The Jochid army reached the Voronezh river early in the afternoon.
From the rise Bayan had selected as the observation position, the river was easy to study. It ran dark and swift through the main channel, with shelves of ice packed against both banks where the current had eaten underneath them.
Three established ford points were visible from the rise. At each one, the banks sloped down toward the water, creating the easiest routes across the river.
The Rus commanders had recognized that immediately.
Their formations held all three fords.
The banners of Ryazan, Murom, and Pronsk stood on the far bank. The princes had positioned their forces where the river gave them the strongest defensive advantage.
The main ford carried the greatest concentration of troops. They had identified the southern route as the most likely for advance and had committed the largest force where the terrain opened into the broadest ford.
