Rostislav did not stay long in Kiev; he soon set off on his journey again.
After all, with Rostislav's arrival, the Yaroslav descendants currently in power had reached their term, so it was time to attend the grand gathering of nations.
When Rostislav left, he left behind all the successful immigrants. They would spread the news of successful immigration in Kiev and its surrounding areas to encourage the common people of Kiev to move to Northeast Rus'.
Naturally, this received the approval of his uncle. Izyaslav was very happy to offer some help to his junior.
The same went for Alexei's theater troupe; this was Rostislav's powerful propaganda machine, so of course, it had to stay in Kiev. Their plays included several depictions of "happy immigrant life in Northeast Rus'."
Well, as for whether they could truly be happy, that depended on themselves. Anyway, working hard there for a few years would always be a little better than their original situation, at least they would have some foundation.
This troupe's debut in Kiev had been a success. The venue was packed with people, and then they were invited by his uncle to Vladimir Palace to perform for the Ross aristocrats.
After going to Vladimir Palace, they became famous throughout the Kiev region. Many places near Kiev invited them to perform, and even Chernigov sent an invitation letter.
And just as Alexei's career was smooth sailing, Rostislav also embarked on his journey.
The sight of Yaroslav's sons and grandsons traveling was magnificent. Thousands of armored personal guards formed the main body of this massive army. The endless stretch of gleaming armor under the sunlight left a deep impression on many.
This was a display of power that only the top aristocrats of Ross could achieve, so dazzling that it seemed even the Lord in heaven could see it.
Aristocrats from various parts of Ross and their armies followed behind their respective Princes, and Rostislav was no exception.
Since he arrived in Kiev, the Kiev nobles who had not followed him back then all came forward and pledged their allegiance to him again.
Their lives had been very difficult in recent years. As their father's former confidants, they could not gain the trust of the current Kiev Grand Duke. Their original positions were largely stripped, and they could be said to be in an extremely difficult situation.
Their only choice was to pledge allegiance to Rostislav. Back then, these people thought Rostislav had no future and chose to refuse, but now the Moscow Prince's success made them deeply regret their past choice.
The Moscow Prince also accepted these people. He would not dwell on their choices; he could understand their hesitation.
Moreover, the most important thing was that Northeast Rus' now needed people, a large number of people. Territories needed nobles to govern, land needed to be organized for cultivation, and people were needed everywhere. He would not miss any opportunity to recruit manpower.
Behind the Princes' armored guards were military servants, numbering more than the armored personal guards. They were responsible for escorting the army's supplies.
And behind the military servants were merchants who were also traveling west with the army. Many of them intended to go to Hungary, where the war had just ended, to sell goods and grain in that war-torn land.
Even with the military servants, this army numbered no more than two thousand. However, Yaroslav's sons and grandsons were not going to war; they were going to display the authority of Rurik.
Rostislav looked at this magnificent army, which reminded him of the splendor of his grandfather's two thousand personal guards. He wondered when he would be able to see—or rather, possess—such a powerful state.
Leaving Kiev, this army advanced along the marching route that previous Grand Dukes had taken when moving west.
Along the way, local residents came to watch the army. The west had not seen war for many years, nor had it seen such a powerful army. Moreover, the rulers of Ross were all in this army, so such a powerful display naturally attracted everyone.
The army would encamp and rest after passing through each town, and the locals would offer their best to entertain the army, as the opportunity to see the top rulers of Ross was not always available.
Of course, there were also those who offered gold and silver and asked the Grand Duke for special privileges. After all, the Kiev Grand Duke's love for gold and silver was well-known, and his uncle Izyaslav usually generously agreed after taking the money, resulting in everyone being pleased.
Soon, the Ross Army arrived at Turov, Izyaslav's former seat. He became the ruler of Turov at a very young age and then lived there for most of his time until his father (the protagonist's father) died, after which he was transferred to Kiev to serve his grandfather long-term, awaiting succession.
Upon entering Turov, they received an overwhelming welcome. This was the largest Ross city in Southwest Rus', the political and economic center of Southwest Rus'.
His uncle's governance back then had promoted the prosperity of this city, so the citizens liked this ruler very much. The local Veche even held a grand banquet.
That joyful demeanor made Rostislav very attentive. The people's welcome and affection did not seem feigned at all. It seemed that his uncle was truly popular in this land, and it appeared that Southwest Rus' was more supportive of his uncle.
The grand banquet naturally extended the army's stay, during which almost all the aristocrats of Southwest Rus' came to make various requests to the Grand Duke.
The local nobles of Turov wanted more autonomy, the nobles of Volhynia and Galicia wanted solutions to the refugee problem, and the merchants of Cherven Cities wanted privileges for trade with the West...
Naturally, they all offered generous gifts, but the matters here were too significant, and gifts were not so effective, which meant that some people's pride would inevitably be hurt.
However, his uncle still skillfully resolved these issues. No matter how the negotiations went, his uncle tried his best to reduce the other party's hostility.
That skilled demeanor made Rostislav change his opinion of him, after all, Izyaslav's image in history was, to put it bluntly, mediocre.
While his uncle was busy dealing with Southwest Rus' affairs, Rostislav chatted about literature with his second and third uncles. After all, he was recently planning to write a novel, and both of them were well-read, so they still had common topics in this regard.
His third uncle was naturally very happy about this; for him, there was nothing better. However, the relationship between Rostislav and Sviatoslav was quite delicate. Both sides knew some things, and both implicitly knew that the other knew some things, but they just pretended here.
Moreover, his second uncle was interested in Catholicism, not secular literature, so he was not very interested in this kind of hobby.
For Rostislav, the biggest achievement of this conversation was that he was able to confirm his second uncle's cultural level. Sviatoslav was very strong in both citing classics and cultural thinking.
Rostislav had to concentrate very hard when chatting with him, otherwise, who knew if this uncle was speaking in code.
Izyaslav's speed in handling government affairs was also quite fast. In a few days, he had basically dealt with all parties, and the army continued to advance. Rostislav also breathed a sigh of relief, finally no longer having to play word games with that difficult second uncle.
After leaving Turov, they did not advance far before seeing the refugees mentioned by the Volhynian and Galician nobles. They were camping by the roadside, gathered together.
These refugees had fled here because of the Hungarian civil war, camping in the wilderness. When the army passed by, they nervously placed their hands on their weapons. It seemed that the local nobles were not very friendly to these people.
And the closer they got to the western border, the more such people there were. Not only Hungarian farmers, but also many Magyar nomadic tribes had come to this land.
Undoubtedly, these people were a potential destabilizing factor in Southwest Rus', because except for some who were absorbed by local nobles, most were still unemployed and homeless. They could disturb local public order, and similarly, local nobles could attack them to gain spoils and slaves.
Izyaslav's solution was simple: disperse these people back to Hungary as much as possible. As for those who could not be dispersed, they would be moved to his third uncle's border territories to live as members of the border army, where manpower was always needed.
His uncle planned to do this after the trip to Hungary, as it would be convenient to escort people when the army returned.
Advancing along the refugee-filled roads, they got closer and closer to the border, and soon, the Arpad banner also appeared before everyone.