"Hey, have you heard?"
"What?"
"They say the silver mine is flooded, we won't get anything here!"
"Allah is the Greatest, quiet down. Of course everyone knows this news. Don't you know some people have been arrested for speaking out of turn?"
"Heh, what's there to worry about? Can the Emir's barbarians arrest everyone? Do they dare to arrest people like us?"
"Maybe. Who can say for sure about such things? Maybe our commander will become even crazier. I think it's better if we run, like my neighbor did."
In a tent tavern set up by a camp follower, a group of Bulgar nobles were discussing a heated topic, and that topic was about the Kashin Silver Mine.
Listening to the increasingly unfriendly remarks directed at the expeditionary force's high command, Aleff, whose entire body was shrouded in a black robe, sighed silently. Things had finally come to this point.
As Arel walked out of the tent, his confidant approached him and informed him of another group of deserters. Arel could only sigh and instruct his subordinates to note down the names of the families to which those who fled belonged.
The warrior had no other options; he had already done everything he could, but in the end, everything still headed towards this disastrous outcome.
By now, deserters were appearing like migrating fish, with many having decided the silver mine was fake and thus decisively running away.
Fortunately, this was only the beginning; the Bulgar Army was largely still intact, but as time passed, more people would flee, and he had no way to stop this situation.
Ever since the silver mine was sealed by Arel's subordinates, suspicions about it had grown.
And the true news quickly leaked out; information about the Kashin Silver Mine being flooded was everywhere.
This news caused widespread panic, and the only reason this army had not yet disintegrated was because everyone had not yet truly seen the actual situation of the silver mine.
As for all requests to investigate the silver mine, they were ruthlessly rejected by the commander, who cited dangerous conditions underground, which further unsettled people and led more and more to believe the rumors.
The atmosphere of the entire army changed accordingly; originally, everyone had come here with hopes of getting rich and the joy of victory, but now they were likely to face emptiness, and disappointment and anger constantly welled up. They had paid so much, only to gain nothing in the end.
Akad's irrational behavior further exacerbated the problem; he directly resorted to armed suppression against those who questioned him.
His Emir Guard, composed of barbarians, arrested many people, including important military officers, simply for discussing the fact that the silver mine had been flooded in public.
Originally, it was at most just a rumor, but his actions undoubtedly confirmed the news. With Akad's political wisdom, he would never have committed such a foolish act, but his current state was abnormal, very abnormal.
The flooding of the silver mine was a huge blow to him. Akad stared at the flooded mine pit for a full three hours, and it was unknown what he was thinking about during all that time.
And after he emerged, Akad simultaneously ordered his men to start draining the water and dispatched his barbarian guard to suppress anyone who noticed anything unusual, and then, then it was now.
Akad seemed to believe that the current problem was only temporary, that the water could eventually be drained, and the silver mine could then be restored.
But Arel knew he was deceiving himself; that level of flooding was no longer a matter of mine seepage but definitely an excavation into an underground river.
And facing Arel's explanation, Akad simply refused to believe it, stubbornly convinced that the silver mine would soon return to normal.
Considering the large amount of resources he mobilized and the many promises he made for this campaign, Arel could understand his current madness, as announcing that everything was false would deal a devastating blow to Akad's prestige.
As for all other military affairs, they were entirely Arel's responsibility. Akad tossed these matters to him like garbage, while he himself stayed at the mine pit every day supervising the drainage.
It could be said that Arel was now the undisputed commander of the Bulgar Army.
As a confidant of the Khan, Arel was pleased by this; Akad's prestige had suffered a fatal blow this time. Nobles, priests, and commoners alike had witnessed his Gaffe and were deeply disappointed in him.
But Arel could not rejoice yet, because there was a more crucial matter: how to lead this Bulgar Army back to Bulgar, traversing enemy-infested lands to return to Bulgar.
And his control over the Bulgar Army was tragically weak; his prestige was simply insufficient to command this Bulgar Army, which was composed of people from all over Bulgar, and the problem of desertion could not be curbed at all.
Moreover, compared to desertion, an even bigger problem was that the combat morale of all the armies was basically nonexistent. From generals to common soldiers, no one was willing to fight; everyone refused to fight for nothing.
Now, no one was on duty, and no one was training; everyone was dispirited and extremely lax. The once brave warriors were now like deflated balloons, just waiting for the order to retreat.
Arel was also helpless; all his attempts to enforce discipline failed because everyone's disappointment was heartfelt. Everyone was extremely lax; they would outwardly comply with his orders, but that was as far as it went, and Arel eventually had to give up his attempts, letting everyone slack off.
Arel could only try his best to manage his confidants, ensuring they did not slack off and were always ready to flee.
Intuition told Arel that something was likely to happen next, and he had to be prepared for that moment. Even if he couldn't lead the Bulgar Army away, he had to flee himself.
As for Akad, who cared what happened to him in the future?
——————
It was under such circumstances that Rostislav's army arrived beneath the walls of Kashin.
They arrived at noon and then saw the breach in the city wall.
The breach in the Kashin city wall was very conspicuous, after all, such a large section of the sturdy wall had collapsed.
The Bulgars had only erected some simple wooden fences as a temporary replacement, which was the best they could do for the time being.
"The Bulgars dug down the city wall to attack the city, and now this benefits our attack. How unpredictable life is."
Rostislav, clad in armor and bearing weapons, looked at the collapsed city wall and couldn't help but sigh. Digging down the city wall allowed the Bulgars to easily break through the city, but it also made the Rus' current attack unimpeded.
Behind Rostislav were a large number of cavalry; his elite forces were all gathered here, along with many nomadic cavalry, and further behind were the advancing infantry units.
"I truly didn't expect that the Bulgars' retreat route would be cut off by the chieftain and the people of Rostov Old City."
The Prince murmured again, thinking of the chieftain and the blacksmith he had met, and their victory. This battle had gone much more smoothly than he had imagined, in every aspect.
"Prince, do we still need to wait for the infantry?"
At this moment, the accompanying guard asked.
"The Bulgars have already noticed us. This opportunity cannot be missed. It's time for saint george slaying the dragon."
Rostislav subconsciously replied. He had learned from the few civilians who escaped the city that the Bulgars' morale was low, and now the opportune moment was fleeting; it must be seized.