Chapter 295 The Kewen Altar under the hill and the funeral four months late
The proud polar bears who dominate the northern ice and snow world only truly realize who is the real master of the ice and snow world when they see the sudden mass deaths of their companions.
They all gave up the food in their mouths, although the food that started to smell bad was just a meal they had to eat to restore their strength after ending hibernation.
They began to turn around and flee towards the woods, but could not really escape the hunter's pursuit.
It's like war!
When the polar bear towers its head majestically, the hunters of Kewen must be on high alert. Now that they have escaped, the hunters no longer care about the trapped beasts and are still fighting. They, who are relatively short in stature, rely on the iron spears and bows and arrows in their hands.
Chasing and beating the fleeing bear.
However, the Russian mercenaries interpreted what was called the great change in the hunting era!
The cheapest, single-use glass arrow cluster crossbows were loaded, the mercenaries fired freely, and the fleeing bears were also hit by arrows.
Even if there are no arrow feathers, those arrows that can be shaved to have a slightly flat tail can barely remain stable in high-speed flight.
A large number of crossbow arrows hit the bears before the Kovin pursuers, and the bears fell down in pain while running clumsily and frightened.
Just like what Rurik and blacksmith Klavason discussed at the beginning, the production cost of crossbow arrows with glass arrow clusters is very low, but they have very special lethality against lightly armored units.
The relatively sharp glass arrows pierced the bear's skin, and the arrows broke inside the bear's body. The more the bear struggled, the more foreign objects in its body cut through its fragile organs, causing continuous damage.
The hunters of Kewen rushed forward one after another and stabbed the struggling bear. After completing the kill, their targets immediately changed.
Let's talk about these polar bears.
They have ended their hibernation, dragging their hungry and emaciated bodies everywhere to look for food. They are omnivorous creatures, so they will also eat scavengers under extreme circumstances.
They smelled the faint stench in the air, and spontaneously ran to the quiet mines, where they found food that could satisfy their hunger at the foot of the hillside.
They are scattered hunters, and usually only in September during the "salmon tide", they will gather in large numbers at some river mouths to catch the fish they need in peace. The biggest reason why they maintain harmony is that there is sufficient food for a period of time.
, and now, in order to fill their stomachs, they no longer care about the existence of a large number of competitors.
Bears are bears, they only have animal nature. When faced with the strange things that are constantly approaching, they do not retreat first.
It is this hesitation that has made mankind a fortune.
There were more than 30 bears gathered near the mine at one time, but as many as 20 were hunted together!
The unprecedented success shocked Mechasta, and what shocked him even more was that in all the hunting, it was almost the crossbows in the hands of the Ross mercenaries that completed the first and most important kills.
The crossbow has enhanced the hunter's combat effectiveness like never before, but it has also greatly increased the brutality of the war.
Just like these pitiful dead who began to decay and became delicious meals for polar bears, they were all members of their own tribe, and almost all of them died from crossbow shooting.
Mechasta found several rusted crossbow arrows with feathers, and combined with the smashed faces of some dead people, he determined that the murder weapon was a crossbow.
All members of the missing expedition except for the executed Woima Kashad have been found, and here they are, exposed in the wild for five full months!
Subsequent large troops arrived one after another. When Rurik stood under the mine again, he saw that the vanguard troops were holding daggers full of bear blood and cutting off the entire bear skin.
The bear's head was cut off first. It was heavy and ferocious and required a hunter to hold it up with all his strength.
Being able to hold and hold a bear's head high is a self-proof of a hunter's strength.
Now, Mechasta collected twenty bear heads and arranged them in a more orderly manner for his master to review.
Rurik finally arrived, and his ankles were a little sore from the long trek.
This is probably the case for most people. In fact, everyone's clothing, especially the leather boots on their feet, is more suitable for walking on snow and ice. Trekking on pine needle mats is really strenuous.
Seeing the arrival of his little master, Mechasta didn't bother to wipe the bear blood from his face and hurried to report the situation.
Rurik just wanted to take a break, but when he saw Mechasta running over looking a little embarrassed, he had to ask cautiously: "What's going on? What monster did you fight with? The blood stains on your face..."
"It's a bear! It's bear blood." Mechasta bowed slightly with joy, "Please come with me quickly and take a look at our trophies."
"Then let's go." Rurik shook his neck and motioned to his resting subordinates to continue on their way. Finally, everyone stood on the top of a low hill to complete today's action.
He led his men, especially the boys who were leaving Roseburg to see the world for the first time.
