While the siege of Kashin was still ongoing and the Moscow Prince lay in wait in the forest, a force gathered in the wilderness of Suzdal, poised to fight a battle that was both related and unrelated to the great war.
"Can an army like this truly fight?"
Lord Yang instinctively felt a headache as he looked at the farmers before him, all wrapped in furs and holding only slightly hardened weapons.
He was somewhat mentally prepared for the disadvantages of an army composed of farmers, but seeing this scene, he still couldn't help but say what he shouldn't have.
Only a very small number of farmers had iron armor, and they were either chieftains of tribes or rich farmers in the village.
And the only thing that distinguished these people from ordinary farmers was that iron armor; their words and deeds were still no different from ordinary farmers.
The Slavic people and the Merya people chatted and boasted like brothers, as years of coexistence had made both peoples familiar with each other's languages, so there was no problem in communication.
For them, it was very joyful to gather so many villages together and meet.
But for Lord Yang, he felt nothing but trouble; it was the first time he had commanded such a poor quality army since he began his career on horseback.
Their camp was as chaotic as their order, and there were no defensive fortifications; Lord Yang suspected that he could defeat these farmers with a single night raid with his warriors.
"This is all the strength we can muster. We will be marching soon, and it's impossible to change, and there's no time to change. Moscow Prince, please bear with us."
The priest of the God of Earth and Underworld, an old man whom the common people always reverently called Old Warlock, heard his words and replied very frankly.
There was no resentment in his tone; being inferior was simply being inferior. If they could defeat Olaf's lackey, why would they act like this, and why would they bring in the Prince's power?
Although aged, Lev was still agile, no less than some young people, and he was now closely following Lord Yang, without any difficulty.
"No, Lord Lev, I understand the current situation. These are just small complaints."
Lord Yang, realizing he had misspoken, immediately replied. His words just now were spoken subconsciously; in reality, he had no strong emotions. These people were merely an aid, and as an aid, they were already very qualified.
The two continued to advance in silence, with soldiers resting everywhere along the way, some sitting and some lying down.
Many people enthusiastically greeted Lev, their emotions filled with gratitude, as Lev had saved many lives here, and everyone had come because of his kindness and charisma.
As for Lord Yang, apart from his subordinates, the farmers were very cold towards him, even hostile. In the eyes of some, Christians were all evil people.
The soldiers on both sides had a harmonious relationship; everyone knew that the other was a comrade-in-arms for the upcoming battle. As for the future, that would be discussed later.
In these past few days, Lord Yang had learned a lot about Lev. This pagan Old Warlock frequently traveled between the villages of Northeast Rus', freely offering help with his knowledge of herbs, and he was generous in spreading everything he knew, saving many lives.
This was also why people pushed him forward as the leader of the resistance, because only his prestige could lead the people.
However, although Lev was highly respected and quick-witted, it was clear that he was not a military talent; otherwise, fifty soldiers would not have routed his two hundred men.
Soon, the two arrived at the large table. It was called a table, but it was actually a flat stone, covered with various markers representing individual settlements and villages.
This was where they discussed the situation; although crude, it was sufficient to replicate the situation. In these days, the two had been replicating everything they knew on the map to make judgments about the upcoming situation.
"As we expected, Olaf has committed all his main forces, Lord Yang."
Lev got straight to the point, stating the reason he had called Lord Yang: their common enemy, Olaf, had finally begun his betrayal.
After that day's meeting, Lev and Lord Yang reached an agreement, one that benefited both sides; everyone needed to fight against the reckless Olaf.
Lev wanted to preserve the freedom of the various communes, and Lord Yang needed that fellow's head. It could be said that they immediately hit it off, their interests aligned at the moment.
"These days, he has been gathering a large number of people in the settlement, and now they have finally attacked. My scouts are closely following him. His main force numbers nearly a thousand, but most of them are farmers he forced. Normally, this force is nothing; the Prince could easily suppress them, but now…"
"Now it could cause an extremely adverse impact. When they see Slavic people joining the enemy in groups, the Prince's army will inevitably waver."
Listening to Lord Yang's words, Lev's aged fingers continued to point at the markings drawn on the stone table, showing the Moscow Prince the enemy's advance route, while Lord Yang calculated the marching speed and time in his mind.
"So we cannot let him succeed. If we depart now, we can intercept them in three days. Although our forces are still inferior to Olaf's, a surprise attack will be enough."
"Indeed, as you said, it is enough."
Lev's fingers simultaneously pointed on the table, and following his finger, Lord Yang saw the symbol of a settlement.
"Their target is a Bulgar stronghold, and at our marching speed, we might ambush them relatively close to the Bulgar fortress."
"Are you saying the Bulgar people might come to their aid then?"
Facing Lord Yang's question, Lev nodded silently. He was also a bit annoyed; if he didn't have to hide his existence, he wouldn't have waited until he received news of Olaf's forces moving before launching his own attack.
"Then let him come. War is uncontrollable like that. I have already prepared for casualties, even for being wiped out. I imagine you all have too."
Lord Yang was not surprised by this. Although his career on horseback was less than two years, he already clearly understood the uncontrollability of war. If war was to come, let it come; only the brave would survive.
Lev subconsciously nodded. He was somewhat surprised that Lord Yang would say such words, which significantly raised his opinion of this noble son.
"Although you are young, you are indeed a true warrior, Lord Yang. I am even curious what kind of person Rostislav, whom you follow, is, to command the loyalty of a warrior like you."
"You will know then, and you will surely be surprised."
Lev seemed noncommittal about this, shook his head, and changed the subject.
