Those Lüdi women were temporarily put under centralized custody. Since they would all be dragged to Novgorod, they must first be purified before they can adapt to the new life.
Their old clothes were thrown away, and they were pushed collectively into the steam room to take a sauna, where their bodies were cleansed with soap and then rinsed in the shower.
Thanks to the help of the Finnish Suomi people living in the city, the purification work was carried out smoothly.
This kind of bathing behavior was an unprecedented experience in their lives. Many women got soap in their eyes and screamed when they were stung.
At first they were nervous, fearful and curious, but after a few more visits they got used to it.
They were uniformly distributed with clothes and even leather jackets that were extremely effective in keeping out the cold.
They were able to eat wheat sesame cakes that they had never eaten before, as well as a large amount of broth, vegetable soup, and even honey water.
The surrendered female leader of Ludi was very confused. Is this the attitude of the Russian people towards the so-called "own people"? After surrendering to Rus, will all the Ludi people have a similar life experience?
The old lady went to the countryside and took a hot bath as the Romans did, and she felt like she had been reborn. Since she had surrendered, she had to further show her surrender, so she happily changed into the white bearskin coat given by the Russians and the fox fur hat with glass beads on it.
The lining clothes were soft and fit, and the old lady quickly learned to use the more amazing sanitary products such as soap and toilet paper.
The female leader is only fifty years old, but her appearance looks like she is eighty years old.
The Ludi people live in such a harsh way of life that it is rare for both men and women to survive to the age of fifty.
The new-looking female leader was authorized to visit the huge city wall, and her visit was deliberately guided by Rurik. The purpose was to deeply shock the old lady and declare the absolute power of the strong.
She saw a large number of huge ships moored at the frozen pier, rows of long ships deliberately towed up the frozen river, and then taken to the shipyard to observe the construction of large ships.
Because the ice and snow would melt away in four months at most, the Russian navy was unbeatable when it entered the Great Lakes.
She also saw the training of the cavalry, and the heroic figures of the horsemen never occurred to her. The old lady had never even seen a horse, and thought the men were riding giant deer without antlers.
It’s so amazing that they can shoot arrows while riding a “giant deer”! No! They can also run wildly while riding a “giant deer” holding their spears high.
They were "giant deer" without antlers, and they seemed to be in large numbers. However, they were much inferior to the black reindeer herds, and the female leader was deeply shocked. She never imagined that the Russians were not only raising deer on a large scale, but also that the Russians had surrendered early.
What the Lapps say is true, the Rus have countless deer!
What does it mean to intuitively reflect the strength of a tribe? The Ludi people simply regard the number of deer they raise as the first criterion.
She could only think of the concept of "a lot" as the Russians had as much iron and ships as they did. After seeing the huge herd of deer, she almost fainted immediately.
"The Russians are a powerful force that I must not neglect..." she thought...
With this thought in mind, after the visit, the female leader Ludi hurriedly met with Rurik to report what she had seen, heard and felt. She apologized from the bottom of her heart for the wrong battle, even though the Ross Bear Hunting Team was the real intruder.
Rurik sat in the high hall, and the humble female leader sat cautiously on the ground.
"Now you see my true power, see this city. How about that?"
"As powerful as a stag, we are as humble as a squirrel." The female leader did not have very good words to describe it.
Rurik nodded: "Is this your answer? Very good. I didn't call you here to listen to your praises!"
At this point, Rurik's eyes suddenly became sharp: "There are only you and me here. I believe you know very well that if you commit any disobedient behavior in the future, you will receive the most severe punishment from me."
"Yes! How dare we disobey. We are your servants."
"Okay. Since you are a servant, you should behave like a servant. I have come up with a plan, and now I need to hear your opinion."
"Ah? Me? I am a humble servant, how can I have an opinion?"
"You are a smart man!" Rurik said clearly, "The Karelia people are my enemies, and they must be destroyed by me if they attack my servants. As you said, a group of Karelia exiles have arrived
There is another big lake to your east, is this true?"
