After going through so much, Valin Kashensky finally returned to his hometown.
Unlike many, Valin did not immediately rush back to his stronghold after learning of the Great Chaos in Northeast Rus. Instead, he chose to continue following Rostislav's army.
Valin was well aware of the situation in his territory; he was known for his gentle treatment of the common people, and the residents of his territory largely supported his rule.
Therefore, Valin was very confident that it was unlikely anything would go wrong in his territory. Furthermore, the list of besieged territories in the Prince's hands did not mention his territory, which made Valin even more at ease.
However, as far as he knew, his friend Meshko's territory was in great chaos. This Polish Noble had established his rule through coercive means and had very poor relations with many people in his territory.
But Valin did not worry about him; the man was directly funded by the King of Poland and was a distinguished guest of the Grand Prince. At worst, he could just live in the court.
Following Rostislav, Valin participated in many battles to clear out rebellious bandits. These battles were easy; often, after armored warriors launched a charge, the bandits would collapse, followed by the capture of prisoners and massacres.
Moreover, these troublemakers had many good things in their hands. After all, they were the first group to loot, and they naturally gained a lot of wealth from the peaceful lands, which now became their spoils of war.
Valin thus gained more territory and wealth from the Moscow Prince, coupled with his achievements in Bulgar, which made his property and power several times greater than when he set out on the expedition.
He was now wearing gilded armor, with a pure silver spear hanging from his saddle, walking ahead of his subordinates. This entire set was bestowed by the Prince, and he felt immensely proud wearing the armor given by the Prince.
And more than this wealth, what made him even prouder was that because of his military achievements, Valin Kashensky's name was now also circulating in ballads. People praised Valin's name and lauded his martial prowess.
Valin's subordinates behind him were also quite ostentatious. They wore expensive fabrics looted from Bulgar, some had gold and silver on their necks and hands, their pockets were bulging, and many carried bags, looking like parvenus.
And their discussions revolved around their various experiences from the Bulgar campaign, though the most frequent topic of discussion was women.
Everyone was most enthusiastic about the Winter Army's camp followers; there were truly all kinds of women there, satisfying all tastes.
Speaking of which, many bachelors among these hundred men had now brought women back. They couldn't find wives in their hometowns, but they successfully "married" them through the war.
Kashinsky had brought over a hundred men to enlist this time, and most of them successfully returned to their hometowns alive, and everyone got rich, just as Valin had promised.
Some astute individuals had already converted their gold and silver into various necessities, such as iron hoes and grain, as gold and silver were ultimately more useful in towns and harder to use in villages.
But most people did not do this; they wanted to show their fellow villagers how prosperous they had become.
Such a team was very conspicuous on the road, but no one dared to provoke them.
Even the bandit gangs, who were much stronger than in the past, were like this. This army clearly looked like elites returning from the Bulgar war, and there was no need to provoke such people.
In stark contrast to the joy and cheer of this team, they saw many signs of war. Along the road, residents were constantly seen rebuilding villages that had turned to ashes, and dilapidated strongholds were being investigated by Prince's officials.
The bodies were mostly collected, but the ruins remained, making the road appear quite desolate.
These were originally supposed to provide safety for the roads, but in that great chaos, these components of the road safety system suffered heavy damage.
Now Rostislav was spending great effort to rebuild this system. For Northeast Rus to return to its former prosperity, they must be rebuilt, and they must be stronger than before.
This had little to do with Valin; he merely glanced indifferently and had no worries about his territory because of it.
Because after he arrived in Moscow, his servants from his territory found him and told him that everything in his territory was normal.
Soon, with the appearance of a territorial boundary marker, Valin officially entered his own territory, which also meant he had to leave the main road built by the Prince.
Compared to the Prince's roads, Valin's roads were purely "paths created because many people walked on them," but no one was disheartened by this road; instead, they felt it was incredibly familiar.
Soon, the village appeared before Valin. As his servants had said, Valin saw no signs of war's impact; instead, the village's population had changed, and there were many more strong laborers in the fields.
Valin asked his servant and then learned that the chaos of war had caused some people to flee to his territory, and these people naturally became the labor force of the territory.
Amidst the great chaos that swept across all of Northeast Rus, due to his excellent governance during peacetime, Valin's territory did not experience disorder, and those who tried to incite chaos were quickly dealt with.
Due to the safety of his territory, there was naturally an influx of manpower affected by the war, making this territory even stronger.
Also, thanks to the cunning of Valin's wife, she decisively organized the territorial militia, surrounding the territory to protect it from the harm of those bandits and rebels. Since they couldn't even enter to burn, kill, and plunder, how could they destroy the territory?
The villagers were very excited about the Prince's return and came forward to welcome the Prince's entourage—in reality, to see their relatives and friends who had gone to war, as many people from each village had responded to Valin's conscription.
And then naturally came various exclamations of surprise and the returnees' boasting. This war had turned everyone who responded to the conscription into a rich person, so such surprise was very normal.
Then naturally came envy, and then people began to draw closer, everyone wanting to be closer to the wealthy.
It was from here that Valin's army began to disband. Whenever they reached a village or approached one, soldiers would leave the ranks. Valin generously allowed them to leave, understanding their feelings perfectly, as he himself felt the same.
When Valin arrived at his stronghold, his team had shrunk to only about thirty people. These people were residents of Valin's stronghold and its surrounding areas, and thus had stayed with him until now.
Looking at his stronghold, Valin couldn't help but feel deeply moved. The feeling of returning home was so wonderful that his tears flowed uncontrollably.
And his subordinates were not much better off; nothing was more moving than returning home after an adventure, after all, some people were forever left in distant lands.
The Prince's relatives naturally came to greet him early, and the relatives of everyone in the stronghold did the same. Coming before their loved ones, warm scenes occurred one after another, the expeditionaries embracing their relatives, speaking words only meant for family.
Valin himself was no exception; he embraced his wife and hugged his son, and he only said one sentence.
"I'm back."
And so, Valin Kashensky returned.