"Then, Rostislav, we shall part ways here."
Now that they were outside the city gate, the Rus' Princes and the Poles had to separate, as their camps were on opposite sides.
"Siczech, I think we can cooperate once we have our respective troops under control. What happened today makes me certain that things won't be simple, at least not something that can end with just this one city riot."
Rostislav looked at the city, filled with flames and various noises. Today, he had been set up and lured into a short-term riot, and the city gates were controlled. This didn't feel right no matter how he thought about it.
Moreover, the person capable of all this must be incredibly powerful, a formidable enemy that needed to be taken seriously.
In front of them, the chaos was even more severe, with various crimes rampant in the camps outside the city, and some people had even started fires.
"Rostislav, please understand, I am merely a vassal of Bolesław, different from you. Some things are not within my power to do, and I must quickly lead my troops to protect the King."
Facing the Moscow Prince's request, Siczech chose to refuse, because, as he said, some things truly were not his place to do.
Rostislav was a member of the Rurik Dynasty, while he was not a descendant of the Piast Dynasty. Doing the same thing would lead to two different outcomes.
"If that's the case, then let us part ways here."
And so, the Rus' Princes and the Poles went their separate ways. The Moscow Prince understood the other party's difficulties. Since they were unwilling, it was better to part amicably for future encounters.
Next, Rostislav moved through the chaotic temporary camp. Like the city, it was also ruled by disorder, with various ugly acts playing out before people's eyes.
But similarly, the rioters here dared not provoke Rostislav's fully armed troops.
However, here Rostislav discovered some very interesting sights: the pagans who had previously disappeared were now active.
Rostislav saw several pagan priests carrying their blasphemous totems moving through the crowd, uttering various words blaspheming Christian.
It was a pity that even these fellows, upon seeing the Rus' Princes' cavalry, would only avoid them. Rostislav had originally planned for a good fight.
If he had the time, Rostislav would definitely lead his army to clear out these guys. Rebellious pagans could absolutely not be left alive, but currently, he was in a hurry to take control of his main army.
However, upon arriving at the camp, what Rostislav saw was a very unexpected scene: the area around the camp was covered with Nomads horse archers, who were continuously firing arrows into the camp.
And on the camp walls, the crossbowmen and archers were also retaliating, but compared to those archers, their numbers were too few.
Rostislav did not hesitate. He immediately led his personal retinue to charge into the Nomads cavalry. These Nomads were completely unprepared for these suddenly appearing cavalry.
Someone raised a short bow, attempting to block the swords, but the result was that both the short bow and the cavalryman were cut down.
The most effective combat method for cavalry was ultimately to charge. Although the Rus' Princes cavalry who broke into their ranks were far fewer than them, these guys' weapons and armor couldn't compare to the Rus' Princes. The Nomads fell like wheat before a scythe.
Finally, these horse archers broke. They were completely unprepared for this sudden attack from behind, and their morale quickly collapsed, after which they fled.
The Nomads were always very good at running away, and in a short while, they disappeared from everyone's sight.
And with the disappearance of the Nomads, a cheer erupted within the camp. How could the people in the Rus' Princes camp not recognize Rostislav? His military fame had long resounded throughout all of Rus'.
Now, seeing his martial prowess, the people were naturally very excited, which also let them know that Rostislav's reputation was not undeserved.
The gate slowly opened, and Rostislav entered. The officers in the camp also gathered around, speaking words of praise, as Rostislav had just demonstrated his martial prowess.
Rostislav did not dwell on these praises for too long; he remembered what he was there to do.
Moreover, he still had too many questions that needed answers. The Moscow Prince found Yang in the crowd and pulled his old friend close.
"Yang, what exactly happened here? Why are there so many Nomads cavalry?"
A look of confusion appeared on Yang's face at this moment, and he instinctively shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either. He then began to recount their experiences during this time.
"Everything was normal at first, then we saw fire breaking out in the city. We instinctively wanted to go into the city to help extinguish the fire, but it was just then that those Nomads cavalry appeared. They continuously shot arrows around the camp, and seeing this, we dared not rashly attack. You know, there's no one here who can make decisions right now, so we've been surrounded until now. It's a good thing you came."
The situation Yang described was quite helpless. With no Rurik Prince in the camp, they naturally couldn't do anything.
"This is truly… damn it, there's definitely a big conspiracy. Organize the troops, there's probably a big battle ahead. Also, send someone to find Edward, and the Empire, tell them to get their troops ready too."
Rostislav increasingly felt that this was a major conspiracy. He hadn't expected those pagans to have armed support outside the city. He had originally thought they were only causing trouble within the city.
This matter was truly escalating and becoming more absurd.
And facing the Moscow Prince's command, everyone instinctively obeyed, including the subordinates of his uncles; they also obeyed Rostislav.
Rostislav was a member of the Rurik Dynasty, and since his elders were not present and they faced war, he could naturally command everyone, and everyone was willing to obey.
Moreover, what was more important was that Rostislav's military fame had long resounded throughout Rus', so the people here were willing to obey a leader who always brought victory. If Rostislav were just an ordinary Prince, then no one would naturally pay him any mind.
It was just as Rostislav was making urgent preparations that he suddenly heard a series of deafening horn blasts from beyond the wooden wall. The sound was long and deep, as if representing something ancient.
The Rus' Princes quickly climbed the watchtower in the camp and looked in the direction from which the sound came.
And in that direction, he saw a large army appearing on the horizon, with countless weapons gleaming under the sun.
"God, this is truly… getting bigger and bigger."
Looking at the large army, Rostislav murmured.
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