Volga Bulgaria, this country has experienced much in recent years.
Ever since Akad Moska Duluk usurped the throne, after an initial period of peace bought with money, chaos began to emerge as time went on.
First, long-standing feuds between tribes and cities openly escalated into small-scale conflicts, which quickly developed into large-scale armed brawls, openly fighting and waging war against each other in the wilderness.
As for ambushing merchant caravans, looting villages, and burning and massacring cities, those were minor matters; the Bulgar court was powerless to stop any of it locally, or rather, even if it wanted to do something, it was forced to hold back due to the complex situation.
Under Akad's rule, the order in Bulgar became increasingly chaotic; everyone was building strongholds for self-preservation, attacking neighbors while defending against neighborly attacks, and only groups of twenty or more dared to move in the wilderness, as only then would they have some chance of survival when encountering bandits—or rather, armies disguised as bandits.
Akad, meanwhile, focused his energy on dealing with the legitimists, which is to say, the stubborn supporters of the legitimate heir to Bulgar.
Akad's army directly purged the legitimists under trumped-up charges, and this process also included large-scale executions, with their family properties becoming Akad's possessions, which the usurping Khan then distributed to his subordinates.
The regicide knew very well that his position was maintained by money and bribery, so Akad was never soft-handed when it came to spending money; he always made sure his subordinates felt the ruler's generosity, even if it meant spending his last penny. To this end, he even pawned his ancestors' jewels, handing those ancient treasures over to merchants.
The atmosphere in Bulgar city under his rule also changed accordingly; originally, the city was filled with joy and various performances, but now these entertainments were forbidden.
As part of his appeasement of the jurists, Akad handed over the municipal administration of Bulgar to them, and the jurists naturally governed this city, which they called corrupt, according to the strictest religious laws.
The jurists even formed a secret service organization, based on young students from religious academies, to form patrol teams that did nothing all day but supervise the streets to see if anyone violated the jurists' restrictions or spoke ill of Akad.
These students were fanatical in their faith and usually cynical, and now that they had an opportunity to 'change the country,' this made them quite zealous for the work; they roamed the city like a pack of hyenas searching for food.
And thanks to the efforts of the hyenas, the city's atmosphere naturally changed.
First, the 'grape juice' vendors in Bulgar city were the first to be arrested.
Just as Rostislav had maliciously thought, the Bulgars indeed drank 'grape juice' and liked to drink it very much, after all, with such a large 'grape juice' producing area, how could anyone not love to drink it.
After catching the vendors, this group of students even planned to burn the wine estates outside the city. Fortunately, Akad himself stopped them; wine was an important export product for Bulgar and could not be burned.
Next, the entertainers in the city were expelled; in the eyes of the jurists, these tricksters were degenerates, and allowing them to remain in the city was an insult, and the absence of these people immediately made the streets of Bulgar desolate.
The students had the authority to mobilize Bulgar's city defense army, so those caught by them often suffered terrible fates, either executed on the orders of these students or sold into slavery.
Now, the streets of Bulgar have become silent, fearing that the next moment they might be arrested for speaking disrespectfully, or being deemed to have spoken disrespectfully, or even just for wearing luxurious clothes; the authority represented by the minarets loomed like a shadow over everyone's heads.
If Bulgar before the coup was bright and joyful, then after the coup it was bleak and dead silent, with students in black robes passing through the streets surrounded by soldiers, facing people's fearful gazes.
And behind this fear, resistance was slowly gathering; people disliked such terror, and resistance was inevitable. Everyone missed the days under the old Khan's rule; they wanted his son back, even if he converted to Christian, they still wanted him back.
As for all this, the current Khan of Bulgar, Akad Moska Duluk, didn't care at all; he could just suppress them with fear. If he couldn't earn their love, then he would make them fear him.
The Khan's palace has now been completely transformed into a fortress; all the formerly magnificent and useless decorations have been cleared away, replaced by aesthetically unpleasing cheval de frise and various defensive structures, while the public gathering squares are filled with various barricades.
Now the Khan is in the palace's colonnade. Akad also likes this colonnade with its strong southern flair, and whenever he rests, he comes here alone for a walk.
Of course, although he was the only one in the colonnade, every accessible part inside and outside the colonnade was filled with soldiers.
Akad cherished his life; he was always vigilant, vigilant, and even more vigilant.
However, deep down, Akad only felt bitterness. He had given so much, even killing his father and his sovereign, making himself both a patricide and a regicide, but what did he gain in the end?
A group of insatiable ingrates, a group of local powers who wielded their own armies, a group of cynical holy war fanatics, and citizens who could not be appeased no matter what.
After five years as Khan, Akad felt physically and mentally exhausted, but his desire still burned, driving him forward; once he tasted the feeling of holding great power, he was unwilling to let go.
"Adam that kid has converted to Christian, alas, the Rus' interference will come in a few years."
Akad, sitting among the columns of the colonnade, muttered the news he had heard, news from Northeast Rus'.
If it were just Adam, it would certainly not make him so melancholic; what made him so melancholic was Rostislav.
That powerful enemy of Rus' made Akad feel pressure; Rostislav that kid was not simple. While Bulgar was declining, Northeast Rus' under his rule became increasingly prosperous.
Rostislav could undoubtedly muster a large army to invade Bulgar now, and coupled with Adam's identity, it would be enough to attract a large number of Bulgars to defect.
However, Adam's conversion did bring him some benefits; those followers of Allah would stand more loyally by his side, fighting against the Christian from Rus'.
This is also why the jurists have become increasingly sensitive in recent years; in their view, a religious war is imminent, a war about whether * * * faith can continue in this country.
And this is Akad's most powerful card; even if he can't defeat the Rus', Akad can make them fall into trouble. * * * faith has flourished in Bulgar for hundreds of years, and loyal followers are everywhere; this cannot be cleared in a day or two.