Original subtitles

More than 10 thousand Swedish captives

were sent to Siberia after the defeat of

Charles XII's army at the Battle of Poltava.

Meantime in the East, Dzungar Khanate

defeats the Chinese army.

Now, China needs an ally more than ever.

Many attempts of drawing Russia

into war against Dzungars failed.

This bar of gold is called "Paiza".

It is granted only to the heads of states.

The ruler who's taken the Paiza

has to enter the war on the side of China.

THE CONQUEST OF SIBERIA

EPISODE 3

The river Ob. Ostyak settlement Pevlor.

Get up, you! Don't take the old men.

They won't believe the old men attacked the Master.

- Maybe we'll take a few girls? - Take them.

Come on, get her.

Why are you robbing us? You're taking the wrong ones.

Tygula, Kazamay, they didn't shoot.

- Who did then? - Ahuta did.

Ahuta was crying "Come on, come on".

Who's Ahuta here?

Ahuta ran away to Samoyeds.

This is his daughter, Homany.

She saw everything.

She'll be responsible for her father.

Take her.

Don't touch me!

No, don't touch me!

No! Don't touch me!

Let me go!

Why are you taking her?

Take him too.

You've got in trouble while hardly arrived.

You want some war, right?

What was the fight about?

I responded for an insult.

You personally, heard the Tsar's order

"no fights during the campaign". You wish to neglect it?

- Colonel, sir. - Silence!

Listen to my order!

Attention!

For breaking the articles, I punish you with 3 guard duties in a row!

- Clear? - Yes, sir.

At ease!

Now, you'll be sent to quarters.

We'll be here for a long time. The expedition starts next summer.

I'm warning you!

I won't make peace with the shame

of roistering.

- Is it clear? - Sir. Yes, sir.

- What? - Sir! Yes, sir!

Look what I've got.

Let us play the drum!

Please, let us drum.

- Let us drum! - No.

Father!

I've brought an officer to live with us.

- Good afternoon, sir. - Hello, hero.

- Hello. - Why an officer?

Have we missed the start of a war?

The war's been for 14 years now.

He's my father.

Semyon Remezov.

That's enough. Go home.

My brother Levonty.

And my sister, Maria.

Good afternoon.

Lieutenant Demarin.

What's your name?

- Ivan. - It's Vanya, then.

Semyon,

there are no pickles left

in the big barrel.

I'm not interested in them now, Johan.

- Why the cart is in the yard? - I left.

It's mister Johan.

I know him.

I prefer being addressed due to the regs.

Really? Due to regs?

But I'm not in army barracks,

I'm in my own yard!

I do things the way I want them.

Why have you frozen, dumb ass?

Got nothing to do?

How come you are so young

and an officer already?

You must have killed two Swedish regiments with a pike

at the battle of Poltava.

I haven't been there.

I studied abroad due to the Tsar's order.

I hope, I'll have my chance to meet Swedes.

Abroad? Where exactly?

In Holland and Saxony.

An educated one. But we can't compete,

we take a spoon to an ear.

There's nothing wrong with education. You took us study to Moscow.

To Moscow, not abroad.

Why wouldn't you go to China,

to learn how to eat seeds with matches.

Why you've got so excited, old man?

Let's have dinner.

- Hello. - Good afternoon.

Maria, why are you frozen?

Help the guest wash his face.

What have you learnt abroad?

Which end a gun shoots from?

How to fight against enemies.

How to teach soldiers not to fear Swedes.

Aimed fire during a fight.

To walk in line and re-formation.

Well, priests go in line during cross procession too.

Going in line against cavalry? Everyone will be killed.

You need the right defense line.

There are ways against cavalry.

And you know everything of that?

- You always consider everyone as a fool. - Shut up and sit at the table.

You do as well.

I won't be at the table with the enemy.

He's not an enemy, he's a captive.

And my assistant.

I'm sorry, I leave.

Johan, come on.

I'm sorry. I leave.

Good bye.

It looks like he can't match us.

Why have you offended my guest, snot nose?

Are you in charge at my place?

- What? - Come on. Semyon.

You'll eat at the trash tub!

Go make your war with the chickens.

- But, Dad... - Stop that!

I've brought some food for you.

I'm full, thanks.

Oh, a proud one.

Eat, I heated it in the stove.

Look, there's an angel in the sky.

They say it's a good sign.

Not everyone is lucky to see it. Can you?

Your dad tells you such fairy tales, doesn't he?

- Are you going to eat? - I'm not.

As you wish.

Dad told me to make a bed for on the chest at the entrance.

I'll keep the gates open and lock the dogs.

Thank you.

Bring back the bowl!

