Chapter 1,409 The Cat Pumper

,!

A group of furry little guys were squirming in the rattan basket. Their innocent eyes were looking at something, and they kept screaming.

A basket of cats was carried into the Ross camp, and the bored soldiers came over looking for the sound.

Inside the tent, Rurik and Beyathil had these little cuties to themselves for the time being.

"It's so fun. If I pick one up, it won't bite me." Bayahir muttered with a smile, and her whole heart melted.

"Pick one up and it will be your pet from now on."

"Oh, then I have to choose carefully."

Most of the cats in this basket are blue and black, and some have small patterns on their faces.

Beyathil picked up one, and the kitten immediately hugged her arm, biting and squealing at her fingers with its newly toothed mouth.

"Bite you. Does it hurt?"

"It's okay, it's numb. I've raised this cat."

"Choose a name?"

Bea Hill took a closer look at the thumb-sucking kitten: "It has black fur and black eyes. Let's call it Kara."

"It just means pure black. It's so simple." Rurik shrugged and stopped worrying. Then he said: "You have finished choosing, and I will distribute the rest to the soldiers."

"That's fine. The kitten must be hungry. You see it's still sucking my finger. Give it some dried fish and I'll see if it eats it."

Rurik nodded: "Feed it. Make sure you feed it salt-free food. Tie a small rope around its neck and hang a gemstone on it. If it gets lost, it will be easy to find. Well, find a chance to make it a Brass bell.”

Rurik spoke eloquently, and Beyahil, who had already held the cat in his arms, seemed to be holding a child. "You really understand."

"I understand! Of course I understand! It's not like I haven't raised him before..." Rurik sighed softly, seeming a little inexplicably sad.

Of

So the reason for asking for at least fifty kittens is because the Ross army's land force has five cavalry banners, and Rurik treats the deer herders' banner that controls deer as cavalry - these people of the ice can at least serve as infantry archers. .

A basket of cats was placed outside the tent, Rurik sent a message, and soon the captains of each banner came with their entourage to receive the "toy" with a smile.

The cat kept meowing, staring at these cuties with curious eyes. Ross had cats but not many, and a basket of black cats was rare.

"One flag team will take ten, and the first flag team will take nine." Rurik pinched his waist and said with a smile.

"Why are there nine here?" Fisk scratched his face.

"It's nothing, because I picked one. You can divide the rest. This way... the teams will not be bored in the future journey."

Fisk nodded and said nothing more, but his methods were much rougher. When he hugged the cat, the cat hurt, and it scratched and bit him. He didn't think it was offensive in any way, it just felt like the kitten was more fun.

Baskets of little black cats were given as pets, and they immediately became toys.

On average, each thirty-man team was assigned a kitten, which was controlled by the captain. The soldiers could happily gather leaves to tease, hold and play with in their arms.

This is only the lower limit for allocating cats, because there are still many kittens raised by Azerei residents.

The industry of raising ferrets and selling them does not exist now, and local people focus slightly on raising cats. It is not only a pet and a mouse-catching tool, but also an economic animal. As long as the Russian army does not take away all their big cats, it will not cause much damage to the local cat breeding industry by taking away all the kittens in the entire settlement. .

Fifty cats cannot satisfy a warrior

Demand, the embarrassing situation of having only one cat in a team of 30 people really dampened the enthusiasm of young people for petting cats.

Domantas was old and sharp-eyed. He happily accepted the large iron pot, some fine arrows, and shovels rewarded by the Russians. Naturally, he had fantasies about further transactions.

Tributes and rewards are all flattering words that satisfy the king of Rus. Regardless of the superficial words, the two sides are doing trade.

The residents of Azerei suffered some losses in the transaction, and there is no doubt that they received safety guarantees.

The old guy believed that King Ross would keep his promise. After naming his grandnephew the "Second Earl of Azerei", they would break camp and head west tomorrow, and the grazing meadows they occupied would be empty again.

In pursuit of the last trading opportunity, Domantas discussed with a group of old guys late at night and decided to bite the bullet and donate some supplies in exchange for more tools for future production and life, especially the plow shovels that the Russian army always stocked.

The new day begins in thick morning fog.

Dew wetted the clothes of the soldiers. Even though it was July, the summer morning in Courland still seemed too cool.

As soon as the sun rises, these annoying fogs will quickly dissipate, and the temperature will rise quickly to the point where the warriors riding west are deliberately comfortable and shirtless facing the sun.

The camp was filled with the aroma of cooking wheat, and the awakened soldiers added more firewood to the smoldering bonfire. They gathered around the bonfire one by one, waiting for their clothes to be dried, and even more so for the meal.

The boring wait happened to be accompanied by a kitten. A cat was played with and applauded by a group of people. It was the rope tied around its neck that made this seem a bit disharmonious.

