"We will help the Church."
Finally, Zoe made a decision that brought a great sigh of relief to the priest.
"We must defend the Lord's house; God's glory must be protected, as it is the responsibility of every Christian."
Zoe's words were decisive and righteous, silencing all opposition, for who would dare to defy such a great cause?
Were everyone present denying their identity and glory as Christians?
This was, without a doubt, political suicide.
Poleye admired her cunning; at such a young age, she could utilize rhetoric so effectively, while Leo was more surprised, as he remembered this girl never acting this way.
"Thank you so much, Lady Zoe! May God bless your soul."
The priest hastily made the sign of the cross, words of gratitude pouring out like water from an open floodgate, while Zoe responded with gentle words, comforting this believer in God.
Zoe's words were very practiced, clearly having undergone specialized training.
Leo watched all of this with a complex expression; Zoe's performance overturned his past impression of his adopted daughter; the former 'flower vase' now displayed cunning, and at such a young age, she showed such aptitude; her future would certainly not be simple.
For some reason, the old bureaucrat from the imperial capital's delegation suddenly recalled his dream, the dream of returning to Constantinople in glory.
He had always considered it merely a dream, but now, for some reason, he suddenly felt that this dream was not as distant as it once seemed.
The order to mobilize was quickly issued.
Poleye selected nearly a hundred warriors of suitable age and equipment to join this sortie.
Upon hearing it was to aid the Church, many reacted with fanaticism; the middle and upper classes of Kiev were largely Christianized, and by the third generation, there was no lack of devout believers.
However, just as Poleye was preparing to lead the army out, he was informed that Zoe, not he, the old general of Kiev, would lead the army into battle.
"I disagree, Lady Zoe, how can a woman like you lead an army to do such a thing?
War is a man's business; women should step aside!"
Poleye's voice was loud, attracting everyone's attention.
People spontaneously gathered around, wanting to see how their mistress would respond.
Zoe, wearing a somewhat oversized chainmail and with her hair pinned back, showed no anger.
Her expression remained calm, as if she were experiencing something ordinary.
"Bolei Yin, relatively speaking, I believe the gold and silver of the Red Mansion are more precious and require the protection of a seasoned warrior like you.
Furthermore, to rescue the Church, we have drawn away more than half of our warriors, so this place needs your presence even more.
A weak woman like me cannot do that."
Listening to her mistress's words, Poleye's expression became troubled.
Zoe's words were not entirely unreasonable, but to send a woman into battle, and the wife of Rostislav at that, it was truly...
"But... but you are a woman after all."
"Did not Lady Olga personally take to the field to avenge her husband?
Why can I not do the same?"
The Lady Olga Zoe referred to was the mother of Sviatoslav (the one whose head became a drinking cup).
After her husband was attacked and killed, this lady personally avenged him, slaughtering the tribe that betrayed him, and governed Kievan Rus' for her young son until he came of age.
She even traveled to the imperial capital, and her demeanor once captivated the emperor of the imperial capital; she was also the earliest ruler of Rus' to convert to Christian.
Bringing up Olga's name gave Zoe extremely powerful persuasive force; it was also the greatest rebuttal to Poleye's question of how a woman could go to battle.
Olga was an ancestor of the Rurik Dynasty; no one dared to question her.
Poleye was indeed rebutted; he was directly choked by Zoe and stammered, unable to speak words of refutation, but the troubled expression on his face still did not disappear.
Seeing this, Zoe understood why with a thought.
"Please rest assured, Bolei Yin, I will not personally go to the battlefield to fight."
"Then... then that's truly excellent."
Receiving Zoe's assurance, Poleye's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed a little.
Zoe's words just now had made him realize he could not stop this lady from going to the battlefield, so he was now mainly afraid that this young lady would act impulsively and fight on the battlefield, getting her head cut off and perishing like that.
Those rioters did not understand noble rules, and perhaps there would be even more tragic experiences.
"How about this, I'll send some more of my personal guards with you.
They are all veterans who have been through many battles, and if the situation becomes unfavorable, they will immediately send you back.
What do you think?"
Although he had received assurance, Poleye reconsidered and ultimately remained uneasy.
After much thought, he decided to add another layer of insurance, sending his personal attendants to protect Zoe and immediately bring her back if things went wrong.
"It's not necessary, Bolei Yin."
Zoe refused him.
Just as Poleye was startled, a soldier whose face was covered by a chainmail veil behind Zoe led over a black warhorse.
With their assistance, Zoe mounted it.
Zoe's posture on the horse was very natural and elegant; it was clear she had practiced horsemanship.
"My father's loyal subordinates will protect me.
They have been following him since he was exiled, and since they have followed until now, I trust their loyalty more than anyone, and I trust that they can protect my safety."
After speaking, Zoe turned her horse and left.
She no longer wanted to say anything, nor did she need to.
Those eunuch guards followed closely behind.
They were once Michael V's guards, and now they were Zoe Calafatis's guards.
They would protect her safety as they would protect an emperor; they were also more reliable than any other guard.
Leo, who was observing, rode after her.
Normally, he would have tried hard to persuade Zoe not to do such a foolish thing, but now his perception had changed.
In Leo's view, this girl was already qualified to lead him, qualified to have him clear the way for her.
And precisely because of this, he needed to stay by this girl's side even more; only by protecting her could his vague dream have a chance of being realized.
"This is truly..."
Watching the lady ride away, Poleye touched his head in astonishment.
In all his years, he had never seen a woman like this.
"All right, everyone, disperse, disperse."
Poleye came back to his senses and impatiently shouted at the surrounding soldiers.
They indeed scattered under his shouts.
Poleye had trained them extensively during this period, and his prestige among these people was still very high.
"It seems our Prince truly found a good wife."
Poleye said this last, with more envy than sigh in his words.
Such a woman was rare indeed.