In 1112, Rostislav returned to his hometown, where he received a hero's welcome, as did the members of the adventurous fleet who returned with him.
On the way from Ivangorod to Kiev, the various distant objects brought by the Grand Duke of Russia made the Russian people feel extremely novel. The welcome in Kiev reached its peak. Those people had never seen before.
The species makes known that the fleet is on a wonderful adventure.
Among the many items brought back by the adventurous fleet, the most precious one is the unicorn horn, which is said to cure all diseases. In fact, this thing is actually the horn of a narwhal, but Rostislav feels that it is not practical to run back like this.
It was too shabby, so I got this thing to pretend to be a unicorn horn.
Naturally, there were countless people who wanted to buy this horn, but Rostislav refused to buy it, and then placed it in the treasury of the Grand Duke of Kiev. He then confessed to his children in private, telling them that this thing has no magical power at all, and they must not buy it.
Take all those legends seriously.
Next, Rostislav did not stay in Kiev for long. He just looked at various development documents of Rus in the past few years since he left, and then went to see his wife's cemetery, and then left Rus.
As a retired political player, Rostislav knows better than anyone how conspicuous it is that his former Grand Duke remains in Russia. In the power system, the existence of another center is often the source of trouble, and Rostislav does not want to
Bring disaster to your descendants.
So he decided to leave, leaving Russia and heading to Constantinople. He decided to find an apartment in Constantinople, where he happened to take a break and change the environment to write his own book.
In Constantinople, Rostislav was warmly welcomed by Alexios. The citizens of the city were also quite happy about Rostislav's arrival. The former Rus' Grand Duke always enjoyed a high reputation in the imperial capital.
, his works are sought after here, and people love the works produced by Rostislav.
The Eastern Empire has become increasingly stable over the years. Alexios's internal recuperation policy has brought unprecedented development to the country, and Alexios also has a qualified heir. His eldest son John is in a series of battles against Roma.
He had proven his abilities in small-scale battles, and almost everyone expected John to succeed his father.
When he met Rostislav, Alexios sighed. He was obviously getting older, so why was his energy less and less crowded, while Rostislav was getting better and better?
Alexios presented Rostislav with an abandoned palace, which was close to the Rus' mansion, so that Rostislav could get news from his hometown at any time. The former Grand Duke of Rus' lived here.
In order to achieve this goal, Rostislav almost visited the streets and alleys of Constantinople to experience the joys of the common people and the beautiful places in Constantinople. In order to increase his persuasion, Rostislav also
I drew all these scenes and used them as illustrations in my book to increase their persuasiveness.
Moreover, in Roma, these Turks are receiving a steady stream of supplies from a mysterious man in Georgia, and are quickly recovering from the shadow of defeat.
What John didn't know was that an important driving force behind all this was Rostislav in his army. To be precise, he did nothing but let the enemies of the Eastern Empire understand the seriousness of the matter, and then let them know the seriousness of the matter.
Those moves on Rose's side.
And she made Rostislav a little annoyed. In Rostislav's opinion, Anna's admiration for Anna was a bit fanatical. Rostislav was happy to discuss literature and history with her, but following him all day long was really annoying.
Too... to outsiders, their behavior was suspicious, and Rostislav almost cuckolded his grandson.
A new era in the Eastern Empire began, and Rostislav continued to stay in Constantinople as his apartment. However, the former Grand Duke soon became restless and wanted to find something to do, such as leading an army in battle.
, reminds him of the past.
The three consecutive attacks in three directions caught John II off guard. He had clearly attacked the core area of the current Roma Sultanate, and he could regain the lost ground with just a little more effort, but something like this happened.
The book gained popularity in the imperial capital, and a group of fans of Rostislav's books had long been formed in Constantinople. At the same time, as Rostislav translated the work into other languages, it quickly spread throughout the Christian world.
Come on.
John II did not carry out a purge after he came to power, because the whole thing seemed like a farce from beginning to end, and there was really no need to clean up after a group of deceived soldiers and his sister who didn't know the priorities.
Then Anna was dragged to the port, where Ross's ship had been waiting for a long time. Anna was stuffed directly into the cabin, and the ship set sail. Anna also reacted now, and the intense emotions burst out immediately, but
In the cabin, Yuri finally "convinced" Anna.
John II intervened in the situation in the Near East during such a civil war among the Crusader states. He captured several important cities in the Kingdom of Syria with lightning speed, such as Antioch and Aleppo.
Such a city.
Over the years, with the death of the first generation of Crusaders leaders, the unity among the Crusader countries has become more and more loose, and they have even begun to conquer each other. In Northern Syria, also in the past few years, the County of Aleppo
He used betrayal and sneak attacks to annex the Principality of Antioch and the County of Edessa, taking control of the entire northern Syria, causing the County of Tripoli to be frightened into joining the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
"Constantinople", like "Vinland Travels", soon became a popular reading book in the entire Christian world. It is no exaggeration to say that Rostislav has become a major figure in the Christian world.
