The North is the northernmost border area of Kislev. What will it look like further north? No one knows. At least most people don't know, but Rhodes knows that he has been here before, and he was alone.
.
The situation now is much better than before. Back then, in order to accept the trial of the bear god Esun, he had to go to the frozen forest and troll mountains alone. It was covered by ice and snow for many years, and it could be said that there was no grass.
The current situation is much better. The large troops are advancing along the coastline and have sufficient supplies. Since they are going to plunder and occupy territory, everyone's face is full of excitement and excitement, and their fatigue has long been forgotten.
The sky in the north is pink at the horizon, and gradually turns to light gray above. Because it is winter, almost no sunlight shines on the earth. What is left is a cold climate and cold air day by day.
What surprised Rhodes a little was that he originally thought that the place where the Norscans lived would be very cold and harsh. However, as they marched deeper these days, Rhodes discovered that this was not the case. The climate along the coast was not very cold.
It's not that cold. According to the prisoners, there is even a short summer here in the year. That is the kind of lush green scene. The really cold ones are the inland areas of Norsca and North Norsca.
In fact, the climate of South Norska, close to the coastline on the Empire's side, is not as harsh as the Empire and Mrs. Kislev imagined. Rhodes guessed that this is caused by the warm and moist airflow blowing from the Claw Sea.
The ocean brings rain and warmth to the land, so the coastline has abundant rain and a relatively warm climate. However, when the warm and moist airflow encounters the steep mountains in the interior of Norska, it can no longer go deeper and warm the entire area.
Mainland. As a result, the inland mountainous areas have become very cold, dry and harsh. This is also where all kinds of giant beasts roam.
Further north, it is probably more difficult to get the warm and moist airflow from the Sea of Claws. North Norska is close to the Sea of Chaos. Not many people know what kind of sea it is, but what is certain is that it is even more unsuitable for humans.
Living. Even if there are humans living there, only some mutated people can adapt to that extreme climate environment.
The entire Norsk is like a peninsula extending out of the mainland. However, this peninsula is very huge, and its territory even exceeds the entire territory of Kislev. Therefore, compared to Kislev, Norsk is more sparsely populated.
.
Based on the information provided by the prisoners, Rhodes could roughly guess the distribution of the Norscans on the entire continent. It was probably along the coast that the most people lived and the largest number of tribes gathered. They made a living by raiding and fishing.
.Due to the very cold climate in the inland areas, there are relatively few people living there. These people also gather together in tribes and make a living by hunting. Various giant beasts are also one of their hunting targets. Therefore, long-term contact with the natural world
The largest creatures fought, and in addition to surviving in the harsh climate, the Norscans living in the interior were stronger and more aggressive.
The area that Rhodes wants to occupy belongs to South Norska, the coastal area near the Sea of Claws. This is a precious golden area, which is what the captives say has a short summer. This is easy to understand, otherwise, Rhodes
I had always thought that Norsca was an area covered by wind and snow all year round. If so, how could humans survive?
Now it seems that it is just a misunderstanding. A continent is divided into many regions, each region has a different environment and climate, some are very cold, and some are suitable for human habitation. Therefore, humans can survive. Otherwise, areas without any grass will definitely be
It is impossible to feed a tribe with such a large population.
…
Half a month later, the Kislev coalition arrived in a mighty manner at the first settlement of the Norsca tribe. According to the confessions of the prisoners, this was the settlement of the Hague clan. A settlement that specialized in plundering and fishing.
tribe.
However, when Rhodes arrived with his army, this area had been abandoned. The fishing villages had been deserted, leaving only dilapidated tents and crooked country roads. These roads were not paved with stones, but relied on people.
Walking out with two feet. Based on the number of tents, Rhodes initially estimated that the original residents here were at least two to three thousand. In Kislev, it can be regarded as the size of a medium-sized castle.
