Polei stood in front of everyone and greeted his prince gently.
"Thank you for your hard work, Bolei. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have received such a welcome."
Rostislav dismounted quickly and gave his confidant a warm hug. He had stabilized Rostov for himself, and he deserved his warm treatment.
Thorgier and his North men stood together with the local dignitaries, but they were clearly separated. The prince came forward to chat with them. These dignitaries were very enthusiastic about Rostislav, and they had been looking forward to the prince's arrival for a long time.
However, Rostislav noticed that a group of people wearing expensive sweaters and coats were just looking at them from a distance. The leader was an old man who looked very cold. Noticing Rostislav's doubts, Polei joined in.
Come up.
"This group of people belongs to the Kurkanta family. They are the most powerful people in Rostov. They are not very happy about your arrival."
Hearing this, Rostislav had an unsurprised expression on his face. The local snake was suddenly about to be suppressed by a powerful dragon. How could they be happy?
He had experienced this situation several times. When he visited those towns, there were always dignitaries who thought that the arrival of the prince violated their rights and looked on with cold eyes.
However, Rostislav was not in a hurry to establish good relations with those people. He asked Poley in a low voice about another matter.
"There is a team from Bulgar behind us. Do you know what that is about?"
"The Bulgars are coming? What a surprise."
Poley acted as if he had just heard the news, and he was also caught off guard by the arrival of the Bulgars.
"You will come to receive the Bulgars later. I will deal with the powerful people in Rostov first. It will be time to meet them later. Let's go to the castle first and see what they have to say."
The audience is an important step for the prince to exercise his power. Everyone will go to the prince to make suggestions or ask for help.
"Yes, everything is subject to your will. By the way, in order to make it easier for you to see the city, the city gate I chose can directly pass through the entire old city and the new city, allowing you to see the entire city."
After obeying the prince's order, Bolei continued to say that the old nobles had been working hard for decades and knew how to cater to the needs of their superiors.
Rosti nodded without trace, and then walked towards the waiting dignitaries, while Poley mounted his horse and ran towards the Bulgar envoy behind.
After a brief exchange of greetings with the Rostov dignitaries who greeted him, and then surrounded by the dignitaries, Rostislav's team moved towards Rostov Castle.
First of all, they passed through the old city of Rostov, where Merians and Russians lived together, and they were basically believers of the old gods.
As soon as I looked around, I saw simple wooden houses and even sheds. Some ruins of the past could also be seen between the houses. I don’t know how many years they have been baptized.
The old city obviously lacks planning seriously. These buildings were built under the conditions of wild growth. The roads are also muddy. Some wooden boards are scattered in the mud. Many of them are even rotten and have not been replaced.
In the dark alleys, there were constant glances with other intentions, but when the prince's gaze swept across, these would immediately disappear, leaving only dirt.
The vendors on the roadside all sell furs and food. These people are basically hunters and farmers nearby. They come to sell what they get in the forest. Simply processed furs and bloody raw meat are piled there, and from time to time they even
You can see mosquitoes flying nearby.
Most of the people's clothes were furs, and from time to time you could see people bargaining with hunters and farmers. These people looked at Rostislav with different expressions, some with hatred in their eyes, while others looked forward to it.
But in general, most people are still cold and a little hostile. In their opinion, these new city lords are still too far away from them.
However, they all looked at Xincheng with the same look, that is, disdain and disgust.
Altars of the gods stand prominently on the roadside, which are essential to the nature of Perun and Veles. There are even altars of Ugric gods (the belief of the Finns), and citizens can be seen worshiping under them from time to time.
Rostislav saw all this and wrote it down silently without commenting on anything.
Many Rostov dignitaries relaxed when they saw this. They were really afraid that the prince from Kiev was a religious defender and would attack the pagan worship situation in Rostov, and even use this to make excessive accusations against them.
Require.
What separated the old and new cities was a thin wooden wall. When the guarding spearmen saw the queue of nobles arriving, they bowed respectfully and opened the gate. The new city appeared in front of Rostislav.
Compared with the filth and disorder of the old city, the new city is more civilized and orderly. The floor is neatly paved with wooden boards. Vendors sell silks from the East, Persian carpets, and even handicrafts from the imperial capital.
All kinds of goods are filled here, and vendors selling kvass can also be seen during this period, and Vecher militiamen are scattered here to maintain order.
The streets are basically filled with vendors selling cooked food. According to the nobles, those selling raw food are all in the corners of the city wall. Those butchers have formed the most basic industry alliance. Together, they entrust hunters outside the city to hunt the prey, and then
It was sent directly to the new city for them to process, and then it was served to the citizens' dining tables.
The wooden houses here have many more reliefs and decorations than those in the old city that exist simply for living. As they go deeper, there are more and more such reliefs and decorations. The difference between the two cities lies in these things.
Get a glimpse.
The same is true for the clothing of citizens. The closer you are to the castle, the more exquisite and decent the clothing is, and wealth is revealed in this way.
There were even merchants of other nationalities on the street. Rostislav saw the turbans of the Nazis, the pointed hats of the visitors from the steppe, and the Jewish figures who could always be seen wherever they were, and their characteristics were that they were well-dressed.
, talk quickly.
The steeple of the wooden church stands tall under everything, the pastor tirelessly preaches the gospel of the Lord to the passing citizens, and most residents have crosses on their chests. There is no doubt that Christianity occupies the dominant position in the new city.
Rostislav saw all this in his eyes, and he finally understood why Poley called him here. There were ethnic conflicts, class conflicts, and religious conflicts in this city. No wonder he could only make peace here.
If this one is not handled well, it will explode, and it really needs him, the prince, to come and deal with it.
Rostov's castle soon appeared in front of Rostislav. It was a wooden fortress. On the spire of the fortress tower was Rurik's trident. Looking at the family's flag, the prince couldn't help but feel a little cordial.
Thorgil's Norse warriors now occupy the castle, and Norse warriors can be seen everywhere.
Come on, let me see what this city is like and what difficulties it will bring me.
With this thought in mind, Rostislav walked into the castle.