- Mother. - What?

Senya has met a girl.

Thank God.

It's high time. Who's she?

The thing is she's an exiled one.

It seems he's out of mind.

What are we going to do?

We need to buy her.

What do you mean "buy"?

We already have a bond slave. Aykony.

- You want more? - We'll find room for her.

The problem is to persuade the dad.

Only you can do it.

No.

He takes after his stubborn grandfather.

But he listens to you.

- Please, you can do it. - No.

He'll grumble a bit and then accept it.

- No. - Mother.

He'll find a normal one.

We can wait.

You even make icons, Semyon?

No. Nowadays, I only restore old ones.

But I used to.

My father and I made that icon

about 35 years ago.

My father pictured everything,

I only did our Cathedral.

Why it has 3 domes? There are 5 of them.

It's my youth reminder.

I was an apprentice back then, a green one.

I was taught with slaps.

The Cathedral hadn't been finished yet,

so I gave way to my imagination.

I didn't know it would have 5 domes.

I thought it would have 3.

There're no such icons in Europe.

Yeah, they are heretics. What else can you expect?

No, they picture them in the right way.

Using laws of light and design.

What are these laws?

They're very simple.

Everything that's closer to us is bigger,

and what's farther is smaller.

It's called perspective.

Thanks for explanation.

But I believe, what's more important

to people's souls is bigger.

Not really.

The lines that go deeper to the picture

from the viewer aim at one point.

But yours aim at different.

So, we see a distortion.

What else I do wrong?

The proportion is wrong.

Semyon, you are gifted,

but know nothing of axonometry.

You live in the past.

Enlighten stupid me some more.

Sprinkle my dumb head with dew of your wisdom.

OK, Semyon. Only calm down, first.

Paintings must be true to life.

You need to study composition

in order to reach the harmony in your art.

I'll hit you with your harmony.

Where are you going, teacher?

What about the payment for the lesson? For the perspective.

- I can't go further, she'll notice me. - What do you see in her?

- Please, go. You're my only hope. - I've never bought a slave.

- I don't know how. Okay. - Please, go, Levonty.

Hi there, Levonty.

- I haven't seen you for ages. - Hi.

Are you still drawing pictures for dad?

Are you still selling girls?

I like that one.

Elena?

She's a rebel. She's tried to escape twice.

It means she's cheap. We aren't rich.

Who's she?

An Ostyak girl.

She belongs to Tobolsk treasury.

Witchcraft. She looks the same.

- As who? - As father's slave.

They all look similar. Don't make plans on her.

She's sold already.

Khaja Kasym bought her as wife for his harem.

Enough looking at girls.

The buyers are coming to watch and touch.

Go to the salesman,

pay a quarter and altyn for Elena

and sign the purchase deed.

That's where we meet again,

Knyaz Pantila.

I'm sad to see that.

You told you wouldn't revenge.

I forgave you.

But, you killed two men.

I had to tell this to my Knyaz.

And Knyaz has to punish you.

You attacked Tsar's men.

What will they do to us?

- I don't know. - I didn't attack your men.

- Me either. - Ahuta did.

But he ran away to Samoyeds.

We accepted the merchants' God

because he is generous.

Generous?

Where's his generosity now?

The merchants cheated you

to get their benefit.

You cheated us too.

I didn't. I've come to ask you to become baptized.

After that, the Knyaz will forgive you

and let you go home.

Only become baptized? And that's all?

That's all. It's our law.

You told that neither we, nor God

need faith against the will.

Baptizing is not faith yet.

But without it,

faith is impossible.

It won't do even if you stand under cross

in fear of punishment, but without faith.

Taking baptism is forgiveness and release.

It's good. There's no lying in it.

Bring your cross here.

Knyaz Matvey...

I'm too busy, Semyon.

It's a matter of state.

Well?

You said the Tsar likes curiosities.

I know one. One of a kind.

A Siberian animal called mammoth.

They only find its horns.

But I discovered a whole island.

Three years ago under Metropolitan Ignat.

I brought 4 wagons of bones.

But the Master said it was behemoth, an unholy animal.

And behemoth is the Satan's name.

And where are the bones now?

The Master told to throw them into the Itrysh

but I hid them in the box,

in his own storeroom.

That's where they are.

The Tsar will fall off the throne when you show him it.

Something's wrong, let me check.

Why does the Tsar need it?

To ride it at battle?

For the museum.

No ruler has such a creature!

Give me money, I'll assemble the mammoth.

- Why do need you money for it? - How?

To build the frame, buy some missing bones

of a cow, or a bear.

Semyon,

you're a tempter and extortioner.

