One day passed, and the Covin people of Mechasta, a group of mercenaries invested by Rurik, and the Ross fishermen began to use their own skills to wildly destroy the woods near Ironburg.
What motivates them to fight hard?
It is understandable that the mercenaries and Russian fishermen wanted to get financial and material rewards from Rurik.
What about the Covin people of the Iron Squirrel tribe? Rurik painted a pie for them: "Do good things and make me happy. If you do well, not only will you have wheat to eat immediately, but I will also reduce the amount of your tribute next year and exchange wheat for your leather."
They were already forced by the Russian military strength, and also because the conditions proposed by Rurik were indeed attractive.
After night fell, those Kewen people who were ordered to wildly destroy the forest dragged their tired bodies back into the wooden wall.
They never thought that what awaited everyone was indeed a feast.
When it comes to giving rewards, it will not be discounted.
During the day, Rurik sent people to take out all the uneaten wheat and hand it over to the women of the tribe to pound it into oatmeal crumbs. They didn't make it into flour, and they didn't need to. All the coarse scraps were poured into pottery urns and boiled over high fire. It is also served with chopped frozen fish meat, which turns into surimi, and is further cooked with the wheat porridge that turns into a thick paste.
In order to increase its aroma and oil content, Rurik also ordered the mercenaries to pour a lot of lump seal oil used as fuel for oil lamps into it.
Some refined Atlantic sea salt imported from the Balmoq people makes its taste extremely attractive, and considering that each meal high in sugar, oil and protein is served to those who have paid For a huge manual worker, Rurik didn't care whether it was watered down or not, but Onri was extravagant enough to pour in half a pound of salt.
Another forest disappeared, and the tree trunks fell to the ground before they could be pulled away in time.
The exhausted Kewen lumberjacks admired the high efficiency of the saw. They also held the wooden bowl with trembling hands and moved their spoons while watching the extremely viscous soup in the bowl.
The leader of Ross is rewarding the Corvin people!
Leader Ross did not hesitate to pour a lot of salt!
Chief Ross kept his morning promise!
The Kewen people opened their eyes wide, feeling the salty feeling of happiness like heaven, and couldn't help but be moved to tears.
In fact, they are not simply grateful to Rurik, but the Kewen tribesmen who have lived in the inland areas for generations and have only migrated to the coastal areas in recent months. Their bodies have always been The lack of salt objectively limits their combat effectiveness.
Their bodies crave a large amount of sodium chloride, so everyone gulped down the salty porridge in three or two gulps.
The meal was not over yet. Almost each of the hungry loggers ate two more smoked fishes, and they gave up when their stomachs could no longer hold any more.
On boring winter nights, in addition to creating a new life with my wife, I alsoIs there any other entertainment?
The well-fed tribe men were survivors after the battle. The former enemies actually rewarded them with a good meal. It seemed that there would be many more days like this in the future.
They were sleeping soundly in their own homes with bulging bellies, not wanting to talk to their wives and concubines at all, which made the women really unhappy.
They just didn't consider that their husbands were so excited when they were cutting trees that they almost collapsed from exhaustion. This time, he had eaten so much that his blood was concentrated in his stomach, busy mobilizing his digestive organs to cope with the unprecedented sugar shock in the body's owner's life. In short, it means that the brain is relatively ischemic. Coupled with physical exhaustion, being able to get up and "fight" with his wife and concubines is a fantasy.
It can be said that after winter, the women of the Iron Squirrel tribe have an instinctive desire to use fertility to support the lost population of the tribe. They never felt that the tribe was Mechasta's tribe, but that they belonged to everyone. Women are only slightly inferior to men in terms of physical strength, but they are no worse than men in terms of their obligations to the tribe.
The logging work was still going on, and Rurik had only a small amount of wheat in reserve, and the remaining wheat was eaten up in an instant by a group of big eaters.
What’s next? Has the army transporting grain already set off? Have the deer herders and their reindeer herds moved north?
Before they arrived, Rurik had to live on grilled fish like everyone else. Fortunately, Ironburg has a large stockpile of fish, which are now frozen solid and do not need to be considered rotten. Somewhat worse, these fish are all salmon, that is, salmon. Eating grilled fish every day is really boring.
When Rurik was bored, he noticed something. Those tribal women were actually taking the initiative to hook up with the settled Russian fishermen.
They are actually actively having a relationship, and this relationship is clearly illegal. They do not have a marriage relationship witnessed by the priest.
He simply went to Mechasta directly and got some news that did not surprise him.
"Chief." Yes, Mechasta simply used the Norse vocabulary he learned to call Rurik "chief": "Don't think it's strange, in fact, these things have happened a long time ago. War After that, many men died in my tribe. The women were determined not to marry their relatives. They needed outside men."