When everyone saw a large number of ferocious bear heads piled on the soft pine needle ground, even Rurik couldn't help but take a breath.
"These...were all those you just killed?" Rurik asked cautiously.
By this time, Mechasta lost his previous joy and said with a stern face: "Master, we have killed many bears, but some have escaped."
"It doesn't matter. I think you have never killed so many bears in one go in your life."
"What you said is absolutely true. But to attract a large number of bears to one place for encirclement and suppression, we really need some bait."
Bait? Rurik was very excited when he heard this. He saw that the pioneers he sent out had no casualties, but the bears were hunted on a large scale. Can hunting bears be like fishing and casting nets to catch fish? Just release some
Can a large number of hunts be completed using bait?
But he noticed Mechasta's solemn expression and realized that this matter might not be simple.
"Tell me, what bait are you talking about?" Rurik asked.
"It's right there, please...come with me."
Hearing his words, Rurik suddenly understood, and his nose also smelled a faint stench in the air that was different from the smell of blood, like seal meat that had been left out for several days.
Rurik signaled all the warriors of the tribe to follow him, including the boys and girls under his command.
He already knew what he would see next. When he thought about the terrible scene he would see, he could have ordered all the children under his command to avoid it, but when he thought about today's era, he had to live strong in such a wild world, even if it was
Children, perseverance also needs to be like steel. Mental stimulation?! Come on then! Young warriors cannot be afraid of corpses.
Rurik knew that the team had evacuated here at the beginning of the year, and the large forces had collected some of the dead corpses of the enemies, but there were still many scattered in the wilderness and no one was collecting them.
He finally followed Mechasta's footsteps and approached the so-called "mass grave", which was a snow nest where dead bodies were piled up selected by the Russians a few months ago.
Most of the ice and snow has melted, and a large number of dead bodies are lying on the pine needles. They begin to decay rapidly, and their broken bodies become transformed, and a large amount of green grass is also struggling to grow.
Many children covered their mouths and noses, and Rurik's maids huddled together in fear, subconsciously covering their eyes.
Like Saipolava, she threw herself directly into her brother's arms, not daring to look at the corpses of her clan members.
As for the Carlotta sisters, they just hunched over and stared quietly. It cannot be said that their hearts are cold-blooded, but they have already experienced more terrifying mental stimulation than this, and once again saw a large number of deaths, their hearts
Already numb.
The mood of the Ross warriors did not fluctuate. Some of those who had witnessed the battle recalled the environment here and began to recall the battle.
Mechasta looked dejected. It is true that any leader would feel sorry to see the large number of corpses of his people. This man's sad look was a bit familiar to Rurik. He thought his father Otto was talking about tombstones.
The graves on the island also showed the same sad look.
"Yes, these people are your men. I participated in that battle, and I shot your soldiers. I must do this, otherwise I will be the one lying here..." Rurik's words were extremely serious.
He was explaining the rationale for killing his enemy.
Mechasta had no intention of blaming him for this. He just felt hatred when he saw the corpses of his tribe. When he thought of the strong military power of the Russians, any thoughts of resistance immediately disappeared. We can say that this guy has betrayed
He was once a courageous coward, but he was indeed rational and realized another way to survive: if you can't defeat them, then become one of them.
Mechasta still had a dull face: "Master, I have only one request. I hope to bury them and build a tomb for them here."
"Okay! I've had this idea for a long time. We have already arrived under the mine. Let me tell you, the top of the mountain is the mine developed by your expedition team, and there are also the bodies of your people on it."
"Ah!?" Another piece of bad news came like a bolt from the blue. Mechasta's body trembled suddenly, and then he begged with a trembling voice: "I hope you can allow us to bury them all."
"Of course. Not only do I need to be buried, I also need to set up a tomb area. Your shaman is still in the team. I will help your people complete a tomb before the sun sets today and give you permission to perform sacrifices.
."
Suddenly, Mechasta's nose felt sour, and he knelt down suddenly, thanking the Russians for their kindness.
Ah, although it was indeed the Russians who killed the expedition members. Mechasta no longer cares whether the current determination of the Russians is hypocritical, because things are developing just as Rurik said, and the Russians have really begun to decay.
Fill the corpse directly with soil to make a big tomb!
One shovel after another began to dig into the slightly wet soil, and a group of people from the Iron Squirrel tribe began to use various tools at hand, or just their hands, to bury their dead members.
Some women recognized the deceased as their relatives. They buried the deceased in grief, but could not bring up their hatred for the Russians.
