The Prince, upon returning to Rostov, immediately headed to the military camp, gathering all the warriors he could muster. For a time, the entire fortress was incredibly busy, with warriors hastily donning armor and mounting warhorses everywhere. Then, the relief force heading to Kashin streamed out of the city like a long dragon.
Many citizens were surprised by the Prince's sudden departure, and scouts from all sides reported this news back to their masters. Since the Moscow Prince was acting in such a hurry, something very important must have happened.
When Rostislav led his army to reinforce Kashin, the Vesi army had already surrounded the Rus mining camp there.
A full two thousand Vesi tribesmen had gathered here; the entire strength of the Vesi had been mobilized. Even when they fought against the Rus in the past, their numbers were never so great.
The deaths of the noble descendants had united many Vesi tribes around Ignoin, allowing them to gather such a large force. Many tribes even brought all their men, regardless of age.
This greatly pleased the chieftain. For the first time in so many years, he was able to command all the tribes, which made him involuntarily grateful to his youngest son for gathering so many sons of chieftains to their deaths.
As for his son's death, Ignoin appeared to react strongly on the surface, grieving with the other chieftains, but in reality, he viewed it very calmly.
Death was already a part of Vesi life, and it was just a young son. Although he was good at socializing with his peers, dead was dead, and once dead, he was useless.
He just hated that the boy had stolen his chainmail. Damn it, he had done business for decades since taking control of Beloye Lake City to acquire so much iron armor, intending it for expanding his foundation, but half of it was wasted by that boy.
Fortunately, their deaths gave the Lord of Beloye Lake City the opportunity to unite the tribes. In Ignoin's view, this was the first step towards truly becoming the head of all tribes. Once these Rus were eliminated, he could establish universal authority among the Vesi, and the day of truly leading all tribes would come.
However, the Rus surprisingly did not flee and even erected a wooden wall, which greatly surprised Ignoin. They chose to hold their ground in the camp. Did they think that weak-looking wooden wall could block the great Vesi army?
Ignoin was a very clever man. Since the Rus were putting so much effort into protecting it, there must be something good behind that wooden wall. Otherwise, the Rus would never hold out for it. As for what it was, he would know once he broke through the wall.
The Vesi horn players blew their horns with all their might, as if their lungs would explode, and with the sound of the horns, the Vesi launched their charge.
Tribesmen wrapped in furs rushed forward in a disorderly fashion. Their weapons were a chaotic mix, from felling axes to bear-hunting spears, all present.
Archers, temporarily acting as hunters, fired weak arrows that could barely pierce thick cloth, let alone iron armor.
"Tsk, it seems I overestimated these people a bit."
Cutting off the arrow stuck in his shield, Yang said this, looking at the arrow that hadn't even had its shaft straightened.
The standard-bearer was also a battle-hardened man. After seeing the Polovtsian Khan's overwhelming horse archers, Yang didn't think much of this typical forest army.
"Such an army indeed cannot compare to the great army of Kiev, sir. This is how it is in small places."
Old Yefimi agreed. In his somewhat distant soldiering days, he had seen great armies from the south, so he was perfectly clear about how weak the army before them was.
To increase the defenders of the camp, Yang also brought in Yefimi and his men. As for why these slippery farmers were willing to risk their lives with him, it was, of course, because of the news of the silver mine.
The news of the silver mine had no value in being concealed from these farmers, as they would inevitably participate in its development in the future.
After taking Yefimi to see the mine, the old man immediately gathered all the available hands, mustering a full three hundred militiamen to help the standard-bearer.
The old man understood the significance of the silver mine better than anyone else in the region. Therefore, he used all his connections and resources. He knew that the more he invested now, the more he would earn in the future.
The Vesi tribesmen quickly reached the wooden wall. They leaned makeshift ladders against the wall, and soldiers immediately began to climb, but what greeted them were swords and arrows.
Not a single person successfully climbed the wall; they were all stabbed down while still on the ladders. Seeing this, the latecomers were intimidated and dared not advance.
As for the Vesi who rushed towards the wooden gate with battering rams, they found the gate slowly opening before them. A group of Rus armored warriors charged out, moving with incredible speed to confront the enemy, slashing widely with their thick armor as an advantage.
The Vesi had no idea that the Rus would actually open the gate. The area around the battering rams was filled with tribesmen serving as cannon fodder; the tribal elites were still with their chieftains.
So these Vesi suffered a massacre. After dozens were killed, they dropped their battering rams and completely collapsed.
The collapse on the battering ram side also caused the Vesi, who were frustrated in their attempt to scale the wall, to break. The enemy had charged out; why would they stay here? To die?
A small number of Vesi warriors wanted to maintain the battle line, but by then, no one paid them any mind. At this point, who would stay and seek death?
Like stray dogs, the Vesi dragged their totem banners and fled back to their lines in disarray.
The chieftains were quite startled by this. The battle hadn't even lasted half an hour, and they had already suffered such a defeat. This was the first time these people, who had been fighting in the north for so many years, had encountered such a thing.
"Stop, stop, don't pursue."
Just as the Rus were about to pursue and decisively defeat the Vesi army, Yang suddenly called a halt to the troops. Many gave him puzzled looks. If they seized this moment, they might be able to decisively defeat these Vesi in one go.
"Our mission is to guard the silver mine, and the enemy's main force is still present. We must preserve our strength. Guarding the silver mine is the top priority."
Although they had achieved victory now, Yang saw that those tribal warriors had not yet moved. There were at least several hundred of them, and if these men turned the tide, and the enemy entered the camp, it would be disastrous.
For Yang now, if stability could be achieved, it must be achieved, because no matter what, he only needed to hold out for a few days. When Rostislav arrived, all these guys would die.
As a young man, Yang's heart naturally yearned for victory and glory, but now he suppressed that feeling because he knew what was important and what wasn't. Victory and glory could be obtained at any time, but if the silver mine was lost, everything would be over.
The personal guards naturally obeyed Yang's orders. Seeing that even the personal guards were like this, the others naturally had nothing to say and silently followed behind the standard-bearer. The gate then closed, leaving only a field of corpses.