The soldiers plundered the tents one by one, hoping to find something useful. But a bunch of poor guys moved away collectively. What valuable things could be left behind? Of course, the main thing for Rhodes was to occupy the territory.
, I had no intention of actually plundering anything.
The frustrated soldiers only found a few elderly people and some young orphans left behind.
"Where are the people here?"
A wrinkled old man was brought to Rhodes by the soldiers.
When questioned, the old man remained silent and looked helpless. Rhodes could probably guess the reason why they stayed here. Either their relatives were dead and there was no point in living on their own. They didn't want to leave again.
This is the place where I have lived all my life. Either I am already so old that it doesn't matter whether I live or not. To escape would be a coward. If I stay here, I can at least keep my reputation for the rest of my life.
"Our lord asks you, where are the people here?"
Virgil yelled.
But the old man still didn't speak.
"Forget it, I know where they went." Rhodes stopped his men's rude behavior and deliberately walked up to the old man. "They all ran away. They ran away like a group of cowards with their tails between their legs."
The mocking words made the old man's face show a hint of sullenness. However, he still did not speak.
"You must be hating us, hating us for massacring your compatriots and occupying the place where you have lived for generations. But make no mistake, who launched the invasion first? People from your tribe joined that Khorne army,
Then he went south with butcher's knives and sharp knives, trying to destroy my castle and massacre my people."
"No, that is not our wish!" the old man finally said. "Grettir killed our chief and forced my people to do this."
His eyes suddenly became piercing, and Rhodes suspected that this guy might not be an ordinary tribal old man. He cares about the reputation of his clan and his dead chief. However, if he is an ordinary fisherman, who cares about his own
Who is the chief?
"But Grettir is dead. He was crushed to death by a corpse in the rebellion. There is no honor at all." Rhodes said loudly. "If what you say is true, your people should not fight for mine."
We will not massacre innocent people. Of course, if you take up arms against my compatriots, I will not show mercy."
"Hmph, the words of the winner are the nicest."
The old man snorted and returned disdainfully.
"It's not nice. I never say nice things that are useless, and there is no need to say nice things to you."
Rhodes looked calm.
"You set out to find your people now and tell them that Rhodes is here. And, as long as they don't take up weapons to hurt anyone, I won't hurt any of them. Tell them that this land can still survive and reproduce.
, as long as they recognize my status."
"What if you lied to me?"
The old man still didn't believe it. He stared at the tall southern lord in front of him. Mrs. Kislev had been fighting wars with various Norse tribes for hundreds of years. There had never been a time when a southern lord was so generous and kind.
"What's the point of lying to you? Look, I've already occupied this land. What's the point of killing some unarmed people? It will also waste the time and energy of my soldiers. There are still many things to do in my territory.
I'm busy. I don't have time to talk nonsense here with you. If you believe me, just catch up with them and let them come back. I can allow them to continue living here."
"You always have conditions?"
The old man frowned and asked.
"That's natural. My conditions are simple - hand over all your weapons and ships and keep them for my keeping. In addition, I will help you choose a new chief. He will lead you to new life."
After Rhodes finished speaking, the old man fell silent. He knew, he knew what the Kislev lord in front of him meant. He wanted to hand over all the weapons and ships so that the tribesmen would not resist again. And he chose a new chief.
It is equivalent to cultivating a puppet leader. He must listen to Mrs. Kislev, otherwise, without weapons, the tribe will soon be suppressed again.
"Think about it, this is not a bad thing for you. If you escape, where can you go? As far as I know, the inland areas are raging with snow and cold all year round. They are not suitable for human habitation at all. And to the west, escape
Go to other tribes? Will they accept you? In the past, you only robbed their food and territory. Who will be willing to take you in? Even if they take you in, they will only be their slaves. But when you come back here, you and your tribe will be
People can still live with dignity and freedom. You know very well what is more important. This is your last chance. Before I change my mind, you should leave quickly and persuade them to come back."
After understanding the other party's psychology, Rhodes sat on the stone pier and spoke calmly.