They had to compromise, but the development of things made them more and more happy.
The tribe's shaman, Porla, has always been alive and well. When she lived in Rossburg, everyone believed that this woman was recognized by the Ross people.
Why is this happening? Perhaps the most direct reason is that she is a psychic.
The tribesmen were burying the corpses. From time to time, male tribesmen and Russian mercenaries would wrap the limp corpses in coarse cloths and walk down from the top of the mountain, throwing the bodies into the graves. The Russians were cleaning what they were supposed to have done four months ago.
A well-cleaned battlefield.
They even threw the spears and small wooden shields they found into the graves as burial objects for the deceased.
Throughout the burial process, the wizard Porra, who was dressed like an owl, twisted her body violently in the sun and muttered words that no one could understand.
She was actually relaxing, and even the mumblings on her lips were meaningless words made in compliance with her heart.
She is such a person, who firmly believes that everything has animism and that she can talk to the dead in the sea of souls.
She fell into madness and subconsciously believed that the soul of the deceased could return to the sea of souls because it was rested, and the deceased had no hatred for the Russians who killed her. Whether it was out of inner meditation or simply
For political purposes, the shaman in his madness had already thought of what he should say during the evening sacrifice.
Mechasta led his people to bury the dead, and Rurik fully supported it. They did this slowly, but Rurik led his own Rus tribesmen and climbed up the low hill.
The mines developed by the Kovin people were once again occupied.
Although four months have passed, traces of the destroyed tents are still visible. Various signs indicate that there were human activities here, and now humans have occupied this place.
Without Rurik's orders, Kawei was already armed with an ax and a hammer for rock-cutting and began to dig out the open-pit ores that could be found everywhere.
I have to say, the ore is really easy to find! Although the entire mine contains a large amount of gray granite, excellent metallurgical experts stood on the top of the mountain and identified the veins at once.
The formation of chromite is special. Magma rich in iron and chromium is accidentally pushed to the surface by the mantle, forming thin filamentous veins. The color of them is essentially different from the surrounding granite. This difference is visible in the eyes.
It is really shown vividly below.
Kawei and his blacksmith students from the Salmon Lord began digging and quickly stuffed the broken rocks into the prepared linen bags. It was really a physical job to take away the ore, and Kawei had already
He can't care so much anymore. After all, in his opinion, the biggest obstacle that troubles his family's iron smelting has never been the lack of labor force in ironmaking, but the difficulty in obtaining ore. Not to mention high-quality ore, even low-quality ore is difficult to obtain.
acquired!
Different from the reddish iron oxide and black magnets in the mountainous area of Roseburg, the iron ore here looks more metallic, in short, very shiny. Kawei doesn’t know yet that this is chromium
Iron ore, he actually knew that there was an element marked cr on the "elements table" that Rurik took out, but he had no way of knowing its actual existence.
In fact, this is not surprising, because there is only one chromium ore in the whole of Europe, and it was discovered by humans in 830 AD. What is very interesting is that the first people to discover chromium ore in this plane actually gradually left the Stone Age and entered the Iron Age.
One branch of the ancient Finns was supposed to be the Kovin people, who had only legendary concepts in history.
History has finally returned to normal in some respects. The Kovin people finally settled at the mouth of the northernmost river in the Gulf of Bothnia, as the legend goes. They settled because of the iron mines. As altars and tombs were set up, the Kovin people settled down.
The literati have migrated not far away.
The unnamed river finally has a name. Its name should have been "Kemi River". Due to a slight change in history, it was naturally pronounced "aironorava" in the language of the Kovin people, which is also "Iron Squirrel River". The name is indeed
Somewhat strangely, it is named after the Kovin tribe that settled here.
The sky was getting dark, and all the people who went to the mines had to sleep in the forest this night.
Everyone was not afraid of sleeping in the open. They lit a bonfire and began to cut the meat of the polar bear and grill it on the fire to satisfy their hunger.
A huge tomb was filled with earth, and the tribal shaman also ordered a huge pyre to be built out of pine branches.
Kawei took the children and went down the mountain carrying heavy ores. To smelt these ores, a furnace needs to be built, which takes a while. Due to exhaustion, Kawei did not want to do anything, and his eyes gradually focused on the bustling Kewen people.
.
"Haha, are you preparing for a major sacrifice? Are you praying for the dead?"
Although he is not a warrior, nor does he believe in Odin, the patron saint of warriors. As an admirer of the God of Blacksmiths, he has doubts about the Hall of Valor. After learning about the Covin people's belief in the sea of souls and animism, he
My own beliefs have become even more confusing.
