earth began to shake, and there was a loud rumble in the woods.
Rurik originally planned to wait for the saw blade to be built before organizing manpower to cut down the wood efficiently.
Who would have thought that a ruthless snowstorm actually consumed half a month? Rurik felt that his precious time had been wasted shamefully.
Fortunately, the Ross fishermen all know a little bit about carpentry. They lack the ability to finish wood, but logging requires almost only brute force. Those small pine trees that are only thigh thick are only suitable for firewood and charcoal making raw materials. They can also be chopped down by a strong man wielding a Nordic forest ax in two or three blows.
There are also many extremely large trees here, with a diameter of up to one meter or more. It is a towering spruce that has grown for more than a hundred years. It is a terrifying existence that can smash people into pulp when it collapses.
No, Mechasta was leading his tribe to cut down trees with a small chrome hand ax, in order to collect charcoal-making materials. They wanted to cut down some big trees. They could move them using existing materials, but it would take too much time.
The so-called big tree he understood was an existence equivalent to about 30cm in diameter. In the eyes of the Russian lumberjacks, it was also a small tree.
For the first time in their lives, they were lucky enough to see Ross Carpenter performing a magical wood-cutting technique.
I saw a big spruce tree that could not be hugged with both hands. The Russians could see the huge dent in its lower trunk. The Russian loggers were already laughing and chopping down the other side?
Is this how they plan to cut down the tree? There seems to be nothing wrong with it, except that if the tree falls down, whoever it hits will definitely die.
As a result, a lumberjack inserted a piece of wood into the small gap that was deliberately cut. He beat the piece of wood crazily, and finally the giant tree collapsed in a direction without injuring anyone.
This was the first time Mechasta saw the Viking-style lumbering technique. The settled fishermen were actually a group of excellent lumberjacks! Not only are they tall and strong, they are also smart.
When the big tree fell, the ground shook violently, causing Mechasta to sit directly in the snow. In a large area, the snow stored on the branches of pine trees fell instantly, falling all over Mechasta. But looking at the collapsed body of the giant tree, he was too lazy to shake off the snow on his body, and just sat there. The ground was watching and giggling.
Mechasta has seen giant fallen trees in his life. Those are dead trees. After they fall in the forest, they are found after the autumn rain.There were a bunch of mushrooms growing on them. Collecting edible mushrooms is also a job for tribal women. But what makes him regretful is that although there is an astonishing salmon tide here in Ellenburg, there are too few mushrooms, which is a pity.
In fact, with the advanced technology, Rurik could quickly cultivate mushrooms. He did not expect this, just because it was completely unnecessary. Mushrooms are grown in order to obtain valuable protein. However, the Russians, who essentially control most of the fishing resources in the Gulf of Bothnia, are most lacking in carbohydrates, not protein.