Soon after seeing the flag, they saw the border outpost, but it was a camp that looked more like a merchant inn than a border outpost.
Although the Hungarian flag with a white cross on a red background hangs here, there are not many Magyars guarding this place, and they are mainly mountain people from the Carpathians.
The local people welcomed the Ross army, and the gate of the outpost was opened for them without hesitation. Then the person in charge came up to receive these Ross nobles.
Only when they entered this camp did they realize that this was the last resting place before entering the Carpathian Mountains from Rus. However, because the Hungarian mountain tribes often crossed the mountain passes to rest here, these mountain tribes also received gifts from the Arpad Palace.
He was appointed to collect taxes from the teams passing through the mountain pass, and over time it became a Hungarian territory.
Now this place is full of mountain people who usually live in the Carpathian Mountains. They come here to escape the winter mountains. They are very grateful to the royal family for giving the camp. After obtaining the camp, they do not have to go to the mountains in winter like many tribes.
They drove the old people out to die, and their tribe grew stronger.
Because of this, they became more and more loyal to the royal family. However, the Arpad Civil War made them not know who to support. In the end, they chose to stand still like many others and wait for the victor to emerge.
Of course, there are naturally many mountain people in the mountains who are unwilling to leave, but even in this winter they can only huddle in their warm tents and survive the winter relying on the food accumulated before winter.
If winter does not end as planned, they will have to push the old people in the village out to die.
In addition to the mountain people, there are also many Hungarian refugees who have settled here. It seems that they plan to return to the Magyar country after the heavy snowfall ends.
These refugees are obviously wealthy people, which can be seen from their clothes. It seems that they only left Hungary to escape the war, and now that the war is over, they will naturally return to their homeland.
The local mountain leader was very understanding and took the initiative to send gifts - patrolling the Carpathian Pass can earn a lot of tax.
After learning this, no one soon paid attention to the camp, because there was something more spectacular in front of everyone - the majestic Carpathian Mountains, the natural border between Rus and Hungary.
At first glance, it seemed that a snowy field appeared out of thin air in front of them, but the next moment Rostislav realized that it was actually the mountain range itself.
The coldness hit his face, and Rostislav felt that his eyes were stung by the coldness released by the mountains just by looking at it. Even though he was so far away, he could still clearly feel the coldness coming slowly with the cold wind.
Seeing this scene, Rostislav understood that it was impossible to walk through the mountain pass. In this case, it would be a narrow escape.
"You came at the wrong time. The Carpathian Mountains have been blocked by heavy snow. If you had come a week earlier, you could have caught up and passed the mountain pass before the snow fell completely. By then, we would have lost a few people at most."
The leader of the local mountain tribe shrugged. It was almost impossible to pass through the mountains now.
"What happens if we force our way through?"
Izyaslav asked this question with a gloomy face. He originally expected that they could pass the Carpathian Pass before the heavy snow closed the mountain, but in the end, they just missed the last bus.
"Sir, if you do this, your entire army will definitely be annihilated. Even if the entire army is not annihilated, most of them will die."
The leader gave a ruthless answer without hesitation, and his words were also very sincere. He had seen people who forcibly broke into the Carpathian Mountains in winter, and they could always find the bodies of these people after the snow melted the next spring.
.
"The Carpathian Mountains in winter can eat people. Countless people have proved this with their blood. Moreover, it is not the time when the snow is the most severe. It will snow heavily in the next few days, and the entire road will be covered with snow."
All will be blocked."
The mountain tribes of the Carpathians passed down from generation to generation the fate of countless people who tried to cross the mountains in winter. Whether they were nomads from the east or the imperial army from the south, crossing the mountains in winter had only one result - death.
There are no supplies along the way, only boundless snow-colored desert. No matter how strong the team is, it will be difficult for them to survive. Moreover, there may be disasters such as avalanches on the mountain. If that thing encounters something wrong, the entire army will be destroyed.
Then in the spring, their ancestors went to pick up the equipment and property left by these fools, and took off these valuable things and weapons and equipment from the dead that they would never dare to think about. Several tribes in the history of the Carpathian Mountains
This is how it emerged.
Faced with such a result, the uncles would naturally make this choice, and Rostislav would not either. Their soldiers were always paid with real money, so how could they be allowed to take such a risk for the sake of a close friend?
It's not worth risking your life on the road.
"So what should we do? We have to go to Hungary."
The third uncle's slightly anxious words rang out. It would be ridiculous if their bridging party could not attend the meeting. Then the whole of Ross would make them a laughing stock, and his words made the uncle even more anxious.
The second uncle was calling his men to bring him a map. His face was a little gloomy, and it seemed that he had already made a calculation in his heart.
"We can only go to Wallachia, my lords."
The words of the leader of the mountain people made the eldest uncle and the third uncle look away, while the second uncle just sighed.
Wallachia, that land is not a good place. It's not that it's scary here, but the people living there are very difficult to deal with.
Rus's former steppe enemies, the Pechenegs, lived here.
The Pechenegs were the masters of the vast grasslands south of Kiev fifty years ago. They came to Kiev many times and threatened the security of the city. They also once formed an alliance with Rus and sent troops to the southern imperial capital together.
Of course, they chose to betray in the end, and the skull that Rostislav took back from Brus Khan was the product of their betrayal.
After the steppes experienced another wave of hegemony, the Pechenegs were driven to the west, to be precise, to the land of Wallachia, and the locals soon succumbed to them.
Wallachia is a vast plain with abundant water and grass. It can be said to be the most suitable area for nomadic people to live.
After being defeated by the upstarts of the steppes in the east, the Pechenegs poured into Wallachia in large numbers, and they took root in this land.
In addition, the Wallachians are the main component of the Romanian nation in later generations, but they have not yet formed a country.
As the Pechenegs took root, this place became a source of trouble. They either invaded the wealthy empire in the south, or invaded the Magyar lands to the west.
It is a coincidence that the Magyars were driven to the west by the Pechenegs, but they established their country in Hungary instead of moving further west.
And now the Pechenegs have also been driven to the west and have begun to invade the land of the Magyars. I have to say that this is really a bad fate.
"It seems we can only go south."
The uncle finally made a decision. Fortunately, they had plenty of time. Even if they had to take a detour to Wallachia, the time was acceptable.
The faces of the people behind the princes of Ross changed. No one wanted to leave that land, especially the businessmen. They were not willing to go to such a dangerous land, but they had this choice. The only thing that comforted them was that they
Followed by a powerful army.
Rostislav didn't know much about Wallachia. On the contrary, because of the cultural symbol of vampires in later generations, he was somewhat curious about this land and wanted to go there to see it.
As for the nomads, as a Rus prince, war has long been a part of his life, so come on.
The army rested here that night, and the local residents naturally sent food, and the uncle did not forget to pay him. Now he has entered another country, and he behaves decently.
The next day, the team set foot on the southbound road. They first had to pass through Moldavia, which was the territory of Rus. The locals were quite respectful to Kiev, and then they went to the dangerous Wallachia.