Now, just as the morning fog gradually dissipates

, while the soldiers were busy eating, a group of people walked out of Azerei Village.

These people were wearing clothes rewarded by the Russian army, and the leader with gray hair was none other than Domantas. Behind him were all the leaders of the local families who had been granted the title of Boyar.

The old man specially brought his grandnephew Yogela with him. He believed that after this farewell, it would be difficult to see the King of Rus himself again. I am afraid that he will not live long for his old age. It is this boy's blessing that his grandnephew is favored by the King of Rus. He must take advantage of the last chance to let Jogaila keep everything he saw today in his heart.

The old man specially brought some tributes. The kitten was a special offering and he had to bring it, followed by some smelly cheese blocks and some sheepskins. The poor residents of Azerei could not give anything good to them, and now that it was the worst period of the summer famine, it was difficult for them to squeeze out some high-value items.

Such a team looks like a patrol of the Ross Army at first glance. If there are infantry in the army, it will easily cause the sentry to be careless. The land force was all cavalry. Even the morning mist could not hide the strange appearance of the team. The cavalry intercepted them and learned that it was the Azerei people who were bidding farewell to the army heading west. The cavalry personally escorted them to the king's tent.

Rurik himself was already making final preparations before leaving, and the tent he had stayed in for the night was about to be dismantled and packed up.

He had changed his clothes and listened to the guards reporting that the Azerei people had come to pay their respects. He picked up the hilt of his sword and swaggered out to see what these guys were going to do.

So, when Rurik appeared on the stage surrounded by all the guards, Domantas held on to the wooden staff and hurriedly led everyone to kneel down on one knee, one of his hands still pressing

He held his great-nephew's head and made the little boy kneel down together.

"My subjects, get up!" Rurik waved his hand.

Seeing them getting up one after another, he asked again: "I have not arranged for you to come to see me again. Is this... considered trespassing on my camp?"

"Don't dare. We are just making another tribute to the leader of all Varyags, the great King Rus."

Domantas had to say some more flattering words to show the surrender of the entire Azeroth, but as an obvious weakling, he didn't feel it was harmful to his old face to say some disgusting words - anyway, it was the same when he met the big leader Namsis that year. So disgusting.

"Tribute? I know how to handle good things. What else did you send?"

Domantas was not in a hurry to answer. From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the Ross warriors playing with some black furry little things, and he felt a sense of joy in his heart.

"More cats! And some cheese and sheepskin we made, and some other things. We are poor, but we are loyal to the king..."

Is the old guy an actor? Endless words of flattery? No! Whether this guy is loyal or not has consequences. They are clearly very pragmatic now. Rurik felt that this group of people had understood the unspoken rules of "tribute and reward", which was what Rurik's Eastern head liked.

More cats helped the expeditionary force achieve "cat-freedom", and Rurik accepted all the remaining tributes.

Now Domantas did not bother to ask questions, Rurik knew what he wanted, and rewarded him with some arrows, some spearheads, and shovels for digging, even though the number of these rewards was small.

Whether infantry or cavalry, a

The shovel is standard equipment for warriors. Its core is the shovel head. A piece of wrought iron is continuously forged and made into a sleeve that can be lifted. It is carburized and then quenched to make it hard on the outside and soft on the inside. It doesn't matter if the wooden handle breaks, and its shovel head can be installed with a new, free-length wooden pole at any time, so that it can be turned into a long-handled shovel.

If it were really made into a long-handled shovel, it would look exactly like a weapon called a "yue".

The economically weak Azerei people are not stupid. Since the elites are passively in contact with the Rus, it is natural for them to use the honeymoon period of assault to improve their armament level in exchange for surrendering to Rus.

Anyway, after the army had eaten and drank, it was time to set off. Since these Azerai elite nobles were all here, why not have one last meal together.

The ignorant boy Yogaila was pulled by Rurik to sit next to him. Rurik personally handed the boy a silver bowl filled with cooked oats.

"Eat, boy."

The boy only vaguely knew the value of silver, so he ate happily from the silver bowl. Because a little honey was added to it, the boy ate even more ferociously.

At this moment, Rurik looked at him with a kind look. He was very happy that this boy was not afraid of him. In a daze, the scene really looked like a son cuddling up to his father and showing off like crazy.

"Regrave, how are you doing in France?"

Looking at the boy Yogailarurik, he thought of his son far away in the West. He was in high spirits. When he saw that a bowl of rice had been finished, he simply asked: "Boy! Do you like the bowl?"

"Well, I like it."

"I'll give it to you. Remember, this is a silver bowl. It was the silver bowl that once belonged to King Rus."

The boy understood seven

Seven or eight, he looked at the bowl carefully but still didn't know how valuable it was. In the isolated Aizere, even the Varangian merchants only came in a few teams regularly every year, so that the elderly Ostan and his guys were all familiar with Aizere.

