As an important Rus' city in the east, Yaroslavl has always been important.
Most of the Russogon troops and colonists heading to the east passed through here, and the Prince of Moscow also stationed part of the Chud Camp here on a daily basis to deal with all possible border wars.
As for why Rostislav chose to go here instead of taking the shortest road to Bulgar, it was because Yaroslavl ran a Christian colony on the other side of the Volga River.
Rather than taking those unfamiliar roads that are full of dangers, Rostislav wants to take this road that has a mass base and can also find some reliable guides in the local area.
Moreover, it is obviously more reliable to bypass those hills and go eastward along the Volga River, because the river can quickly carry supplies and ensure the supply of materials for the army.
More importantly, this can bypass a series of defenses of the Bulgars. As the direction of the Russian invasion many times, there are many various fortifications there. The Bulgars must have been prepared early. The prince of Moscow does not want to chew this bone.
.
Although the army itself had guides, the old people who had experienced Vladimir's era were too old and could not remember many things clearly.
And over the years, many things have changed dramatically, and the road conditions are completely different, so they need new guides.
As for now, with the arrival of the winter army, Yaroslavl has become a city of soldiers.
The streets and alleys are full of soldiers who are either well-equipped or poorly dressed. As for their military camps outside the city, they are larger than the city itself. They are a sea of tents.
Tiberius, the future Bulgar protagonist, led his team to hold various religious ceremonies outside the military camp every day, making the ceremony quite grand and using various religious incense.
This is what Rostislav expects to see. After all, in name, they are a "crusade", and they must look good. The religious flavor must be sufficient, so that it is convenient for the monks to record (brag) for themselves (
force).
Regardless of whether this ceremony inspired the "crusaders" in the army, it did make many local tribes and residents choose to convert.
This was the first time they had seen such a religious ceremony, and they couldn't help but become obsessed with it.
During the invasion of Akad, Yaroslavl was forced to choose to hold on to the Bulgar army, which was far stronger than normal. It even almost gave up the colonies and relationships it had established on the east bank of the Volga River.
If Akkad's army wanted to attack Yaroslavl at that time, the city would never be able to defend it.
But the emir only had Kashin in his heart, and his mind was filled with Kashin's silver mines. Therefore, after confirming that the Russians would not send troops, he ignored Yaroslavl.
In Akade's view, as long as he occupied Kashin, the entire Northeastern Rus would also come under his rule, and his idea was indeed correct, but the war did not succeed.
After Akad was defeated and forced to flee back to Bulgar, Yaroslavl immediately beat up the drowned dogs, captured many defeated Bulgars, and even found traces of Akad for a time, but it was a pity that there was no trace of him in the end.
Catch that slippery guy.
After a series of internal incidents in Bulgaria and the entry of the Moscow garrison, Yaroslavl suddenly found that the situation they faced was much better than before. The Bulgarian forces could hardly care about the previous confrontations.
District, they can only retreat again and again, and they can only sit back and watch as the Russians infringe on their interests.
The next few years were good times for them. They harvested more and more furs, and their colonies continued to expand. More and more indigenous tribes chose to form an alliance with them, until Sherikhov's eldest son was attacked.
Killed.
But it was good for them. The Prince of Moscow quickly sent a strong team to stabilize the east coast colony where Serikhov's eldest son and many key members died. Moreover, the Prince of Moscow also announced that he would launch a large-scale expedition.
Bulgar.
This gave Yaroslavl a shot in the arm. This city was most eager for the arrival of the winter army, because once the army arrived, the factors that hindered their expansion would be immediately swept away.
They made a lot of preparations for this, such as repairing the roads that were somewhat deserted due to the battle, leveling the land outside the city to prepare for the army to camp, collecting supplies for the army, and gathering their own military strength and allies.
Therefore, in Yaroslavl, the arrival of the winter army did not cause any chaos or disturbance, and they set up camp here very smoothly.
If the local area is so cooperative, then Rostislav will naturally have to meet with the local leaders. However, even if the local area is not cooperative, Rostislav will still have to meet these masters.
As the other nominal leader of the Winter Army, Adam went to summon the Bulgars in Yaroslavl.
Although there are constant conflicts between Rus and Bulgaria, the business exchanges between the two sides have always been very close, especially in the border towns. Both sides have expats in each other, and there has always been a lot of exchanges.
Moreover, due to the internal conflicts in Bulgaria, many people came here to seek refuge with relatives. Many of these people could also be drawn out. Adam had to go there in person.
In the castle of Yaroslavl, Rostislav met the leader of the Serikhov family, the old Ivan who was as strong as a tree stump, and another Yaroslavl dignitary Fedunkin Vasilinovi
Chi Lotnikov.
The Lotnikov family is an old dignitary in Yaroslavl. Their family was granted land during Vladimir's conquest of Bulgaria, and then became a powerful figure in Yaroslavl. The Serikhov family is still
They supported it.
These two are the two giants of Yaroslavl, dividing the power of the city, and they also marry each other to ensure the inheritance of power.
Rostislav was very kind to these two people, and Yaroslavl had always chosen to recognize the authority of Moscow.
This was true even when Rostislav first came to this land, and these two families made great efforts in this. Without them, Yaroslavl would not have surrendered so quickly.
Because these two families want to spread colonization to the east in order to collect more furs and exchange for more gold and silver, these people think that the existence of a prince who rules the Northeast Rus' is a good thing for them, so they are happy to help Rus Ji
Slavic devotion.
They also had the most conflicts with the Bulgars. In those river bends and dense forests, there were always various small-scale battles and instigating rebel alliances against the indigenous tribes.
Therefore, they have the strongest need for Moscow's help and are the most grateful. Similarly, their loyalty to Moscow is also very strong and they are willing to do anything for the prince of Moscow.
The prince of Moscow first exchanged a few words with them, and then asked them about the trends of the Fen tribe on the east coast, which was related to the direction of the next war and follow-up arrangements.