"There is such a thing."
"That big lake is called Onega in your language?"
"That's true." She said with surprise.
Rurik nodded: "Obviously, our territory of Rus must be expanded to Lake Onega. As for the people who happen to live by that lake, they will be rewarded if they submit to me. If they submit, they will be punished for disobedience. If they resist resolutely, they will be exterminated."
!I will send troops to conquer there. You! And you Ludi people must pay the obligation to surrender!"
The so-called obligation is that the Ludi people must send troops to fight. Even if everyone knows the so-called bad nature of Ludi soldiers, sending troops is exactly the same as submitting a certificate of honor.
This kind of behavior is just like the Austro-Hungarian Empire forcing the Principality of Liechtenstein to send a "strong army" of 80 people to go out. Although these people are destined to be fishy in the whole process, the political symbolism is the most important. This is what the emperor sent under his command.
The duke's "theatrical performance" to demonstrate the emperor's power.
But the Rudy people will not only have performance value.
Although Rurik is very aware of the existence of Lake Onega, he also knows that there is small runoff that can directly lead to the White Sea.
The Soviet Union built the canal on the basis of tiny streams like streams on the surface, so that the Gulf of Finland and the Arctic Circle had a navigable waterway. It was a canal with a limited depth, and it was impossible for warships to use it.
At this time, the people of the Principality of Rus did not even know about Lake Onega. As for the White Sea, it was also an illusory concept of the region. But even if they knew it, Rurik was convinced that he must conduct an on-site investigation before exploring the natural resources there.
.
At least he knew that Tsarist Russia built a city where the shallow runoff of Lake Onega meets the mouth of the White Sea, and also built the ice-free port of Arkhangelsk around the White Sea.
One of the characteristics of the White Sea is that it does not freeze on a large scale in winter. It is the eastern end of the North Atlantic Warm Current, but further east is Novaya Zemlya. It must be covered by the vast Arctic Circle ice cap, and it is also the geographical location of the Arctic Ocean route.
end.
The female leader continued to be ordered to describe the humanistic situation around Lake Onega, pointing out that there were new large-scale Karelian camps on the lakeside, and that there were also some scattered and free Karelian clans in the northern world. She also pointed out that south of the lake was another kind of
A force called the Perm people, they live around a large market in the far east, and the free Perm clan has traveled to many places.
Perm is the pan-Finnish-Ugric word meaning directly refers to the commercial center, and the natural conditions there are not really bad.
The female leader mentioned a situation. The so-called Karelia people launched an expedition and recruited a group of Perm herdsmen to join the group. There was indeed a presence of Perm people during the battle with the Rus.
"Perm people? They are another tribe that I want to conquer. Unfortunately, I just want to destroy Karelia now and vent my evil anger on my servants."
The female leader's political sense immediately smelled something strange. Did the Russians plan to go on an expedition to seek justice for the servant? Bah! Venting the servant's anger was the result of the expedition. The Russians were greedy and they just wanted to rob.
Fortunately, Rudy has surrendered.
Rurik issued an order that must be carried out: "You must send men to fight, and I will also give you certain weapons to show that you have not lost my face. Your men will serve as guides and lead our army to find the remnants of Karelia."
The camp is a great achievement, and you will have the right to participate in the plunder of the final spoils."
This does not sound like an unbearable job. On the contrary, Rudy can enjoy part of the war dividends. They are already living in extreme poverty, such as those women who laugh happily after eating a little wheat cake. They have an extreme desire to improve their lives.
, as for morality, they only have the most primitive and simple morality - they are not my master, family, or friends, and it doesn't matter if they die.
Chief Ludy will not only send troops, she herself is the first guide. This is not over yet, at the upcoming meeting, she must participate as a representative and explain her situation to the generals, officials, businessmen, etc. of the Principality of Ross. This matter
It is very important. If ventilation is not provided in advance, it would be a misunderstanding for the Ludians to come to New Roseburg to do business and be regarded as barbarians and robbed.
