Under his wife's increasingly displeased gaze, Rostislav finally came up with a name. The reason for his choice was simple: it was the name of his eldest son in history.
"Rurik, call him Rurik Rostislavich Rurik."
Hearing the name, Zoe paused slightly. Of course, she knew it was the name of the Rurik Dynasty's ancestor. Naming a child after an ancestor was normal, but seeing his flustered look just now, was this name really not an impromptu decision?
But in the end, she sighed. He was her son's husband, and naming was his prerogative; she didn't want to argue.
"Alright, little one, you are now Rurik."
The Prince's wife looked at the child in her arms, her face full of maternal love, and a hint of unreality in her heart. Was this the child I bore after so much pain? Then, that maternal love grew even stronger.
Rostislav quietly withdrew, sending away all unnecessary personnel. Zoe had a difficult birth and needed good rest.
He had other matters to attend to.
— — — — — — — —
The news of the Moscow Prince having a son quickly spread throughout Northeast Rus' following Rostislav's generous rewards to the citizens that day.
Nobles from various cities, chieftains from all regions, wealthy merchants, influential local figures, and other monarchs, upon hearing the news, sent their gifts to celebrate the birth of the Moscow Prince's heir.
Rostislav's reputation was thus clearly demonstrated. As a Rus' Prince with a series of great achievements, his fame spread farther and was more renowned than he had imagined.
After all, this was an era of blood and fire, and people admired heroes who could bring victory. Such heroes were naturally sought after and praised.
Moscow saw an influx of thousands of people within a single month. Members of the Rurik Dynasty naturally dispatched envoys, as this was the first child of the fourth generation of the Yaroslav line, and the political significance it represented was truly immense.
Many also came from outside Rus', with even Norway, Poland, Hungary, and even Bulgar sending envoys and gifts.
What surprised Rostislav the most was that the Patriarch of Constantinople actually sent a priest to congratulate him.
Although it was likely a routine inquiry, this meant that Constantinople was paying attention to him, a minor Prince. This meant he was on their radar, and that changed the nature of things.
Now, Moscow's streets were filled with people in exotic attire. They brought novel goods and stories from afar, making Moscow's streets even more prosperous.
More importantly, more people were still on their way.
Upon realizing the massive influx of people his son's birth would bring, the Moscow Prince decided to seize this opportunity and announced a grand tournament to celebrate his son's birth, welcoming warriors from All Rus' and even all of Europe to compete for glory and wealth.
Anyone could participate if they wished.
This undoubtedly ignited everyone's enthusiasm. In an era of blood and fire, fighting and combat were undoubtedly the highest points of interest.
After the news spread, people from various parts of Rus' who had no prior interest in Moscow became interested. They packed their bags and headed to Moscow, and even some foreign warriors arrived as well.
Just as any celebration brings a huge gathering of people, residents near Moscow immediately flocked to the city as if drawn by a magnet.
Countless tents sprang up in the open spaces within Moscow, and the city gates were always bustling with an endless stream of people. The city instantly became the focal point of the entire North.
— — — — — — — —
"Varu, Sogier, is this Moscow? It's truly prosperous."
Outside Moscow, at the gathering place of people, a strange group in the eyes of others overlooked the prosperous city.
It was called strange because its composition was extremely complex. In this group, one could simultaneously see Norsemen in iron armor, Nomads wrapped in furs, and people dressed in Rus' attire but with distinctly Steppe features.
The speaker was wrapped in furs, wearing a fur-lined leather cap, dressed like a Nomad, but he had golden hair and a face that was typical of a Rus' person.
"Yes, this is Moscow. It has become much more prosperous since I left."
Sogier, clad in armor, came closer, his tone full of emotion. He hadn't expected that in just seven or eight months, that Moscow Prince could create such a spectacle.
"Sokar, you see Moscow's prosperity, don't you? Trust me, I will introduce you to the Prince when the time comes."
Varu, dressed as a Rus' noble, appeared, though his face was too much like a Steppe person, especially when he spoke with Sokar, where the sense of oddity was most pronounced.
"Then I thank you very much," Sokar said.
John Sokar was a Rus'-Polovtsian hybrid from the Steppe. His mother was merely a chieftain's slave, and he was the product of an accident.
However, despite being an accident, his father treated him quite well, and since he was the only son, he received the education of a chieftain's heir.
When his father answered Brus Khan's call to arms and marched to Rus', only to unfortunately die in that land, John Sokar was pushed to the forefront, leading the tribe that had suffered heavy losses from the campaign.
At that time, the Steppe was in chaos due to the Khan's death. Other tribes, disliking his mixed-blood status, attacked him relentlessly. Sokar struggled to withstand their waves of attacks, and finally, he could only lead his people to migrate. Along the way, they absorbed many small tribes, and the tribe grew strong again.
After becoming strong and well-armed, most tribes would return to the Steppe to continue the endless struggle for dominance, but Sokar did not want to stay in the Steppe; he only wanted to leave.
When asked why, he only replied: "I don't know about other places, but the Steppe is a monster that devours all people and things. I don't want my life to be spent there."
And he also wanted to see his mother's homeland, to see if he could find a peaceful life there.
However, upon reaching Rus', he learned that Kiev's rulers no longer welcomed Nomads, which greatly disappointed and bewildered him.
Just when he didn't know what to do, he learned that his old friend Varu was now in Northeast Rus', having pledged allegiance to the Rus' Prince who killed the Khan. So Sokar decided to seek out this person.
Sokar successfully found Varu, but because his tribe was too large, Varu did not dare to accept them rashly. After all, Varu's own subordinates, plus the herders who were at odds with him, totaled only over twenty thousand people, while Sokar brought seven thousand directly. It would be too easy for them to become the masters.
So Varu took Sokar to Moscow to ask the Prince to allocate a piece of land to this powerful chieftain.
And on the way, they met Sogier's Norsemen.
Sogier's reason for coming to Moscow was simple: he was attracted by the tournament, and more importantly, he had already decided to pledge allegiance to Moscow's ruler.
Sogier had been in a hurry to return to Riga, and after hastily suppressing the local tribesmen, he left Rus'. The reason for such haste was simple: Riga was facing a threat from Vseslav the Sorcerer Prince.
Vseslav the Sorcerer Prince had been expanding towards the Baltic Sea for years, which had been the established development direction of the Polotsk Principality for many years. Through this expansion, the principality grew increasingly powerful.
Unfortunately, Sogier's Jomsvikings were not to be trifled with. After a fierce battle, they successfully forced Vseslav the Sorcerer Prince's punitive army to retreat and, after paying a huge price, secured a truce agreement.
After that fierce battle, Sogier understood one thing: he had to find protection from other directions to face the power of Vseslav the Sorcerer Prince. After all, it was already so difficult to force a part of Vseslav the Sorcerer Prince's forces to retreat, let alone face his entire strength.
He knew very well that Riga alone could never defeat Vseslav the Sorcerer Prince. A single punitive expedition had caused him so much trouble, let alone the full Polotsk army.
And Rostislav was his best choice, so he chose to return to Northeast Rus'.
— — — — — — — —