Come on, Matvey.

A beast as big as a bath house!

And you can't spare 2 rubles. What a shame.

Is it enough?

Take some more.

That's enough.

Thanks. What a great man our Governor is!

Sable fur-skins!

- Sister! - Don't come close to me!

I'm not allowed to talk to anyone.

Why?

No one can see me, except for my master.

What master? Why are you here, not in Pevlor?

The Russians took me,

because our father tried to kill

the Russian shaman.

A rich merchant married me.

You're wearing beautiful clothes. He loves you.

He doesn't. I'm afraid of him.

Let's run away together, sister.

To the big forest.

I don't want to.

I like it here.

I'm in love.

- With whom? - With a handsome knyaz.

I shamanized and the Gods heard me.

I charmed him with my hair.

You can't do this. You're not a shaman.

The Gods will punish you.

I'm in love. The Gods won't do me any harm.

What is it like? To be in love?

It's the best feeling.

Will I be able to fall in love?

Of course. Let's ask the Gods together.

No, I'm afraid.

Homany!

Where are you?

Aykony, I miss you.

They make me stay in.

I've almost forgotten what the big forest looks like.

It seems we'll never see each other again.

Don't be afraid.

I'm strong. I'll always help you.

I feel you.

I feel your joy. I feel your pain. We'll be happy.

You'll definitely

learn what love is.

Aykony.

I congratulate us all.

We've got a new worker.

Make her feel welcome.

Elena. I don't know her last name...

- I'm Epifania, actually. - What?

Epifania she says.

Okay. Epifania.

Wait, why Epifania?

Levonty,

what's written in the purchase deed?

Come on, she says Epifania, Epifania it is.

- Does it matter? - No, it doesn't.

I don't know the names of people

at the table. No big deal.

Tell us, dear,

what were you sent to the burg for?

Dad, please.

Senya, be quiet.

Okay. Please, God, bless our food.

Munch on it.

Let's eat.

I need a separate plate.

What?

Don't you need a separate house?

Are you a dissenter?

One thing on top of another.

You've brought a dissenter to the house.

Why haven't you sought marriage with the Devil himself?

So you're Epifania, not Elena because you're baptized as a dissenter?

And you had separate dishes in the burg, right?

It's not a burg here.

Maria, give her a separate plate.

No one needs my permission

as the master anymore.

Senya, you always do things this way.

You've bought yourselves some slaves, huh?

Look what lords we've got in Tobolsk.

Suddenly.

Fancy that!

Bring the porridge to the workroom.

See?

How much noise he's making. Elijah the Prophet.

Let's eat, then.

Zifa, have you prepared the girl?

Yes, my master.

We've washed her, combed, and put on fancy clothes.

Good.

Have you explained her duties to her?

She's a savage.

Good.

Bring her.

You are beautiful.

Don't be afraid.

Let's go.

Shaitan!

Tie this savage!

I'll teach her myself.

Stupid women!

What's going on?

Aykony?

It was just a dream.

Homany.

It was a dream.

You must be pregnant by now.

I can't be.

I was beaten and cold too much.

God is gracious.

You'll be pregnant.

God is gracious.

It's a sin to sleep unmarried.

I can be exiled to Turukhansk for it.

Or even be put in a burg.

I was in a burg.

Are you afraid?

I'm not. I just want to do it right.

Haven't you decided

to come back to our belief yet?

You'll realize it one day.

I can become a dissenter, if you want.

Are you a Pomorskiy kind?

I now a master in Tyumen,

he'll re-baptize me, if you want.

No need of talking about nothing.

Let's sleep.

Okay.

Drummers, fall in!

Recruits!

A drum is used for giving commands during battle.

Each command has its number.

Soldiers know the numbers and get commands.

Command №4. "Forward".

Repeat!

Stop!

I'll show slower.

Repeat.

Stop! Is it hard to remember, dumb ass?

Think with your head!

Make up some words as a clue.

It's not a song to make up words.

A ram, a ram it hits-with-horns.

- Repeat that. - A ram, a ram it hits-with-horns.

Good job, Remezov! Everybody do it together!

A ram, a ram it hits-with-horns.

Hit hog in the face, cow on the back.

Hit hog in the face, cow on the back.

Stop! Good job!

Now, the main one. Command №7.

"Alert".

Save us from the bad, our dear Lord!

All together!

One more time! Faster!

Save us from the bad, our dear Lord!

What have you put on, punk?

- Dad, - Take it off! Put the drum down!

Dad, I've enlisted as a recruit. I'm good.

I've made up words for the commands.

Save us from the bad, our dear Lord!

- What? Come here. - Semyon, stop. Don't disgrace your son.

