Compared to the awe and fear of the farmers below, Rostislav merely felt a bit bored.
To the Moscow Prince, this battle was hardly a battle at all; it was more like an armed parade. From the start of the fighting until now, fewer than twenty people had died, and not a single one of his men had fallen when the battle ended and the enemy collapsed.
"Tell Varu to take those farmers to the rebels' village. They can do whatever they want there—burn houses, rape—but don't kill too many people. We still need them as laborers."
Rostislav had become very indifferent to such matters. After personally experiencing many tragedies, Rostislav had adjusted his mindset, fully embracing the perspective of a feudal noble. Wasn't it natural for nobles to kill and exploit?
Moreover, by eliminating troublemakers in this way, he could also make his new people happy, further strengthening their identification with him as their Prince.
After giving his orders, Rostislav handed the task over to his Captain of the Guard, Gvaran. Gvaran was currently wearing a plain iron helmet; he had searched for a long time for the ruby that had been on his original helmet but still hadn't found it, so he had to wear the current one.
As for Rostislav, he returned to Moscow escorted by his Bodyguard Unit, with many other matters awaiting his attention.
Rostislav rode his horse through the forest, following the path cut through the trees. Along the way, he passed the clay mine discovered near Moscow. A brick factory had already been established nearby, where artisans and slaves were working diligently to provide the bricks needed for the rising city.
Passing through the brick factory, Moscow, resembling a massive construction site, appeared before their eyes.
They had been here for almost two months, and sturdy wooden walls had already been erected around Moscow. Beneath the wooden walls lay a wide, deep, spike-filled moat.
The foundations of these wooden walls were not made of bricks, so they couldn't be built too high. However, Rostislav had done this intentionally; in his plans, this wall would eventually be torn down. He wanted to build tall, sturdy, and visibly reliable brick walls, not city walls primarily made of wood.
However, with the current brick and tile production, achieving this goal would be a very long journey.
From afar, one could see that Rostislav's Prince's residence on the plateau was largely completed. It was a brick and tile building with a distinct imperial capital style, which made Rostislav feel a sense of familiarity, a civilized atmosphere only found in Kiev. Along this journey, all the villages and towns had wooden houses, always giving him an overwhelming sense of desolation.
Upon seeing Rostislav's return, the soldiers on the wooden wall blew the horn signaling the Prince's arrival. The large gate slowly opened in response, welcoming the city's master inside.
And the first impression upon entering Moscow was desolation.
Yes, desolation. Rostislav had allocated a very large area for Moscow, including agricultural land for the city's residents, and much of this agricultural land was still empty.
This was not unusual; in Europe during this era, farming within city walls was a common practice.
In Rostislav's plan, when the city's population surged, the agricultural land would become the site for new residences, avoiding the trouble of expanding the city walls.
Due to strict planning and execution, the city was divided into blocks, though, of course, more than half of them were still empty.
As for the other half, some already had seeds planted, with people working the land using distributed production tools. Others had simple wooden houses built, and some people were either cooking meals at their doorsteps or making handicrafts that could be purchased by merchants.
A church was also under construction within the city. Judging by its scale, this church was not small; there was no such church in all of Northeast Rus', and it was also built entirely of brick and tile.
However, this was not Rostislav's money, but rather the money of the former Metropolitan who had already retired. He spent all his savings and funds obtained through his resignation on this church. The old man, having found his original aspiration, vowed to accomplish great deeds in this land.
Like most Slavic cities, the ground was covered with wooden planks for easy passage. People and livestock constantly moved along the roads, and the smell of filth could be occasionally detected. People on the road, seeing the Prince return, quickly made way.
Regarding this filth, it was actually the result of Rostislav's best efforts to rectify the situation. He remembered that in the first month, he had overlooked this issue in his busy schedule, which resulted in Moscow resembling a large cesspool. He then hastily formed a Veche to deal with urban sanitation issues, which prevented Moscow from being so utterly foul-smelling.
Initially, Rostislav had intended to personally intervene and have his people manage grassroots affairs, but after weighing the costs and understanding the implications of such an approach, he decided to form a Veche and let them handle these grassroots tasks.
It wasn't that he didn't want to extend his power to the grassroots of Moscow; it was that conditions didn't allow it! His wallet didn't allow it! Manpower didn't allow it!
Through this small matter, Rostislav gained a profound understanding of how troublesome grassroots issues were. Even in his previous life, grassroots problems were a headache, let alone in this era of undeveloped productivity.
The common people on the road continuously bowed in respect to the Prince on horseback. Many were grateful to Rostislav for bringing them to this land. Although the journey had been difficult, Rostislav's army had accompanied them the entire way. Life here was indeed much easier than in bustling Kiev; grain prices were cheaper, and the land was quite fertile.
Moscow's new citizens had completely submitted to Rostislav's authority, viewing him as their Prince.
Rostislav quickly passed through the still somewhat empty urban area and arrived at the gently rising central plateau. Simple wooden walls had been built here, and the guards, seeing it was Rostislav, immediately opened the gate, welcoming their Prince inside.
Behind the walls lay the largely completed Prince's residence. This was not the only construction site here; there were also Bodyguard Unit dormitories and clerk dormitories, all built with brick and tile. To spread brick culture in Rus', his close confidants must first use and get used to it, so that others would follow.
Zoe and the civil officials were waiting at the entrance for the Prince's return. The Prince dismounted, giving a kiss to his wife, who had been working hard with him recently. Many times, Rostislav had to calculate various data with his wife.
Zoe seemed quite unaccustomed to this journey; after all, for a noblewoman from the imperial capital, Kiev was already barely acceptable, let alone such a wild and desolate place.
But Zoe still overcame the discomfort, following Rostislav to Northeast Rus' without complaint. Rostislav naturally noticed this, which deeply moved the Prince and further deepened his affection for his wife.
After the kiss, Zoe told him a piece of news that immediately put him on alert.
Poleye had sent a letter from Rostov.
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