Silver cannot be used as food. Even if you have money, it will be difficult to exchange for a large amount of good things from the limited transit merchants.

But those who have seen the world, such as Domantas, know that the silver bowl has multiple meanings. It is the most precious reward for a boy from King Rus.

Soon, Domantas, who was in a complicated mood, no longer had to watch from the corner of his eyes. The old guy was specially invited to Rurik's side. At this moment, the boy Yogai held the dagger at his waist and held the licked silver in his hands. Bowl, he was sitting cross-legged in front of Rurik, with a pair of big hands supporting his immature swords. This scene looked like a father and son.

The warm feeling was so unreal that Domantas was speechless for a moment.

"Hey, what are you looking at and saying nothing?" Rurik asked with interest.

"I can not."

"Let me tell you. Do you know why you must wear our clothes and hang our flag high in your camp? Even if the Ross flag seems to you, it may just be a piece of cloth that can be cut into clothes."

"This... I still don't understand." Domantas told the truth.

Rurik shrugged: "It seems that you really don't understand." He pointed his finger to the east: "The east of Aizere County is no longer Semigalia, and the County of Latvia that I have created has replaced it. . The people in the east are all Danish Varyags, and they are actually not the same race as this king. It was my king who gave them instructions to start the war.

The battle is still going on, and maybe those red-eyed soldiers will take action against you, Azerei. Those soldiers are not as kind as me. "

At this moment, Domantas already felt faintly terrified.

"Are you scared?"

"I'm scared. I'm really scared." The old guy could only hide his fear with a smile.

"Don't be afraid. Azerei's flag has been raised high, and some people have already changed to our flag. Do you understand? In the future, we will boil the hemp rope to decolorize it, weave it into white cloth and sew it with blue cloth strips. I know You can do this! In the future, you should wear such clothes as much as possible, which will prove that you are my subordinate, Rose, and all possible misunderstandings will not happen."

Domantas suddenly realized.

King Ross will leave today, and Azerei will have to protect himself from now on. The King of Rus is unlikely to control the unauthorized behavior of his subordinates in distant areas, but those people have a bottom line - not to attack the Counties of Fanbang, who are also vassals of Rus.

If all families were equipped with a robe imitating the Rus warriors, no misunderstandings would occur. He's here to thank me a lot, and I'm glad today's visit was the last and right thing to do.

Until now, the boy Yogaila still doesn't know why King Rus is so kind to him, so much so that he always feels better than his own parents.

In the end, Rurik did not tell the boy: I value your boldness and innocence, your eyebrows have a bit of my son's shadow, which reminds me a lot, and your bloodline makes you valuable.

The Russian army has stayed in Ezere for the third morning. Rurik boasts that he has made the most important gain in the Courland Peninsula, namely

However, the residents of Azerei are not of the Kurlan tribe.

When the matter came to an end, the mighty Russian army set off.

The cavalry again opened the way in flag formation, followed by a huge herd of deer. The guide Ostan himself was still required to accompany a cavalryman, lying on the back of a group of led war horses, describing the rest of the journey for Rurik, while his family and friends rode on the reindeer and led them. Walking leisurely with the deer farmers with the necessary softness.

The village of Azerei quickly disappeared into the forest. The Ross army received a very critical supply locally. Now the reindeer had eaten a belly of green grass and the horse's physical strength was also well restored.

"What's going to happen next? Are we almost at the river you mentioned?" Rurik, who was free to rein in his horse, couldn't help but asked casually out of boredom.

"We are almost reaching the Wenta River. There are a lot of shoals that can be waded through. With me here, our entire army will be able to cross the river smoothly today. Then we will find the small lake. From then on, we will walk among the forest cats. There’s a river.”

"Lusis River? The journey ahead will be quite strenuous. I also heard that we can pass by the large city of the Courlanders?"

"Yes, it is the city of Apere. If the king is willing to make a sudden turn, he can find that city. With the king's military strength, it must be easy to conquer them."

"Conquer?" The word reminded Rurik. "My army directly scared the Azerei people to surrender. I have always been friendly to such smart people. Do the residents of Aperre City in Courland still have the guts to reject my rule?"

Osten pursed his lips and shook his head: "There may be tens of thousands of them, and their leader will not surrender easily. I'm afraid the king can only use the army to

team to conquer them. "

"War. Anyway, it doesn't seem to be on my only way to the west. I don't want to suddenly turn around and start a war with this team to waste time. Anyway, they are there, and I will conquer them when I free my hands later. If...those people If you dare to fight to the death and refuse to surrender, don’t blame me for being barbaric.”

The beast showed its fangs. Listening to King Ross's last words, Osten thought of the tragic scene he saw under the city of Mezot. He knew that King Ross could do any barbaric thing as long as he was ruthless. Thinking of this, he felt sorry for Ai The Zelei people felt lucky.