Moscow's army marched on the road north, and everyone's footsteps were brisk and leisurely.
This is the team of victors. Every soldier is happy for everything they have gained in the war. Their pockets are filled with curiosities and souvenirs collected from all over the Principality of Polotsk.
Although the ground under our feet was quite muddy due to the rain, it still did not affect everyone's mood.
They sang catchy songs, and their feet were extremely light. A beautiful life is in front of them. Walking through this muddy road is a bright future! A better life, the envy of the folks, these are all in front of them!
The song floated above the team, which represented the soldiers' joy and expectations for a better future.
The only dejected people in the team were the trophies, the people who were forcibly relocated from Polotsk.
For these people who were forced to leave, this journey was undoubtedly extremely painful, and they really did not want to leave. Who is willing to leave their hometown, but when the sword is placed on your neck, it has no control over your wishes.
Rostislav did give them a few sweet dates, and distributed some silver and grain that were better than nothing, but it was this silver and grain that soothed people's hearts, otherwise they would have just made a sad face.
Rostislav had been traveling with his uncle Vishata for a period of time before. At this time, Vishata was not at all as depressed as before, because the Smolensk militiamen robbed several large fortresses in the process of cleaning up the local lords.
Make a lot of money.
In fact, this was the benefit Rostislav fought for for Vishata, allowing his uncle to have enough funds to appease the Smolensk militia.
When leaving, Rostislav gave some instructions to Veshata, mainly about the demolition of Minsk and strengthening the defense of Smolensk.
In the next few years, drastic changes will occur in the south, and Rostislav must prepare in advance.
And just like last time, Visatta directly stated that he was already making preparations. As a figure who has been immersed in the Russian political situation for decades, his sensitivity to these matters is comparable to that of few people in Russia.
This made Rostislav a little embarrassed, but he quickly got over this emotion. It was okay to be embarrassed in front of his elders.
Now Rostislav himself was sitting next to his wife and children's carriage, talking and laughing with his wife and children. The children's childish actions and questions always made the Prince of Moscow smile.
The Prince of Moscow enjoyed this feeling very much. Only at this time could he put all the disputes behind and indulge in this warm family scene.
The years were getting closer and closer to the drastic changes, and the prince of Moscow was still under great psychological pressure, because he was afraid that he would not be able to successfully survive those years and profit from them.
The child Rurik was in a bit of a low mood, and the prince was not surprised. After all, he had said goodbye to his new friends. It seemed that he missed the two boys Monomakh and Oleg very much.
Rostislav had nothing to comfort his son. He needed to face this kind of thing by himself, and there was nothing he could do to help.
Regarding Monomakh and Oleg, after seeing the two Rurik young men in battle, Rostislav couldn't help but sigh that these two people really deserved to leave such a reputation in history.
But the prince didn't pay much attention to these two boys because of this. After all, they were just two young people in the end. It would take another ten years to reach their time.
As the supreme commander of this army, naturally no one dares to ruin the good mood of the Prince of Moscow, but there are some things that cannot be affected by human power, such as now.
"Ah, damn, why is it stuck again!"
Amid the complaints of the Prince of Moscow, five or six Russian soldiers pushed the carriage that was stuck in the mud hard, and the coachman also whipped the horses with all his strength. With manpower and horse power, the carriage was finally pulled out.
The carriage driver looked at the prince with some embarrassment. After all, he was driving the carriage, and he was a little afraid that the prince would blame him for this. But Rostislav knew the real problem very well, so he would not embarrass others.
After the carriage was pulled out, servants quickly laid a few wooden boards on the ground so that the carriages passing by would not get stuck here. However, things like mud pits are impossible to prevent after all, so we can only prevent them as much as possible.
Rostislav was a little troubled by the bad road. After entering this section of the road, the road became worse and worse. It was so bad that Rostislav was speechless. The carriage carrying his wife and children was stuck.
several times.
The soldiers' feet were also covered in mud, especially the hooves of Rostislav's horse. No one in the best mood could be happy at this time.
Rostislav has actually walked through a lot of bad roads, but the bad road in front of him is really unbearable. The roads in Northeastern Rus can at least ensure smooth roads, but he encountered several mud pits in succession on this road! This bad road is really too bad.
