The golden sunshine shines on the white earth, and the whole world is so pure and sacred.
After leaving the fjord of Roseburg, Rurik was in the team. He was immersed in the clear air of Northern Europe and saw the solemnity and holiness around him.
"Ah? No wonder the ancients would describe this as paradise. Because this is paradise."
The world was plunged into ice and snow, and the north wind was rumbling non-stop in his ears. Rurik felt that his soul had completely calmed down.
"Are we just going to keep going like this?" Rurik asked his father.
"Of course. This is the only fast path we can choose."
Rurik didn't say much. He wrapped himself in the deerskin and paid attention to the magnificence in the distance and the solid footsteps of his charioteer.
It can be said that the entire huge team is moving forward on the frozen sea.
The howling north wind blows across the entire ice surface, making the frozen sea surface very different from the snow-covered land.
The frozen sea is simply a clear path. People on foot don't need to worry about getting stuck in the snow. They can move forward at a faster speed. But they cannot leave the coastline.
, they need the snow-covered coast and the white land not far away as a perfect guide.
In this era when compasses did not exist in Northern Europe and geomagnetism was completely non-existent, hunters followed this northern hunting path.
Everyone generally wore gray and black leather clothes, and some wore white fox hats.
The short day passed quickly, and under the glow of the Northern Lights, the team was still moving forward.
Because the ice and snow covering the entire world reflect moonlight, starlight and even laser light, as long as it is a clear day, the Russians can theoretically travel all night.
After leaving Fort Ross, Rurik felt that his people were always on their way.
Whether it's a short day or a long night, everyone is running along the coastline in an organized manner.
How far could the tribesmen walk in a day just by walking? Rurik could not calculate it with any tool, he could only evaluate it based on experience.
The young warriors of the selected tribes are generally tall, and this advantage in height and strength makes the Russians generally taller than the Novgorodians.
A lot. Just like Kawei’s wife Lilia, compared to Kawei who is good at blacksmithing and has huge arm muscles, Lilia is too thin. People with a little common sense can see that
It turns out that the huge difference in stature between the two people is not a difference between the sexes at all, but because the two ethnic groups have different bloodlines.
However, the Rus and Novgorods are all descended from the "Indo-European" group.
Rumia is not a descendant of Indo-Europeans at all. Although she is twelve years old and has "proof that she can become a mother," she looks more like a child.
son.
She is the kind of woman who doesn't seem to grow up.
For Rumia, it is already remarkable that her height can exceed 160 meters.
In the past year, Rurik has grown a lot in height, and his golden growth period is about to come. Even so, Rurik measured the length of the leather
I used a rope ruler to measure that my height has exceeded 1.3 stikas, which is actually more than 130. In the next few years, Rurik's height will surely increase by leaps and bounds.
, it’s not a bad idea to grow to 160 by the time you’re twelve years old.
A boy with such a height can already become a sword-wielding warrior.
This is not only true for boys. When a girl from the Rus tribe reaches the age of twelve, her height can almost exceed 1.6 stikas.
I'm afraid that this is the reason why the Russians' traditional age of adulthood is set at twelve years old.
A group of tall and strong Russian warriors drove all night, like tireless mules and horses. Only when the stars in the sky moved to the right position did Otto announce a stop.
rest.
Only at this time did the people of Beishou begin to build their own camps on the snow-covered shore.
They piled up snow, quickly built snow walls, and dug snow pits as their own sleeping quarters.
Many people dig semi-burrowed snow pits. They use branches to build a frame over the pit and then cover it with a piece of burlap. Thus, a winter camping tent
This is how it was formed.
After munching on the wheat cakes they had brought with them, Rurik and Rumia took the lead in getting into the tent that could protect them from the wind and cold.
"Haha, am I becoming an Eskimo like this? Bah! The indigenous people in North Asia must live like this, even..." Rurik is confused.
With his thoughts wandering around, he couldn't help but ask his head maid Rumia about the so-called winter life of a deer herder.
"Lumia, did you also live in a pit like this during winter?"
"That's basically it." Lumia, who was lying on the leather cushion, counted her master Rurik's hands and replied calmly: "I...I'm a little in a trance. It's like, you
It's my brother."
"Are you thinking about the past days?"
"A little. I...I'm a little scared. I know you are not my brother."
"No. Today, you will treat me as your biological brother." Rurik coaxed his woman and wiped her tears. "Don't cry anymore. There will be a period of time in the future.