"But they didn't marry each other."
"It doesn't matter. Chief, my tribe needs people, a lot of people. Whether they are men or women! I am happy to see the women of the tribe marry your men, and now their lives are stable under your governance. , we don’t have to worry about starvation, cold, or being attacked, so we can have more children and my tribe will recover.Xing, a larger population in the future... will too. Mechasta hesitated for a moment, then said calmly: "More Steel Squirrel tribesmen will pay you more tribute." I have one more request. ”
“You tell. "
"Your...your mercenary. They are extremely strong, if you can..."
"Okay! "Rurik agreed without hesitation with a dull face.
"Huh? real? ”
“Of course. But you should also understand that if the child's father is Rus, then they are not simply Kovins, they are Rus. They are not slaves, but they need to pay taxes. If you are in a hurry, I can arrange my people soon. ”
Rurik seemed to have no hesitation, but in fact he had already gone through a psychological struggle in his mind. Because Mechasta’s hope and the proactive behavior of those women were actually fixed in his mind. There is a conflict between the three views of civilization.
He has been adapting to this wild but extremely real world. People or tribes do anything to survive, and this is also true for recovering the population lost in the war. It’s all nonsense. What kind of morals are there between men and women? It seems like this is all nonsense. The concept of “marriage” is very vague to them.
After all, Mechasta is a man. , if the leader is a woman, I am afraid that the entire tribe will not be a large matriarchal clan.
Oh, at least the community of deer farmers is mostly a matriarchal clan. Rurik especially remembers the rescued one. Deer-herding women are now generally pregnant. As for who the father of the child is, it doesn't matter. Anyway, it is the work of the Russian men.
Rurik overcame his "moral mysophobia." "This is by no means a simple compromise.
If the Ross tribe wants to develop, at a time when technological means cannot significantly improve the efficiency of material production, having a larger population is the optimal solution.
< p>The truth is that all problems are human problems. As long as the population is large, those things that cannot be accomplished can be accomplished.Rurik also thought about using force to force slaves to work. , the overall efficiency of this economic method is questionable, and it is extremely high-risk.
Slaves are generally unreliable, unless they are truly adopted as one of our own, and we are afraid of directly transforming these foreigners into Russians. It's a troublesome job, but their descendants can easily transform it.
Rurik has truly understood that this is a world of jungle, which is more direct, more violent and more violent than he imagined. Unreasonable.
The weak will be beaten. Not being beaten does not mean that it is better to stay aloof, but that the strong are busy attacking others and have no time to care about this.
< p>Whether the mercenaries are really loyal or just for money and wheat, Rurik is more inclined to agree with the latter. If you want to win over them, I am afraid that simple money and food are not enough. Most of them are in their hometown of Merlaren. Young people who can't survive, they have nothing but strengthQi, just came to be a mercenary.Using women to win over them is an effective method.
In this way, all parties can get what they need.
Finally, will Fort Ellon-Olawa experience a baby boom next summer?
Anyway, the two major settlements, Roseburg and New Roseburg, are certain to have a baby boom next year.
The days are getting shorter and shorter, and night occupies most of people's life.
The logging work is carried out every day, but the subsequent workload has been greatly reduced. Some of the towering spruce trees that were discovered were felled in a classic Viking felling technique, and a large number of bowl-thick pine trees were disposed of with saws.
The residents took advantage of the moonlight and aurora to cut off the pine branches with small hand axes, and simply used them as fuel and threw them into the fireplace to burn.
Most of the people who do this work are women. They do it with a smile. They tie the branches with hemp rope and put them into the small sled that is used for pulling. Sometimes they caress their bellies and think. Happy things.
Their attitude towards the Russians had already changed. Rurik's fluent and understandable language, coupled with the feast to reward the woodcutter, reassured them even more.
Rurik’s mercenaries all had relationships with women from Coven’s Iron Squirrel tribe, and the first time was followed by the second time.
The mercenaries who have been providing good food and drink and doing hard work have completely subverted the Kewen women's understanding of "what is a man".
In a difficult environment, weak women long for the protection of strong and promising men. No, a group of dew couples were born, but this dew may not dissipate so easily.
For example, the wives of the settled Ross fishermen are local Covin women.
Everyone has good expectations for next year. Regardless of men or women, the Iron Squirrel tribe is praying for a baby boom. Mechasta didn't say anything, he was calculating in his mind. Why would fifty people be born next year? In another two years, another fifty would be born. As long as there is enough food, the tribe can increase its number by fifty every two years. The population increased at the speed of children, and his imagination was like a big dream in spring and autumn. It seemed that it was not impossible for the tribe to expand to a thousand people in his lifetime.
