The prince sat at the main seat in the hall, and Zoe, the prince's wife, sat beside him, looking down at the Rostov nobles below.
The hall once belonged to the Kurkanta family. Before the arrival of Prince Rurik, they exercised the power of the city rulers here. But now that Prince Rurik has come, they can only give up this strong fortress to let Liurik
Prince Rick moves in.
For the Kurkanta family, the arrival of Rostislav made them extremely unhappy. I used to be a local local tyrant, but suddenly a strong dragon came out and took away all their status and power.
As for the ordinary powerful people in Rostov, they just want to make money safely and maintain the safety of the city. They want nothing more than that.
Therefore, they welcomed the arrival of Rostislav very much, and the arrival of the prince could also deal a blow to the Kurkanta family who usually rode on their heads to dominate.
The two groups of people stood clearly separated and disliked each other. Behind them were the representatives from the old city. They obviously disliked both groups of nobles. Rostislav saw the expressions of everyone below and then looked to the side.
Poley, who had already received the return of the Bulgar envoy, raised his hand to signal.
Polei immediately understood what the prince meant and shouted:
"Visitors, please come forward and make your demands to the prince."
This was the signal for the audience to begin and the beginning of Rostislav's exercise of power in the city.
The first one to step forward was Sanya from the Kurkanta family. This was an old man who was almost 60 years old. Although he was trembling, he was still in charge of the family affairs. He was in charge before Rostislav arrived.
Urban government affairs.
Sania's dress is very low-key, wearing a black fur coat and an ordinary fur hat. If you didn't know better, you would think that he is just an ordinary citizen.
Old Sarnia was different from his unhappy descendants. He stepped forward and respectfully presented a series of documents that Rostov, the leader of the Kurkanta family, had compiled over the years to hand over the city's governance. These documents were full of information about the city.
Trade and development of things are a great help to governance.
Rostislav was very satisfied with the old man's awareness of current affairs. Since the head of Kurkanta was willing to surrender, he could let go of the blow he had planned to deal with the family.
After Old Sarnia retreated, he stepped forward, the local commander of Rostov. The city's military governor asked Rostislav to send elites to lead the Vecher militia to clean up the bandits near Rostov. Recently, these guys have become more and more restless.
They robbed business travelers and robbed pedestrians, becoming more and more brazen.
This is the norm in Northeastern Russia. After all, outside the city is a land dominated by the law of the jungle. The identities of farmers and bandits often overlap, so bandits need to be eradicated periodically.
Of course Rostislav readily agreed to this. This was an opportunity to show his power, so he directly sent Sogil's North mercenaries to this man.
It's not okay for these mercenaries to stay in the city all day long and do nothing. Anyway, if they die, they will have no burden, so it is naturally most appropriate to let them do these jobs.
Moreover, they said they were going to suppress bandits, but they were actually going to massacre villages or tribes that were confirmed to be engaged in such activities. Rostislav soon understood this truth after arriving here.
As outsiders who do not understand the language, these mercenaries have no possibility of cooperating with the locals. This is also the advantage of using them as butcher knives. It is impossible for them to collude with the locals, let alone be merciful.
As for the third visitor, he was a representative elected by the old city of Wicher, a middle-aged blacksmith named Vanigo. He wore a blacksmith's leather skirt over his short coat and carried various tools around his waist. His arms were damaged by years of fatigue.
Forged from iron and extremely strong.
Yes, there are two witches in Rostov. The residents of the new city couldn't stand the barbarism of the old city, while the residents of the old city couldn't stand the artificiality of the new city, so both sides gradually stopped going to the witch meetings to avoid getting involved with this group of people.
When people met, the two cities directly divided Wicher into two parts so as not to affect each other's normal administrative arrangements.
The blacksmith's request made everyone present a little uneasy.
"My lord, the new city has suppressed us for too long. It has not allowed the old city to participate in the Volga trade. Even the organized caravans will be forcibly disbanded. The products produced can only be sold to the new city. They also deliberately lowered the purchase price. There are also
We discriminate against each other and we have endured it for too long."
"So blacksmith, what do you want?"
Rostislav asked bluntly, interrupting the blacksmith's complaint. Next to him, the Rostov dignitaries waiting to watch the ceremony began to whisper, including many curses on Vanigo, the "barbarian".
"We want freedom, we want the same rights as the new city, and we want to be able to participate in trade."
Vanigo's words were full of perseverance, with a sense of success or failure. This was something that the old city had been looking forward to for a long time, and it was also something they eagerly awaited the arrival of the prince.
The prince was not surprised by this request. These Polei had already told him.
And he plans to give the Old City some power. The Old City's anger has already reached its limit, and it's time to delegate power.
"I understand, if that's the case, then I..."
"My lord, please allow me to raise an objection."
At this time, old Sarnia stood up and interrupted Rostislav's words. The prince frowned, feeling a little unhappy in his heart, but still motioned for him to continue.
"The privileges of the new city were granted by the great convert Vladimir in return for its loyalty in the face of the Bulgar army."
Sanya's words aroused the approval of Rostov's powerful people. This is the power that their ancestors gained with blood and war. It is their natural right. How can it be abolished just because of the speech of a few Melians.
"Therefore, I hope that your majesty can consider it carefully before making a decision."
After saying this, Sania bowed again and sat back, and he successfully aroused the mood of the meeting. The dignitaries watching the ceremony shouted that Vanigo was simply delusional and should be kicked out.
Rostislav narrowed his eyes. He originally thought that the Kurkanta family had been tamed, but he didn't expect that this old man would try to test them. He might as well show his authority.
"Quiet."
Following Rostislav's words, the soldiers in the hall drew their swords and struck their shields. For a moment, the space was filled with noise. The dignitaries were shocked by the sound of gold and iron, and quietly shut their mouths.
"We are aware of your request, Vanigo."
After the surroundings became quiet, Rostislav said.
"The ancient privileges need to be protected, but the current situation is different from when my grandfather granted the privileges, so I will give the old city the power to sell goods freely. As for the others, it still takes time to study and discuss. Do you have any opinions?
?”
Vanigo's joy flew to his cheeks. He was already disappointed, but at this moment, a surprise suddenly came to him.