"Damn it, I didn't expect these people to be so stupid, they just came up like that, and why are they so young?"
On a bloody battlefield, Lord Yang was pulling his sword out of a corpse's bone. As he pulled it out, the corpse's helmet rolled off, revealing a somewhat childish face.
These fools actually marched so openly through the forest, even beating gongs and drums, as if they were afraid the Rus' would not discover them.
Lord Yang still remembered the disbelief on the face of the young man, who was only a few years older than him, when he was the first to rush out and decapitate him. He probably hadn't anticipated the Rus' surprise attack at all.
What followed was a massacre. When the Rus' warriors charged out, this team composed of young men, though well-equipped, was completely ruined by their shoddy combat skills and utterly unguarded march.
The farmers scavenging the battlefield occasionally cheered. These dead youths generally had one or two valuable spoils of war on them, and one farmer even draped a blood-stained chainmail over himself to show off to those around him.
After receiving news that a hundred-man Vesi unit was approaching, Lord Yang immediately gathered the farmers from the surrounding villages, and they were also eager to participate in the battle.
In recent years, many of them had died in skirmishes with the Vesi, and they held a deep blood feud against those people. Now that someone was willing to lead, they naturally followed.
"Does anyone know the background of these young people? Damn it, they're so rich. Did the Vesi chiefs' children steal their elders' weapons and armor?"
As Lord Yang said, the equipment of these children was simply too good. More than twenty out of a hundred wore chainmail and scale armor, a stark contrast to the previous Vesi raiders, who numbered only three to five, or at most a few dozen, and wore tattered clothes.
Lord Yang's question was passed down, and soon an old man came over. Unlike many farmers who only had cloth clothes, this old man wore a much-repaired padded armor and an iron helmet.
Upon asking, it was learned that this old man was named Yefimi, older than the Wise Prince, but still strong.
In his youth, he had followed "Saint" Vladimir on campaigns against the Bulgar, and once camped beneath that great city. In the next half-century, this old man had clearly become the leader of the Rus' farmers in this region, leading them to contend with the Vesi for resources.
Of course, more importantly, he had over twenty children, and the children of these children. Although everyone had already split up, as long as this patriarch was still around, everyone could be mobilized.
Of the two hundred people gathered for this ambush against the Vesi, one-tenth were the old man's children and grandchildren.
By Rus' standards, this was undoubtedly a local noble, but this old man never thought of himself that way. He usually got along with the people in the village without airs, and everyone was always willing to let him handle disputes among them. He was the greatest authority in this area.
The old man came before the corpses. He looked at each one, and then the joy on his face gradually lessened, replaced by increasing solemnity.
After examining the last corpse, old Yefimi walked to Lord Yang with a grave expression.
"The leader is Ignoin's son. As for the others, I saw several faces of Vesi chiefs' sons… Well, I can say that all the Vesi chiefs' children or grandchildren I know are here."
"What?"
Lord Yang's face twitched involuntarily. Had he just wiped out all the Vesi chiefs' sons today?
Ignoin, Lord Yang knew this name. He was the strongest among the Vesi, a chief who had risen in recent decades. He now controlled Beloye Lake, rich in fish and salt resources, and part of the northern trade routes, and had also captured the Rus' city of Beloye Lake. It was precisely because of the resources of this lake that Ignoin's tribe became the strongest among the Vesi tribes.
Ignoin's son dying here was already troublesome, and now you're telling me that the children of other Vesi chiefs also died here? What's going on? This harvest is overly abundant.
"Lord Yang, no matter what, we'd best go back and prepare as soon as possible. The Vesi chiefs will surely avenge their children."
Old Yefimi advised Lord Yang. He had dealt with the Vesi for decades and knew the nature of these barbarians very well. With so many chiefs' children and grandchildren dead here, they would certainly launch a large army to seek revenge.
Lord Yang also understood the seriousness of the situation. He called out to his subordinates to quickly clean up the battlefield; he had to hurry back to the camp and discuss countermeasures with those who remained.
——————
When Lord Yang arrived at the camp, he found the people in the camp cheering about something, which left him utterly bewildered. What was wrong with them? Why were they so happy? The Vesi were about to attack!
Just as Lord Yang stepped into the mining camp, a miner excitedly ran up to him, holding a piece of ore in his hand.
"We found it! We found it!"
"Found what?"
This sentence made Lord Yang's heart skip a beat, and a sudden, inexplicable tension washed over him like a tide.
"We found the silver mine the Prince spoke of! Look!"
Holding up the ore, Lord Yang saw the incredibly brilliant silver gleam among the various colors. His pupils instinctively widened, and he immediately snatched the ore and held it before his eyes.
Yes, that was silver, it was indeed silver. He had almost thought it was his Prince's pipe dream, but now it was right before him!
"Quick, quick, take me to see the silver mine!"
At this moment, Lord Yang had forgotten the threat of the Vesi. His eyes were only on the silver. At first, he could restrain his excitement, and his tone was relatively calm, but later he couldn't control himself!
This was silver! It could be said that Kievan Rus' was founded on silver; it was the undisputed super hard currency of this land.
For so many years, the Rus' Princes had searched for silver in this land without success, but now, it was suddenly laid before Lord Yang!
Led by the miner, Lord Yang walked to the slightly excavated hillside, where he saw the incredibly dazzling silver, and the cheering miners beside it.
"Things are changing, things are changing."
Lord Yang couldn't stop saying. The news of a silver mine appearing in Northeast Rus' would shake the entire Rus'!
"Go quickly and strengthen the defenses, put up the walls! This land must be held!"
Lord Yang was not controlled by the joy before him for long. He remembered the most urgent matter—this silver mine must be protected! The idea of fleeing, which had been in his mind, had now vanished.
"Also, send someone immediately to Rostov, send the fastest horse, tell the Prince we have discovered a silver mine, tell him the Vesi are attacking us! We need rescue!"
Lord Yang's words did not stop. He continued, this news must be reported immediately to Lord Rostislav!
However, as everyone was excited, they did not notice that the Greek engineer stood aside, looking at the ore vein with curiosity, wondering what he was thinking.