Yes, self-destruction; that mindset of heading towards ruin was too obvious.
However, considering his experiences, it's not surprising.
Rostislav was well aware of Meshko's background; rather than being sent to Northeast Rus' to carry out the King's mission, he was more accurately exiled to Northeast Rus', never to return to Poland.
Although he had never met Kazimierz, the King of Poland, when Uncle Edward mentioned that Meshko and Kazimierz were very similar, Rostislav understood most of the story.
Kazimierz's power ultimately came from his marriage, and as such, the story of his illegitimate son could only unfold outside of Poland, allowing everyone to turn a blind eye.
And because of this reason, Meshko, who was banished to Northeast Rus', naturally harbored many grievances, but from observations during this period, his grievances did not turn into hatred or make him lose heart, but rather transformed into a fanatical belief in God.
"It seems I need to have Uncle Edward keep an eye on this kid. I don't want the King to complain that I didn't take good care of his son..."
Muttering to himself, Rostislav went to find Edward, his uncle whose face always wore an enigmatic smile.
When Rostislav found Edward, he was playing dice with his Hungarian archers, and when Rostislav told him his request, that same smile appeared on Edward's face again.
"No problem, my nephew. I noticed that kid's issues a while ago. It's not a problem at all."
Rostislav, having secured Edward's agreement, did not linger but went to attend to other matters; there were many preparations for the upcoming battle.
— — — — — — — —
This day was no different for the Bulgar Army; they were still walking on forest paths, still having to face projectiles shot from the woods from time to time.
The Bulgar Army had grown weary along this journey, but the temptation of silver motivated them to stand up again. As long as they reached Kashin and took that silver mine, everyone could become rich!
Just as they thought today would also be a day of routine marching, a cavalry unit arrived silently. Their equipment was tightly secured to prevent any noise, and their horses' hooves were wrapped in cloth to minimize sound as much as possible.
The noble warriors of the battle formation walked their horses through the forest, though their bodies were covered in dirt, making them look somewhat disheveled.
The Bulgar Army indeed did not notice this small unit moving through the forest; the noise from their own march had already covered all these miscellaneous sounds.
This was Rostislav's elite assault team, composed of Rostislav's personal guards and Polish Knights standing side by side, with Hungarian horse archers adjusting their bowstrings.
The cavalrymen were ready for the slaughter, eager and anticipating the first strike of the battle.
Finally, the Bulgar forces reached the designated position. As the large tree in front of the main army crashed down as planned, startling the horses at the very front and causing the soldiers to panic, leading to chaos in the ranks behind who didn't know what was happening ahead, Rostislav drew his longsword and held it before his steel nasal guard.
"In the name of Saint George, may the angels protect us and help us defeat the pagans!"
"In the name of Saint George!"
Everyone shouted fanatically, spurring their horses to charge, following Rostislav's red warhorse and the banner of saint george slaying the dragon.
Deafening horn blasts echoed from all directions. Originally intended to confuse the enemy, at this moment, they undoubtedly added momentum to the knights' charge.
— — — — — — — —
For the Bulgars, they were bewildered by the sudden sound of horns; it was the first time they had encountered such a thing after marching for so long, but the arrows and javelins that accompanied the horns immediately made them realize what was happening.
Even if Rostislav's cavalry were not adept at horse archery, they carried javelins, and during the charge, they naturally unleashed a barrage of projectiles at the Bulgars.
Many Bulgar soldiers were caught off guard and shot down, and the Bulgar formation became chaotic as a result, but the officers' shouts still made them turn their shields in the correct direction.
Countless shields were raised at this moment, and then arrows and javelins clanged against them, making the soldiers behind the shields tremble with fear.
However, what happened next was even more terrifying, because fully armored Rus' cavalry charged out from where the arrows and javelins had come!
Meshko rode past Rostislav, charging at the very front of the formation. This young Polish Knight still wore his red maple leaf surcoat over his chainmail, holding a sharp longsword in his hand, and shouting a fanatical slogan.
"In the name of the Lord!"
The first to die by the Polish Knight's hand was a Bulgar soldier holding a shield. He extended his spear towards the enemy, the spear shaft resting on the ground, as many Bulgar spearmen did, intending to stab down the charging cavalry.
However, just as this spearman, who had hidden his body behind his shield, poked his head out, he was met by a sharp longsword.
The longsword, carrying the momentum of the charging warhorse, not only split open the man's helmet and face but also knocked him backward. Immediately after, the warhorse crashed into a soldier holding an axe and shield. This man had thought the spearman could stop the cavalry and had stepped forward to reap heads, but instead, he encountered his death.
After Meshko, the fully armored cavalrymen poured into the formation. The crude infantry line simply could not withstand so many charging heavy cavalry.
In an instant, the Bulgar soldiers were either knocked to the ground or cut down by swords and axes, utterly defenseless against such a large number of cavalry.
The morale of this group of Bulgars completely collapsed at that moment. The soldiers broke ranks and fled. A small number of elites continued to fight while retreating, but their destruction was only a matter of time.
"Expand the gains! Expand the gains! But don't scatter!"
Releasing the cavalry spear that had impaled a Bulgar soldier to the ground, Rostislav roared. He had to inflict as many casualties as possible on the Bulgars before they could react!
— — — — — — — —
"Damn it, what happened? What's wrong with these Rus' people?"
At the front of the Bulgar Army, the Bulgars surrounding the fallen giant tree had already heard and seen the commotion and fighting coming from their rear, and Akad couldn't help but roar.
Rostislav attacked the middle section of the Bulgar Army, as his goal was not victory but to inflict as much damage as possible.
"I will immediately take men to support the rear, Lord Akad. Please hold this position."
Aleff reacted quickly; he had already gathered nearly a hundred Bulgar heavy cavalry, who were now surrounding him.
"Good, I'll leave that to you for now."
Akad, seeing the urgency of the military situation, readily agreed.
— — — — — — — —