- Vanya, get him out of it. - It's impossible. It's an honor to serve.

Right! Tsar Peter himself served as a drummer!

You little fool!

I'll lock you up in the bath house. You'll be there with a broom

instead of a drum until the army leaves, you fool!

All of Remezovs served, and I should stay at home like a girl?

You incite him to this!

Musket, war, victory.

Mind your business!

I only told him what I believe in.

Serving the Tsar is sacred.

And you know it, Semyon.

- The country is strong thanks to us. - Screw you.

- It's decided! - What?

I'll

join the campaign, dad.

I wish you vanish in the steppe,

war twisted dog.

I turn you out of my house, you snake!

Where has the book got to?

It's not a button to get to a chink.

Senya? Haven't you taken it to the chamber?

I haven't. Maybe you gave it to the Metropolitan?

Metropolitan? Why does he need it?

Maybe I left it at Knyaz Matvey's.

I didn't take it with me.

Evil creature, play with it and give back.

Senya,

Maybe Levonty took it

to the government office?

Don't you worry, you'll find it.

Don't you worry you'll find it.

Go on writing down.

The old man is looking for it.

I need to take the book back.

No.

I need the book.

You told you would give it back!

No.

Some other time.

- Later. - No! He'll call me a thief!

No. Later.

He'll call me a thief!

I told you "no".

Quiet. Okay?

I'll give it back. Later.

Come on, go.

What are you doing, Aykony?

Fire!

Fire! Fire! Dad! Fire!

Oh, my God!

Stop, where are you going?

- The books are there! - Wait!

- More! - Dear Lord.

Dad, stop!

I'll go myself!

I'll do it myself!

Knyaz, we have to go.

To the forest. As we discussed.

I set on fire the old man's house with books.

- What? - Fire. Run!

- Run. - You set the house on fire?

We have to run.

What have you done? It's a catastrophe!

- We have to go! - What have you done!

- We have to go! - Are you insane? Stop, Aykony!

I don't know you well.

Forget about me! Go away!

I'll kill.

Aykony.

Myself.

You?

You won't do it.

- I will! - No, Aykony, no!

Let me go!

Let me go! Let me go!

Novistky.

Easy, easy. Come in.

Easy, easy.

Looks like I broke my leg.

Come on. Easy, easy. Lie down.

Okay, everybody, go away. Easy, easy.

Everything is fine, it's okay.

Satan! Satan you are, not a woman!

No fracture at least.

I'll dress it, and that's all. Wait a second.

- What about the fire? - They are putting it out.

Good Lord.

- Forgive me fool, dad. - What else about it?

Aykony did it. Forgive me for bringing her home.

Aykony? Why did she do it?

- Who's Aykony? - She's our bond slave. An Ostyak girl.

- I'll set the guards. We'll catch her. - Okay.

You go too.

What a disaster.

Aykony, dear.

What a disaster.

They will punish you.

How can I help you, dear?

I can baptize you, huh?

They'll forgive you everything.

No.

Give me some bread.

A knife.

I'll leave.

I will. I'll give all.

And a little money.

It was you who broke my hair, right?

What hair, sweetheart?

Forgive me.

I want to go home.

Home.

Knyaz Matvey, show some mercy to me.

I've put guards everywhere.

She knifed Farhad, she's a savage girl!

Farhad was one of Kasym's men. A strong warrior.

She's a beast! She's run to the forest.

It's hard to find her now.

Mercy! What else could I do?

Knyaz Matvey,

scold me fool!

But please, don't execute me.

Please, Knyaz.

Have some mercy, please.

What else could I do, Knyaz?

What a prayer!

Karp, you and Tolbuzin are number one in taking

Ostyak girls as tribute.

But when you need to put an order, you can't catch one.

Our only architect has almost died! And no one is punished.

It looks like anyone can do it without punishment.

Saint Petersburg. Fall of 1714.

Look what I've got, Aleksandr.

Wow. Gold. Where did you get it?

From the Siberian mounds.

I saw such in Kunstkamera Museum.

In Vienna, in Dresden.

And now I have some.

Knyaz Gagarin has sent them.

And how many mounds with treasure

are there in Siberia?

He says thousands.

Good job, Matvey!

What a lucky fool!

I only have swamps here,

but Knyaz Matvey has mounds of gold.

I told you, Gagarin would have the edge over you all.

He's already had. There're 2 chests of denunciation of him.

There're 5 of you.

You think I don't know anything?

You envy him, huh?

You don't do well, do you?

What should I envy for? The gold is his redemption to you.

You forbade stone building, right?

But Gagarin is building a kremlin

in Tobolsk for himself.

