Northeast Rus', this is a desolate and wild land. The most iconic sights here are the winding river bends scattered within the endless dense forests, as well as the unruly tribes and defiant villages in the woods. Only a few towns in this barbaric region radiate an air of civilization.
A hundred years ago, Rus did not exist in Northeast Rus'. The Finn tribes who lived by fishing and hunting resided here in peace and prosperity. However, as the Volga River brought wealth and trade, this region, which was originally overlooked, quickly became lively.
For a hundred years, Rus have continuously migrated to this place. Initially, these Rus immigrants, who seeped in like flowing water, did not conflict with the locals. After all, Northeast Rus' was so vast that it was entirely sufficient to accommodate the arriving new immigrants. At that time, the relationship between the two sides was relatively peaceful: you don't interfere with me, and I don't interfere with you.
But as the Rus grew in number, various conflicts gradually arose: disputes over fertile land, disputes over rich fishing and hunting grounds, and disputes over fur resources. In the end, the Rus were victorious, successfully occupying a considerable amount of land in Northeast Rus'.
But the Finn did not leave either. Northeast Rus' was simply too vast. Even if they were driven out of some resource-rich areas, the remaining regions were enough for them to live. Many Finn even intermingled and intermarried with the Rus. Gradually, these Finn also began to believe in the gods of Rus' and adopted the customs of the Rus.
The Rus built several towns in this wild land. Among them, the earliest and most prosperous was Rostov. This city developed relying on the prosperous Volga trade, becoming the most flourishing place in the entire forest region, and from its center, it radiated the light and heat of civilization outwards.
Unfortunately, this bit of light and heat was truly insignificant for this vast land. It wasn't enough to sufficiently reach even the Rus, let alone the Finn. The commercial magnates in the city also had little interest in matters outside of trade. In their view, focusing on farmers was a waste of money and not worthwhile. Commerce was enough to bring large profits. Only the estates and villages closest to the city were influenced and controlled by the Rus magnates.
It was also for this reason that Northeast Rus' was full of free farmers and tribes. After all, the nobles disdained to impose their subservience upon them, and disdained to impose their exploitation, so they could naturally live freely.
However, the newly appointed Rostov Prince, Rostislav Vladimirovich, did not think this way.
Dier was an ordinary Rus hunter. Today, he was hunting in the forest again. Wearing bark boots, draped in hunting attire, and holding a hunting bow, he moved silently through the woods, searching for traces of prey.
The name Dier was given by his Father. His Father, who once served as a personal guard in Kiev, said that he got this name from a monk, and it was said to come from an ancient Prince of Kiev. Father gave him this name hoping that Dier would make a name for himself in the future, but Dier never had such aspirations.
When Father went out to make his fortune back then, he only returned home after losing a hand on the battlefield. Dier did not want to fight for those distant lords, nor did he want to lose his hand for them.
So Dier chose to pick up the hunting bow. He inherited his Father's strong physique and did not want to waste it, so he became the village's hunter, spending his days in the forest aiming to hunt various fierce beasts. And the results he achieved each time were getting better and better.
It was also for this reason that Dier's village was basically not bothered by wild beasts. All the nearby wild beasts were hunted by him and then turned into stewed meat in the pot. Dier's reputation in the village therefore grew higher and higher. Coupled with his Father, who was still a strong warrior despite missing a hand, basically, once the seriously ill village chief passed away, he would be the new village chief.
His old Father was very happy about this. Becoming the village chief in the village was considered making a name for himself in his eyes. However, Dier was still quite indifferent to this. Compared to village trivialities, he preferred to lurk in the woods and hunt.
His old Father always sighed about this, saying his personality was more suited for the battlefield. As long as he went to the battlefield, he would definitely become infatuated with that feeling and would definitely become a famous archer. But Dier still treated these words as wind in his ears.
Soon, Dier found traces of a wild beast on the ground. It belonged to a brown bear. In the dense forest, there were always traces of such beasts. Every household had bear hunting spears, and Dier had already killed nearly ten such fierce beasts.
Finding the brown bear's tracks made the hunter very happy. He was happy to have finally found a worthy target to hunt. It was really worth running so far this time. After five years of frenzied hunting, the fierce beasts near the village had either run away or been killed by him. Dier had not found such prey for a long time.
Following the tracks left by the brown bear, Dier advanced silently all the way. Next, he had to be constantly careful. Looking at the tracks, they were still very fresh, so the brown bear might be nearby. In this dense forest, the roles of hunter and prey could reverse at any time, so one had to be constantly careful.
Following the tracks, soon, Dier found himself before a river. This was a large river. Dier knew it was called the Moscow River. Basically, no one came here, and no one lived here. It was usually very quiet.
It seemed the bear was drinking water by the river, Dier thought as he looked at the tracks. He immediately continued to follow the tracks. But when he rounded a river bend, Dier saw a scene that utterly shocked him.
The brown bear he was hunting had already become a corpse, with several arrows stuck in its body. Several soldiers holding bows and arrows and hunting spears were observing the fierce beast beside it. But this was not what surprised him. What surprised him was further away.
He saw that the top of the Moscow River bend ahead had already become a huge construction site, with countless tents set up there.
Dier saw countless people working there. They were cutting down trees and building houses. A large amount of forest had been completely cleared, leaving only bare tree roots. Regardless of whether the timber was processed, it was piled up by the river like that. On the Moscow River, there were also ships that he had only seen on the Volga River during his few distant journeys.
The entire site was lively and bustling, forming a stark contrast with the quietness of the woods.
Dier did not reveal his figure, remaining hidden in the bushes. He remembered the news brought back by people from the village who often went out to do business, saying that they had a new Prince here, and this new Prince was also going to build a New City in Northeast Rus'.
At that time, Dier thought this person was just bragging again, but now it seemed that what he said was completely true...
This is a big deal, I have to go back quickly, Dier thought as he shrank his body. He had to bring back this news immediately.