The so-called Vladimir Palace refers to several palace buildings built by Vladimir around the Tithe Church.
The Tithe Church is a Christian church dedicated to God built by "Holy" Vladimir after he converted to Christianity.
Before the construction of Saint Sophia of the Wise, this was the iconic church of Kiev. Although its status is now inferior to Saint Sophia, it is still the center of power in Russia because it is next to the Vladimir Palace.
When the spire of the Tithe Church appeared, Rostislav saw the Grand Duke's soldiers densely packed in front of the Vladimir Palace.
These warriors wore uniform-style armor, and their entire heads were wrapped under helmets and chain veils, with only two eye sockets exposed. They carried Danren's axes in their hands, looking murderous.
However, recalling the various panic scenes he saw along the way, Rostislav was not surprised why he looked so nervous:
Kiev came to a standstill in the shadow of the grassland. A large number of merchant ships set sail and headed north along the Dnieper River to avoid the war. There were almost no people in the prosperous docks.
Many residents began to hoard food in preparation for a possible siege, which caused the price of food to skyrocket in the market. However, even though there was still an endless stream of people buying, those without money could only watch in despair on the streets.
The streets were full of panicked citizens. When Rostislav passed by, he saw an old man who kept chanting the names of God and Perun (note 1). I guess the old man was afraid of being confused, so he turned these two people away.
The names of the hostile gods are read in succession.
If it weren't for the soldiers of the Grand Duke of Kiev and the militia of the city's Vitcher militia to maintain order in the city, chaos would have broken out here long ago. Anyone who tried to cause trouble would be executed directly by the Grand Duke's soldiers and the Vitcher's militia without hesitation.
Patrolling soldiers can be seen everywhere on the streets. They maintain order on the streets, and it is precisely because of their existence that order does not collapse.
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As the eldest grandson of Yaroslav, the guard at the door naturally knew the young prince, and he entered the palace smoothly after briefly expressing his identity.
Under the leadership of the messenger, Rostislav quickly arrived at the conference room of the Grand Duke of Kiev, and then he was surprised to find that Yaroslav's son and generals were all present.
"...The army of Brus Khan has completely surrounded Pereyaslav. Our defense system has completely collapsed under their attack. The enemy is expected to send more than 10,000 troops, but there are still more nomads.
Tribes are coming in a steady stream, and Khan’s troops are increasing..."
Rostislav arrived at just the right time, because Tika, the captain of the Grand Duke's corps, who was responsible for conveying battlefield information, had just begun to explain the current situation.
"What we are facing is not a robbery, my lords, but an invasion!"
Jika's words caused a commotion among the disciples and generals. They originally thought that this was just a daily robbery by the newly rising herdsmen, but now it seems that this is not the case.
This caused some people to start whispering. This sudden war broke their original itinerary. The dignitaries in Kiev relied on existing business routes to make money. What they feared most was the destruction of the war.
While everyone was whispering, Yaroslav raised his hand, and when he raised his hand, everyone shut their mouths. The power of the Grand Duke of Kiev was evident.
Rostislav quickly found a corner to stand, but just as he was standing, he noticed that Captain Yaroslav, the captain of the Guards, Tika, looked at him deeply.
The prince couldn't understand the information contained in those eyes. He only knew that it was very complicated. He didn't communicate much with this person. There was no interaction between the two except the day they came to Kiev.
"We have to fight again... But everyone, since the Polovets have thrown their spears (note 2), we should also fight back."
The Grand Duke of Kiev spoke very slowly, but the attitude contained in it was very firm.
"The whole of Russia will be mobilized to deal with this war with the infidels. Don't be afraid, everyone, because we will win. God bless us!"
"God bless us!"
No matter what mentality everyone here has or what their attitude is towards Christianity, when this sentence is heard, they all have to say it together.
"Our main task now is to defend the surrounding areas of Kiev and wait for the arrival of troops from various places."
When the Grand Duke said this, everyone immediately cheered up, because it meant that the next deployment of defenses had been assigned.
If you are unlucky and are assigned to a defensive position that is too far forward, it will be terrible. Otherwise, the entire army will be annihilated. But if you are really unlucky, you can only follow the Grand Duke's order, and the unlucky guy will naturally have to
Go on a dangerous mission.
"First, let the cavalry of the Black Hat Army scout the enemy's situation. Next, the defense of Kiev City will be taken care of by I and Izyaslav's personal soldiers. Svyatoslav and Chernigov will gather the troops. Igor and Viktor
Archeslav went to Galicia and Volhynia, and Ivan cooperated with them in carrying out their tasks..."
Listening to Yaroslav's words, Rostislav couldn't help but gradually fell into a trance. After all, the names of people and places passed by like a fleeting glance, and as time went by, his consciousness inevitably became blurred.
"Rostislav!"
Suddenly, he suddenly heard his name, which made him panic, fearing that his previous desertion would be discovered.
"Ask your team to go out for reconnaissance and investigate the situation of the Polovets, but the main thing is to save yourself. If it is difficult to collect information, you can return to Kiev."
After finishing speaking, the Grand Duke continued to issue orders without any emotion, as if he had given his eldest grandson a difficult task without realizing it.
Rostislav finally put away his shocked expression, and then saw the expressions of the people around him, expressions that were mixed with pity and gloating.
When Rostislav left the Vladimir Palace, he couldn't help feeling light under his feet.
Although he was eager to continue to make contributions on the battlefield, he never expected that his grandfather would give him a mission such as going out for reconnaissance. This mission seemed simple, but if a person could not encounter the enemy's main force, then he would immediately
It's over, and the enemy is still a nomadic army, and they won't even be able to run away by then.
Even though the conditions given by his grandfather were very loose, Rostislav understood that this was an inspection of himself by his grandfather, and his performance was probably related to his future territory, which meant that he had to produce some results instead of going away.
Going through the motions.
Rostislav couldn't help but feel distressed when he thought of this, but it was useless to worry, he could only face it.
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Note 1: Perun is the god of thunder in East Slavic mythology and is the main god. Veles, mentioned later, is the god of agriculture and animal husbandry and is also the main god.
Note 2: Throwing a spear means initiating a battle. In the Russian tradition, a prince throwing a spear means the beginning of a battle.