The villages of the Ludi people are still more backward than the soldiers of the Ross army imagined. One of the "dwarfs" who raise deer is excellent, that is, they gave up their nomadic life and built a permanent settlement on the lakeside.
Their residence is quite similar to the semi-crypt house of the Corvin people in the old days, which makes the current leader of the Vips people, Terravis, feel friendly.
They speak a language very similar to that of the Kovins and the Vips. Terravis learned that these Rudy people are actually related to all Finns, but they are just long-lost relatives. .
But specifically, the Tavastians who have been destroyed and the Karelians who are only half-breathed are both a kind of Finn, and the whole family is in a civil war.
So what? In the past, several tribes of the Kewen people were all related, but as a result, they still fought with each other over the pastures for grazing and the lakes for fishing, which was essentially a second split.
Because there was no difference in appearance from the Ludians, Telavis blended into the Ludian villages with confidence and was able to observe them carefully. As the current leader of the Vips people, it was natural for him to have a full meeting with the heads of the clans of Ludi.
So when the Ross army camped outside the village and smoke was rising from the cooking pots, Telavis became a "reliable old friend" of the Ludians, even though he himself was a Coven.
He is the leader of the Vipus people. Vipus and Rudy have always been servants to Karelia. Now that times have changed, it does not mean that the past friendship between the two groups has collapsed.
The clan leaders gathered in a larger semi-crypt room. There was a hollow in the middle of the house, and under the hole was a slow-burning firewood pile.
All this gave Taravis a great sense of familiarity, as if he had returned to his life a long time ago.
It’s just that the people here are quite stupid in his opinion. Since they have chosen to live in a settled life, why not build a fortress to protect themselves? Even if no one comes to attack, the wall built of wood and soil can effectively block the wind and cold and protect important people and deer.
The Ludi people have no intention of doing this, and the clans do not mention this.
Telavis came as a distinguished guest. After a brief exchange of greetings, the clan leader and the female leader asked one after another about the Vips and the Rus.
In this way, a slightly embarrassing result was learned by the clan leaders.
The female leader asked in shock: "You are indeed not a Vepsian? You are a Covin, are you from further north?"
"Do you know Tavastia? asked Tyravis.
"I know. It is said that there are Suomi people in the west of Karelia."
"Yes. It is said that the ancestors of our Kovin people broke away from Suomi. The leader of Suomi is also in the army now. Maybe you should invite him here. It's not necessary to think about it now. But Tavastia drove us Covin people away, so we kept moving northward until we met the Rus people. We were defeated, but the Russians did not kill us allKilled, now we have been revived. My sister was married to the greatest chieftain of Rus, and I was assigned to rule the Veps. The Vips surrendered without any resistance. Not one of them died, and the population was increasing..."
The clans are not very clear about things further north than Karelia. They have been living Living a very secluded life, only the elderly man slightly remembered the name of Tavastia.
The old man then asked about Tavastia. After all, he was once hostile to Karelia. There is a lot of power.
“Tavastia? They are already dead! We formed an alliance with the Rus, and all the men of Tavastia died, at least ten thousand were killed, and all their women were captured. "
Telavis stopped talking. The clan leaders were clearly warming themselves by the fire, but they were covered in cold sweat.
"What did they... do to those women? Slave girl? ”
“Yes and no. "Telavis shrugged: "Those blond giants (generally referring to blond Vikings) are not picky. The Tavastian women who are still alive have now given birth to children. "
At this point, he changed the topic again: "You should be lucky that you only killed a deer herder during the conflict and did not hurt a real blond Russian. If you really kill one of them, I'm afraid I'm not here as a friend. "
But some clan leaders stood up hurriedly: "Ah! That's a misunderstanding! It's all the Karelians who fled here who are threatening us to start a war with you. It's all a misunderstanding! ”
“Whether it’s a misunderstanding or not is not up to you. "Telavis waved his hand: "At least the prince understands you. Thank you to our benevolent prince! Now we form a coalition to attack the Karelia people. You just need to chop off the enemy's head and offer it to the prince. Your loyalty will be convincing. ”
“That’s the tall and noble young man. I...I would like to dedicate my little daughter to him to show our sincerity. Another clan leader said with bright eyes.