Rurik issued the plan for the winter expedition, which was so sudden that the people in the city were generally surprised.
Why did the prince suddenly issue such a statement? Didn't he decree that there would be no war this winter? Anyway, war always comes uninvited, and the world is never peaceful.
The most powerful First Flag Team spread out to hunt everywhere. Flag Captain Arik was having fun with his beloved wife Asraqi and playing with his children.
For example, Ragnar and his brothers started working as lumberjacks on the spot. Now they worked odd jobs in the shipyard, earning daily wages to buy leather locally. He was a very ambitious man, and his brothers
Likewise, it is naturally impossible to work for one day and play for three days, even if there is a lot of fun in New Roseburg.
The city was filled with men eager to make a fortune through robbery, and they quickly turned to ecstasy at the news.
Only Prince Kagan of Pecheneg was quite surprised: "Winter is not a good time for war. Do the Russians have to conquer the people in the far north now?"
Kagan received the request for a meeting. He thought that his brother asked Pecheneg to send troops together. He went to the meeting bravely. He did not intend to make any objections, but he was worried that the cavalry would freeze to death. Likewise, he did not
Having seen how the Russians fought, I really wanted to see the Russian army perform killings.
The female leader Ludi entered the Russian Duma parliamentary chamber next to Harvest Square. On the other side, this location is the Senate of Tsarist Russia, which is indeed the place where the nobles discuss politics.
A large group of people who were eager to try entered the venue, and the whole scene was quite noisy. People with big beards rushed to open their mouths and vowed to plunder new trophies.
Before the meeting, Arik received the news and issued a convening order, asking the soldiers of the first hunting banner in the north to come back.
Most of the army is in Novgorod in the south, but fortunately there are sufficient troops in Novorossberg.
The son of the governor, Konuson the Younger, was able to quickly recruit a force of 300 men. Together with other miscellaneous personnel, according to Rurik's winter plan, a team of 500 men was enough.
As Rurik entered the room, the noisy parliament room fell silent for an instant.
Everyone listened attentively and were quite disappointed when they learned that the prince planned to organize five hundred people.
The venue became chaotic again, and Rurik waved his hand to maintain order.
"Are you angry if I don't let all of you go looting? I want to wipe out only the remnants of Karelia, and there is no need to send out a large army. Besides, I will pay for the military expenses of this expedition. If you send private soldiers, you can do it. All the expenses will be paid by yourself.
Take. I will personally order the troops to defeat the enemy's remnants, and then explore the new Lake Onega..."
This description did not convince the public very well. Rurik added: "Don't think too highly of the Karelia people. We did not get any gratifying loot twice in a row, and it is the same this time. The significance of the expedition is higher than
During the war, businessmen who want to make a big fortune in one fell swoop, our army can make a small fortune at most, so I advise you to stay in the city."
The eager people finally calmed down, and a short old woman stood up tremblingly.
Surrounded by a group of powerful people, the old lady tried her best to remain calm, but she couldn't speak for a while. She stumbled and described the situation in the Rudi dialect of ancient Finnish, and everyone heard it like the song of a bird.
Thanks to the deer farmer who was present as a translator, the situation was not awkward.
As the female leader said, the remnants of the Karelian tribe were extremely poor and had nothing but some reindeer.
Then the question arises again, wouldn't it be very boring to conquer them? Is it really an exploration mission that the prince insists on?
People who thought about making a fortune from war had given up, and even Arik felt that this was too unnecessary. He was the prince's blood cousin, and it was necessary to support his younger brother, but he no longer expected the glory of the expedition.
There is a good thing. Arik, Ragnar, and Blue Fox, the trio who went on an expedition to Bremen together, can also enhance their friendship by getting together and going on an expedition together again.
After dispatching 500 people for an expedition, Rurik thought of the incident where 800 Cossacks killed the Siberian Khanate. Who were the Cossacks? Aren't they just nomadic armed groups formed by the mixture of Turks and Slavs in various southern Russian regions? Pechene
Ge people are one of their ancestors.
