After some casual chatting with the masters and craftsmen, Rostislav's trip to the blacksmith's guild came to an end.
Rostislav was very satisfied with this business. What he saw and heard was what he wanted to see, and the entire Northeastern Rus was developing in accordance with his established direction.
The development of Northeastern Rus can be said to be prosperous, and the power in his hands is also considerable, which makes the prince of Moscow even more confident in the conquest of Bulgar.
The conquest of Bulgar has always been Rostislav's established strategy.
In fact, Rostislav did not have much desire to conquer this civilized and prosperous country, but now that the country was in chaos and fighting, and he had in his hands an orthodox heir to the Bulgar Khan throne who believed in Christ, the conquest was inevitable.
For this another city-state on the Volga River, Rostislav's requirements are not high. All he needs to do is encourage it to convert to Christianity and become a friendly country to Russia.
Once Bulgar converts to Christianity, it will be very convenient for him to do whatever he does in the future.
As for conquering another country, that was never within the scope of the prince's consideration, because he could not afford the resources or the population.
Later generations gathered the power of the fully developed Northeast Rus in the Grand Duchy of Moscow and spent countless lives and resources on this place. How could a small barbarian prince like him do it?
Rostislav was very coveted for the land of Bulgar. This land centered on Kazan in later generations was a rare fertile land in Eastern Europe, and the Bulgar civilization was developed. If he could absorb Bulgar culture and technology
, then Ross will definitely rise to a higher level.
But it can't be done. If it can't be done, it can't be done. Maybe Rostislav can obtain technology by robbing craftsmen, but wants to rule this land? That is absolutely impossible, and his power cannot suppress this land.
.
If he wanted to suppress this place, he would have to maintain at least 4,000 troops on this land and move tens of thousands of Russian Christians before he could gain a firm foothold.
Then began a decades-long security war, and the subsequent import of troops and personnel could not stop for a moment until the locals no longer resisted.
But he can't do it, so his biggest option is to send troops to Bulgar all the time in the next few years, spending all his time here. As for doing anything else, it's simply impossible.
What's more, the faith in this land is notoriously stubborn. Historically, after Tsarist Russia annexed this land, it took hundreds of years of hard work and intimidation against Islam to barely curb its development.
But to this day, Kazan is still the largest Islamic religious center in Russia.
Rostislav's small body would definitely not be able to handle the existence that caused such a headache for such a big country.
Therefore, direct occupation is absolutely not advisable, and we can only take other ways.
The path Rostislav chose was to prompt Bulgar to convert, and then let them fight each other. Ross could strengthen his control over the country, and Bulgar, who was caught in the fight, had no intention of competing with Ross.
The most significant significance of bringing Bulgar into their influence is that the Russians can establish a long-term advantage on the Volga trade route, a land where silver once flowed, and absorb a large amount of the profits brought by this trade route, that is, they can take the share that once belonged to Bulgar.
Now I have it all in my own hands.
Moreover, the prince's behavior is actually to please Novgorod, because the city of Novgorod is the end of the Volga trade route. By expanding the interests of the Russians on this trade route, Novgorod can also
receive benefits.
Novgorod is a city with its own will - in fact, all cities in Russia have it, but Novgorod is the strongest and the most prominent - the militiamen of this city will do their own thing, and they will do whatever they want to do even with the Grand Duke.
authority can be ignored.
Rostislav needed to win over this power, and to gain the support of Novgorodvich, he could not rely solely on the influence of his father's generation.
My father was once the prince of this city, but that was only once. Now this is the jurisdiction of Izyaslav. As a large number of people loyal to my father came to Northeastern Rus, my father's authority has become increasingly indifferent. Although he still has the support of high officials, those high officials
The door has become increasingly difficult to maintain in that city.
Regarding the conquest of Bulgar, another reason was that Rostislav wanted to build a barrier to the east.
As someone who knows the history of Russia, Rostislav knows that during the Mongolian Western Expedition, the destruction of Northeastern Rus occurred after the destruction of Bulgar. The Volga Bulgars played an important supporting role in Northeastern Rus.
Although the Mongol Western Expedition is still too far away, Rostislav hopes that at least during his lifetime, Bulgar can block all possible nomadic threats in the eastern part of Northeast Russia and prevent this rear area from being attacked by nomads.
After all, the safest thing about Northeast Rus is that it is surrounded by barriers, and Rostislav hopes that these barriers can be maintained.
Finally, the last reason for Rostislav's expedition here was that Moscow's expansion direction was very limited.
As the youngest, he cannot wage war against his elders. Once he does, he will face siege from all sides. At that time, he will not be able to win no matter what.
Therefore, when it comes to Ross's internal affairs, he can only wait and wait for those careerists to stir up disputes.
And now the two guys most eager to take advantage of Ross are one is the wizarding prince, and the other is his second uncle.
Many times the Prince of Moscow could not help but wonder which of the two of them would take the lead in the end.
Therefore, if Moscow wants to use troops, it can only go in the direction of Bulgar. And now that it has so many advantages over Bulgar, it is natural to take action.
The reason for using troops is also very simple. The nobles and soldiers under him need to be fed by war, and victory can be used to strengthen the impression of heroism and invincibility, establish personal authority, and these reputations can help him recruit more people in the future.
soldiers.
There is also gold and silver. Victory can bring gold and silver, and the prince of Moscow needs gold and silver more than anyone else. There are so many gaps in the development of Moscow alone, let alone the entire Rus.
In fact, Rostislav has been preparing for a possible war in the future, and these are one of the things he did to prepare.
His knowledge of later history and his intuition told him that the biggest enemy he would face in the future was most likely his second uncle.
As someone who has a grudge against his second uncle for his father's murder, if the two of them fight, both of them must go all out, because the revenge for his father's murder must be avenged with blood.
Although there is still plenty of time, Rostislav must accumulate it as soon as possible.
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