“Forget it. Prince Rus does not care about your women. If you are willing to give your daughter to another man, it may be acceptable. "
So the clan chiefs shut up again, but they heard the implications of these words and made an interpretation that they thought was very reasonable.
Telavis was able to enter the village for the night, And being able to stay in Ludi Village during the short stay of the army was under the instructions of Rurik himself and was assigned some tasks.
The problem of language communication is indeed a big problem, as well. The issue of trust was also prominent. Seeing that Rudy and Vips were allies in the past, Terravis was invited by the Rudy people, so Rurik seized the opportunity to insert the lobbyist.
< p>Telavis wanted to personally dispel the concerns of the Ludi people, but also wanted to do another thing-to command the Ludi army.So when he volunteered, he generally wanted to be the top of all Ludi soldiers. When the commander was in charge, the clan leaders looked at each other and had no questions about this matter.question. As for the elected local man, Makut, he was automatically demoted to deputy commander. As for whether this Markut can become the next leader of Ludi, it depends on his performance in this war.
The Ludi people and the Vips people constituted an army of only 120 people, and they received the task of shooting arrows in the rear safely.
Despite this, Terravis still personally trained some combat tactics in Ludi Village, such as lining up in a line and training these men intensively in a morning to distinguish between left and right, and be able to Holding their inferior short spears, they charged in formation, or gathered together to shoot arrows at the same target. An army cannot be built overnight, but fortunately these men at least have sufficient hunting skills. It is very unrealistic to train them to become makeshift spearmen, but training them in formation archery can be done quickly.
Those Ludi people saw that Telavis was a trustworthy man, and each clan also needed someone in the Principality of Rus who could speak for everyone. It is said that this eighteen-year-old man has the title of earl. They do not understand the nobility of this title. They only know that this man is very important within the principality and has the right to talk and laugh with the prince himself.
Under the encouragement of the female leader’s eyes, each clan selected a beautiful girl from the clan and put it into the arms of Taravis.
Can he, an eighteen-year-old handsome boy with a vigorous, vigorous, tall and strong body, refuse?
Telavis suddenly got five new wives and concubines, and even the Ludians held a simple wedding unexpectedly. Considering that his Vipsarava territory to the west of Lake Ladoga is seriously lacking in population, Terravis can find the perfect excuse to accept these "beauties".
Of course, this romantic affair has already spread in the Russian military camp, and Rurik has no intention of commenting on it.
It was Queen Svetlana who was the incarnation of the "Earthly Valkyrie" who accompanied the army and couldn't help but burst into flames.
"If you see any woman, you can drag her over. Anyway, you can use this to test the control of those tribes."
"Xiao Nizi, I really don’t know if you are smart or stupid... "The words were kept in his stomach, and Rurik did not comment on his wife's words.
With a beautiful woman like her by your side, why do you need other women? Svetlana is already sixteen years old. According to the laws of Tsarist Russia in that plane, this is the minimum time limit for a woman to get married.
Svetlana had long wanted to be a mother, and giving birth to the prince completely confirmed the fact that she was the most noble woman in the principality. She was not anxious when there was no movement a few times before. After all, it took Sister Carlotta a year to become pregnant, and then she gave birth to Duke Carl I.
She comforted herself that as long as it took longer to brew, she would definitely have a boy.
Now that she was satisfied again, all that was left seemed to be her desire to look at the goddess Freya.
The Russian army was fully rested in the Lydian village, and Rurik was not unprepared for the road ahead.
Telavis won the trust of the Ludi people after taking action. After that, LudiIt becomes much easier for the clan leaders who are well-informed among people to describe the remnants of Karelia.
It takes four days for the reindeer sleigh to travel from the village of Ludy to the village where the enemy's remnants are located!
