king of ros

Chapter 27 The Mother of All Cities
On this ordinary morning, Rostislav stood up and looked forward, and the magnificent Kyiv appeared in front of him bathed in the morning light. The towering golden dome shone like a spotless golden cup. It is a city of gold and silver.

The Hagia Sophia is the most conspicuous and magnificent building in the city. The largest dome is located on the high drum seat at the central intersection of the church. The height of the surrounding twelve domes descends in groups to form a pyramid-shaped outline, showing the supreme glory of God. authority.

This is an ancient city of the Eastern Slavs. At first it was only located on a platform with a height of about [-] meters, facing steep cliffs on three sides. The situation is precarious, but now it has become a famous city in the north.

Kyiv is not an isolated city. There are dozens of small and large villages and towns within the radiation range of the city. If it is midsummer or late autumn, the boundless snowfield at the foot of the city wall will be covered with neat farmland covering the entire plain, almost extending to the horizon.

As the fleet approached Kyiv, Rostislav saw various wooden houses with Russian characteristics, and the streets were paved with wooden boards.

Most of the citizens' clothes are suitable and decent, showing the wealth of the city. From time to time, heavily armed mercenaries pass by in the crowd, and everyone turns a blind eye to this. The city has never lacked such people.

There are also nomads on the streets, their bodies wrapped in dirty furs, who come to Kyiv for business.

Although nomads prefer plundering over commerce, this is where the throne of Kyiv is located, and no matter how wanton the people in tents are, they will never do anything wrong here.

The market is always extremely prosperous, goods from all over the east, west, north and south are sold here, countless money flows here, and Witcher's soldiers walk in it to maintain the order of the market.

Jewish usurers and merchants were most pleased to see such a scene, many of whose ancestors came to Rus after the collapse of the Khazar khanate, and the more prosperous the business, the better the business.

Countless gold and silver are dancing here, and the city is huge and full of vitality. Perhaps it is because of such prosperity that outsiders call the country of Rurik the country of city-states.

At the port, you can see the fleet preparing to go south. Ross merchants are collecting goods such as fur, beeswax and honey on the vast Ross land. They are not very valuable in Ross, but it is another matter in the imperial capital.

The laborers are loading the goods onto the cargo ship, and some goods are being escorted onto the ship. They are slaves. The demand for slaves in the south is also very strong. Next, the fleet will go to the imperial capital in the south, where these goods will be Will be sold for a lot of money.

It is also here that the businessman and the grand duke will part ways. After a short rest here, they will go to the southern imperial capital with other colleagues. The roads further south are not safe, and nomadic robbers are scattered among the seven waterfalls (Note 1), so Merchants will report to the regiment to keep warm or march with the Grand Duke's fleet.

The Grand Duke's fleet sailed into the royal family's exclusive port area. In this way, Rostislav stepped into this famous northern city for the first time. His heart was full of expectations, looking forward to his next life in Kyiv.

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As Yaroslav's flagship approached the port, the sailors skillfully used iron hooks to pull the ship closer, and then put on the steps for everyone to pass.

Yaroslav walked towards his big ship surrounded by the crowd. The Grand Duke wore a purple robe and a silver crown, surrounded by his subjects and subordinates, and Rostislav was among them.

And on the port, there were also people waiting for Yaroslav's arrival. Although he was not asked, the dignitaries and businessmen of Kyiv were still waiting here. Rostislav saw silk and satin, as well as precious leather clothes. cap.

The leader was a strong man with a sword. Although he was not as tall as the king of Norway, he stood out from the crowd. This man exuded a strong warrior temperament, which made Rostislav look sideways.

Seeing the arrival of the Grand Duke, the people who greeted him hurriedly bowed down to pay respects.

"Svyatoslav, you came back from Chernigov? Why are you here, where are your brothers?"

The Grand Duke frowned, his dissatisfaction was clear, and Rostislav realized who it was—his second uncle.

The prince of Nuocheng immediately cheered up 12 points, because the main messenger of those conspiracy in the north is in his uncle!

Sviatoslav Yaroslavich, Rostislav watched the uncle carefully, and what came to mind was the prince's deeds. He knew that the uncle was a learned man who was good at battle, and Most importantly, this uncle never cared about getting his hands dirty.

If you ask Rostislav who is most suspicious of who is in charge of these plots, then he is most suspicious of this uncle. The second uncle is the most difficult to deal with among several uncles. If he hadn't died too early in history, he would have set a new record. Many merits.

"Father, Izyaslav went to check around Kyiv, and Vsevolod is in Pereyaslav. There have been some changes in the grassland recently. They have all received the news that you will return and will be back soon. Congratulations to you Victory, news from the north and the whole of Kyiv rejoicing."

"Okay, don't talk about it here, where is my carriage, I want to go back to my palace immediately."

But the second uncle just got out of the way, made a gesture of invitation, and the crowd dispersed, and at the end was a beautiful carriage, guarded by the Grand Duke's personal soldiers, and one of the personal soldiers opened the door.

"Jika, is there any trouble in Kyiv recently? As for the irrelevant personnel, let me go."

Yaroslav put his hand on the soldier's shoulder familiarly, and his tone was very friendly, and at the same time he did not forget to dismiss the crowd.

Rostislav found out later that this man was the captain of his grandfather's personal army, and his grandfather followed him when he raised the army in Nuocheng. It can be said that his grandfather had more trust in him than his sons.

"Grand Duke, Kyiv is calm."

The captain's answer was very simple. He was about to close the door for Yaroslav, but the Grand Duke raised his hand, and the captain of the guard also stopped moving.

"Over there is my eldest grandson, you settle him and his people down for me."

"Yes, Grand Duke."

Seeing this, Yaroslav closed the door of the carriage, and the carriage started to move. The soldiers and subordinates quickly followed, including his second uncle.

As Yaroslav left, other nobles also dispersed, and the port continued to be busy, letting the soldiers down.

And the captain named Dika came to Rostislav and talked with the prince about the resettlement.

But what Rostislav didn't notice was that the second uncle who followed the carriage looked back at him deeply, with inexplicable complex emotions flashing in his eyes.

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Remark 1: Refers to the seven dangerous shoals on the Greek-Varangian road.

(End of this chapter)