For the pagans still remaining in Moscow, if they didn't leave the city now, their fate would be truly miserable.
The Moscow Militia sprang into action at the shouts of the triumphant cavalry in the streets; no matter how cautious a person might be, upon learning of victory, they would bravely grab their weapons and rush out of their homes to beat the 'Villain' when he was down, venting the anger that had been pent up inside them.
Furthermore, the Veche resumed its operations, and those with prestige within the Veche organized militias to besiege the pagans.
And after the Veche was back in place, the strength of the Moscow Militia organization also became apparent.
The Veche and the militias under its command had always been a powerful force in Rus' politics; even the most prestigious Prince had to be extremely cautious when facing the Veche.
And if one were to anger the Veche and the militias behind it, that would be no laughing matter.
We won't talk about distant examples; let's take a closer one, someone familiar to us: Yaroslav Vladimirovich Rurik, who was Rostislav's grandfather and the previous Grand Prince of Kyiv, as an example.
When Yaroslav was still the Prince of Novgorod, he assembled a troop of Varangian mercenaries to prepare for the impending war.
These Varangians caused trouble within Novgorod city, angering the city's populace.
At that time, the grandfather, needing the military strength of these Varangians, did not punish them, as it would be difficult to fight without them.
The local militia simply killed these mercenaries themselves, eliminating all of them directly.
This was naturally a huge blow to the grandfather; the mercenaries he had so painstakingly hired were now gone. How could he fight the Villain now? He even cried to Novgorod at the time, saying he had just prepared for war, and the Novgorodians had killed his personal guards. What could he use to fight now?
In response, Novgorod declared that they would fight for the grandfather. According to the wealth of each family, everyone contributed a corresponding amount as military funds for the grandfather, which allowed the grandfather to acquire a large sum of money to hire Varangians.
Then, the city's militia turned out in full force and joined the grandfather's army.
Relying on the gold and silver collected by the city, Yaroslav hired a full thousand Varangians, while the Novgorod Militia numbered three thousand. It was with this army of four thousand that he defeated the Villain and captured Kiev.
This example from nearly fifty years ago is enough to illustrate the importance of the Veche Militia; used well, it can bring immense benefits, but used poorly, it can become a man-eating beast.
In original history, even three hundred years later, the Veche Militia would still trouble the rulers of Rus'.
And in present-day Moscow, this man-eating beast has already been unleashed. The militias are hunting down pagans and rebels in various areas of the city; any enemy who falls into the hands of the militia usually meets a very tragic end.
This was a bloody and barbaric era; the militias generally wouldn't harm captives, but this time was different, as they encountered a bloody outburst.
The pagans had nowhere to hide; the militias, like wolfhounds scenting prey, dragged them out one by one. The militias knew their respective communities inside and out—who was a stranger, who was a local, and who had just arrived recently—they knew everything clearly.
It was precisely because of the militia's actions that Domnal and others didn't take long to clear out the enemies in Moscow and regain control of the city walls. Now the walls were filled with guards, supervising the vicinity, vigilant against any potential enemies.
During this time, there was an interesting anecdote: after confirming control of the city walls, Domnal suddenly remembered that the Alexei Troupe had recruited so many rural performers, and nine out of ten of these fellows were pagans.
He rushed over, only to find that those people had already been dealt with, and it was his own sister, Viona, who had handled them.
Viona had noticed something was off about these newcomers very early on; many carried weapons with them, but at the time, she only thought it was their caution towards the city.
After all, those who traveled around the Northeast Rus countryside had seen countless instances of human treachery; without vigilance, they would have died long ago.
But on the night the incident occurred, Viona discovered that these fellows were actually carrying weapons and looked ready for a big fight, and she immediately mobilized the troupe's guards, taking them down before they could act.
So Domnal's trip was in vain this time, but he wasn't angry. For him, nothing else mattered as long as his family was safe. It was even better if the troupe was safe, as the Prince had invested a lot of money in this troupe; it was best if nothing happened.
However, his work did not slacken because of this; on the contrary, it increased. He also had to organize a team to scout the areas around Moscow.
Just as Lady Zoe had said, such a big thing had happened in Moscow, so the surrounding areas would definitely not be quiet.
"So, almost the entire Northeast Rus is infested with rebels?"
Three days later, in the audience chamber of Rostislav Palace, Zoe received such news, news that she found very hard to believe.
For these three days, Zoe had been dealing with the aftermath of the upheaval that night in Moscow.
Although the pagans were gone, they left behind a mess, and Zoe had to deal with all of it. As the "instigator" of this great rebellion, Leo could not show his face, so Zoe had to step up during this period, and thus the Prince's wife's leisurely life came to an end.
Moreover, some refugees arrived in Moscow, all fleeing the chaos, which showed how restless it was outside.
After working for this period, Zoe was already mentally exhausted, and then she was informed that the entire Northeast Rus was in rebellion. Such a reaction was truly too normal.
"Yes, that's right, Lady Zoe, the entire Northeast Rus is in turmoil. Rostov was besieged yesterday, but the attack has been repelled. But other places are not so good; there are rebellious peasants and commoners everywhere. According to the refugees who came to Moscow, quite a few fortified villages have been captured, but so far there is no news of any towns being captured; the towns are still relatively calm."
Domnal reported the information he had gathered and summarized during this time. His face now showed no trace of his usual ease and smile, only seriousness. The situation was truly not optimistic.
"Because the pagans don't have the ability to besiege towns?"
Hearing this news, Zoe couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. If they were causing trouble in every town, it would mean the power of these pagans had spread throughout Northeast Rus, which would be difficult to handle.
"No, that's not it, Madam. There were many sieges on towns, but they have now disappeared because of Lord Yan Vishatich's efforts. He was originally coming to support Moscow, but after learning that Moscow was safe, he turned to suppress the pagans in other towns. It is because of Lord Yan's actions that the safety of the cities has been ensured."
When he said this, Domnal's expression was a bit unnatural, a bit displeased. He thought of his encounter with Mayor Yang. The Mayor had chewed him out thoroughly.
After all, Yang had repeatedly emphasized that he should go to the countryside to investigate the situation, and despite that, such a big incident still occurred. Now, seeing Domnal, how could Yang not scold this Gael?
And Domnal didn't even dare to talk back, knowing that he had made a huge, very huge mistake in this matter. He still had to hope that Yang wouldn't report the matter to the Prince, otherwise it wouldn't be fun for him.
"In any case, it's good news after all."
Zoe's expression wavered slightly, but quickly returned to her usual calm, and then she called for a messenger.
"Record all the new developments, and then report to my husband. Tell him to return as soon as possible."
"Yes, Madam."
Then, Lady Zoe ordered Domnal to retreat and summoned the next visitor. Although her mind constantly tempted her to rest and throw these matters to others, Zoe knew she couldn't do so now. This was a time when she needed to hold the fort; for her husband and children, she had to persevere.