During this time, I also want to experience the winter life of deer farmers. I want to know those people better, you know, I want to treat them well, just like I treat you..."
The girl suddenly remembered the cold night last year, when a boy holding a sword risked his life to defend his heroic appearance. Rumia cried even harder and spoke very boldly.
Then he hugged his master and his brother tightly, as if the two of them were real siblings.
Rurik had the unique experience of sleeping in the snow for the first time. When it got dark, he woke up peacefully.
He and Rumia climbed out of the snow nest and easily smelled the aroma of barbecue filling the air.
Because just in the early hours of the morning, the traps built by some tribesmen who brought special tools came to fruition. The ignorant snow foxes and snow rabbits tried to eat the bait and fell into the trip wire.
Rather than shooting these animals with bows and arrows, it is more efficient to lay traps. This is what most hunters think.
Although the purpose of everyone's action is to engage in a fateful battle with an unknown enemy, the action still has the title of "Northern Hunting", and of course everyone must take the opportunity to hunt.
If everyone steps into a truly unknown land and captures a large number of ferrets, everyone will truly make a fortune.
Otto ate the roasted snow rabbit provided by the tribe. He tore into the half-cooked rabbit meat and took a sip of the strong liquor from the glass bottle. He also ate some wheat cakes he brought with him.
This breakfast is really delicious.
Otto also threw a skewer of roast rabbit to his son.
This roasted rabbit dripping with oil had a ferocious appearance. Rurik started to eat it without thinking much, not forgetting to tear off the legs of the rabbit and give them to Lumia.
Otto saw this scene clearly, and when he thought about the two children sleeping in the same bed yesterday, he couldn't help but joked: "Rurik, you are still too young.
Did you know? Your Rumia is old enough to get engaged. It's a pity that you are not yet twelve years old."
"I'm going to be twelve soon. Dad, you mean, by the time I'm twelve, I'll be a real man?"
Otto deliberately said: "Being a real man is not just about getting your woman pregnant, but also that you need to have some merits. Listen, the more noble a person is, the more noble he is.
Merit...if you can make Rumia pregnant, I will be very happy."
As soon as these words came out, Rumia's heart was strongly shaken. She had a blank expression on her face, and she immediately thought of many things in her mind.
"But she is a deer herder. If she becomes my high priest, could it be..."
Otto understood what his son meant and immediately said: "She can be your high priest or your wife. We are not those Franks in the south.
There are no restrictions on this."
Rurik said oh and handed some of the rabbit meat he had chewed to Rumia.
"In this case, I have to treat my woman better."
Otto held the glass bottle, and he felt that his son's behavior had a deeper meaning.
"We'll be on our way again in a moment. Rurik, you know that prophecy. Vilia's prophecies are never wrong. This time our enemy is not deer herders.
People, but the enemy is very mysterious and we need to stay vigilant."
"I understand." Rurik said perfunctorily: "I hope there will be some mysterious enemies that are easy to deal with. Then my mercenaries will be the first to attack."
Soon, the team set off again.
What makes Rumia very gratified is that the primary target of the Russian attack is no longer the deer herders. Besides, if the Russian army continues to advance along the coastline like this,
Entering, the team will basically not encounter any deer herders.
Rumia, she had already revealed some information about the northern world to Otto, but she also had reservations.
Because of Rumia's appearance, Otto gained a new understanding of the unknown places in the north. For example, the sea at the end of the world is real.
Rumia claimed that when she was a child, she and her family once looked out at the Northern Sea. It is said that the end of the icy sea is the edge of the world. Only when winter comes,
When darkness completely covers the world, the sea will be completely covered by ice and snow. At this time, the brave can step on the ice to explore the end of the world.
Of course Otto believed Rumia's words. After all, the deer herder's statement coincided with the information provided by Vilia.
Regarding this information, Rurik certainly had greater reservations.
Rurik did not explain that the so-called sea at the end of the world was the Eye of Ice, nor did he tell his father and all his tribe the details of the entire world. For example,
He did not indicate the true coastline of the Baltic world on which Rossberg was located.
Rurik felt that sometimes the explanations were too detailed, and the tribesmen could not understand the vast amount of information. In short, they could believe that if they kept walking towards me, they would be able to see "the world."
"The sea at the end of the world" is enough.
If the tribe's army continues to move north, it is almost certain that it will encounter the deer herders who are grazing in winter.
Rumia knew that the deer herders would not venture into the southern coast. They did not want to meet the Vikings or have too much contact with the Finns.