Literary giants, the entire Christian world's privileged classes and literati, and even ordinary readers are eager for his works. As long as he produces a book, he will gain a very fanatical following.
At Rostislav's request, little Andronika was sent to Rostislav after he was five years old. His words and deeds had a great impact on the child, but Rostislav still doesn't know that he is
What an accidental move will have a huge impact on the Christian world.
In southern Italy, the Kingdom of Sicily of the House of Hauteville once again occupied Corfu and made it appear that it planned to recreate the Norman War.
The Crusader countries in the north and south even went to war because of this. In 1110, with the help of the Crusaders, the Kingdom of Egypt and the Kingdom of Jerusalem were on the same side, and they captured the entire northern Syria. The County of Aleppo, which called itself the Kingdom of Syria, was on the same side.
One side.
During the period when Rostislav was creating, there was one person who was following him all the time, and that person was Anna Komnenos. After all, Rostislav was Princess Anna’s idol. Last time in Kiev, he failed to compete with Rostislav.
Let's have a good chat. We must seize the opportunity this time.
After completing "Vinland Travels", Rostislav began another writing work. He planned to write down all his experiences in Constantinople and write a travel guide to Constantinople for outsiders.
In Syria, the Crusader countries in northern Syria all united and began to harass the borders of the empire, and seemed to want to occupy the empire's territory.
This is the so-called gentle fight. The two sides are strengthening each other's cooperation and interests while fighting on some secondary battlefields. No one wants to reveal everything. The result will only be losses for both sides. The empire needs Ross's help.
For goods, Ross needs the empire's market, not to mention the threat that Ross can bring directly to the imperial capital.
The solution to this problem was in 1118, when Alexios died. Before his death, Alexios asked Rostislav to be a witness to his will and asked John to be his heir. Over the years, Alexios
Alexius and Rostislav were already quite familiar with each other, and they had become good friends, so Alexios chose to let Rostislav do this extremely important thing for the empire.
The Syrian army, whose retreat was cut off, immediately returned to defense. This was John II's plan. The Syrian army was defeated by the Greek army. From then on, in 1125, northern Syria became part of the Eastern Empire.
What Rostislav did not expect was that his book, coupled with his adventure to Vinland, would set off a small wave of people going to Vinland in the Christian world. A few people even regarded it as a new place.
The promised land, and thus went to Vinland.
In Constantinople, Rostislav cleaned up the rest of the mess. He read out the emperor's will and declared John the next emperor of the empire, namely John II.
Anna drew her mother, the current empress dowager of the empire, to her side, so the news that Alexios was about to die was immediately known to her. She decisively took control of the palace guards and sealed off the Brecher Palace.
According to the practice of the Eastern Empire, the conspiracy emerges when the throne changes. This time the conspiracy was not initiated by the emperor's other sons, but by the eldest princess of the empire, Anna Komnenos.
In addition, during this period of time, Rostislav met a child, the second son of Alexios' third child, Isaac, named Andronikos. He knew what this child would do in the future.
And he had some bad taste in his heart, and he planned to train this child and let him follow a different path one day.
When a conflict was about to break out between the two sides, Yuri took action. He rushed directly into the palace and dragged Anna out with a toughness that he had not seen in a long time. Anna had not seen her husband so strong for a long time, so she did not resist the whole process.
.
The Crusader countries in northern Syria were frightened by this scene and immediately stopped their harassment. John II quickly solved the troubles Rostislav had connected with him, but it was difficult for him to further eliminate Roma.
, the long-term march of 80,000 troops on the imperial territory exhausted John II's resources, and also fell into a security war dilemma in the occupied Roma land. There was no way, John II could only stop the war.
Rostislav's works are beautifully written and have strong storytelling, so they are appreciated by both refined and popular people. Now even the most ordinary peasants in the Christian world know that there is a great writer named Rostislav.
In 1120, after two years of consolidation, John II began his conquest plan. The core of this plan was to conquer the Sultanate of Roma and completely regain the empire's lost territory in Anatolia.
Rostislav was mainly busy writing. He wrote a book about his experiences and what he saw and heard in Vinland. The book was called "Travel Notes on Vinland". The book described what Rostislav saw in Vinland.
Scenes and Tribes, with pictures of New World flora and fauna drawn by Rostislav himself.
But John II had made up his mind that no matter how much time he had to waste on this land, he would completely solve the Turkic problem in the East for future generations. He had regarded this as his lifelong goal.
Later, John II also gradually understood the role played by Rostislav and even Ross behind this, but he did not fall out because both parties had mutual interests and tacit understanding. He just canceled the free passage privileges of the Ross people through the strait. It was disgusting.
The Russians made a huge profit for the empire.
He went to Yuri several times for this, but Yuri just said that he really had nothing to do with Anna. Although the relationship between the couple was very good, Anna was often too strong. As she grew older,
This kind of power is getting stronger and stronger, and Yuri is at a disadvantage.
