That answer greatly satisfied Rostislav. Old Ivan directly stated that no Finn tribe would oppose the Winter Army.
There were even many tribes that would join the army, just like when Akad sent troops to Northeast Rus, providing them with a large number of free cannon fodder.
Furthermore, the pontoon bridge over the Volga River had been completed and was ready for the army to cross at any time, and the subsequent route had also been planned.
After receiving a satisfactory answer, Rostislav couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.
Since these local powers along the way were not an issue, he no longer had to worry about the safety of the journey from Northeast Rus to Bulgar, and could focus solely on the army's movement and logistics.
With his mood relaxed, Rostislav's conversation flowed freely, and he began chatting with the two Yaroslavl dignitaries.
The Moscow Prince asked many questions, about preserving the city's history, the battles it had experienced, and local curiosities.
The two dignitaries, old enough to be Rostislav's grandfathers, answered fluently, inwardly thrilled by the interaction, as opportunities to converse so closely with the Moscow Prince were rare.
However, when Rostislav inquired about the East Bank Church, the two old men showed an unreadable expression, which piqued Rostislav's curiosity.
The so-called East Bank Church was a church mentioned in a series of documents transmitted from Yaroslavl, serving as the vanguard for the expansion of Christian into the lower Volga River.
But Rostislav had always been unclear about the current state of this church, hence his question.
Finally, Old Ivan informed Rostislav about this East Bank Church, and listening to Old Ivan's narration, Rostislav understood why Old Ivan had that attitude.
The East Bank Church was established by a priest from Greek, concurrently with The Sherikhov Family's East Bank colonial development.
This church, with only about twenty members, played a significant role in spreading the Christian among the local population; without them, there would be no Christian on the East Bank of the Volga River.
However, the denominational composition of these twenty-odd church members was simply too complex, including Orthodox, Old Eastern, and Oriental Churches, bringing together all three major Eastern Christian denominations, which was truly absurd, and it was unknown how this Greek managed to find so many people from different denominations.
This was also why Old Ivan was concerned, because the church was simply too chaotic, with too many and too varied 'heretics.'
They themselves weren't very concerned about this; spreading Christian was the goal, and as long as it worked, it was fine. But they couldn't be sure that Rostislav, who came from Novgorod and Kiev, wouldn't care about these things.
After listening to Old Ivan's explanation, Rostislav indeed opened his mouth in shock.
Based on this composition, he could open a public council; this was practically an exhibition of Eastern Christ denominations.
However, he quickly suppressed his surprise and reassured Old Ivan, stating that these were minor matters and he would not advocate for a purge.
The reason was simple: what was so special about a complex denomination? The priority now was to promote Christianization as quickly as possible, not to get bogged down in denominational disputes.
After all, there were still many pagan in Moscow City; if he were to be so strict about these matters, who knew how many people would die in Moscow City.
After receiving Rostislav's assurance, the two men visibly relaxed. They had heard the head of the East Bank Church speak of the cruel sectarian struggles in the south, struggles that could even overthrow entire nations, and they were even more filled with fear of such things.
Old Ivan even had a son who had studied abroad in the southern imperial capital and had a very strong understanding of that atmosphere.
Watching the two men relax, Rostislav's interest in Old Ivan grew even stronger. This old man could attract so many people to build in this desolate northern place; it seemed his abilities were indeed extraordinary.
It was just a pity that he was already old and didn't have many years left to live. If he were younger, this person would certainly have received his heavy reliance.
But didn't he still have sons? If Boris had still been alive, he would certainly have been promoted, as Boris's abilities had been proven by years of pioneering achievements.
As for his current sons, Rostislav planned to observe them carefully. Yegor, to be honest, only had the aptitude of an officer, and he wasn't sure if he could be a good Lord in the future.
After these thoughts flashed through his mind, Rostislav waved his hand, signaling the two to withdraw. The Yaroslavl dignitaries naturally obeyed, and after they left, Rostislav went to the ancient map.
The map dated back to the era of Vladimir's conquest of Bulgar, half a century ago. Even by the standards of this era, the map was very crude, only roughly depicting a few cities in Bulgar and the great river that traversed the land, the Volga River.
But this was sufficient; it was enough for Rostislav to ponder the battle situation.
Looking at the map, Rostislav couldn't help but ponder how Akad would respond to his offensive.
Although Rostislav now had numerous advantages, and the Prince usually held Bulgar in contempt, when it came to concrete planning, Rostislav never dared to relax.
Rostislav always kept these two aspects clearly separate: showing pride when necessary, and being calm when necessary.
Akad was never an easy opponent. Although he had suffered many failures, ever since his decisive rebellion, Rostislav had sworn to himself never to underestimate this fellow, or he would certainly pay a bloody price.
However, the information he possessed about Bulgar was simply too little.
Although the situation within Bulgar was currently chaotic, and merchants had been continuously relaying information to Rostislav, Akad remained an information black hole, and Rostislav had no clear understanding of the Bulgar Khan's actions.
Currently, with Akad's capabilities, he could certainly raise a large army, but this army would undoubtedly be extremely disloyal.
After all, everyone could see the current state of Bulgar; those purges had greatly damaged his political reputation, and there were still many potential opponents, and Rostislav's side also had the Dulu Family's legitimate heir as a trump card.
But deep within Rostislav's heart, a never-expressed unease persisted. He always felt that Akad must have some contingency plan.