"I'll immediately send people to Smolensk and Novgorod. Sir, there's one more thing. Lord Vishata recently sent a letter, stating that he has secured his position as mayor in Smolensk and can provide all the assistance we need."
After receiving the order, Leo reported some good news. Vishata had secured his position in Smolensk, and now the Rostov Prince could mobilize the resources of that pivotal city.
"Write back to Uncle Vishata and tell him I'm very grateful for his help. Please have him prepare food and manpower, ready to welcome my immigrant team at any time."
Rostislav's expression immediately lit up with joy. Nothing was better than receiving good news at this moment. Smolensk was a necessary stop for his immigrant convoy, and cooperation there was crucial for his immigration efforts.
For Rostislav, these immigrants were vital to his rule in Northeast Rus', as he didn't know the attitude of the various cities in the Northeast.
In his memory, the local loyalty and gentleness were based on his father still being alive. Would they remain as loyal as ever after his father was gone?
It was hard to say.
Therefore, Rostislav did not intend to go directly to Rostov, but instead planned to bring these immigrants to establish a large city directly in Northeast Rus'. The present-day Northeast Rus' would be the core of Russia in the future, and there were simply too many suitable places for building cities. He already had many choices in mind.
More importantly, Northeast Rus' was full of tribes and free farmers who did not submit to royal rule, and it would take time to tame these free people.
Since he couldn't rely on the cities and couldn't rely on the farmers, the only ones he could rely on were these diligent immigrants.
Moreover, the Prince couldn't help but think that his grandfather must have decided very early on for him to go to Northeast Rus', otherwise he wouldn't have let Vishata serve as mayor in Smolensk, a crucial transportation hub. Wasn't this providing help for his future?
After realizing this, the Prince couldn't help but feel even more grateful to his grandfather for the help he had given. This old man had truly put in a lot of effort for him.
"Yes."
Meanwhile, Leo immediately jotted down new orders on a parchment, filled with various items. This was a habit he had developed in the imperial capital; without it, he truly couldn't remember things.
"Speaking of which, how much of my funds have been used already?"
Rostislav saw several men trading gold and silver by the roadside and suddenly remembered his treasury. He hadn't checked it in a while.
"Your father's savings have been half spent, mainly on purchasing food and tools, as well as on the artisans and scholars you heavily invited according to your orders, and also on the relocation fees for the immigrants."
Yes, Rostislav spent money to hire many artisans and scholars. That wild land of Northeast Rus' urgently needed advanced technology from the Rus' center, and naturally, inviting such technical experts required a lot of money.
Many of those scholars had been employed by his grandfather. After his grandfather's death, some of them found new jobs with his uncle, while others could only return to Constantinople. In any case, they had already earned enough silver from the Great Duke Rostislav.
However, there were always some who hadn't earned enough, and they were re-hired by Rostislav. He needed these people for the construction in Northeast Rus'.
"Money flows like water. Half of father's savings are already gone."
Rostislav couldn't help but click his tongue. He never imagined money would be spent so quickly, but even if it was spent quickly, it all had to be spent.
"Bring out all my spoils of war as well. These things can also be used freely. There must be no problems with purchasing supplies."
The Prince did not hesitate to raise the stakes, taking out more wealth. Now was the time to spend money, and spending money was for an easier future. Food, tools, and even seeds were all necessary for development.
"We will definitely complete the mission, Your Highness."
Leo promised, vowing internally to give his all for it. He had decided to achieve something under Rostislav's command.
These days reminded him of his past experience working under the orphanage director. The efforts during those days eventually brought him sweet rewards, and he believed it would be the same now.
Having given his orders, Rostislav continued to look at the immigrant camp. It was not far from the Dnieper River, and many people were drawing water by the river and doing various tasks.
Although the camp's neatness was comparable to many military camps, the people within it were still loose and undisciplined.
Regarding such a team, Rostislav could only be glad that he wasn't leading these people to the battlefield, but they still needed discipline to be strengthened.
Although there were no enemies on the road, there were various wild beasts, such as wolf packs large enough to threaten a large group of travelers, as well as fierce beasts like wild boars and wild cattle.
In Rostislav's opinion, if attacked by such beasts, this team would definitely fall into chaos, which would be troublesome. This was why he thought about strengthening discipline.
Continuing through the camp, Rostislav saw militiamen practicing in an open space. Gvaran was training these farmers to make them more disciplined, and the Prince could hear his loud voice from afar.
When the Captain of the Guard saw his master approaching and moved closer, Rostislav asked about the results of his training, but the Captain of the Guard only shook his head.
"They're barely good enough to deal with wild beasts; they're only slightly better than pure farmers."
Rostislav was helpless about this and could only pat the Captain's shoulder, giving him a bit of encouragement. Although training was difficult, it still had to be done. The current training was to reduce casualties on the road in the future, for more people to safely reach Northeast Rus'.
After watching the training, Rostislav continued to stroll around the camp, observing the state of these immigrants, and asking if they had any problems that needed solving.
Many farmers finally mustered the courage to gather around the Prince, expressing their various problems in a cacophony of voices. Some thought the tents were too cramped, some had conflicts with neighbors and hoped the Prince would mediate, while others simply wanted better conditions.
Some even gathered simply because they wanted to see Rostislav. After all, Rostislav's martial reputation was now resounding throughout Rus' and would spread abroad with the movement of people. Since such a great hero had arrived, everyone naturally wanted to see him, to see what kind of demeanor this Rurik Prince who had defeated the Polovtsy possessed.
The Prince had his attendants record the people's various reactions and had his subordinate nobles, who were skilled in resolving disputes, handle the conflicts, but the crowd continued to grow.
Finally, the extremely nervous Bodyguard Unit forcibly dragged their master out and escorted him back to Kiev. With so many people, who knew if there were assassins? They were almost scared to death.