In a sense, the "Eastern Expedition" organized by Rurik, which mixed Rus and other Vikings, Pan-Finns, Slavs and Pechenegs, was similar in nature to the Cossacks' Eastern exploration.
This meeting did not cause a sensation because of the special purpose of the Eastern Expedition, and subsequently it did not cause a sensation in the city.
The army gathering operation has begun, and the soldiers belonging to the Slavic Banner Corps stationed in New Rossburg have begun to assemble. The soldiers of the First Banner Corps, composed of old Russians who received the news, began to return.
A group of Viking warriors from other tribes in the city sent manpower, and Rurik even rented a small group of private soldiers loyal to the visiting merchants.
The five hundred people were quickly assembled. The core combat strength of the army was one hundred and thirty cavalry. As for the other four hundred people, their composition was complex, and there were many ruthless people among them.
Rurik gathered warriors from the main ethnic groups in the principality as well as warriors from foreign ethnic groups, mixed them into an army, and spoke in Norse and Slavic.
The personnel seems to be too mixed, but upon closer inspection, the main force of the army is the Vikings! Of course the old Russians are Vikings, and they are still a quite powerful part.
As a down-and-out Danish nobleman, Ragnar only brought thirty brothers, but they were all war mad selected from Denmark's actual civil war, and their strength should not be underestimated.
They uniformly changed their uniforms, each one put on a white robe, and stitched blue stripes to identify themselves. The crowd gathered together to make this army look menacing.
The extra-long spear is not needed in this battle. The portable short spear can be used as a wooden staff for multiple purposes. Swords and hand axes are indispensable.
Ross's crossbow and torque slingshot are the best weapons. A large number of bows and arrows must be equipped, and ordinary warriors must at least have a short wooden bow.
After all, it would be a completely new place for Ross. No one believed that a small group of local weaklings could plunder leather resources wantonly. Ross's army would fight there. If they could hunt down the big red squirrels at will, the opportunity should not be missed.
Rurik made a plan. During the march, they would ride on sleighs in groups of ten, and four hundred people would have one hundred reindeer sleighs. There seemed to be many vehicles, some of which were to be loaded with oats and a large number of pre-made oatmeal cakes.
There are also materials for field tents, as well as charcoal blocks for making fires, soil saltpeter combustion aids, large iron pots, pottery and other items.
The principle of moving troops and horses before food and supplies gave Kagan a strange feeling. He felt that the prince was traveling and had brought too many things.
After all, Kagan is the son of the grassland. When the Pechenegs go to war, their horses themselves are supplies. When they are hungry, they can continue fighting with a sip of mare's milk, not to mention the high-energy milk cubes and butter lumps they make.
A lump of pure fat can naturally have "super long battery life".
No, Rurik is giving instructions to his cavalry. This cavalry, which has just been trained for three months, finally ushered in its first actual battle.
It's time to test the results of these three months of intense training. The young fighters are full of confidence, but the Pechenegs in the team are doubtful.
Kagan pointed out this doubt on behalf of his subordinates: "According to our habits, going on an expedition in winter will hurt our horse power."
Rurik explained: "I will do a good job of keeping the horses warm, and the feed supply will be three times the usual. You don't need to pay for any expenses. You are only responsible for killing the enemy as much as possible during the fight. After the war, you will use your ability to grab the spoils."
.If the war horse I bought dies, it is my business. If your war horse dies, I will also pay a sum of money."
Is he clearly treating himself as a mercenary? Kagan won’t say anything more, because being a mercenary is also very good. Besides, a lot of leather is a common commodity among the Russians, but it still costs money to buy it.
Doesn’t the enemy also have a lot of leather? The Russians think it’s nothing. Those are furry good things that the Pechenegs like very much. They should plunder as much as possible, load them and take them back to Fort New Ross, and sell them on the spot to exchange for money to continue buying salt.
Kagan was promised that he would not have any worries after hearing this. He had such a calculation and lamented that his brother, Prince Rurik, was really a generous khan.