Of course what Rurik is praying for at this stage is not this, but the long night. He feels that his mercenaries have become a little weak, and even Yevro is weak.
Otherwise, it’s time to kill a reindeer and let them drink raw deer blood to replenish their kidneys.
What he was praying for was a group of people from Rossburg. They were deer herders who drove their herds north for winter grazing, as well as Rurik's mercenaries who were ordered to go north collectively. There is also a large amount of cargo.
It has been half a month since the terrible long snowstorm ended, and the Julian calendar has also reached November 1st. There are still four full weeks before the Russian Hanukkah, but Ailon The fort is more influenced by geography, in fact the settlement’s polar nightsA little longer than Roseburg.
The dimensional difference between the two places is actually very small. The complete polar night in this place only lasts for one and a half days.
The dimensions of this place are indeed very high. Due to its proximity to the sea, even if the sea has frozen, the day and night temperatures in Ironburg are not that extreme on a clear day. The temperature during the day is indeed below freezing, and the temperature at night is basically maintained at about minus ten degrees. Unless there is another snowstorm, the temperature will suddenly drop below minus 20 degrees.
Such a low temperature is not that fatal, as long as you go out wrapped in thick fur, there will be no problem.
Since Ironburg is already a small city, basic city defense measures seem superfluous, but they are necessary.
Some people were ordered to stand guard all night, and they lit a constant bonfire at the frozen dock outside the wooden wall. They warmed themselves by bonfires, took naps, and even grilled stone-frozen fish as a midnight snack.
They are also always equipped with weapons, especially sharp short spears, so that if a wandering polar bear appears, everyone can swarm up and get this unexpected surprise.
What Rurik didn’t expect was that the ever-burning bonfire actually acted as a lighthouse!
A team of deer herders, mercenaries, and a small group of Rosston hunters who decided to set off early organized a team of more than a hundred people and got on the reindeer-drawn carriages of up to forty people. Sleds of various sizes, pulling a batch of fodder and a large amount of wheat, moved north along the frozen coastline.
The navigators are a group of veteran hunters who have participated in many winter hunts. They are experienced and best at setting traps to catch ferrets and forest cats. Being able to possess such abilities just proves that they have the ability to not get lost in the woods, and are most suitable as guides.
The reindeer pulling the sleigh are the servants carefully cultivated by the other three Kovin tribes. They themselves are tools for pulling goods. Compared with the heavy burden that needs to be borne on the Oulu River, the Rus and the goods are, on the contrary, Not very heavy.
The deer herd has multiplied, and there are as many as 400 large and small deer, mixed with a large number of sleds carrying people and goods. The deer herders headed by Alska have taken on the very important job of driving the sleds. It is they who are most capable of training the reindeer herd into obedience.
Deer herders cherish their animal power and will not force the reindeer to work hard. Instead, they will stop at the right time. People will camp and rest on the spot, and the reindeer will eat the hay pulled on the sled. A batch of oats specifically for the reindeer that pull the sleigh.
It was really a luxury to let the deer eat oats, but Rurik reminded his father. When they arrived at Fort Ross, Otto listened to Carlotta's attitude without hesitation, and received similar opinions to Rurik. Who is Carlotta? Her Ostara tribe is good at raising cattle and sheep. There seems to be no essential difference between reindeer and cattle and sheep. If they want to work hard, they must feed wheat.
Luxury is real luxury, and Otto could not forget his lack of experience back then. He actually forced the reindeer to keep walking, and two of them were capturedMore than a hundred deer almost died of exhaustion and starvation on the road.
Alsaka felt that the Ross chief family cared about deer and even used excellent oats as feed.
Reindeer have high digestibility and utilization of cellulose. They obtain all the calories from oats, which shows their strong strength. The reindeer herds move forward quickly in winter and continue to walk fast. That speed is not much different from the speed of a long ship downwind.
In fact, only three days later, that is, the third day of departure, they had reached the northernmost coastline.
They continued to move along the frozen coast, and night fell early. Everyone who was resting on the spot suddenly saw fire lighting up on the ground in the distance, and everyone was no longer calm.
It’s Ironburg! It's the fire of Ironburg!
Is there still time to light a campfire and barbecue?
This team transporting supplies began their final journey, and their sudden visit during sleeping time first frightened the deer herders into thinking it was a bandit attack. After figuring out the situation, the closed wooden door also be opened.
Rurik was awakened by the noise, and he suddenly became energetic again.
Although the timing of their arrival was a little annoying, the army transporting supplies and the deer herders finally arrived.