Seeing that the two were arguing to the point of almost coming to blows, Rostislav, helpless, could only wave his hand, signaling his personal guards to forcibly pull them apart and press them back into their seats.
Although pressed back into their seats, the two continued to clash with their eyes, and everyone present could feel the tension in the atmosphere.
Rostislav sat on the main seat, rubbing his forehead; for him, neither of these two strategies was feasible. If they were to fight a decisive battle, fighting when the enemy's forces were twice their own was suicidal.
As for a surprise attack, Rostislav knew the difficulty of this. Could his uneven army achieve it? If he led his elite troops, it might be possible, but those forces, while capable of causing temporary chaos, would ultimately be overwhelmed by the enemy's superior numbers.
Moreover, that kind of battle was already the theme song of this land; the Bulgar people must have been experienced and well-prepared. He hoped the hunter wouldn't become the hunted.
Ultimately, there was still no good solution. It seemed only that move remained.
Rostislav thought to himself. He had initially harbored a glimmer of hope, wanting to see if his subordinates could propose other methods, but now it seemed impossible.
"Nestor, when will my uncles' reinforcements arrive?"
"At least a month, Prince. As far as I know, it takes a long time for forces to gather from various places, and the roads in Northeast Rus' are rugged and difficult to travel."
Receiving the answer he already knew, the Prince made up his mind internally.
"A month... Does anyone else have suggestions?"
Muttering about the time, Rostislav asked everyone again, but only silence answered him. In the current situation, no one could truly come up with any solutions.
"Since no one has any ideas, then I will make the decision."
Rostislav's words drew everyone's attention. What kind of strategy would the Prince ultimately decide upon?
"I've decided to abandon Kashin."
His words were met with silence. Everyone was stunned by this answer; some even began to wonder if their ears were playing tricks on them.
"Huh?"
Finally, someone let out a surprised question. Abandon Kashin? They hadn't misheard, had they? That was the core of contention in this war!
Not only were the generals present confused, but even the Prince's personal guards didn't understand. Why suddenly abandon the silver mine? Was this an admission of defeat in the war?
"Yes, I said abandon Kashin."
Seeing the expected reaction, Rostislav could only sigh and emphasize it again.
Everyone exploded. They all questioned why the Prince would do this. Wasn't the whole point of their fighting to defend the Kashin Silver Mine? Why suddenly abandon it now?
"Silence!"
Accompanying the Prince's command was the sound of soldiers striking their shields with swords, the best way to enforce silence. And indeed, everyone was awed by this scene, forced to wait for the Prince's next words.
"I only said to abandon it, but I didn't say to abandon it like that. This is just part of the plan."
Rostislav's words made everyone present pause for a moment. Abandon yet not abandon? But after a moment of thought, everyone caught on. Was their Prince planning a stratagem?
"It doesn't matter if the Kashin Silver Mine is left to the Bulgar people for a week or two; they won't be able to dig anything out."
Seeing that everyone was still a bit confused, Rostislav had no choice but to explain again.
"This is all just part of the plan, but for the plan to succeed, I must keep it a secret. Gentlemen, trust me, I will lead everyone to victory."
Everyone now understood Rostislav's meaning, but his enigmatic words still made them uneasy. They knew the Prince's military prowess, but the enemy was now twice their number. Everyone looked at each other, unsure what to do.
"Since the Prince has said so, then let us carry it out."
Breaking the stalemate was Edward Wessex, who had been observing from the side. The Prince's uncle had a smile on his face like a cat that had found a mouse.
And his words indeed broke the deadlock. Seeing that someone had offered a way out, everyone else followed suit, expressing their obedience.
The Prince couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Fortunately, his uncle had taken the initiative to rescue him. If he had to give a forced command, it would have been quite awkward. He then ordered everyone to return to their posts, and they all dispersed.
As everyone left, the Prince recalled that smile. His uncle's smile bothered him greatly, as if he knew something.
This descendant of Wessex, who ruled the Anglo-Saxon nation, left very few traces in history. He had no idea what kind of person this was.
In fact, Rostislav was very surprised by the arrival of this uncle. This descendant of Wessex grew up in Hungary and became known in historical records only because, a decade or so later, England, having lost its king, invited him back to claim the throne. However, shortly after arriving in England, he died due to unacclimatized conditions.
His son did inherit his position, but then they faced usurpers and conquerors.
However, now was not the time to think about these things. The Prince pulled his thoughts back to the plan. Rostislav understood that his arrangement was very risky; rashly abandoning Kashin would have enormous consequences and could lead to his complete failure.
But he also had to do it, because this was an unprecedented opportunity. By seizing this chance, he could even resolve the crisis caused by the depletion of the gold mine all at once.
As for why it could be resolved, the reason was simple: the seepage in the mine had become increasingly severe recently, and while diligently draining the water, the Prince also received news from the engineers.
They had dug into an underground river.
In mining development, water seepage in a mine shaft is a normal occurrence. Although it requires significant cost, it is still remediable. However, digging into an underground river means complete ruin.
The moment the wall is breached, countless streams of water will violently engulf the entire mine shaft, and all who fail to escape will be swallowed by the water.
Most importantly, this news was only known by a few engineers under Rostislav; ordinary miners still thought it was just normal seepage.
And this was Rostislav's plan. After the Bulgar people took Kashin, they would definitely continue digging. And they would either discover that further digging would lead to an underground river and eventually leave in dismay, or they would completely break it open, allowing countless streams of water to flood the place.
Judging by Rostislav's speculation about human greed, the Bulgar people would absolutely dig further. And if the mine shaft's 'bomb' exploded in their hands, then he could explain to his relatives who were involved in this matter.
All of this was the evil done by those damned pagans!
pagan evil, flooded mine—how wonderful it sounded!
Moreover, after the flooding, the Bulgar people in Kashin would surely be in extreme panic. This would be the best time for a counterattack. Facing the flooded mine and the Rus' counterattack, the Bulgar Army would definitely collapse under the offensive.
Imagining a beautiful future, Rostislav couldn't help but smile.
— — — — — — — —