"Lord Yang, what do you think of the Prince's power?"
Hearing this question, Lord Yang straightened his expression. This was not a friendly inquiry.
"You ask me how I view the Prince's power? I can only say this is a very interesting question, but let's not beat around the bush; let's get straight to the point."
Lord Yang hesitated for a moment, then spoke the words he had formulated.
The standard-bearer chose to be so direct for a reason; he had already come to understand how cunning this pagan Old Warlock was during their few days together.
If he played word games with him, he might end up revealing even more information, so it was better to be direct and set the topic from the start.
And the reason he so resolutely chose to be direct was because this old man had already tricked him several times, and he could only be grateful that the information extracted was not too important.
Moreover, Lord Yang understood what the Old Warlock was referring to—Rostislav's policy for Northeast Rus'.
"Then, Lord Yang, does Lord Rostislav truly want to bind all the free people of Northeast Rus' under his and his vassals' control?"
Lev narrowed his eyes as he spoke.
"Of course, this is his inherent duty as a Prince. Lord Rostislav has the right to distribute land and people to his subjects, and it is the people's responsibility to serve their lord, while the Prince will reciprocate with protection and promote development. This is also a power recognized by Christian, and everyone will benefit from it."
"Protection, development, these are all very good things, but unfortunately, most people don't see those; all they see are warriors in iron armor taking their harvest and forcing them to labor, and when enemies attack, where does that protection go?"
Lev's words were incisive, completely tearing through Lord Yang's platitudes.
Lord Yang was not annoyed by being exposed; he had never expected those words to deceive anyone anyway. Ultimately, the control over those free people relied on the deterrence of force.
"Lord Lev, your words are very much to the point. Since that's the case, I won't speak in platitudes with you either."
Lord Yang frankly admitted it. He was originally very disgusted with the rhetoric Rostislav taught them. Since the person in front of him was not a fool, then let's speak plainly.
"Power comes from the sword. It is the sword that allows us to do all this. I have never believed in anything inherent; that is just rhetoric to strengthen rule. Ultimately, everything can only rely on comrades by your side and the sword in your hand. This world is ultimately about the strong preying on the weak."
The standard-bearer's words were very direct; this was the philosophy he had always believed in.
"But what we bring is not pure exploitation. We bring a civilization worth learning, advanced tools, and superior technology, as well as organizational power and nation-building. We will dispel the darkness and barbarism from this land."
However, he also remembered the Prince's words that everything was reciprocal; if you don't bring something, how can you gain anything?
Even if this gain came very slowly, it was still brought.
"In that case, I understand, Lord Yang. Thank you very much for telling me all this."
The old man's words carried a hint of ruthlessness. Although he was somewhat prepared, after hearing the anticipated cruel words from Lord Yang, the old man also made a decision in his heart.
As for the things Lord Yang mentioned they would bring, the old man scoffed at them. Those things were too difficult to reach the countryside, and it would take a very long time for farmers to benefit from them.
And by that time, new shackles would be imposed.
Rulers are insatiable; this was a truth the Old Warlock had learned over many years. In his youth, he traveled throughout Eastern Europe and had already witnessed such scenes.
This led him to leave those lands and return to his homeland. Although nobles existed here, their power was limited to towns; they had no interest in the countryside, so it still did not affect them.
For years, Lev traveled among the various villages, constantly helping people fight epidemics, sometimes mediating disputes among them, and sometimes leading people towards the future, while the people offered grain in return for his actions.
He had poured countless efforts into this land, but he never expected to one day see the Prince begin to spread his power over this free land, placing shackles on the people.
The Prince spoke of gentle engagement, but in reality, those who used brutal methods to slaughter also existed.
Olaf was a living example; if he hadn't organized forces and tried to rebel against the Prince, how could there be iron-clad men coming to suppress him?
Lev knew that nobles in many places were doing similar things to Olaf, but no one bothered to manage them or stop them.
Certainly, in some places, the entry of noble power was quite gentle, even harmonious.
But Lev understood that, regardless of good or evil, the arrival of that system meant ruthless oppression of the people. Once ensnared, the future would be incredibly bleak.
It was these things that made Lev, a person who originally sought no conflict, step forward and begin leading people to fight against the nobles who infringed upon them. He had to do this, otherwise, a future of exploitation and oppression was inevitable.
"When this matter is over, I think we will meet again in the future, but at that time, I believe we will stand on opposing sides."
What Lev wanted to maintain was the peaceful society of Northeast Rus' as it was now, where people worked collectively and shared their gains, with no nobles or chieftains riding on their heads. Although sometimes there were bullies rampant in the countryside, they could not last long, and peace was still the mainstream in the wilderness. And even the tributes from those large villages, what were they compared to the oppression of nobles?
The countryside did not need those rulers riding on their heads. A hundred years ago, they managed themselves, and the lords would regularly collect some insignificant tributes. So now, they should also manage themselves, instead of being ridden over by the Prince's lackeys, forced to pay taxes and perform corvée labor.
The old man did not elaborate on his thoughts, because he understood that it was meaningless to the person in front of him. His will was firm, just like that of the person opposite him.
"Then, I look forward to that day."
The two looked at each other, both seeing the unyielding and resolute spirit in each other's eyes. Both understood that in a few years, ten years, or even decades, they would clash again; this was inevitable.
However, for now, they still had to stand in the same trench because of a common enemy. Both sides knew that it was not yet time for their conflict to erupt.
So very quickly, both suppressed the hostility in their eyes and put on peaceful expressions, as if this conversation had never happened.
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