The Principality of Polotsk is a principality with a long history.
Before the arrival of the Rurik Prince, the local people already had their Varangian rulers, forming a Varangian principality independent of the Rurik family, and also a competitor to the Rurik family.
The so-called Varangian is a Rus' term for the Norsemen.
This land itself was also on an important trade route, thus attracting the Varangians to come. However, it was a major competitor to Novgorod on the trade route, and the two places had constant friction, which determined that the ruler of this land was bound to conflict with the Rurik family.
However, in the era of Saint Vladimir, this Varangian principality was conquered by the Rurik family, and from then on it became part of the Rurik family.
At that time, Vladimir proposed a marriage alliance to the Principality of Polotsk, but received only the reply, "I will not take off the boots for the son of a slave girl." This undoubtedly angered Vladimir, as his mother was indeed a slave girl, and taking off boots was the last part of a Rus' marriage ceremony. In other words, Polotsk rejected Vladimir's marriage proposal and insulted Vladimir's origins.
Vladimir then naturally broke through Polotsk, and then raped the Prince of Polotsk's daughter in front of his subordinates and forcibly married her.
However, since this land was the last to be incorporated into the Rurik family, there was a powerful and restless group of Varangian retainers there. To appease and control this group, Vladimir could only enfeoff one of his sons to govern the area.
Also in Vladimir's era, after the Rurik Prince guarding this place died, the Grand Duke left this land to the descendants of that Prince, and the Principality of Polotsk thus became a hereditary property of one lineage.
From then on, Polotsk became a principality that appeared quite independent within the Rurik family, subordinate to the Grand Prince of Kyiv, but at the same time appearing independent.
During the chaotic period after Vladimir's death, Polotsk did not participate in the disputes, only later having some battles with Yaroslav, but these battles all ended peacefully. The two sides did not fight to the death, but reached a compromise with each other.
And in the current Kievan Rus ruled by the Yaroslavichs, Polotsk, ruled by non-Yaroslav descendants, appears quite an eyesore and quite an outlier.
Yaroslav considered kinship, but just as he thought, after he died, no one would recognize this kinship. In the eyes of his sons, Polotsk was just an unfamiliar outsider.
Yaroslav was helpless and sighed about this, but he did nothing, because he knew it was unavoidable. When the elders passed away, the bond connecting this large family would naturally break. Not to mention Polotsk's small actions during the Kiev uprising, then what would inevitably follow would be war.
The local ruler also knew this, so for more than forty years, the Principality of Polotsk has been silently developing itself, making the principality more prosperous, constantly expanding its influence towards the Baltic Sea, obtaining more tribute, earning more gold and silver, and most importantly, acquiring more troops.
The feudalization of the principality also deepened in this process. The vassals of the Prince of Polotsk brought the Prince's power to the countryside, continuously increasing the military strength owned by the Prince.
The current Prince of Polotsk, the famous Sorcerer Prince, Vseslav, who is rumored among his subjects to turn into a werewolf at night, is now very certain that even if the Yaroslavichs deployed all their forces, he could resist.
This is the result of Polotsk's efforts for countless years. Vseslav's father worked his entire life for this day.
And now, the Sorcerer Prince believes it is time to take that step.
This is not entirely his subjective action, but the growth of Polotsk's power over the years can no longer be hidden from Yaroslav's descendants. Kiev has already begun a series of probes and blockades against Polotsk.
And there's also the matter of the Kiev uprising. Everyone is tacitly silent about that matter, but that doesn't mean everyone has forgotten about it. It's just that everyone is waiting for a better time to make trouble.
Rumors of war have become increasingly intense over the years across Rus' as time has passed. It has now reached a point where anyone slightly concerned about the situation in Rus' can see it.
The situation and Kiev's probing made the Sorcerer Prince understand that he must act, otherwise he could only sit and wait for death. It is better for him to be the attacker than for Kiev to attack him.
However, Vseslav does not intend to march directly on Kiev. Instead, to everyone's surprise, he chose to attack a city far across from Kiev—Novgorod.
Vseslav's goal is to destroy Novgorod. This city has been Polotsk's biggest trade rival for many years, with constant friction and conflict between them.
Moreover, Kiev has always been supporting Novgorod, allowing Novgorod to suppress Polotsk commercially and constantly create trouble for them.
If it can be destroyed, then just like Rus' destroyed Khazaria, a large number of merchant caravans will shift to the destroyer. After all, if the original occupant of the ecological niche dies, a new one will rise.
And it can show all of Rus' that the Yaroslavichs cannot fully protect them, shaking the support of various regions for the Yaroslavichs.
