"Bastards! Why are the gates ruined?!"
As the pagans continuously poured into the city, a battle had just concluded at the Red City's gates, and Dir, the victor of the battle, let out this roar.
Upon hearing the sound of the fire, Dir's first reaction was to control the city gates; as long as that place was under control, they could handle any disturbance outside the city.
Dir, leading the remaining fifth of the Rostov Camp, arrived at the city gates without hesitation. Although he knew his forces were insufficient, he showed no fear, for he understood that if he didn't act, the situation could truly deteriorate.
Dir didn't mind dying for Rostislav; it was Rostislav who had given him and his family their current status, and Dir had always been very grateful to Rostislav.
At the city gates, they found Milia's subordinates stationed there, and among them were some people dressed as civilians. However, seeing the blood-stained weapons in their hands and the poorly hidden bodies of guard soldiers, Dir knew they were definitely Milia's accomplices.
He also noticed that these people all had the Giant Serpent emblem on their shoulders. He had grown up in Northeast Rus since childhood, so he naturally understood the meaning of this symbol.
veles, the Giant Serpent—these people were followers of that pagan deity.
Without any hesitation, the Rostov Camp, loyal to the Moscow Prince, launched an attack on their former comrades, now traitors. These Christian soldiers showed no mercy when facing their former colleagues, and the same was true for the other side.
Ever since Milia started forming factions within the Rostov Camp, the rift between pagan and Christian soldiers had grown wider, and their mutual animosity had become increasingly severe.
Although, out of camaraderie and shared disapproval of plundering the countryside, the Christian soldiers did not report the pagans' small actions, that was as far as it went; their relationship could only extend to that point.
Swords clashed mercilessly. Both sides were warriors trained in the same camp, using similar combat techniques and knowing each other's weak points, so the battle naturally became brutal.
However, Dir's side continuously received reinforcements. The chaotic sounds of battle had already awakened the entire Red City, and the Druzhina naturally got up quickly, donned their armor, and then came to join the fray.
The addition of the armored warriors immediately shifted the balance of the battle. These warriors were the Prince's elite, superior to the rebellious soldiers in both armor and combat skills.
They directly charged into the enemy, relying on their thick armor. No matter how the rebels hacked, they could not penetrate their armor, while the Druzhina hacked freely, with every strike causing countless streams of blood and deaths.
The Druzhina joined the battle in groups of three to five, and as more and more of them arrived, the defeat of the rebels became a foregone conclusion.
As the last rebellious soldier was pinned to the wall, the Christian side let out a faint cheer, for everyone saw that even more pagans were advancing along the road, a sight that made everyone's expression solemn.
Dir then took a few soldiers into the gatehouse, wanting to lower the iron gate, which was the most convenient way to close it. Upon going up, he found that the iron gate's bearings had been destroyed, so he could only come down. Then he discovered that the wooden gate, which looked intact, had actually been dismantled, with several connection points broken.
Thus came Dir's angry shout.
"Dir, what exactly is going on? Who are those people outside?"
Domnal's voice came, full of confusion. A battle like this had suddenly erupted tonight, and he instinctively helped Dir's side when he saw him, but even after the fight, he still didn't know what was happening.
Domnal's face was contorted in pain. He quickly took off his chainmail with the help of his subordinates, revealing his bare upper body, which was covered in tiny wounds.
Earlier, Domnal had rushed out wearing only chainmail, without his inner padding, which led to this situation, leaving him covered in injuries.
As a figure like the Druzhina's deputy commander, naturally, people were scrambling to apply medicine to him, and after the medicine was applied, he immediately put on his inner padding, and then his chainmail.
The Gael's words represented the questions of many. There were now Druzhina members, retainers, and some servants here. Most people were bewildered; they saw themselves being attacked but didn't know who was attacking them.
"The damn pagans have broken in! Don't you see the Giant Serpent on their arms? They made half my camp rebel! Domnal, don't sit there like nothing's wrong, hurry to the city gate and form a shield wall! We must stop them! They're coming!"
The amount of information in his words was too great, completely bewildering Domnal at once. How could it be more dangerous inside the city than outside?
But bewildered or not, his actions were not at all ambiguous, as everyone could see the menacing army approaching, and he also understood the meaning of the Giant Serpent symbol and its significance, so he dared not relax at all.
His mind immediately returned to the feeling of being on the battlefield. He immediately shouted for his subordinates to move bodies, planning to stuff them into the gate passage to block it for a while, and also ordered all those who could shoot arrows to go up to the city wall to impede the advance of the large force.
However, during the action, Domnal noticed a very bad thing: many soldiers' morale was severely problematic. This sudden attack in the middle of the night, and the vast number of armed personnel outside, greatly unsettled some people.
Even within the Prince's Druzhina, such a situation existed. This was not a good sign. They urgently needed someone who could stabilize the situation, and this person's prestige had to be high, and currently, there were only a few people who met this condition… unless!
"Calm down, all of you. Such a chaotic state is not how soldiers should be. Respond as you should. Even I, a woman, am not panicking, let alone you men."
Just as that name appeared in Domnal's mind, the person herself walked out. Zoe was wearing a thick fur coat, her beautiful face exposed.
This was a face known to the Moscow populace, and also the highest authority in this city: Rostislav's wife, the Lady of Moscow, Zoe.
Everyone trusted this face; the authority of the Prince's wife was sufficient among them.
Zoe was surrounded by armored soldiers. Closest to her were the eunuch warriors she brought, their faces still shrouded behind chainmail veils, standing like statues behind Zoe.
Slightly further out were armed Greek and Rus' officials, and servants from Rostislav Palace. They were fully armed; the armory had equipped them with every weapon they could find—iron helmets, gorgets, arm guards, chainmail, leg guards, spears, axes… This finally made them look somewhat like soldiers—provided you only glanced at them in the dim light.
Her face was very calm; even if it was an act, she performed it exceptionally well, showing no flaws whatsoever, and this also put everyone at ease.
"Lady Zoe."
Domnal and Dir immediately knelt before the mistress, but Zoe merely waved her hand, signaling them to rise.
Then a team of archers ran past them, ascended the city wall, and immediately began shooting at the area outside the city.
"I know what's happening. You just do your best. I'll stand here; I'm needed here now."
Zoe's tone was so calm, as if what was about to unfold was not a brutal battle, but a leisurely outing.
The two instinctively wanted to persuade Lady Zoe to return to a safe place; they could not bear the consequences if something happened to the Prince's wife. But seeing the soldiers visibly calm down with Zoe's appearance, they swallowed their words.
After all, if they couldn't protect the city wall, there was no point in talking about protecting the Lady. Seeing this, the two no longer hesitated and went to attend to their duties.
Zoe merely had her eunuch guards bring her a chair, then calmly watched the soldiers busy themselves. Only then could her tense inner self find some relief.
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