Just when Kashen was being plundered by the Bulgar army, in the dense forest near Kashen, where Rostislav's army was gathering, the soldiers were drinking mutton stew.
Although it is near Kashen, it is still a few days away from the emerging mining city, and the surrounding bushes are dense, so this army has been able to hide until now without being discovered.
Everyone had a great time eating. Although there is no shortage of meat in Northeast Russia, which is full of fishing and hunting resources, there are not many opportunities to enjoy mutton on such a large scale, and it is also cherished.
Varu, the lord of New Tork City, recently brought a large number of cattle and sheep to feed the army, and more nomadic cavalry followed.
Hence today's mutton feast. Although they are in Northeastern Rus, these nomads still remember the skills of raising cattle and sheep, and their herds are still thriving after collecting some local breeds.
Varu, who was once a nomadic chief, is already dressed like a Russian noble. He is wearing a fur coat, a cross hanging on his chest, a fur hat with a cuff on his head, and gold and silver rings on his hands. But looking at the way he rides a horse,
You will know that this person has not lost his skills on horseback.
His new Tork was recently completed. This city is located on the main trade route between Rus and Novo in the northeast. The trade route allowed Varu to accumulate a lot of gold and silver after paying enough taxes to Moscow, so he was able to dress like this.
, and also purchased a lot of armor.
And now the Lord of the City of Ross is sitting and drinking soup with the Prince of Moscow. It is an honor to dine next to the Prince, which represents the Prince's trust, and Varu's performance is indeed worthy of such treatment.
"Ah, after eating these few bowls, my whole body feels warm."
Rostislav put the bowl on the table and drank all the soup in it. On this approaching winter day, drinking such a bowl of soup makes people feel that their whole body is very warm, and their energy and motivation are even stronger.
Strong.
"My lord, if you like it, I can ask my tribe to send some more."
Varu, who was devouring mutton, said immediately when he saw this, the flattery on his face was not concealed, and he would not be insulted by it. After coming to Northeastern Rus, he would be completely tied to the prince of Moscow. If it were not for the prince and vassal
Due to his identity, he and his tribe had long been exterminated.
"There's no point in drinking good stuff every day."
Rostilav waved his hand in response, and his attitude was quite mild. Varu was a "big noble" under him, and he still had such a low profile, so naturally he had to return the favor.
Nowadays, there are not many people who can be called great nobles under Rostislav, including Sarnia of the Kurkanta family and Olaf, who was wiped out by the army sent by the prince, and Varu is one of them.
A member of the hierarchy.
This was because the prince brought under his command the nomadic tribes that had defected to him one after another during the year.
As the uncles in the south began to attack the nomads on the Kiev border, many nomads ran back to the grasslands, but many people still liked the more civilized life in Russia, so many people came to the Northeast through the relationship they had with Rostislav.
Ross.
Except for a small number who were dispersed and settled in Moscow, most of them went to Varu's command. Anyway, these tribes are either the younger generation basically Rossized, or they are highly ethnically mixed, and the relatively highly civilized Ross culture is enough to assimilate them.
And assigning these tribes to Varu does not mean that he can surrender them. Many of these tribes were once powerful in the Black Hat Army, even stronger than the Varu tribe. How could they obey Varu?
people.
However, although they did not obey Varu, they still obeyed the authority of Rostislav himself. Therefore, although they were unruly, they still respectfully called Varu the Nomadic Prince and ostensibly obeyed his authority.
This is why Varu stayed in the fief for so long after bringing his troops. He had to find the nomadic tribes scattered around and recruit troops from them.
After bringing these troops, Varu suddenly became the nobleman with the largest number of troops under Rostislav, with nearly 800 scimitars.
Moreover, they were all men of the right age, with no mixture of those who were too old and those who were too young. Many of them were wearing iron armor. It was obvious that all the ministries had brought out their elites.
He was quite surprised by this Rostislav. Originally, he thought that Varu would only bring out 700 people at most, and he was the product of mobilization regardless of the old and the weak. This made him look at this person with admiration.
Varu was not proud of having gathered so many people. On the contrary, he became more and more respectful to Rostislav, just like a servant.
The former chief knew very well that in the face of internal unrest and external challenges, if he did not rely on the power of the prince and let the prince feel at ease and satisfied with him, his new Tork would be finished soon. This is why he drove a large number of cattle.
The reason why sheep are used as rations for the army for free.
Varu knew that he was not unique. If the prince was dissatisfied, he could be replaced. There were so many tribal chiefs near New Torque who wanted to replace him.
Rostislav chatted with Varu for a while, asking him what needs he had and the problems he faced. If there were any problems, he would solve them.
The prince had a profound intention in placing these nomads in New Tork. If there were changes in Nuo City in the future, New Tork, which is closest to Nuo City, could send a large number of troops to get there quickly.
As for why these preparations are made... Whether as a time traveler who knows the historical development or as the ruler of Northeastern Rus, maintaining such a mobile force close to Nuo City can allow him to obtain many things when necessary.
While the prince and Varu were having a lively conversation, a dusty cavalryman walked through the feasting soldiers, came to the prince, and knelt down in front of him.
Rostislav realized what was happening.
"Master Rostislav, Kashin has been captured by the Bulgars. Master Yefimi who was defending this place was captured. The Bulgars cut off his limbs and hung him in a cage. The rest were reduced to slaves.
.”
The messenger brought the news that the prince had been waiting for for a long time, the loss of Kashin.
The prince was a little uneasy when he heard what happened to Yefimi. After all, in a sense, he was the cause of what happened to this person.
But the prince immediately suppressed those uneasiness. Now was not the time to care about these, but when the prince was listening to the report, the generals felt that the news of the war was coming, and they all stood up, and they gathered in front of Rostislav
, waiting for the prince’s order.
"Everyone, our plan has begun. Next, let us move to Kashen and wait for the fighter plane. And that moment will come soon."
"yes!"
The prince's answer was an impassioned one, and there was a lot of fighting spirit among them. Many people wanted to go to the battlefield and defeat those damn infidels.
The reason why Rostislav decided to move immediately was very simple. According to the assessment report of the engineers when he left Kashin, the distance to dig the underground river was only a few pickaxes away...