After announcing his departure from Moscow and delegating responsibilities to everyone, Rostislav looked at the empty audience chamber and took another breath.
Rostislav was subconsciously toying with the Virgin Mary icon hanging around his neck. An hour had passed since everything ended, but Rostislav still sat there, thinking and reminiscing.
And what the Moscow Prince was thinking about was simple: the cause and effect of the current situation.
Firstly, regarding the situation in Hungary, Rostislav had not expected it to develop so rapidly and clearly.
The Moscow Prince had originally thought that with the intervention of Poland and German, the chaos in Magyar would last for several years, but he had not expected King Andrew and Duke Bela to fight face to face on the battlefield, with King Andrew ultimately being slain by the Duke, who achieved victory.
Edward's letter to Rostislav described in detail how cruel that battle was.
Both the King and the Duke fought with all their might to take each other's heads, and both armies fought desperately on the battlefield due to their lord's valiant efforts.
Even the farmers and citizens who were supposed to be slacking off on the battlefield were infected by the atmosphere, fighting each other like enemies. In the end, the Duke won, and the King was decapitated.
Now Bela has declared himself the undisputed King of Hungary, and the key is that very few people can actually question his claim, as he is currently the eldest member of the Árpád Dynasty. In contrast, King Solomon (Andrew's son) is just a child.
Edward's letter mentioned that many of the remnants of the King's army he had gathered were wavering, leaving the King's son to join Bela, who had proclaimed himself King. He also said that Bela was sending out orders across the country, demanding that all regions recognize his kingship.
Looking at the letter, Rostislav couldn't help but wonder how long he could last on such a battlefield? It was truly too cruel.
As for the political development in Hungary, it was inevitable. When the older generation fought, the descendants of the losers would face the merciless test of hardship, while the descendants of the victors would continue to be under the protection of their parents until they could leave the nest.
If it were just this letter, Rostislav would have simply read it and been done, at most lamenting the cruelty of the slaughter and the changes in Hungarian politics.
But shortly after receiving this letter, his uncle, Izyaslav Yaroslavich, sent another letter, which necessitated Rostislav's journey south.
In this letter, his uncle expressed his desire to intervene in the Hungarian situation, but they were not going to wage war, but to mediate.
The descendants of Yaroslav undoubtedly had this qualification. Poland and Hungary both had marital ties with the Wise One's descendants, and these ties were all within three generations. It was these connections that made their intervention as mediators acceptable to everyone.
His uncle wrote a lot in the letter; he seemed to intend to use Hungary as a stepping stone for Rus' to perform on the international stage, the first step for Rus' to demonstrate itself internationally in the post-Yaroslav era.
Therefore, all of Yaroslav's descendants had to be present to outwardly display the unity of Yaroslav's descendants, or rather, the unity of Rus'.
Thus, Rostislav was required to attend. This time, his uncle unusually used a commanding tone, an order issued in the name of the Kiev Grand Duke, the profound political implications of which were self-evident.
Rostislav had no complaints about this; it was part of his duty, and since his uncle had helped him so much, it was only natural for him to reciprocate.
Moreover, from his uncle's scattered remarks, the Moscow Prince realized that this intervention in Hungary seemed to be related to the Patriarch of the Imperial City. His uncle seemed to have made some deal with the Patriarch, which was why he was so enthusiastically entering this chaotic situation.
Rostislav had no strong opinions on his uncle's involvement in this turmoil. Rus' indeed had the spare capacity to make its voice heard and display its strength on the international stage.
His uncle's letter stated that he had already sent letters to the Emperor, the King of Poland, and Duke Bela, requesting the four parties to hold a monarch summit to peacefully resolve the Hungarian issue, or more accurately, how the Hungarian cake should be divided, as all four parties had vested interests there.
Rostislav, meanwhile, viewed this intervention as an opportunity to interact with foreign dignitaries. He should get to know some Western royalty and nobles; it would be useful to leverage these connections in future encounters.
At the same time, he should also meet his relatives, his uncles and nephews, who are the main characters on the political stage of Rus' now and in the future.
There is also the third generation, many capable individuals among them. They are the future heroes of Rus'. As the eldest of Yaroslav's third generation, he naturally had to meet these cousins properly.
This is also why Rostislav hastily convened a meeting, entrusting various matters of Northeast Rus' to his subordinates. Traveling to Kiev was already a set itinerary, so arrangements had to be made early.
Everyone was somewhat surprised by the Prince's departure, but they quickly recovered from their surprise.
Given the current situation in Northeast Rus', the Prince's departure was not a major issue. Although there was some scattered warfare in the countryside of Northeast Rus', it was a normal state; this land was ultimately stable and peaceful.
After all, what's a big deal about a few or dozens of people dying in a day? This is what happens every day in this land.
So, even if the Prince left, the impact would not be significant. Everyone could continue to follow the predetermined plans, and the Prince's absence would not affect these.
Moreover, the Prince's trip to the South was very likely to bring back many resources, which was what everyone hoped to see most. The land of Northeast Rus' still needed resources everywhere, manpower everywhere, and there were gaps everywhere, so many gaps that it was overwhelming.
As for the power of regency, he naturally entrusted it to his wife. Through long-term assistance and immersion, his wife's familiarity with Moscow's affairs was no less than Rostislav's. Acting as regent of Moscow was also easy for her, though it would be hard on her. He had originally planned for Zoe to rest and have a good pregnancy, but there was no other way.
Even before publicly announcing his departure, the Moscow Prince had discussed the trip to the South with his wife.
At the time, his wife was somewhat displeased because Rostislav was not taking her and their son. Rostislav was also helpless; how could he take his pregnant wife to Kiev? It would be easier for something to go wrong if Zoe traveled to Kiev. It was better for her to stay in Moscow, where at least the most professional medical team in all of Rus' was located.
Rostislav was not averse to going to Kiev. It had been many years since he left Kiev, and now it was time to return to the Mother of all Cities to take a good look around and, while he was at it, bring back some immigrants.
Although Northeast Rus' was developing upwards, it still needed immigrants. Rostislav planned to bring some immigrants who had succeeded in Northeast Rus' back to Kiev, as nothing was more motivating than actual examples.
However, he was still quite worried about some matters in Northeast Rus', specifically the report Yang had just given.
Yang was the last to leave the hall. He used this private opportunity to tell the Prince everything he had learned in the countryside.
And the Moscow Queen and his younger brother thought the same way, which was completely illogical.
This made Rostislav a bit uneasy, but he ultimately put the matter aside for now. There were more important things to attend to. As for Yang's request to continue the investigation, he had to refuse it; Rostislav had to take Yang back to Kiev.
The Prince dared to do this primarily because he was well aware of the rural situation in Northeast Rus'. Let them conspire; they wouldn't be able to spark an uprising that would sweep across the land for decades anyway, and the rural situation would inevitably fluctuate countless times during that period.
Thinking this, the Moscow Prince exited the audience chamber. There were still many things to do, and he had to handle them one by one. Only after taking care of all these matters could he confidently leave Northeast Rus'.
— — — — — — — —