Along the way, as we go eastward, there are more and more refugees on the road. They have fled from the east. These people are frightened and uneasy, which shows how huge the shadow of the nomadic cavalry is in their hearts.
The Russians did not see any signs of burning, killing, looting, or villages reduced to ruins. However, except for old people who could not walk and were waiting to die, there were often no people in these villages. Even if there were still people, they were basically there.
Pack your things and flee to Kiev or into the woods.
Rostislav tried to get useful information from the refugees, but the difference in the information they provided was too exaggerated. There were so many reports that 100,000 Porovets besieged the city of Pez, which was really hard to believe.
With no other choice, Rostislav could only give up the idea of obtaining information, recruit a group of young men from the refugees who were willing to fight, and then continue to move forward.
As they went deeper, various tragic scenes began to appear in front of everyone.
The first thing that appeared in front of Rostislav and others was a corpse lying dead on the roadside. This corpse had been hit by an arrow in the back. Judging from the degree of decomposition, it had been dead for several days.
Bodies can be seen on the roadside from time to time. At first, no one cared much because corpses were too common in wars. However, Rostislav increased his vigilance and sent more scouts to detect the situation nearby and prevent nomadic armies from raiding.
Those corpses indicated that they had entered the nomad's activity area, so now they had to be careful and careful, and they must not be surrounded or ambushed by the damn Polovets.
The further east, there are more and more grasslands and fewer and fewer forests. They are heading towards the grassland side of the grassland-forest dividing line. This is also the area where the Ross and grassland wars are most frequent. Over the years, countless armies
March here, perish here.
Finally, they encountered a village that had been destroyed by war.
This village has turned into ashes. The Polovtsian raiding team burned the place. Among the ruins that can be seen everywhere, you can occasionally see charred human bodies in the burned houses. The bodies are extremely twisted.
This shows how much pain he experienced during his lifetime.
The prince had seen this kind of scene before in Estonia, but now his heart was much harder than before, and he just looked at it as if it were an ordinary thing.
In such an atmosphere, everyone was silent. Those farmers who regarded war as a long journey saw the cruelty of the battlefield. The cruel scene shattered their illusions about war. The joy and laughter had disappeared like this, and they had no intention of continuing.
Already.
"Stay vigilant and look for anyone alive or anything useful in the village."
Rostislav ordered his men, while his brows were knitted together. Looking at the various signs in the village, it was only a day ago that the place was burned and massacred. There were probably Polovets nearby.
"We have entered the war zone and may encounter enemies at any time. Let's set up camp early and rest here today."
Many farmers are very reluctant to rest in a place where so many people have died, but orders are orders, and since all the prince's soldiers have done so, they have no reason to refuse, and they have no way to express their refusal.
reject.
They pitched tents in the ruins, and Rostislav did not forget to surround the entire village with a carriage, and mounted anti-horses outside the carriage to be alert to all possible enemies and prepare to be besieged.
However, God did not seem to intend to let Rostislav and others rest today. When the sky became slightly darker, the scouts he sent out brought news:
A Polovtsian camp was found nearby.
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"Are you serious?"
Gevalan asked the scout again, his words still full of questioning, which seemed very burning and compelling.
"Sir, I swear once again to Tengger (god) that everything I say is true."
The Pecheneg once again swore by his faith.
"There are about two to three hundred Polovets, but there are thousands of horses, and there are also some prisoners. I have seen this with my own eyes, and it is absolutely true! And the distance is very close, even if you walk there, it only takes three people."
It’s just an hour.”
"Sir, what do we think?"
Seeing that this man did not seem to be lying, Gvalan looked at Rostislav and asked for his opinion.
"There should be no problem with what he said."
Rostislav raised his hand to show that this man could be trusted.
"But are you sure there are only two or three hundred of them?"
"I am very sure, Lord Ross, if I tell a lie, then let Tengger destroy my soul!"
The scout swore a poisonous oath. On the grassland where the gods were respected, the poisonous oath was very effective. This was a guarantee with his soul, which directly allowed Rostislav to dispel the last trace of doubt about this man.
"Then the next question is whether to eat these Polovets."
Rostislav subconsciously touched his chin.
"Gvalan, what do you think?"
"If this news is true."
Gvalan still looked vigilant.
"Then I suggest we do it. The enemy is only two to three hundred. We are still the party to the surprise attack, and we have an advantage. If we capture important prisoners, then our mission will be completed. If not, the captured war horses will be
It can also increase the marching speed, making it easier to face the Polovets."
"In that case, let's go."
What Gvalan thought was similar to what Rostislav thought, so the two of them decided on the strategy of attacking the Polovts.
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The Polovts' camp was very loosely arranged, with the largest tent as the core and other tents scattered around it.
The number of horses was indeed as large as the scouts said. They were stopped behind a low fence. In addition, there were not only horses in the fence, but also some livestock such as cattle and sheep. It was not known whether they were the products of robbery or they brought them themselves.
Come.
In the corner of the livestock fence are the Ross prisoners of war mentioned by the scouts. There are dozens of them. They have all been stripped of their clothes and armor, leaving only a pair of underpants tied to the wooden pole. They seem to be in good spirits. They should have been captured.
He was captured not long ago - the herdsmen on the grassland did not have the habit of treating their captives well.
Night had fallen at this moment. Perhaps thinking that there could be no activities of the Russian army nearby, the Polovets lit a large number of torches in the camp, illuminating the entire camp extremely brightly. This pointed out the direction for the Russians to move forward.
The nomad's camp stood out in the darkness, like a star.
However, even with such an obvious fire as a guide, the farmers still had problems from time to time. After all, they had night blindness per person, and they also made a lot of noise, which made the prince worried. Fortunately, the noise of the livestock was louder, covering up the daredevils.
the sound of.
"It's exactly what the scout said."
Rostislav lay on a boulder on the ridge and looked at the nomad camp below. The enemy's vigilance was very lax. Only a small number of cavalry were patrolling near the camp. The remaining people were either warming up around the fire or nestled in their tents.
Sleeping, the grassland is very cold at night, and only flames and fur can drive away the cold.
"Then let's do it now..."
Gvalan, who was also lying on the boulder, made a gesture of wiping his throat, but Rostislav said no.
"Let's wait a little longer. I need to confirm the leader's position so that I can catch this guy."