In the Bulgarian front, Allaire expressed his blessings to Akade, who was surrounded by countless soldiers, but his congratulations were very formulaic and rigid, as if he was completing a mission.
Akade's body was shrouded in steel armor, with the flag of a fire-breathing dragon flying above his head. He exuded as much power as the Khan in Bulgar City, as if he was the supreme king of the Volga Kingdom.
In front of him, a group of Bulgar heavy infantry was boarding the sandbank. These soldiers were wearing chain mail and scale armor. They were wealthy citizens in the town, and only they could afford such a suit of armor.
On the other side of the river, the victorious Bulgars were either chasing the enemy, cheering with their weapons raised high, or collecting the enemy's corpses.
As time went by, fires broke out in this prosperous ferry village, during which women and children screamed. The looting after the war was an integral part of the war, and it was all natural.
This is what the Bulgar army did along the way. They "collected" supplies again from the villages where the Russians had already collected tribute in advance. As long as they were willing to scrape them, they could always scrape them out, and the massacre could also restore the morale of the soldiers.
The lucky ones who survive after the killing will be taken to Bulgar City, where merchants from all over the world will buy them - one of Bulgar's important outputs is also slaves.
"It's just a small victory, the real battle has yet to come."
Akade did not take this victory seriously. He knew very well that what he defeated was just a makeshift army, a temporary combination of North mercenaries and Ross farmers. If he could not defeat such a combination, then he would not
Don't go out to lead troops. All those years of war will be in vain.
But in his heart, Akkad was still excited about his victory. He went extremely smoothly along the way. The cities of Northeastern Rus retreated one after another after having ceremonial battles with his army, and there were no surprise attacks on the road.
The looting of the Ross countryside was even smoother, and a large amount of materials and slaves were easily harvested.
And now he has so easily broken through the Volga River, which he thought would be the most difficult to break through. How could this not excite him?
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"So, the Bulgars have finally arrived, and their army has crossed the Volga River."
In the dense forest, Rostislav received the North mercenary who fled the battlefield and learned about the battle process from his mouth.
"In other words, those towns didn't even pay attention to my harassment orders... Well, that's to be expected."
After receiving the news that the main Bulgar force was crossing the river, the prince of Moscow immediately sent envoys to remove the garrison troops at various crossings of the Volga River, either to let them come to join or to hide on the spot and wait for a fighter opportunity.
The place where the Moscow army is stationed is the dense forest near Kashin. Such dense forests are everywhere in Northeastern Rus, and they are very suitable for hiding large numbers of troops.
The woods were so dense that they almost blocked out the sun. Only a little sunlight came through under the shade of the trees, but it was enough to bring enough light. The sunlight shone on the numerous tents.
There are a large number of soldiers resting here at the moment. They are either gathering in small groups to drink kvass, or gambling and boxing. Some soldiers are practicing battlefield skills under the leadership of officers, hoping to learn something now.
Two moves can save your life.
The Polish knights were bragging with the Russian soldiers there, bragging about the battlefields and killings they had experienced, and showing off their war skills. The North warriors were competing with the Hungarian horsemen in their shooting skills. The North soldiers holding long bows were not
Thinking that they would be weaker than the compound archers from the grassland.
Rostislav's tent was located under a giant tree. After repelling the North mercenaries, the prince was now standing in front of a dilapidated table that he found somewhere.
Placed on the table is a map that has gone through God knows how many years. It is said that Gvalan dug it out in an inconspicuous corner of the Rostov Armory.
His fingers were pointing and drawing on the rough and simple map. Although this map was extremely crude, it was enough as a reference for strategy. On this map, the prince thought about how to deal with the enemy.
"Hey, since the Bulgars have already enjoyed the sweetness, I should also let them suffer the bitterness."
While thinking, Rostislav made a decision. He now had many elites at his disposal. If he did not give the Bulgars an impressive surprise attack, he would be sorry for the elites sent by so many relatives.
Polish cavalry, Hungarian heavy horse archers, and North warriors... This was the first time he had assembled such a large number of armored elites in his hands. It would be a waste if he didn't make good use of them.
And this is also one of the products of him spreading the news about the silver mine. If he didn't spread the news and let his relatives participate, where would he find so many elites.
But it is a pity that the silver mine matter was ultimately messed up. Fortunately, the arrival of the Bulgars allowed him to find a way to cancel the accounts. Otherwise, it would have been too difficult for such a large army to send them away peacefully.
But he needs more information now. The most important thing in war is information.
"Gvalan, you have been fighting for so many years, do you know this Akade?"
Subconsciously, the prince asked the captain of the soldiers who had experienced hundreds of battles. When it came to war, this captain could always give him the answers he wanted.
"Aqad, I heard about his disappointment from the merchants. I know that he was as powerful as the Khans in Bulgaria. He was known for his flamboyant style, but that's all I know.
I really don’t know much about his fighting style.”
As always, Guvalan explained everything he knew in his quick and concise words, and his whole person was still serious and unsmiling.
"If you don't understand, then just make a surprise attack like this. War is full of uncertainties."
After knocking on the map, the prince set the tone for the strategy. War is a huge gamble, and there is no point in pursuing control of everything.
Walking out of the tent, the Prince of Moscow saw his army, and his soldiers were now gathering here.
The prince saw the local farmers describing the nearby terrain to his adjutant, saw the peasants carrying supplies under the whip, and saw the soldiers lining up in order...
Looking at the activities of countless soldiers, Rostislav couldn't help but become nervous. This was the first time he independently led an army to face an opponent stronger than him.
Rostislav felt very nervous, very nervous. The total strength of the Bulgars was more than twice his. When had the prince of Moscow ever faced such a powerful opponent?
After all, although he had a complete plan in his mind, which made him feel that he had a great chance of winning, what he was facing now was, after all, a war, an unpredictable war.
There might be no battlefield tomorrow, so what's the point of it then, so the tension is like a dark cloud that won't dissipate for a long time.