"Perhaps the gods of the eastern land will protect these people forever."
The Iron Squirrel tribe needed a key priest to reassure its people. Rurik knew this very well, and this time she decided to participate in it personally.
In his opinion, spiritual conquest is obviously more effective than conquest and suppression by force.
Rurik needed to be recognized by these tribesmen, but they knew that the Ross leader valued them and respected them.
But almost all the Russians had no interest in the bonfire sacrificial activities of the foreigners. They didn't care about the noise of those people, so they lit their own bonfires by the woods, set up their shacks, and ate a few mouthfuls of the salty and delicious food.
The big bear meat was boiled with some wheat kernels that he brought with him, which was enough for a meal, and then he fell into a drowsy state and rested.
It is really difficult to get your own people to participate in the rituals of foreign tribes. But Rurik will not participate alone. Even if it is for money, his mercenaries will also participate in the bonfire sacrifice as representatives of the Ross warriors.
.
Some Russians fell asleep, and some, out of boredom, could only watch the Covins, men, women, old and young, dancing crazily in front of the bonfire.
Rurik, this time he actually joined in this crazy bonfire dance.
In fact, the so-called dance is that everyone gathers in a ring, circles around the bonfire, and mutters some simple prayers of the Kewen people.
"God of Owls! Appear! Communicate with the sea of souls! Let the dead return!"
Most of them were muttering these words, although it felt a bit absurd. Rurik and his mercenaries were just mingling with the Kovin people and praying for the dead.
You should know that although the Rus will also pray for the dead, this work is usually performed by a professional group of priests who receive support.
Rurik actually put aside his noble glory and participated in the sacrifice of the defeated. In a daze, the men and women of the Kovin people thought that this Rus child who understood his own language was the person who had received the divine messenger.
The people circling were divided into three levels. Right in front of the crackling fire, the shaman Porra was trembling violently, as if he was caught in the horn wind.
As her madness suddenly ended, the crowd in circles knelt down one after another.
Of course, Rurik and his mercenaries withdrew. After all, they were not from Kovin.
The shaman recited ancient and obscure incantations while playing her harmonica in her mouth, emitting sounds that could not be found in nature, as if she was the medium to communicate with the sea of souls.
She was praying, and finally, after a surly roar, she announced the result that everyone wanted most.
"Their souls have returned to the Sea of Souls! They finally rest in peace! They no longer have hatred for the Rus people! They hope that our lives will return to peace."
Upon hearing this, all the people who were kneeling stood up, and for a moment, many people burst into tears of joy.
Now Rurik completely understood. After asking himself, he had to admire the wit of this female shaman.
Since the senior members of the Iron Squirrel tribe have sworn to cooperate, they are also guiding the cooperation of other tribesmen. Under the current situation, Rurik feels that he is still short of a major promise of his own.
He approached the fiercely burning bonfire and said loudly: "People of the Iron Pine Tribe! This is your new home. Your cemetery and altar have been established. You will perform your own sacrifices without any interference. You will do
Follow the work I have entrusted to you. In the future, you only need to pay me a part of the tribute and organize people to fight for me during the war. My descendants and I will recognize that you are the most loyal slaves of us Russians.
If you are loyal to me, I will protect you. From now on, you will make a living by forging iron tools, hunting wild beasts, and cutting down trees. You will provide me with a large amount of iron, animal skins, and wood in exchange for my oats and other supplies.
supply.
I joined your priesthood. I participated in the battle and killed these dead. The spirits of the dead have forgiven me.
Now please all of you agree to my rule, and you will receive eternal benefits for your loyalty."
In the final analysis, Rurik is emphasizing one thing: surrender will be treated favorably.
But he did not expect that the simple tribesmen believed in the "revelation of the Owl God" even more. God's meaning was very clear. Although Rurik was a Rusian, he could indeed exist as one of his own.
Justice is in people's hearts, and Rurik's generosity and support are seen and benefited by these civilized people. Especially after this sacrifice, no one treats Rurik as an outsider anymore. They have evolved into
He is more willing to kneel down and worship Rurik than his real leader, Mechasta.
No, Mechasta was the first to kneel down, causing other tribesmen to kneel down one after another, and even the shaman also knelt down.
The good show developed like this. Rurik himself watched all this with an expressionless face, while the Russians who had not slept to watch the whole show stood up one after another. They all exclaimed silently, King Rurik was completely tamed.
Taming those tribesmen was like taming a herd of calves.