They say better than in Moscow.

- You're lying, dog! - Why should I?

Mein Herz, Mein Herz!

Send an inspection to Tobolsk. You'll see.

Mein Herz, you shouldn't have.

Matvey couldn't...

disobey my order.

Peter, you've become trustful like a child.

Send over-snitch Nesterov to Siberia. He'll learn everything.

He'll change the surrounding too. Everyone here is sick and tired of him.

- You're afraid of Nesterov, huh? - We don't respect him. He's an awful man.

But he's good at what he does.

Send him.

Maybe he'll find out something new about you favourite Gagarin.

Okay.

Let it be so.

I'll send Nesterov to Tobolsk.

But if he doesn't find proofs to your word,

I'll personally beat you up with a club!

TOBOLSK. WINTER OF 1715

Why the hell have you brought me here?

Look, Knyaz Matvey.

The Tobol flows into the Itrysh here.

You think I've never seen it?

Think, Knyaz. You head is not for brewing beer.

In spring the Tobol will have more waters.

It will erode the bank.

Building a stone kremlin here, is like building it on a fidgety girl's ass.

- Everything will fall down. - So we cancel it?

Why? We should dig a new riverbed for the Tobol.

Are you insane, Semyon?

First you need a kremlin with pillars,

now you want to turn the river?

Why are you shouting? I've figured all out.

There's an anabranch Prorva in the mouth of the Tobol.

But it's narrow. We need to make it wider in between

and bury the old mouth.

The Tobol will flow in the anabranch then in the Irtysh.

Three kilometers away from here.

It won't erode anymore.

No. It's too hard.

It will cost 40,000!

There's no need in Kremlin then.

A big river is like a drunk man, it hits all the corners.

The bank here is tough! Tough stone!

It's strong!

I like your cathedral, Semyon.

But, make the pattern Moscow-style,

not Kyiv-style.

OK, I'll fix it, Master.

Why are they sending dissenters to you, but not to burgs?

Heretics, apostates,

everyone judged by church

are sent to pontifical casemate.

Maybe they'll confess in the Holy land.

This kind won't confess.

Freed from the iron they come to us.

Here's the Uglich Bell, brothers.

It rang alert for Tsarevich Dmitry.

They took away the cannon and the clapper and exiled it to Tobolsk.

Avvakum bowed before it. And we should.

Hallowed be the Lord!

Hallowed be Thy Name!

Get up, quick!

I bless you to confess.

In the name of the Father, of the Son,

and of the Holy Ghost.

Why are they torturing them, Master?

I used to cross myself with two fingers too.

We are like them.

It's not for us to decide.

If it's odd-even again, I win.

Odd-even. Take it.

Karp, I can lose 10 more times like this.

Just take the goods.

Agapon, I have no room to hide my own furs.

I start thinking to quit stealing.

We can't sell it anyway.

Are you sure you've come to the right place, Tatar?

I've come exactly where I need, voivodes.

I know the reason of good merchants' sorrow.

The reason is Knyaz Gagarin.

Am I right?

I know I am.

He took away the merchant court, customs.

He won't let you get out the sables.

I can't buy them at a reasonable price.

What are you talking about?

Sell me the things you're tired of.

How much?

Less than state salesmen will give.

But I'll keep you secret

and Gagarin won't take away anything.

How you'll get them out?

I'll send my caravan up the Irtysh.

Up to Kashgar.

My brother Yusuf will come to Kashgar from Bukhara.

And he'll take it.

Dzungars will rob the caravan.

My brother Yusuf is a friend

with Khong Tayiji Tsewang Rabtan himself.

No one will dare to rub a caravan

of Khong Tayiji's friend.

Listen, Bukharan,

aren't you afraid that I'll tell the Knyaz

about you secret plans?

Why are you telling this?

Why are you trying to frighten me?

Gagarin is a tiger. He's our enemy.

But a common enemy can make

former rivals friends.

You're not our friend.

We don't trust you.

Go find your profit some other place.

Your words have lots of anger,

but they lack wisdom.

Get out! It's not you to teach me, merchant scum!

Let's use my secret trail.

It seems there's no other way.

I'll take only a quarter.

That's what I'm talking about!

Go!

Faster!

Go!

Go check it.

Ignat, help him.

Did it fall by itself?

Come on.

Ambush!

Bukharans!

Who's killed? Shafuddin?

Take his body with us.

Throw the Russians over there

and cover with snow.

Сover up tracks in the forest and road.

Turn the horses around.

It's our treasure now, not Bibikov's.

BASED ON ALEKSEY IVANOV'S NOVEL "THE TOBOL"