Only the Russian army walked along the coast. Their troops encountered new deer herders, but what was the mysterious enemy?
Rumia, she believed in the prophecy of the high priest even more. When she thought that the high priest pointed out in a not-so-subtle way, this operation was actually carried out by her master, Rurik.
In the first battle, she felt extremely nervous.
The first battle? Who is the enemy? Is it necessary to fight an unknown enemy? Will something go terribly wrong? He... won't be hurt.
The changes in things cannot be influenced by Rumia, and even the marching route of the Ross tribe cannot be influenced by human will.
The march lasted four full, short days.
Along the way, they were marching and hunting.
In the past days, many tribesmen have gained a lot. The supplies on the sleds dragged by some people have actually increased.
Unless there is a special need, the Russians do not consume precious wheat. They try their best to satisfy their hunger by hunting snow rabbits and fox meat, and peel off the furs to keep and sell them for money.
They also pay special attention to preserving the fox's leg bones and processing them into special tools.
Compared with the tribal warriors with short wooden bows, Rurik's crossbow has gained a lot. Because it can aim and shoot, the heavy arrows fired are very powerful, and the tribesmen
What I saw was that hunting suddenly became easier.
Jevro led his men and lost five crossbow arrows (which flew into the thick snow and could not be found), but surprisingly hunted more than fifty snow hares, and
Ten white foxes.
It's funny to say that those white foxes deliberately stopped and saw strange things approaching them. They felt that the distance was still safe, and their bodies just made a flight.
As he was preparing, he was suddenly hit by a crossbow arrow. The arrow could even penetrate the fox's body. The snow fox was killed on the spot. It was like this that the fox's fur had two huge holes.
, making its sales look poor.
But it also truly proves the lethality of heavy crossbow arrows against flesh and blood.
According to Yevlo's claim, everyone who tried their luck in the nearby woods also encountered a group of Arctic wolves. However, the wolves chose to retreat, causing Rurik to miss a
An opportunity to get the wolf's skin.
Rurik's mercenaries did not succeed in hunting the wolf, but some of his tribesmen succeeded.
Soldiers who killed Arctic wolves cut off the wolf's head and inserted it into the spearhead of their own short spears, which they used as marching staffs. Such people did not bother at all, just to show off the wolf.
Show off your strength to others.
For four or five days, the Ross tribe's army continued to move towards the end of the so-called "explored world". The Northern Hunting operation so far has been a true exploration of the world.
of hunting.
Some experienced young hunters who held bows and arrows in the revenge battle against the Gotlanders at the end of April were not holding very good hunting bows, but their snow fell.
A large number of rabbit skins were accumulated on the sled.
Along the way, the team crossed several frozen rivers, and soon the team also made an obvious geographical bend.
The team no longer goes straight to the north, but goes straight to the east along the coastline.
Soon, the fishermen accompanying the team recognized a large river frozen by ice.
The fishermen of the Ross tribe have long thought that the waters north of Rossburg were lacking in fish resources. However, some brave fishermen decided to conduct an on-the-spot investigation.
As a result, there are indeed few fish in the northern seas, but there are large populations of salmon and trout in several nearby rivers.
The mouth of the river in this area is quite far from Roseburg, and the migration of salmon happens to be in September, which is already very cold. Fishermen generally do not want to take risks for fear of
I caught the fish myself, but the fishing boat was frozen on the sea.
This time, after exchanging opinions with a group of young fishermen accompanying them, they clearly informed the leader Otto: "This is the Salmon River that has been explored by brave men."
"Salmon River"? A very strange and unfamiliar name.
Otto thought for a while, maybe last year's expedition to the north, the team passed the upper reaches of the river, but at that time everyone helped on the way, and the so-called scenery they saw was
Everything is brand new. In those extremely cold and harsh conditions, people exploring are full of fear of the unknown world.
After learning that his tribe had actually explored this place in the summer, Otto no longer felt that the road he had traveled before was a so-called adventure road.
But the route that should have been traveled by ships in the past has become the feet of brave people this time.
Facing the wide frozen river, under the "scorching sun" of the short day, Otto raised his sword high and shouted: "Brothers! This salmon river is our Roman Empire."
The limit of human exploration! Let us cross this river to explore the unknown world and fight the unknown enemy! Brothers! Follow me!"
Otto said no more, and did not even make the sled.
He held high his patterned Damascus steel sword and took the first step across the river in the name of the great leader.
Seeing this, people who were deeply encouraged followed closely behind.