While Northeast Rus was in chaos, far away in Bulgar, the Winter Army was carrying out a large-scale encirclement and suppression campaign against a resistance organization called the "Sword of Justice."
In this campaign, the Winter Army achieved considerable success and results. They annihilated many Bulgar guerrillas, hanging the heads of these rebels by the roadside. All of them were "Sword of Justice" members, but unfortunately, most were self-proclaimed. As for "Akad Khan," several of them had already been slaughtered.
These bodies were hung by the Rus' people above the market, allowing everyone to see them, exuding an intimidating aura towards the populace.
However, the resistance continued unabated. "Akad" figures emerged endlessly. One "Akad" was killed today, and another "Akad" would appear tomorrow. It was truly endless, with enemies as numerous as far as the eye could see.
The Bulgar people were, after all, full of hostility towards the Rus' people. These foreign invaders had committed so many evil deeds, completely sickening the Bulgar populace.
Although there was no rape, pillaging, or looting now, they were still steadily taking resources from them. No one would be happy with a group of masters who voraciously consumed resources. In contrast, they would rather give the resources to the young men in the forest.
But fortunately, on the surface, this land had returned to peace. There were no reports of rogue armies running wild, and the Winter Army's patrol units had not encountered any attacks.
However, once the Winter Army left, chaos would certainly return. Although the "Sword of Justice" suffered heavy losses, they still possessed strong vitality.
Nevertheless, neither Adam nor Rostislav Vladimirovich believed that this suppression would be a permanent solution. They both knew that this was a matter that would take a long time.
Adam, in particular, had repeatedly stated in private meetings that this war would be very long, which was also a way of telling his subordinates to prepare for the Rus' departure.
With the return to peace, the Winter Army's military operations also became fewer and fewer. The soldiers began to become idle, and many even counted the days, figuring out when they could return home.
No one wanted to die at this stage, because they would be going home soon. After returning home, relying on the gold, silver, and spoils in their pockets, even the worst among them could live a decent life for a while.
Because of this, it became very difficult for Rostislav Vladimirovich to motivate them to fight. These men were all kinds of lax even with routine patrols, and as for making them fight the "Sword of Justice," that was absolutely impossible.
However, the Moscow Prince was not discouraged by this. He understood everyone's state; it was all within expectations, so he did not force them.
The atmosphere in the military camp also relaxed as a result. The soldiers indulged in various entertainments, always followed by a large group of merchants and prostitutes providing various services.
And their pockets were filled with gold, silver, and supplies. No one was a more generous patron than them.
Normal training was also largely neglected. Only the Prince's Druzhina and the standing army remained vigilant, maintaining military camp discipline and regulations.
However, despite saying that, they were also slacking off. Many times, they turned a blind eye to certain things. These soldiers were actually also lax; they just pretended not to be.
"Radko, what do you plan to do when you return to Moscow?"
In the temporary tavern in the military camp, Anton of the Sherikhov Family was drinking wine with the mercenary Radko. They sat outside the tent, where they could clearly see the military camp entrance. Many people were coming and going there now.
Anton was very grateful to Radko. It was he and Radko who had jointly killed Selim, but Radko said he hadn't killed anyone, pushing all the credit to Anton.
Later, Anton also asked Radko why he didn't want this glory, and Radko's answer was simple: he just didn't want it.
For him, war was more interesting. Money was enough for living, and he didn't want to become a nobleman. He just wanted to continue his current life.
Radko did not speak, simply draining the wine in his cup first.
Due to the recent warfare and the strict restrictions on "grape juice" during Akad's rule, the various wineries in Bulgar had accumulated a lot of goods.
Although Akad had given the green light for wine exports, the local people after all supported a portion of its market.
And without local consumption, these goods could only be stored.
When the Winter Army arrived, these wines were generously bought out. Rostislav Vladimirovich obtained this batch of wine at a very low price.
However, although the wine was cheap, this was not the result of Rostislav Vladimirovich's political pressure. The local estate owners were eager to sell all these wines.
Because in an era where preservation technology was not up to standard, if stored for too long, it would truly rot. Even if it didn't rot, the quality would be affected. They had already lost a lot of goods because of this, so now, the sooner these were exported, the better.
Therefore, Rostislav Vladimirovich served as the savior of the estate owners, which, along with Adam, earned him a great deal of praise from this group. These people belonged to the influential class of Bulgar, and their goodwill greatly strengthened the foundation of Adam's regime.
And the ordinary soldiers were also very happy. Suddenly, so much wine was available for them to drink to their heart's content. One had to know that this was not something one could casually drink, but now they could drink as much as they wanted here.
Thus, amidst the wine-laden conversations, the number of times Rostislav Vladimirovich was cheered with "Long live!" increased.
After all, how did that saying go? To maintain the soldiers of an army, one naturally had to rely on wine, and now Rostislav Vladimirovich had plenty of wine.
Continuing to the present, after hearing Anton's words, Radko, having finished his wine, looked up slightly at him, then said,
"I plan to go south with you, to see the imperial capital in the south. I don't want to struggle in the North my whole life. I also want to see the magnificent sights of Mikligard."
A hint of longing appeared in Radko's words. He had heard many stories about the imperial capital, but had always regretted not being able to see it. Now that Anton was going, he would follow along to see it.
Of course, the most important thing was to see if the imperial capital's army was as formidable as rumored. In his years as a mercenary, he had already encountered soldiers from Rus' and Poland, and had also fought against many steppe warriors. It could be said that he had fought everyone he could fight, both inside and outside Rus'.
But the imperial capital in the South? There really hadn't been any interaction there.
"My team welcomes you, Lord Radko."
Facing Radko's request, Anton was first stunned, then a surge of ecstasy filled his heart. Having a skilled fighter like Radko with him would only bring benefits, not harm.
He was eager for such a person to follow, but previously, he had been too embarrassed to mention it, having already gained so much from him.
"Then, for future cooperation, a toast?"
Radko refilled his wine glass with red wine once more, then raised it to Anton, speaking to him.
Anton also raised a cup, and their glasses clinked together with a clear sound, then they drained the contents of their cups.
And just as these two reached an agreement on cooperation, they suddenly heard a chaotic noise coming from the military camp's main road, interspersed with shouts of "Make way."
This caught their attention. Both knew that some important figure was coming, but they were curious as to which important figure it was.
Then they saw Rostislav Vladimirovich and Adam Dulü riding warhorses side by side. Both were dressed in hunting attire, with bows and arrows hanging from their saddles, and behind them were fully armed guards.
At this, the two were relieved. Such a commotion could only be caused by these two, after all, they were the commanders of the army.
After figuring out who it was, they lost interest. They didn't feel much about important figures.
Anton's ambition was not in the North at all; he simply didn't care about northern affairs.
As for Radko, this mercenary had already seen countless Princes and nobles, both noble and base, and had long since felt nothing towards this group of people.
And just as they turned back to drink, the monarchs of Moscow and Bulgar together crossed the gate, with their cavalry closely following them.