Furthermore, destroying such a large city can yield a lot of gold and silver. If more gold and silver can be obtained, the Principality of Polotsk can hire more Norse mercenaries and better resist the Yaroslavichs. The Rurik family has their Norse connections, and Polotsk also has their connections.
And most importantly, this city is now controlled by Izyaslav's son. That boy's authority in this city is insufficient. Novgorod has always had its own will, and that child clearly cannot tame this city.
Now, in Polotsk, a large army has assembled.
Polotsk is the oldest city in the principality and also the most prosperous city. The prosperity and busyness of the principality are fully reflected here, and it is also an important trade hub in the area.
The recently rising city in the principality is Minsk, but unfortunately, it is still far behind Polotsk.
Now, a full four thousand soldiers are assembled beneath the outer walls of Minsk. This army is composed of the chieftains of the Principality of Polotsk and their subordinates, and Varangian mercenaries, which are Norse mercenaries.
There is also a mysterious group camping on the edge of the military camp, and they are the pagans of Polotsk. These guys worship perun, and they don't mind fighting for Vseslav. The relationship between this Prince and them is very ambiguous.
Of course, the main body of the army consists of the citizens of Polotsk. Citizen militias are always the mainstream of Rus' armies. The equipment of the Polotsk militia is significantly better than that of other cities, with many militiamen having iron armor. This is because three generations of Polotsk rulers have not been stingy in arming their citizens.
Undoubtedly, this army is the elite of the principality.
And if fully mobilized, with the strength of various vassal towns and tribes, Polotsk can field tens of thousands or even more troops. This is also Vseslav's courage to fight against the Yaroslavichs. This army is sufficient to face the allied forces of the Yaroslavichs.
However, the side effects are also obvious. Maintaining such a large army for a long time consumes the foundations of the Polotsk state, and this cannot be sustained for too long.
The main purpose of this expedition is to destroy Novgorod. Vseslav does not intend to occupy it. He believes that even if he occupied it, he would not be able to hold it, so a lean and efficient force is sufficient to solve the problem.
From the tower in Polotsk, the Sorcerer Prince looked at the tents below, which occupied the white wilderness outside the city like mushrooms, and at his powerful army, but there was no smile on his face.
According to rumors, Vseslav always wore an amniotic membrane on his head, dressing himself like a sorcerer, but now he was dressed like a normal Rus' nobleman, wearing a robe, wrapped in a large coat, with a crown of gold and silver on his head.
The Sorcerer Prince is now 36 years old. Time has left many marks on him, but at the same time, it has made his inner self stronger.
Even though he had assembled such a large army, even though he had made up his mind to fight the Yaroslavichs, and even though he was prepared to go down in a blaze of glory, he still couldn't help but ask himself internally.
Was he truly ready? The efforts and cultivation of three generations of his family were now about to be staked on a gamble for power. Was he truly ready?
Vseslav understood that if this challenge failed, their family would face encirclement from All Rus. Yaroslav's descendants had always disliked him, and after noticing his growing strength, they certainly wouldn't let him live.
Once he failed, it would be an irreversible disaster, and his entire family might even be wiped out.
So Vseslav stood there, looking at his army. Only by seeing that large army below could his heart feel a little comfort and security.
"However, ultimately, this is something I cannot decide."
Vseslav said, a hint of relief finally appearing in his tone, which would surprise his retainers because the Sorcerer Prince's words had been full of tension and seriousness during this period.
His relief came from realizing that this was not something he could decide. However, he had repeated this realization several times, showing his inner turmoil.
After all, Vseslav still harbored fear about going all-in. He was constantly making small moves, but this time, it was a gamble, and if he messed up, three generations of effort could be lost.
"Prince, according to your orders, I have released the news. Outsiders will only think we are marching against the Lithuanians again."
A voice interrupted Vseslav's thoughts. The owner of the voice was Stepan, Vseslav's important vassal.
Compared to Vseslav, Stepan was much stronger, as tall as an iron tower, and with his fur cloak, he looked even more like a barbarian.
However, his speech and demeanor were very orderly; one could tell he was an educated noble.
Stepan's origins were as a Norse vassal of Polotsk. His ancestors came to this land when the principality was first established, and even after the principality's ruler became a Rurik Prince, their family's influence remained significant.
By Stepan's generation, this Norse family had completely Rus'ified, and the entire Varangian vassal group had done the same.
However, Norse blood remained the bond that united their group, and Stepan was the spokesman for this vassal group, thus being heavily relied upon by the Prince.
