Just as Kashin was being plundered by the Bulgar Army, in the dense forest near Kashin, which was the assembly point for Rostislav's army, the soldiers were enjoying mutton stew.
Although it was near Kashin, it was still a few days' journey from the newly emerging mining city, and with the dense surrounding bushes, the army had remained hidden until now.
Everyone ate happily; although Northeast Rus', abundant in fishing and hunting resources, never lacked meat, opportunities to enjoy such a large quantity of mutton were rare and highly cherished.
Varu, the Lord of New Tork, had recently brought a large number of cattle and sheep to supplement the army's meals, along with even more Nomad cavalry.
Thus, today's grand mutton feast came to be; even though they were in Northeast Rus', these Nomads still remembered the art of raising cattle and sheep, and their herds, after incorporating some local breeds, continued to thrive.
Varu, once a Nomad chieftain, was now dressed like a Rus' noble; he wore a fur coat, a cross around his neck, a fur-lined cap on his head, and gold and silver rings on his hands, yet one could tell by his equestrian posture that he had not lost his riding skills.
His New Tork had only recently been completed, and this city was located on a vital trade route between Northeast Rus' and Novgorod, allowing Varu to accumulate a considerable amount of gold and silver after paying Moscow's taxes, which enabled him to dress as he did and purchase a good deal of armor.
And now, this Rus' lord was sitting and drinking soup with the Moscow Prince; dining by the Prince's side was an honor, signifying the Prince's trust, and Varu's performance indeed deserved such treatment.
"Ah, a few bowls of this and I feel warm all over."
Rostislav placed his bowl on the table, the thick soup within completely emptied; in these days approaching winter, drinking such a bowl of soup made one feel warm throughout their body, and their vigor and motivation became even stronger.
"If my Prince likes it, I can have my people send more."
Varu, who was devouring mutton, immediately said this, his fawning expression undisguised; he did not consider it an insult, for after arriving in Northeast Rus', he had completely tied himself to the Moscow Prince, and without his status as the Prince's vassal, he and his people would have been annihilated long ago.
"Good things lose their appeal if you drink them every day."
Rostislav waved his hand in response, his attitude quite gentle; Varu was undoubtedly a 'great noble' under him, and with such a humble posture, he naturally had to reciprocate with courtesy.
Currently, there were not many individuals under Rostislav who could be called great nobles, only Sanya of the Kurkanta family and Olaf, whom the Prince had sent troops to suppress, and Varu was one of them, a member of this tier.
This was because the Prince had assigned the Nomad tribes who had successively sought refuge throughout the year to his command.
As his uncles in the south began attacking the Nomads on the Kiev border, many Nomads fled back to the steppe, but many still preferred the more civilized life of Rus', so many, leveraging their past connections with Rostislav, came to Northeast Rus'.
Except for a small number who were dispersed and settled in Moscow, the majority went under Varu's command; in any case, these tribes were either largely Russified in the younger generation or highly ethnically mixed, and the relatively high civilization of Rus' culture was sufficient to assimilate them.
Moreover, assigning these tribes to Varu did not mean he could subdue them; many of these tribes had once been powerful entities within the Black Hat Army, even stronger than Varu's own tribe, so how could they obey Varu?
However, while they did not obey Varu, they did submit to Rostislav's personal authority, and thus, though unruly, they respectfully referred to Varu as the Nomad Prince, outwardly submitting to his authority.
This was also why Varu had stayed in his fief for so long after bringing his own troops; he had to find the scattered Nomad tribes and then conscript troops from them.
And after bringing these armies, Varu also leaped to become the noble with the most troops under Rostislav, nearly eight hundred scimitars.
And they were all men of suitable age, without too many old or too young mixed in, and many of them even had iron armor, clearly each tribe had brought out their elites.
Rostislav was quite surprised by this; he had initially thought Varu would only bring out seven hundred men at most, and that would be a product of mobilizing all, regardless of age or infirmity, which made him look at this man with new respect.
Varu did not show any pride for having gathered so many people; on the contrary, he became even more respectful towards Rostislav, like a servant.
The former chieftain knew deeply that in the face of internal unrest and external great challenges, if he did not rely on the Prince's power and ensure the Prince's trust and satisfaction, his New Tork would perish sooner rather than later, which was also why he rushed to bring a large number of cattle and sheep to serve as free provisions for the army.
Varu was clear that he possessed no unique value; if he displeased the Prince, he could be replaced, and so many tribal chieftains near New Tork wanted to take his place.
Rostislav and Varu conversed for a while, asking him what he needed and what problems he faced, assuring him that he would solve any issues.
The Prince's decision to settle these Nomads in New Tork was deeply significant; in the future, if Novgorod were to change, New Tork, being closest to Novgorod, could deploy a large army and reach there quickly.
As for why he needed to make these preparations... whether as a transmigrator who knew historical developments or as the ruler of Northeast Rus', maintaining such a mobile force near Novgorod could allow him to gain many things at crucial moments.
Just as the Prince and Varu were conversing happily, a dust-covered cavalryman rode through the feasting soldiers, came before the Prince, and abruptly knelt before him.
Rostislav realized that something had happened.
"Lord Rostislav, Kashin has been conquered by the Bulgars; Lord Yefimi, who defended the city, has been captured, and the Bulgars cut off his limbs and hung him in a cage; everyone else has been enslaved."
The messenger brought the news the Prince had long awaited: the fall of Kashin.
Upon hearing of Yefimi's fate, the Prince felt a little uneasy, for in a sense, he was responsible for what had happened to him.
But the Prince immediately suppressed that unease; now was not the time to dwell on such matters, and as the Prince listened to the report, the generals sensed that news of war was imminent, and they all stood up, gathering before Rostislav, awaiting the Prince's command.
"Gentlemen, our plan has begun; next, let us move to Kashin and await the opportune moment for battle, and that moment will arrive very soon."
"Yes!"
The Prince was answered by a chorus of impassioned voices, filled with eagerness for battle; many longed to step onto the battlefield and defeat those damnable infidels.
And the reason Rostislav decided to move immediately was simple: according to the assessment report from the engineers when he left Kashin, it was only a few more swings of the pickaxe until they reached the underground river...