"Your Highness, we have really made a fortune this time."
Looking at the horses being driven together by the sergeants and their powerful braying, the flag officer's words were full of excitement.
"And our losses were not big. Only a few unlucky ones lost their lives, and the rest were only minor injuries."
"Yeah, I really made a lot of money this time."
Rostislav drove his horse to these nomadic horses, selected one and touched its smooth fur. It looked like it was well-raised. Such a horse was very good.
Excitement also filled the prince's heart. He had really made a fortune by seizing so many horses this time. It was very difficult to seize so many horses at one time on ordinary days. Moreover, these were all good horses, and they were very useful whether they were used as war horses or plow horses.
It's suitable and can be sold for a big price in the market.
While Rostislav was observing the horses, some soldiers were busy stripping off the armor of the dead. The tradition of looting corpses will never be lost after the war, but more people gathered around the horses and sighed.
The power of a war horse.
"Take it back and let everyone see our trophies."
Rostislav's order caused a burst of cheers. After all, for a soldier, nothing satisfies vanity more than displaying trophies, and the admiration of his colleagues is even more satisfying.
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When Rostislav's horse team drove the horses in front of the army in a mighty manner, waves of exclamations came from the queue.
It was the first time for many people to see such a large herd of horses, and they subconsciously exclaimed in amazement, followed by envy of everyone in the horse team. How much would it cost to sell such a large number of horses, and how much profit would they make?
The farmer thought that it would be great if he had so many horses to plow the land, so that he could become a rich farmer in a short time, and the citizens would be more aware of the value of horses. If he had so many horses, he would be a master in Kiev.
And after envy is the desire for war. As long as they defeat those damn Polovets, they will have a chance to get such spoils and an extremely bright future.
No one thought about what to do if they failed. After all, everyone was thinking about failure. How could it be possible? At this moment, the defeat of the Southwest Ross Army and the tragic situation after the defeat were completely ignored by everyone.
It was no surprise to everyone in the Envy Sight cavalry team. Many of the Black Hat Army riders they met before came to vote. These herdsmen know the value of horses best. These horses are all qualified as war horses. If they are all sold, how much profit will they make?
Getting money is unimaginable.
They just rode away from the marching column in a mighty manner, enjoying more envy and jealousy.
When they came to Rostislav's army, the cavalry stopped, and the warriors under the prince's command cheered. They understood that the prince had won another victory and brought back a large amount of expensive loot.
During these days, Rostislav achieved many victories in various mounted battles and brought back a lot of trophies. It was these victories that convinced the soldiers of this young commander. They now firmly believe that this commander will
Lead them to victory.
After handing the trophies to his subordinates to take care of, Rostislav dismounted and took a glass of kvass from the guard and drank it to moisturize his dry throat. At this time, Gvalan came over.
"It seems that you have won another victory. Congratulations, His Highness Rostislav."
"Gvalan, what happened while I was away?"
Rostislav knew very well how he, the captain of the personal soldiers, dealt with people. He didn't like flattery, and he would not take the initiative to get close to someone unless there was something going on.
"The Grand Duke has sent a messenger asking you to come over immediately."
"Oh? What happened?"
"They found survivors, survivors of the southwestern Rus' army."
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Rostislav once again rode through the ranks of infantry, his goal being the tent pitched next to the ranks.
But they are called tents, but they are actually large sheds built simply with some wooden sticks and canvas. These tents are set up every 100 meters.
These tents have many uses. They can accommodate soldiers with various problems and allow them to rest here. Doctors can also simply treat some illnesses caused by marching, treat some simple wounds, and store some medicines.
There are also a lot of consumables stacked here, such as water, dry food, horseshoes, etc. Anyone who needs them can take them directly.
When the team passes by, the soldier in charge will directly pack up the tent and load it onto the waiting carriage, and then drive to the next camp site to continue providing services to the soldiers.
These tents were set up by the wise man to ensure the march of the troops. This is the product of the wise man's synthesis of his life experience in battle. It is precisely because of their existence that the lag rate of the troops has been reduced by half, and they are also of great help in maintaining organization and morale.
.
Now, the tent that Rostislav was targeting has been occupied by the Grand Duke's soldiers. The wounded and doctors inside have been invited out, and the Grand Duke and his sons are inside.
The prince quickly dismounted his red horse and walked in through the road that the Grand Duke's soldiers had left. The first thing he saw was the Grand Duke, then his uncles and generals, all surrounding an old man on the ground.
The old man's clothes were in tatters, his body was covered with dirt, and his hair had not been taken care of for who knows how many days. A soldier was supporting him and carefully feeding him water.
"Cough cough... cough cough cough."
Rostislav came at just the right time. As soon as he stood up, the old man coughed a few times and then slowly opened his eyes.
"Ivan Tvorimilich."
The Grand Duke said a name, which made the old man on the ground tremble. He immediately stood up and knelt in front of the Grand Duke.
And the prince also remembered who this person was. Uncle Vishatta once mentioned him. This man went to the imperial capital with his father, and then went to the dungeon with Vishatta as a prisoner. This is how the two of them met.
.
"Grand Duke, I'm very sorry, I...I failed to perform my duties well."
"Now is not the time to talk about this. Ivan, tell me about your failure."
The Grand Duke's tone was very calm, which surprised the prince who had expected the Grand Duke to be angry, and the old general began to tell his own story.
His story begins with him cooperating with the two princes to assemble the army of Southwestern Ross, and then he leads them to the gathering point, but there is a problem here, because the two princes insist on moving forward, and the nobles and soldiers in the army of Southwestern Ross
The soldiers all supported their decision, and the old general could not stop it and could only go along with them.
At the beginning, they won many victories. The harassing nomadic cavalry were easily defeated by them. The Russians even had the energy to bury the bodies of their fallen comrades and hang the bodies of the nomads on trees as a warning. These victorious old generals all doubted
Was my previous idea wrong?
But soon more and more nomadic cavalry came. Different from the previous plundering pairs who seemed to die, these Polovets fought in a very organized manner, and even annihilated several intruding Russian troops, harassing the home team.
They were also miserable, and deserters kept appearing. Even the harshest means could not stop the deserters.
Faced with the harsh situation, the leaders of the Southwestern Ross Army finally gave command to this veteran who had been ignored by them, hoping that he could turn things around and lead them out of the current predicament.