The Varangian vassals had always benefited from Polotsk's expansion. The Sorcerer Prince was never stingy with gold and silver; he was also a ruler who deeply understood the principle of using wealth to wield power. Therefore, the Varangian vassals became increasingly loyal to Vseslav, and their cooperation also made Vseslav stronger.
"When the Yaroslavichs discover that the army, which should have been campaigning against the Lithuanians, appears in Novgorod, I truly look forward to their expressions."
Vseslav said to himself, his tone rising. Only then could his mood relax a little; he greatly enjoyed the feeling of having "tricked" everyone.
Polotsk had always been campaigning against the Baltic tribes led by Lithuania. The pattern here had become "life is not going well, fight Lithuania."
Moreover, these wars indeed allowed Polotsk to acquire many useful resources, so they were constantly ongoing.
Therefore, campaigning against Lithuania could not cause any surprise; at most, people might think Polotsk had sent more troops this time. No one expected that the target of this army would actually be Novgorod.
However, even if they knew the target was Novgorod, it wouldn't cause any commotion. These veterans were eager to plunder Novgorod, which would actually boost their morale.
Everyone thought their next direction of attack was Lithuania, and many were discussing how to sell the goods they would plunder from Lithuania.
"How is Novgorod? Are there any unusual movements there?"
After enjoying his moment of psychological satisfaction, Vseslav asked about the situation in Novgorod. The situation there was crucial, and he had to ask, as it concerned the entire operation.
Although he already had an idea, he still wanted to hear what others had to say, so he could be at ease.
"What else could it be? Everyone treats Izyaslav's little brat as just a mascot, and Ostromir has been dead for a year. There's no one in Novgorod who can stand up and lead the city. Once our army appears in Novgorod, it will surely scare that child into fleeing, and once he runs, Novgorod won't even have a nominal supreme authority. The Veche will certainly go its own way, arguing endlessly, and by then, the city will be ours."
Stepan spoke like a machine gun, showing his understanding of Novgorod. This was normal, as a noble of Polotsk, Stepan had always closely followed that city, paying attention to any news that could bring profit.
"And the roads? No problems there either?"
Nodding subconsciously, Vseslav continued to ask. This was actually the fourth time Vseslav had asked this question. He was ultimately very uneasy about these things and needed to ask several times.
"The tribes are already preparing the roads, and as agreed, the common people don't know why the roads are being prepared; they think the chieftains have nothing to do. Smolensk won't notice our movements."
Stepan did not get angry about being asked about this again; he just continued to speak quickly.
"Good, all very good. From now on, our only concern is one unstable factor: Rostislav..."
Upon mentioning this name, Vseslav seemed to chew on it. This grandson of Yaroslav had shown abilities completely beyond his expectations. In recent years, he had done very well in Northeast Rus, and now he had become an object worthy of attention.
After all, in North Rus, the only one capable of affecting his actions was Rostislav, and this boy had also once been a Prince of Novgorod, so he must have been full of longing for that city.
Unlike the other three Prince of Rus who paid little attention to this ruler of Northeast Rus, Vseslav was very concerned about Rostislav, because the conflicts between Riga, which was subservient to him, and Polotsk had always been numerous, even after the spheres of influence were defined, both sides tacitly crossed borders and engaged in skirmishes.
"Prince, we don't need to worry too much. You don't need to be so concerned about this boy. Our action will be swift and powerful. Perhaps by the time everything is over, that boy won't even have reacted."
Stepan said confidently. They had prepared for so long and done so much; why should they still worry about a young man's potential disruption? Given the secrecy of their operation, everything might be over before that boy even noticed.
"That's good, that's good." Vseslav murmured, "Stepan, go back to your business. I want to stay here for a while longer. Don't mind me."
The Prince gave the order, and Stepan naturally had to obey, but there was some dissatisfaction in the noble's eyes. In his opinion, Vseslav was good at everything, but when it came to making decisions, he was simply too indecisive, always worrying and worrying.
However, fortunately, although he worried constantly, he never abolished a planned action because of it. The Sorcerer Prince knew that the dice had been cast and everything was irreversible.
Vseslav continued to look at the army, at the city, and continued to be lost in thought.
However, one thing would not change: when the time came, he would immediately lead the army to embark on the campaign he was so worried about.
This was how the Sorcerer Prince was: he would worry, he would hesitate, he would make a decision and then be afraid, but he would never change a command after giving it, because it would bring him no benefit, only bad consequences.
So, once a decision was made, the next step was to move forward, without looking back, only advancing, and this philosophy of action was ultimately proven correct.
But whether it would still be effective this time was hard to say...
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