As the army advances, just like the time in Rostislav, there are fewer and fewer traces of the surrounding forests, the Russian settlements gradually disappear, and there are more and more vast wilderness scenes, and gradually they see the most scenes.
They are just dead woods dotting the wasteland.
From time to time, you can also see the remains of some earth embankments. Rostislav didn't notice these last time. After asking, he found out that these were the remains of fortresses left by the Khazar Khanate, the former overlord of the steppes. They were built to tax Russia.
However, now that the Khanate has been destroyed for a hundred years, these fortifications have also been abandoned and turned into romantic ruins, but no poets have come.
There are more and more traces of the war. Some are the ruins of settlements destroyed by herdsmen, while others are left by the Southwestern Rus' army that previously advanced. At first, they were empty bags and deep ruts, and then
The corpse of the war horse was so badly decomposed that you could even see the white bones.
They even found some traces of the battle, which were broken shields and broken arrows. There were still corpses of shepherds hanging on some trees on the roadside, and there were also some traces of hastily buried corpses.
It seems that the armies of the two uncles were frequently harassed by nomads, but they all drove away the enemies and won.
These traces of victory undoubtedly greatly stimulated the morale of the soldiers. In their view, this was a sign that victory was getting closer and closer. With this mood, the soldiers' feet became much lighter, and the march did not seem so tiring.
Even when setting up camp at night, the prince could see soldiers discussing victory everywhere as he walked in the camp, as if it was already within easy reach. The church guards were unfazed and just focused on their tasks and sorting out their equipment. It was a pity that they were too
not enough.
Prince Ross also noticed that the Grand Duke's brows were frowning more and more. The Grand Duke, who had extensive fighting experience with the nomads, felt increasingly bad. Luring the enemy deeper was a common tactic of the herdsmen. The Grand Duke was very sure that this was what they were encountering now.
, but aiding Peicheng is necessary.
When talking to Rostislav, the Grand Duke expressed his distress. If the nomads rushed straight to Kiev like they did in the past, he would not be afraid at all. That is the home ground of the Russians, but now they are waiting for the arrival of the Russians, and the Russians must come.
This is very troubling.
The prince was also speechless. What could he say? The Grand Duke was very well prepared. A large number of carriages were brought to the army, as well as many arrows, all in preparation for forming a chariot formation. The chariot formation was based on
The most effective way for the Rus' army, which consists mainly of infantry, to fight against the nomadic cavalry.
The Grand Duke is most worried about his two uncles who set off first. These two men are leading the army of Southwestern Rus on a rampage. The Grand Duke believes that the nomads only need a little temptation to make them fall into a trap.
The Grand Duke's worries soon came true. As the Russian army continued to advance, the scene in front of them also changed.
There are more and more graves of the Russian people, and fewer and fewer nomads are being killed. We can even see the bones dumped in the wilderness directly behind them. The corpses have been severely decomposed, but it can be seen from the bark boots and the armor on the body.
This is a Russian.
This caused a change in the mood of the army, and uneasiness came in waves like huge waves, because this seemed to hint at what happened to the army in front of them, and also foreshadowed what they would encounter next.
And the Grand Duke was even more anxious. What he was anxious about was not the defeat of the war, but that his two bastard sons didn't even stop the army to wait for him! They were still advancing, and they were the ones who were devoured the most by the grassland.
Such a fool.
On this day, Rostislav, who was riding his horse forward, heard a murmur and scolding from the soldiers in front of the army. He looked up and saw three Russians hanging on a dead tree by the road, with crows hanging on them.
Surrounded by trees, the flesh and blood were torn from the bodies of the dead from time to time.
The prince rode his horse to the tree. At this time, the surrounding infantry were being driven away by the soldiers. Only a few people were still standing under the tree.
There were signs hanging on the chests of these dead people, with the words "traitor" and "deserter" scrawled on them. The person who saw the handwriting was in a bad mood.
"It's Igor's name. It seems that the battle situation ahead is unfavorable. It seems that they have been harassed by nomads along the way."
After hearing the concise words, Rostislav noticed that his two uncles were observing under the tree, and it was his second uncle Sviatoslav who spoke. The second uncle was wearing a hat with a little bit of grassland.
The embossed helmet gives him a more exotic feel.
"I hope nothing happens to the two of them. Since Vladimir's death, my father actually doesn't want to see anything happen to any of the brothers... Alas, we can't do anything. We can only hope for God's blessing. I hope it won't be the last one."
The result must be bad, otherwise my father will really not be able to bear it."
The eldest son of the wise man, Ijaslav, the uncle of Prince Rus, made the sign of the cross. He was not wearing a helmet, and his face was full of sorrow, resembling a middle-aged man who was trying to maintain his family.
In fact, the uncle is indeed suffering. After his father died, as the eldest son, he had to shoulder the heavy responsibility of maintaining the family and learn the obligations of the eldest son.
When he was in Kiev, my uncle often gathered his brothers, nephews, and held banquets to enhance their relationship. He also helped the Grand Duke with government affairs. He was extremely busy every day.
"Isn't this our eldest nephew? Why are you here?"
At this time, the uncle noticed Rostislav coming over and greeted Prince Rus enthusiastically. The second uncle also looked over when he heard the sound.
"I just heard some noise here." Rostislav paused for a moment, what did you uncles find?"
"Oh, this, the handwriting left by your Uncle Igor, it seems that he is in quite a lot of trouble."
The uncle raised his riding crop and pointed at the corpse.
"I know Igor's character. To be able to make him so angry and frustrated seems to be a big problem for him. All I can say is God bless him."
"Really? God bless them."
Rostislav didn't know how to deal with it. After all, he had no feelings for his two uncles whom he had never met before, but if he said such words directly, something would happen, so he had to say something dry and polite.
"Let's not stay here for too long. Take the body down and don't let father see it. We can hide it first if we can."
The uncle slapped his head and ordered the three corpses to be taken down. Prince Ross naturally subconsciously agreed, and the soldiers immediately began to take action under his order.
However, the prince noticed that although his second uncle had no objection, he shook his head without any trace. It seemed that this uncle thought the same as him. The traces along the way were so obvious. Could it be that he had hidden it from his grandfather?