Too much!
I really didn’t expect that when I was walking south, I was walking on a normal road, but when it rained it turned into this horrible thing.
Rostislav made up his mind in his heart that after taking control of this land, he must repair the road. This road has not been maintained for a long time, it is really bad!
"Rostislav, do you want me to hold the children and ride a horse..."
Seeing her husband's expression, Zoe couldn't help but say, it would be convenient for everyone. This carriage was so torturous that she felt uncomfortable sitting in it.
"No need, no need at all. These are not problems, so just feel free to leave."
At this time, Rostislav had the idea of competing with the mud. He had achieved such a great victory but was surrounded by the mud. He couldn't bear it, so he said this directly to Zoe.
And Zoe's face showed helplessness. Why was her husband acting like a child at this time, struggling with the mud? Was he like a ruler?
"Okay, let's go on horseback. Don't compete with the mud. It seems a bit childish."
Zoe's words were not polite at all, and just when she was about to dismount, the arrow suddenly shot out, pierced the carriage, and was inserted in front of Zoe. The arrow shaft was still shaking.
Zoe's reaction was extremely quick, she huddled directly into the carriage and pushed her two sons down. Previously, the two little guys were lying by the window watching the adults busy as if watching the fun.
As for Rurik, the child didn't even need his mother's reminder to lie down on the carriage.
"Go! Go find the attacker!"
Rostislav reacted quickly, and his voice was a little frustrated because of his anger. How come someone dared to attack him on the road? Didn't you see how big this army is? Bastard!
And just when the prince gave the order angrily, the followers quickly used shields to protect their prince. Now Rostislav did not have armor! Any arrow could kill him!
Just when the Prince of Moscow finished speaking, a shower of arrows fell near the Prince, but it failed to cause any casualties. The arrows either missed or were blocked by shields and armor.
However, one of these arrows could make a clear sound, which frightened many people at this time.
But the Janissaries were unmoved. These elites had never seen anything before, so it was impossible to scare them with this little trick.
Under the sudden harassment of arrows, the guards did not panic. They calmly followed the plan that had been rehearsed countless times and guarded the prince and his family, protecting them tightly.
Both Domhnall and Vasily encouraged their men to fulfill their duties and protect the safety of the prince, and never to embarrass themselves in front of the relatives opposite.
Someone else blew a horn, calling on the soldiers in front and behind to come to the rescue. The militiamen heard the horn sound and rushed towards the prince. Those who walked quickly began to actively attack in the direction from which the arrows came.
Look for the attacker among them.
The arrow attack lasted for a while, and soon everyone discovered that these arrows were really weak and could not even penetrate much of the armor.
The shafts of many arrows are even curved, and some arrows are bone arrows with a hollow in the middle. It is these arrows that make those clear sounds, which look scary but are actually very rubbish in power.
As the militiamen got closer and closer to where the arrows came from, the hidden archers stopped shooting and ran away, and then the battle entered a pursuit mode.
Except for the arrows scattered all over the place and the armor that needed to be repaired, no Russians were injured in this attack.
Rostislav's mood changed from angry to confused now. What happened to this attack? What does it mean that no one died?
Soon the pursuing militiamen also came back, but they were empty-handed. Some of them had annoyed faces. The attackers ran too fast. They didn't catch anything. They also stepped on several traps and created several traps.
A wounded person.
It's really unlucky to have no results and only a few wounds. It's normal for these militiamen to be in a bad mood.
"What on earth is this for?"
The Prince of Moscow touched his head. This really surprised him. Was it an attack for the sake of attack?
Gavrila rushed to the prince at this time and heard Rostislav's question.
After seeing the scene, he immediately realized what was going on, so he immediately spoke up.
"Lord Rostislav, may I know why?"
"Why? Tell me quickly?"
But before Gavrila could speak, a shout rang out. It came from a soldier from the rear army. This man's clothes and armor were messy and dirty, and his hat was hanging down on his neck.
"Master Rostislav, a group of damn forest dwellers attacked us, and they ransacked the logistics convoy!"
Gavrila hid her face, as expected, while Rostislav shouted to see what was going on over there.