king of ros

Chapter 243 Preparing for the Future
After leaving Kyiv, Rostislav soon came to Smolensk with a much larger queue than when he came.

Smolensk is still as prosperous as ever. After all, it is the central hub of North and South Ross, and how much gold and silver flows here every day.

Rostislav's team received warm hospitality here, after all, everyone in the city knew that their top ruler was the prince in front of them.

Here Rostislav had a good chat with his uncle Veshata, mainly to let Veshata strengthen the defense of Smolensk.

The marriage between the second uncle and Poland made Rostislav very uneasy. It can be said that with the completion of the marriage, the second uncle will receive a strong support, which has a great impact on the situation in the south.

It is too convenient for Poland to interfere in the Ross situation. It can be said that in an instant, five thousand Polish troops can come to Ross, just like they once invaded Ross.

Speaking of that battle, Rostislav heard many elders and veterans talk about it. At that time, his grandfather and the brother-killing team "villains" fought for the rule of Rus.

The "villain" lost to his grandfather's army, so this guy directly invited the Polish army, and Boleslaw I's army beat his grandfather to pieces, and he was in a mess, and went directly to Kyiv.

The Poles occupied Kyiv for a while, but soon they left because of resistance from all over Russia, and the "villains" who lost foreign support were quickly defeated by their grandfather.

It was also because of this example that Rostislav never dared to underestimate the threat from Poland.

Poland is a country that was established entirely by the Piast family's conquests. Otherwise, the only end of this land would be to be eroded by the Ross and the empire. Said to be extremely high.

Moreover, Rostislav has also seen the demeanor of the current generation of Piast monarchs. There is no doubt that this is another war madman, and his war skills are not low at all.

However, the uncle and the third uncle didn't care much about this matter. After all, in their opinion, the marriage between Svyatoslav and Poland was for the prosperity of the whole family, and they didn't think that this brother would have any disagreements at all.

Rostislav can only understand this, after all, the second uncle can pretend.

Rostislav was different. The series of conspiracies he encountered when he was Prince Novgorod had always warned him who his second uncle was.

And there is also the hatred of killing his father. Rostislav has never forgotten this level of hatred, and he is also very clear that his second uncle has never forgotten either. Gone……

After the second uncle's strength increased, Rostislav decided to respond accordingly, first of all, to strengthen the defense of Smolensk, and strengthening the city was the top priority.

He is beyond the reach of the situation in South Ross, so all he can do is guard the gate to South Ross to prevent some possible changes.

Smolensk, as the hub connecting the north and the south of Russia, is the most important strategic point in the whole of Russia, and for Rostislav, who is the ruler of Northeast Russia, it is extremely important.

For the army of South Ross, if the army wants to go to Northeast Ross, it can only pass through Smolensk first, and then go east after arriving at North Ross.

It is not impossible to go directly from Kyiv to Northeast Ross, but if they walk in the right way, then they will understand why Northeast Ross is called the land of the queen of the forest.

What they will face next is an unobstructed forest filled with countless robbers and crimes.

There is no room for a large army to pass through this road, and even if you walk alone, you have to be a warrior and a traveler who is proficient in judging the direction.

Otherwise, you will either be the booty of the robbers, or you will get lost here for the rest of your life.

When Rostislav first arrived in Northeast Russia, he thought about whether he wanted to build a road that could go directly to Kyiv, so that it would be more convenient to accept immigrants and caravans.

But then he realized that this is not actively wasting the advantage?It is precisely because of this forest that is difficult for large armies to pass through that Northeast Ross has such an advantage.

The most important thing is that the forest is too big. If you start to cultivate flowers, you will not be able to grow them in ten years. After all, you have to cut trees crazily along the way.

So Smolensk is even more important. This place is completely a big lock between North and South Ross. As long as this place is locked, the north and south armies will not be able to pass through.

And for Rostislav, it is also beneficial for him to guard the big lock, that is, once the gate is locked, the north and south Ross will be cut directly.

Then it will be easy to control Novgorod next. With the city under control, the entire Northern Ross will be included in his Rostislav rule, and no matter what happens in Southern Ross, he can easily deal with it.

Veshata can naturally understand these things that Rostislav thought of, and he also told the Prince of Moscow that he has long been preparing for these things.

Veshata, as an old man who has been brewing in Ross's political arena for decades and has gone through countless tests, his political sensitivity is not comparable to that of a young man like Rostislav.

In fact, shortly after becoming the mayor of Smolensk, Veshata was preparing for the future. The stockpiling of materials had already begun at that time, and he knew the importance of this land very well.

Veshata also told Rostislav that he was already working on increasing the height of the walls of Smolensk, and that he planned to build another earthen wall in front of the walls and dig more trenches.

After hearing his Uncle Veshata's orderly introduction of various countermeasures and arrangements for strengthening defenses, Rostislav couldn't help but blush.

He thought that these things needed to be reminded, but he did not expect that Veshata had already started to arrange, and he did it better and more comprehensively than he thought. It can only be said that an elder is an elder, and he is still too young in comparison.

After talking about this with Veshata, Rostislav felt relieved, after all, Veshata had already made preparations.

And then he didn't stay in Smolensk for a long time, and soon continued on the way forward.

Rostislav had to return to Moscow as soon as possible for the simple reason that his wife Zoe was about to give birth.

Although Rostislav no longer had the nervousness of Zoe's first delivery, he ultimately hoped that he could be with his wife when the child was born.

Moreover, the prince of Moscow is still a little worried about Northeast Ross. After all, he has been away for so long. During this period of time, almost all of Moscow's government affairs are handled by Zoe and his subordinates. He is really afraid that these people will make trouble. what is the problem.

However, as he set foot on the land of Northeast Ross, he felt relieved when he saw the scene here. It is still as stable and peaceful as when he left. Merchants travel between cities, and they can always be seen on the avenue. crowd.

And his vassals from all over the world came to greet Rostislav when they learned of Rostislav's arrival, which made the Moscow Prince's team immediately swell.

And in the eyes of those new immigrants who came with Rostislav, the power of the Moscow princes' team can be seen at a glance. There is no doubt that this appeases the hearts of the immigrants who are uneasy because they came to a distant place. After all, they did not come here for chaos. so far away.

As a result, Rostislav's heart became more stable, and with a little more stability in his heart, he began to send immigrants to various places.

The princes of Moscow explored a series of areas suitable for immigration very early on. These areas can be used at any time, and there is only a lack of population on them. As long as someone develops these lands, they belong to them.

In this regard, the immigrants who followed Rostislav reacted differently. Many nobles were willing to open up their new estates, but the common people still wanted to go to Moscow. Most of them were urban citizens, so they naturally wanted to live in the city. Behind the walls.

However, after a while of tossing, a lot of people were diverted in the end. After all, the nobles came with their vassals.

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(End of this chapter)