Once again, Rostislav sighed, while Domnar looked unsurprised. He had seen the Grand Duke sigh like this several times, but when he asked him what was going on, he never told him, so he learned to ignore it.
Rostislav and his entourage are now standing on a high ground, looking down at the entire Kiev port, which is very busy now.
The sky was cloudless and blue, and a cool wind blew slowly from the Dnieper River, but it could not change the temperature in the fiery scene.
Hundreds of ships were densely arranged at the docks and on the front of the docks. They were of various styles and came from all over Rus. People of all kinds shuttled among them, including nobles, soldiers, prostitutes, merchants and laborers who were overwhelmed by the cargo.
People, horses, and trucks passed each other one after another, and the long queue stretched as far as the eye could see. Everyone complained dissatisfiedly, loud shouts occurred one after another, and there were even fights, but no one was surprised.
There are no simple civilians here, only the army and those who serve the army. The entire port has been requisitioned, and countless materials and manpower have been hauled here.
This is thanks to the fact that Kiev is a big city with complete facilities, and the port has everything. Otherwise, it would not be able to support such a huge flow of materials.
As a city that relied on commerce, Kiev's trade has undoubtedly been pressed on the pause button, but this is an order from the Vladimir Palace, and no one can disobey the order from that palace.
For the officials in Kiev, they were going from one hell to another. Not long after the two months of torture, the responsibility of organizing the army fell on them.
Countless soldiers are now coming to Kiev every day. Rostislav has not fought in a war for almost ten years, but this time he carried out full mobilization and announced that the goal of this expedition was the imperial capital.
The reputation accumulated by the Grand Duke of Kiev has exploded, and that martial arts competition has left everyone with a fresh memory of his generosity. So in addition to the troops who must come from various places according to their obligations, various volunteers may come in small groups.
, or come by boat.
In Rostislav's initial expectation, 10,000 people would be enough, but the current situation is that it has only been a month since the news spread, and nearly 20,000 people have already gathered in Kiev, and there are still people on the road.
As a ruler with a strong reputation and a reputation for invincibility, Rostislav had actually been unable to predict the impact that this reputation could have.
Although he knew that the better his reputation, the more troops he could gather, but he did not expect that after ten years of peace, when the power of his reputation exploded, the effect would be astonishing.
With nearly 20,000 people gathered in just one month, Ross's mobilization capabilities are almost comparable to those of large, centralized countries.
However, Ross's achievement of this effect was entirely due to Rostislav's reputation. This generous ruler who had always been invincible was about to go to the imperial capital, and the gold and silver contained in it was so amazing that it made everyone extremely excited.
The general peace in Russia for many years has allowed everyone to recuperate and recuperate. Although there are wars on the border, they are only small-scale conflicts. Therefore, when the news of the war comes, everyone is eager to try, so there is such a scene of a gathering of troops.
scene.
But as the commander-in-chief of this army, Rostislav felt worried after sighing at the size of the army.
Ten years of peace brought both advantages and disadvantages. Ten years was enough for Ross to recuperate, enough for the veteran warriors who were good at fighting to slack off and forget about the war, and enough for the younger generation who knew nothing about war to grow up.
Rostislav had been wandering among the assembled armies for some time, and he came to the conclusion that he was worried, very worried.
The Moscow Army, Rostislav's biggest pillar, has always been known for its proficiency in combat and discipline. After all, Rostislav personally trained this army. But now Rostislav discovered that ten years later, many people in this army have forgotten
Without the discipline of the past, there are still many young people who are full of war. They have no war experience, but they fearlessly boast of being champions.
Many of the generation that once followed Rostislav in the war either passed away or were too old to fight. This caused the Moscow Army to suffer serious blood loss. They were the most precious part of the Moscow Army, but now they are gone.
Even the Moscow army, which is the backbone of Rostislav's regime, has become like this. Needless to say, the rest of Russia is full of young people who don't know how to fight and middle-aged people who have forgotten the bloody bravery of the past as the years go by.
There are also many reliable generals and nobles who have not come, or are unable to come, such as his Uncle Visatta. This old man is almost completely semi-retired now and cannot mount his horse at all.
Rostislav was mentally prepared for the withdrawal of these old men, but when he actually faced them, he was still very sorry. Without these people, the strength of his army would be greatly reduced.
Now the main force leading the army can only be young people, but looking at them makes me feel bad. His three sons are okay, but the others are just like a bunch of demons dancing around.
Whenever Rostislav saw the lofty ambitions and arrogance and ignorance of those young people, his face was filled with horror.
Fortunately, the janissaries, the standing armies in various cities, and the frontier troops who fought all year round are still reliable, at least they still look like an army, and they are the ones Rostislav can rely on.
The current situation in Ross is quite ironic. The people below are full of confidence in the war, but the people above are worried about looking at maps every day and worrying about bringing 20,000 people into a strange land.
"Mr. Rostislav, Mr. Rurik just sent a message. He hopes that you can give the equipment in the armory to Mr. Pereyaslav. He said that compared with young people who don't know the war, it is better to give these things to perennials.
A veteran tempered on the border."
Domnar said behind Rostislav that someone had just sent him a letter.
"Okay, promise him that these equipment should be used on the right people, so that my son can do it with confidence."
Rostislav agreed without hesitation. It would be a waste to give good equipment to newcomers. It is better to give it to veterans.
"Yes...but Lord Rostislav, I have always had a question, why are you going to the imperial capital at this time? Isn't there just an ordinary rebellion happening there?"
Domhnall finally spoke out the question that had been bothering him. He really didn't understand. Isn't it just another rebellion in the Southern Empire? Is there any need to care about this kind of thing? Why did the Grand Duke immediately decide to march into the imperial capital after hearing the news?
ah.
"Oh, this, the reason is very simple." A mysterious smile appeared on Rostislav's face, "Because that person is called Alexius Komnenos."