What does this mean? Rurik used his own experience, combined with the descriptions of the vips warriors, deer herders, and Suomi warriors present, to finally have a clearer definition of the distance between Rudy and the enemy's remnants.
Because the sleigh-pulling reindeer simply relies on eating grass to maintain physical fitness, don’t expect it to run very far.
Unless a large amount of high-energy food is stored on the sled, they can become a super powerful "engine".
The Ludi people described arriving in four days, so the Russian army could arrive in three days.
At least one feature of the enemy's remnants is very obvious. They settled next to Lake Onega, and there is a river that can be used as a shortcut for the Russian army's crusade.
The frozen river allows the army to run wildly, and it is located very close to the village of Ludi.
Taking the glacier road is destined to accommodate the twists and turns of the river, but it is definitely a flat road, suitable for the sled team that has stored a large amount of oats and hay, and the Turkic horses, which already have high endurance, are now Relying on "clothing" to solve the problem of keeping out the cold, they will never be left behind.
The newly joined Ludi soldiers were sitting on the supply sled with dried meat and other dry food. They were amazed to see a large number of linen bags filled with oatmeal grains. Many people did not know what oats were at all. Anyway, this thing is edible.
But they couldn't hide in the hut on the manned sleigh, so they had to huddle up in deerskins to keep out the cold.
Now that they have joined the Russian army, they are no longer as strange as they were at first. For example, they know that wooden-framed sunglasses are not an unspeakable treasure. Of course, they are still a good thing, even to the Ludi people themselves. You can also buy it by chance, but the price is about the price of a deer.
The huge sled team ran wildly on an unnamed glacier. The people of Lüdy did not give it a name, so Rurik simply called it "Lüdy River". In fact, this river is the Shula River. It is the largest surface runoff from Lake Onega flowing into Lake Ladoga.
The army was running wildly in the middle area between the two lakes. Since it was already early February, the daylight hours seemed longer. There is no need for the army to force the reindeer and horses to trot all the way. It is enough to keep walking at a brisk pace throughout the day.
They set up a huge camp in the forest beside the river. They used soil saltpeter powder and hay soaked in saltpeter water as combustion aids. They quickly lit the fire with the skill of using a bow and drill to make fire. The speed of making the fire was so fast that Lu Di was shocked. The soldier lamented the miracle.
The herd of deer and horses that had been moving all day finally stopped. They were immediately fed a large amount of oats and supplemented with melted snow water.
Deer eat oats, people also eat them. Of course there are a lot of wheat cakes that can be eaten immediately, but a lot of them are frozen hard under the low temperature. What was originally a soft and delicious meal is no longer beautiful. Everyone cooks swallows on the spotThe wheat is just cooked and scooped into respective wooden bowls, sprinkled with a handful of salt and chewed. Rurik did not favor any of his subordinates, even the newly recruited Rudy's servants had the right to eat oats.
Since all the grain reserves were taken out by the prince from the principal's warehouse, they were theoretically the prince's property. He was happy to distribute the grain to the Ludi people without saying anything.
This was incredible to the accompanying female leader, because the salty wheat was really delicious, and the Russian prince did not break his promise.
The nobles represented by Rurik naturally have to be more particular about eating when they are in the field. He can prepare some hard-frozen hand-rolled noodles and even some frozen dumplings and throw them into the iron pot at will. Just stew it, and then the nobles gather together to eat this delicious meal.
Some bonfires were piled up to serve as simple grilled fish stalls. The fish, with their heads, tails, and guts cut off, were put on wooden sticks and piled on the cargo sled in a rigid manner. Now they are gradually grilling to a crisp. Oily.
This is the embodiment of proper logistics preparation!
While eating grilled fish and chewing wheat, Kagan did not forget it in his heart. If his brother Rurik did not pay attention to this, I am afraid that the entire army would just eat the dried meat and wheat that they should. Pie.