Naturally, Rostislav became the leader of the Russians in Constantinople, but to be honest, this was nothing, because the number of Russians in the imperial capital was only a few hundred.
But the cessation of the war did not mean that everything was forgotten. A few years later, in 1124, John II assembled a Greek army of 30,000 people and invaded the Crusader countries in northern Syria.
"Vinland Travels" will become an important archaeological document of that period in later generations. After all, since Rostislav and before Columbus went to the New World, no one has left any records of going deep into the hinterland of the New World. But these are all for another day.
Already.
Returning to John II's campaign, the emperor showed his ability to live up to his title of besieger. Within one year, Serbia was crushed by the main force of the returning empire and the Normans occupied Corfu.
was also expelled.
Rostislav reported to John, and John directly appointed Rostislav as the captain of the Varangian Guards. Next, he would launch a series of wars, just like his father planned, and he needed experienced generals.
, and Rostislav is very suitable.
The next day, Yuri was limping when he came out, and Anna was not much better, but her face no longer had the irritability it had before, only rosy and submissive.
However, although the rumors were outrageous, Yuri had never been troubled by them. Although Anna admired her grandfather, she would never have such thoughts about him.
On the border between Roma and the Eastern Empire, the main force of the Sultanate of Roma was defeated by the overwhelmingly superior Greek army. Just when John II thought that he would annihilate the Sultanate of Roma and regain those long-lost territories of the empire.
At this time, there was trouble in all directions of the empire.
However, Rostislav was indeed very capable on the battlefield. He fought bravely in every battle, took the lead, and did not fish for the sake of strategy.
Of course, the Eastern Empire did not take all of this land. The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the resurrected Abbasid Empire also took part of it, but the part they took away was nothing compared to what the empire gained.
This is naturally what Rostislav wants to see, and he is very happy about it. What he once only imagined has now finally come to reality.
The final work produced was "Constantinople". The main content of this book is Rostislav's records of various things in Constantinople.
Next, John II devoted his troops to the war with Roma. The mountainous areas in the interior of Asia Minor are very suitable for guerrillas and raids, not to mention that the Turks also have assistance. This assistance is not only for the Russians, but many people will be happy to do so.
Aiding the Turks.
It is also because of the gathering of a large number of literati that the competition in Kiev's dramas has become increasingly intense. The developed drama industry in Kiev and even in Russia has undoubtedly provided these literati with a way to make a living. Naturally, there are more and more scripts, and the public's
Tastes also began to become picky, and Ross's theater career reached another peak.
John had assembled an army of 80,000 for this purpose, which was no less powerful than Manchiket's army back then, and this emperor was not the Romanus who was so happy with his success.
For a long time, in Anna's view, her husband was undoubtedly the most suitable candidate for the position of Roman emperor. She was full of disgust for the dark brother and did not want him to inherit the throne at all.
It was also at this time that Rostislav decided to leave the imperial army. He went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. His experience in the military career was similar, and he wanted to find something to do again.
However, the news of Alexios's death soon reached John, and John was not afraid. Most of the troops in Constantinople were under his control, and the palace guards were only temporarily unaware of the situation.
That's all, when they see him coming, those people will succumb.
Ross's Near East-Italy trade has made a lot of money over the years, and under John II's operations, one-third of the profits now flowed into the Eastern Empire. Ross was disgusted, but he didn't
Get angry and flip the table.
The biggest result of this is that Kiev's printing and papermaking industries are booming, and Kiev has become a cultural center of the Christian world. Today, Kiev is a large city with a population of 100,000, and literati from all over the Christian world have come before it.
They came here to promote their works, hoping to be noticed by the Rurik family and published.
Later, the crew members recalled that they had been struggling all night, and the sound coming out was like a war, which frightened the crew members who had encountered countless women in various ports.
In Serbia, the descendants of Bertin began to raise troops to try to break away from the Eastern Empire. Behind them was the shadow of Hungary in the north, which conquered Croatia. The situation in the north suddenly became dangerous.
For the countries surrounding the Eastern Empire, an empire that is too powerful is not a good thing for everyone, even Ross. Yes, Ross and the Eastern Empire are allies, but for Ross, the Eastern Empire is too powerful and brings instability.
Too much sex.
In the Holy Land, as the Grand Duke of Russia who contributed greatly to the Holy Land Crusaders, Baldwin II naturally warmly welcomed the arrival of Rostislav. Then he met Edgar, the current King of Egypt. As for Edward and Meshko, these
Both of them have passed away.
After visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Temple Mount, Rostislav also went to see the pyramids in Egypt. Next, another idea appeared in the mind of the restless former Grand Duke.
He wanted to go to the East to see the place that was his hometown in his previous life, and a magnificent story was happening there. He didn't want to do anything there, he just wanted to see and record it.
Everything that happened over there was enough to satisfy me.
In this way, in September 1125, after sending a letter to Rus' telling him that he was going to a distant place again, Rostislav embarked on a journey to the East.