After gaining the support of the current Kiev ruler, the Prince's recruitment became much smoother. He set up the recruitment point in the square in front of Saint Sophia Cathedral, and the Grand Duke did indeed send a large number of Veche Militia, and even his personal guards, to help maintain order, just as he had promised.
The Kiev Grand Duke's support made even the last hesitant individuals put aside their worries. The queue at the registration point grew longer and longer, as Kiev now felt so unstable; it was better to leave as soon as possible.
The Kiev nobles who had long stood with Rostislav were also preparing. Led by Poleye, they gathered their family members and serfs, and purchased a large amount of essential supplies, preparing for their journey to Northeast Rus' to open up new lands.
The Rostov Prince also sent his subordinates to proactively attract villagers from the communities outside Kiev. Many farmers were very insular; they might have heard the unsettling news from Kiev, but their inherent conservatism and stubbornness still made them unwilling to go to the city. This part required Rostislav's subordinates to actively persuade them.
These actions achieved good results, with some villages agreeing to join the Rostov Prince's immigrant team.
An unexpected bonus was that they also brought in refugees who had not yet returned to their hometowns. From these refugees' perspective, since their hometowns were destroyed anyway, it didn't matter where they went; the Prince of Northeast Rus' would even provide support.
Furthermore, and most importantly, Metropolitan Ilarion found Rostislav and stated that he would soon resign from his position as Metropolitan of Rus' and travel with Rostislav to Northeast Rus', bringing a group of church priests and farmers.
Hilarion knew that once Izyaslav was firmly seated in Kiev, he would definitely give the position of Metropolitan of Kiev to a priest close to him, not to Hilarion, a remnant of Vladimir. So, rather than being dismissed, it was better for him to resign and go to Northeast Rus', which would be much more dignified. The Rostov Prince was not at all surprised by this, as they had already been practically bound together after the Kiev riot.
The Metropolitan and his priests joining could solve the problem of Orthodox Christian propagation in Northeast Rus'. Moreover, they were not the verbose, self-important church personnel, but mostly grassroots priests working on the front lines. Rostislav currently needed exactly such practical individuals.
For the Rurik Princes, Christianity was a means to strengthen control over the people and make them more submissive. The spread of Orthodox Christian only benefited them and caused no harm.
Some of his grandfather's personal guards also came to pledge allegiance to him. After his grandfather's death, most of the personal guards went to his three uncles, and many others became mercenaries in the south.
Although he had a good reputation for martial prowess, no matter what, he was going to the desolate Northeast Rus', which held little appeal for many people.
Thus, Rostislav's immigrant team rapidly expanded, and as the population gifted by his uncles arrived in Kiev, the clamor reached its peak.
Outside Kiev, where the shantytown of refugees once stood, the area was burned to ruins by the Grand Duke's army after the Kiev riot, but now new buildings were being erected there.
Countless tents were set up on the former ruins, with innumerable bonfires scattered throughout. However, compared to the chaotic disarray of the former shantytown, these tents now had a disciplined air; they were generally neatly arranged on the ground, with crisscrossing paths between them.
These tents were set up under Rostislav's planning, for the purpose of accommodating the immigrants willing to follow him to Northeast Rus'.
Many people were already living here, mostly farmers and refugees from areas near Kiev, as well as the 4,500 people sent by his uncles, who were basically all able-bodied men and women.
As for the Kiev citizens he recruited, no matter what others said, they all had houses in Kiev and were currently busy trying to sell them.
Such a large influx of people brought immense pressure on management. Rostislav almost sent out all his personal guards to maintain order to curb the chaos. His Greek-Rus' scribes were even busier, practically driven mad by copying various documents.
Fortunately, the number of applicants has been decreasing recently. It seems that most of the people in the Kiev region willing to leave have been recruited, and everyone's work has been eased. The biggest problem has become how to manage such a huge population.
Originally, Rostislav's personal guards and scribes alone would certainly not have been enough, but with the addition of nobles and their trusted associates, as well as the priests from the church who were already skilled in organizational work, this problem was finally resolved.
"How many people are in my immigrant team now?"
Rostislav rode his horse through the roads of the immigrant camp, his personal guards and attendants inseparable.
On both sides of the road were busy crowds. Some were making handicrafts, intending to sell them to merchants who came to collect goods at the camp, while others were preparing meals for themselves and their families with the food distributed by the Prince. Wisps of cooking smoke constantly rose between the tents.
Upon seeing Rostislav's entourage, people continuously bowed in deference to the Prince. Everyone knew that he was their future ruler and the organizer of this team.
At the Prince's words, Leo, who was accompanying him, immediately flipped through the parchment document in his hand, which was densely covered with Cyrillic letters—Leo quickly learned this script after arriving in Rus'.
The current Leo wore a fur-lined cap and a fur coat, looking like a wealthy Rus' merchant rather than the refined Greek official he once was.
"Currently, there are 7,551 people in the camp, totaling 8,569 people, of whom 5,679 are male and 3,390 are female."
The former Greek official immediately replied, rattling off the numbers. He had been grappling with these figures for days, and traveling in and out of Kiev for them, so he remembered the numbers more clearly than his parents' birthdays.
"Nearly 9,000 people... We should be able to gather another thousand or so on this journey north. With a team of ten thousand heading north, plus several thousand nomadic tribes... Can the food supply still hold up?"
As a group of children ran past Rostislav, playing, the Rostov Prince felt his warhorse tighten. In this camp, they were the most carefree; adults still worried about travel and food, but no matter what happened, it couldn't stop children from playing with their friends.
"We have bought almost all the grain in the entire Kiev market, and we also sent people to Chernigov to purchase. The data for the grain purchased from Chernigov has recently arrived, along with the grain sent by your uncles. I can guarantee that there is enough food to feed these ten thousand people for nine months."
"We still need to send people to buy in the North, and even overseas. It's always right to prepare more. Also, I need to send people to the North to confirm the things I need and urge those workshops to make sure everything I want is ready."
Rostislav waved his hand; it was always good to be overprepared.
"Yes."