"King Bolesław, you have fought valiantly."
As Bolesław rested, Rostislav's uncle, Sviatoslav, descended from the city wall, covered in blood, as were his personal guards. It seemed the battle on the wall had been equally arduous.
On the wall above the gate, archers continued to loose arrows at the pagans hiding behind cover outside the city, while personal guards beside them threw the bodies of pagan soldiers from the wall.
"Ah, Lord Sviatoslav, it seems the battle on the wall is also resolved. Tsk, it looks like you and I are the only reliable warriors in this palace."
Bolesław's attitude towards Sviatoslav was respectful and even approving, which was rare before, as he had usually been dismissive.
His change in attitude was not due to Sviatoslav's status as an elder, but rather Sviatoslav's swift, warrior-like performance, which earned the approval of the war-loving King of Poland.
At that time, the riot had just broken out, and fires were igniting across the city, while those within the palace were still unaware of what was happening.
At this moment, a group of pagans took advantage of the opportunity to storm into the palace. They seemed to be a commando unit specifically for this moment, as they wore iron armor and carried iron weapons, unlike most pagans who were dressed in plain clothes.
Moreover, they had inside help from the palace guards. With the cooperation of these insiders, the ceremonial guards at the palace gate almost failed to hold back these suddenly attacking pagans, allowing them to break into the front courtyard.
Upon hearing the sounds of battle in the front courtyard, Sviatoslav reacted most swiftly. He immediately led his personal guards to the front courtyard to meet the enemy, without any hesitation.
Bolesław was half a beat slower than him, quickly leading his Polish Knights to follow. Then, a great battle ensued in the front courtyard, and the pagans, being few in number, were quickly annihilated.
Only then did others react and begin to organize defenses. But if not for Sviatoslav's decisive action, those pagan commandos might have reached them before they even realized what was happening.
"Don't say that, King Bolesław. Others have more important work: preventing the two in the palace from fighting."
Sviatoslav patted the junior's shoulder, expressing his closeness. He had long noticed the King of Poland's goodwill, so he didn't mind reciprocating some affection.
Furthermore, in his plan, the King of Poland was already a target to be won over.
As for the palace affairs, it was naturally King Béla and Anastasia. After confirming that the pagan riot had swept across the city, both sides believed the other was responsible and even nearly came to blows.
Even now, the armed forces of both sides are still in a standoff in the palace. If not for the Rus' and German mediating, they would have already engaged in an internal conflict.
It is likely that the pagans had anticipated this point before launching their attack, but they failed to account for the swift reactions of Sviatoslav and Bolesław.
"Speaking of which, this is truly embarrassing, to be surrounded by pagans like this. King Béla has truly lost face this time, with so many guests gathered here and such an incident occurring."
Bolesław did not comment much on the palace affairs. He had been vexed by those matters recently and did not wish to discuss them further, instead bringing up the current situation.
"Losing face is a minor matter. I'm afraid this is just the beginning. You heard the horn outside the city just now; it's likely a large army is approaching… Arson, riot, siege, and a large pagan army. Rostislav truly predicted it."
The Prince of Chernigov smiled self-deprecatingly. They had not taken Rostislav's warning seriously and were now in this awkward situation. Was this retribution?
The King of Poland also fell silent. At that time, he too was among those who did not take the Moscow Prince's warning seriously.
However, this made Bolesław's impression of Rostislav even better. He had thought he was only skilled in battle formations, but he did not expect him to be so sensitive to conspiracies.
"We are now trapped here, with only Rostislav outside. Perhaps he is the only one we can rely on."
As the two conversed, a series of horn blasts suddenly sounded from outside the city wall. Hearing the sound, both immediately stood up, for the sound meant only one thing: the pagans were attacking again.
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"Advance! Advance! The gods are watching us; we must achieve victory!"
With Zhe'erji's roar, Team of pagans surged over the barricades made of planks and furniture, rushing fearlessly towards the palace.
Many had already fallen before them, their bodies strewn before these fortifications, and these sacrifices were not in vain. Their most successful attempt even breached the city gate, allowing them to rush in and fight, but they were forcefully repelled by the Polish.
However, this did not affect the morale of these fanatical believers. In the spirit of sacrificing themselves for the gods, they hoisted blood-stained ladders and continued to push the battering ram made of beams.
Some fell under a hail of arrows, but others quickly took their place.
Whenever Zhe'erji saw this, he couldn't help but thank King Béla in the palace. If not for him holding a national assembly, they would never have been able to gather so many fanatical believers.
But looking at this fanatical scene, Zhe'erji's concern remained strong, because the palace's defenses exceeded his expectations, and the defenders' will was surprisingly firm. Otherwise, their first wave of attack should have succeeded.
In that assault, they had mobilized most of their elite forces and had cooperation from insiders within the palace, but the result was still failure.
But fortunately, time was on their side. Moreover, he had already heard the horn, Lord Yanos's army had arrived, and under that overwhelming numerical superiority, victory would surely be theirs!
— — — — — — — —
While the palace siege within the city was in full swing, outside the city, under Rostislav's command, the various armies were also gathering.
The Rurik Trident, the red background with a white cross, and the Archangel Michael's banners fluttered together, as detachments of armored soldiers advanced beneath them.
Rostislav successfully persuaded the other two camps, and they were willing to join Rostislav's faction to fight against the distant pagan army.
It was not difficult to persuade them, because upon seeing the distant pagan army approaching, anyone would know they should unite to face the enemy. Nothing could unite Christians more than bloodthirsty pagans.
The Moscow Prince also sent envoys to the Polish and King Béla's forces, but unfortunately, they were some distance away, and Rostislav had not yet received a reply.
But Rostislav believed they would definitely join his army, for the reasons mentioned above; those pagans were the best persuasive tool.
Now, the cavalry led by Rostislav, in addition to his own personal retinue, included heavy cavalry under his uncle, Magyar horse archers, and knights of the Empire.
These cavalry, belonging to various factions, were now arrayed behind Rostislav, commanded by the young ruler.
This was a very strong force; the Moscow Prince had a full six hundred such elites behind him—and these were cavalry—but even with such a powerful force, Rostislav's expression remained serious, because his infantry had not yet gathered.
Although all those gathered here were elites, they lacked coordination among themselves. A slight oversight would inevitably lead to disorder, and Rostislav was now caught in such trouble, with units colliding and unable to deploy.
Although officers led by Yanos and Meshko were working hard to mediate, they still needed time, and without time, there was nothing.
The Moscow Prince was very anxious, because the enemy was getting closer, and his troops had not even finished forming up. Moreover, the enemy had clearly noticed their presence.
This situation could not continue.
Rostislav thought, then made a difficult decision. Although this decision carried great risk and would be a severe test of his battle formation skills and command artistry, it was something he had to do.
"Retainers, follow me! Others, continue to wait."
At the Prince's call, his retainers followed. Today, Rostislav would showcase his elites before the pagan army, to buy some time.
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