The iron pot will not be broken! Kagan paid special attention to this picnic artifact. It is true that iron is no longer precious among the Russians. It is amazing that they can make such huge cooking utensils.
Nothing else, this is the advantage of the nation that masters pig iron casting. Its rust problem is only a small problem. The key lies in its extreme solidity and its ability to be turned into a weapon after being confiscated by the king when necessary. Therefore, the iron pot is also The flagship product of maritime export in the Southern Song Dynasty.
Kagan is a son of the grassland and a smart man. In the past, he only paid attention to the wonderful weapons of the Russians, but now he takes the opportunity of this expedition to pay special attention to the iron pot.
“I must take an iron pot back, even if it’s a little heavy, I have to take it back.”
The iron pot does not need to be handled with care. In the early morning, the iron pots started to cook again. When cooking wheat, don't be too particular about eating a big pot of rice. In short, pour a large amount of oats in, stir it with a wooden handle shovel, cook it for a while and eat it half-cooked.
When the soldiers of the army wake up at dawn, with the smell of burning pine trees and the fragrance of wheat filling the camp, they can come to eat with tableware.
It is really a pleasure to eat hot oatmeal early in the morning. The soldiers who bring their own salt sprinkle a little salt and then add some bacon bits. Those who have the conditions also add a small amount of butter. A bowl of delicious breakfast is complete.
This surprised the Lüdi people who had at most two meals a day and only one meal most of the time. They also learned that the Russian army had three meals a day when conditions allowed and tried to ensure two meals a day. They did not understand at the same time. And extremely envious.
After the cooking was over, the iron pot was simply cleaned and then thrown directly onto the sled by the handle. No matter how violent the action was, there was no problem, which saved a lot of time for the evacuation work.
Then the problem comes again. Prince Rus and his army were already very powerful and wealthy, so why bother chasing down a group of impoverished Karelia remnants?
Is it really just their prince who desires to conquer the world?
Indeed, if Rurik gives up expansion, the principality will be in a lot of trouble, and even the family's dominance may be shaken. This is an objective reason. As for Rurik's subjective perception, he really intends to expand a large territory, otherwise he will be sorry for his status as a king.
Looking at this Eastern Expeditionary Force, every man is full of desire. Everyone generally does not think that they can get much loot, but the unknown area must have a lot of precious leather resources. Brothers, the Eastern Expedition As long as the purpose is leather.
Since we know the general situation of Pan-Siberian natural resources east of the Varda Highlands and even east of the Ural Mountains, the eastward march to plunder all kinds of leather is bound to be successful! That is more than 15 million square kilometers of cold and sub-arctic zones, especially the east of the Ural Mountains. At this stage, there are probably only one million local indigenous people at most.
The first night was spent like this, and the second one was the same.
On the third day, the atmosphere in the entire army became solemn. Everyone was saying that at this speed, they would reach Lake Onega, which no one had ever seen, this afternoon. and the remnants of Karelia that awaited annihilation.
Although the ending was a bit disappointing, the army settled down and sighed, isn't this really an opportunity given by God?
Because the Ludi soldiers have claimed that this place is very close to their destination. If such an army recharges its energy tonight, eats and drinks well, and rushes away with sufficient energy and physical strength tomorrow, it will surely win easily. .
This is a good plan for the time being, until a bold guy quickly climbs a spruce tree with a "tree climbing artifact", that is, pedals with curved front ends. He stands high and can see far away. , although the current situation can scare people who are afraid of heights. This matter was no more terrifying than being afraid of the mast of a big ship. The man standing tall noticed the sparkling fire in the distance and the strong reflection of the moonlight on the earth.
It’s an ice lake! And that land of shining bonfires is the goal!
He went down from the tree to report the situation. Now there was no need to discuss all the conjectures. All that was left to do was for each soldier to silently polish their weapons. After a good sleep, the whole army would attack after dinner tomorrow.
Especially! The cavalry separated from the main force and launched the first wave of attacks with Prince Kagan of Pecheneg as the vanguard.
Kagan will do his best to do such a great thing.