This blow was too great for Akad; the commander was immersed in his world and could not extricate himself for a long time, and no matter how others advised him, it was useless.
There was nothing to be done, so Arel ordered the soldiers to pay attention to the commander's safety, then walked out of the mine, looked at the dazzling sun, and could not help but sigh that there was still much work to be done.
First, the news had to be blocked. No matter how long the news of the mine being flooded could be kept secret, it had to be kept secret. The longer it was kept secret, the further away it would be from exploding.
Arel knew very well that if everything were known to everyone, many people would not be able to accept it. These people would definitely leave the Bulgar Army without a word and return to Bulgar independently.
And once the first such person appeared, the second and third would appear very quickly. Deserters would spread like a plague in the army, and even if some did not flee, morale and discipline would certainly drop to rock bottom, combat effectiveness would also be greatly reduced, and the disintegration of the army was imminent.
And if the army disintegrated, then it would be easy for the Moscow Prince's army, whose whereabouts were still unknown, to defeat them...
He killed those Slavic prisoners to prevent the news from leaking out early, even executing some Bulgar soldiers who were not his trusted subordinates for this purpose, but this could only delay it for a while. Given enough time, it would still come out.
Arel did not know how to deal with such a situation. He could only delay and conceal as much as possible, allowing the news to break out as late as possible.
Defeat, a surprise attack, and now the flooded mine, the Slavic main force whose whereabouts were unknown... If that were the case, then perhaps all of this was the plan of that young man from Moscow.
Arel recalled that young and valiant face, and the unease he had foreseen. At this moment, he could not help but be filled with emotion. This was truly a hero emerging from youth.
The future indeed belonged to the young. With this Rostislav, the political situation in the north would certainly undergo earth-shattering changes in the future... Hmm? What is that?
Just as Arel was contemplating the future, he saw an eagle. He recognized that eagle; it was the falcon he had entrusted to the chieftain's fort that housed Slavic prisoners and their own wounded.
Why had it come? What had happened?
And just as Arel was looking at his falcon, the raptor also saw him and flew directly towards its master. Arel subconsciously raised his arm, which was covered with a scale-armored bracer, and caught the falcon.
While summoning his falconer, Arel pondered in his mind why his falcon had come. Could something have happened at that chieftain's fort?
Let us turn back time two hours. At that time, under the cover of the vegetation near the chieftain's fort occupied by the Bulgar, a group of armed personnel appeared there, observing the chieftain's fort.
"God, what have these people done to my chieftain's fort!"
Valin, the former owner of the chieftain's fort and now the leader of this team, watched the Bulgar's activities within it, subconsciously speaking out, his tone full of dissatisfaction, after all, when a group of invaders messes up your home, who would be happy?
The Bulgar had dismantled the chieftain's fort's wooden walls and then built a larger circle of wooden walls. As for the farmland, flowers, and garden decorations inside the chieftain's fort, everything had been trampled flat by the enemy, and tents were haphazardly occupying the space.
A large number of prisoners were driven into an open space, tied to wooden stakes, and could only relieve themselves on the spot, making the area reek and extremely dirty.
Many Bulgar wounded were also crowded into tents. Although Bulgar medical skills were more advanced than Slavic, the lack of doctors was still a problem, and dead people were still being carried out from time to time.
And he could only hide in the forest with his wife and newborn child. Damn it, God, please take away these pagans, please help me, this useless person.
He then could not help but resent himself. If he had not been too weak, why would he have immediately fled as soon as the Bulgar Army arrived...
"Lord Valin, you don't have to be too angry, because we are here to solve this problem."
Just as Valin was complaining, a strong hand rested on his shoulder. That arm was very powerful, and one could tell at a glance that its owner often engaged in heavy work.
"Vanigo, thank you very much."
The chieftain turned to look at the Meria blacksmith, and gratitude immediately surged within him. Meeting this blacksmith was pure luck, and even better was that he was willing to help him reclaim his chieftain's fort.
At that time, Valin was wandering in the forest with over a hundred farmers. These farmers had basically had their villages plundered or even massacred by the Bulgar, which was why they were willing to follow Valin like this.
And the reason they were wandering was simple: to find possible lone Bulgar. They really couldn't fight against the enemy's main force, so they could only pick off stragglers.
Such a life was very hard, because although sometimes they could get some spoils, the Bulgar's clean-up troops would soon come out and chase him ragged. Those days were really not easy.
But he could only do this. Those Bulgar had occupied his chieftain's fort, robbed his farmers, and infringed upon his direct interests, which made him unable to bury his head in the sand like an ostrich. He could only stand up and organize resistance, and await the day the Prince's army arrived.
However, the Prince's army did not come, but the Meria did. These people came from the prosperous city of Rostov, numbering as many as two hundred, and their leader was Vanigo.
The reason Vanigo's group left Rostov was very simple: kindness must be repaid. The Prince had given them such great kindness, and if they did not repay the Prince, it would seem too cold and heartless.
It was the New City's business if they were unwilling to send people; the Old City would not care so much!
So, after holding a Veche, Rostov Old City organized a troop. This troop consisted of skilled individuals from the Old City and even the suburbs, ranging from hunters to veterans.
To arm everyone as much as possible, Vanigo took out all the goods from his blacksmith shop, ensuring that everyone had at least a reliable weapon or armor.
Then this troop encountered Valin's unit, who were searching for enemies in the forest. The two sides conferred and decided to attack Valin's chieftain's fort to help him retake the area.
And there was a reason why Vanigo so readily decided to act against this chieftain's fort.
First, this chieftain's fort held over a thousand Slavic prisoners, who could be directly converted into combat power.
Secondly, although the number of Bulgar here was not small, most of them were wounded, and even half of them were seriously wounded.
If they didn't squeeze such a soft persimmon, then what would they squeeze?