John Sokar had been feeling uneasy lately, and today, in particular, his unease had intensified greatly.
Bothered by this feeling, Sokar walked onto the wooden walls of Torzhok, as he always did when he felt uncomfortable; seeing his territory always made him feel much better.
Torzhok was a typical Rus' wooden city, but most of its residents were immigrants from the steppe. Therefore, besides wooden houses, there were also many Nomad felt tents within the city, as some people still preferred living in tents.
Beyond the wooden walls, there were fields of Nomad tents and herds of cattle and sheep moving about, with Nomads leisurely driving their flocks. Many areas had also been converted into farmland, where Nomads who had become farmers were cultivating the land.
This was a harmonious scene of production, a sight rarely seen on the southern steppes. It was said that recently, another warlord had emerged on the southern steppes, uniting everyone, and no one knew where this fellow planned to invade next.
Seeing this scene, Sokar's mood finally eased, and his unease became less pronounced. As the leader of nearly eighty thousand Nomads, what did he have to fear?
In these three years, Sokar first married Varu's widow, and then he naturally became the Lord of Torzhok and the leader of the Northeast Rus Nomad tribes.
Sokar was different from Varu; his methods for dealing with opponents were extremely cruel, and it was this cruelty that made him the leader of the Nomads. These fellows from the steppe were tough and unyielding, and killing a few of them made them obedient.
Moreover, Sokar, with the Prince's command, had purged those tribes that engaged in looting and were employed by pagans, proving his status with bloody heads. Nothing was more effective than death.
Whenever this happened, Sokar couldn't help but sigh that Varu was too weak. If he had been like this earlier, there would have been no trouble, no opponents.
Instead, Varu compromised and negotiated with those tribes, which only made those fellows take an inch and demand a mile, becoming more and more excessive.
Rostislav was very satisfied with the results of Sokar's actions. He was pleased that these Nomads were integrated instead of harassing his territory and disrupting agricultural production in Northeast Rus, and these Nomads were increasingly becoming farmers.
And most importantly, he was happy to see a person with a Rus' face in control of these Nomad cavalry. The Nomad cavalry of Torzhok was very important to his strategy.
Sokar's loyalty to Rostislav also increased accordingly. He knew that everything he had now was given by Rostislav, and due to his mother's lineage, he felt closer to the Rus' people, so there were many Rus' people in his territory.
Sokar strongly encouraged the Rus', or rather, a settled way of life, and under his encouragement, more and more Nomads took up hoes. He hoped his tribe would be Rus'-ified soon.
As for himself, he had long been completely Rus'-ified in appearance and accent. From the outside, he looked like a native Rus' noble, as if he had lived in this land since birth.
Sokar hoped that he, or his descendants, would one day become influential figures in the Moscow Court.
As for his stepsons, Sokar sent them to Moscow to be cupbearers. Sending these children to Moscow to develop was also for their own good, as Sokar couldn't guarantee that one day his subordinates might "share the chief's worries" and then kill the children.
Inheritance was out of the question; they should honestly develop within the Moscow Court. Whether they would be servants for life or become nobles, that depended on themselves.
However, in Sokar's view, the former was unlikely. When they came of age, they would certainly be appointed nobles by Rostislav. The Moscow Prince had always been willing to take care of the children of deceased vassals.
Regarding this, Moscow only sent someone to inquire and then it was over. Rostislav had no interest in interfering in such matters, because that was how it was in this era; it was perfectly normal for orphans and widows to be bullied.
Rostislav was unwilling to manage such matters. Moreover, since Varu's widow chose to marry Sokar, she must have anticipated such a situation. Now, this was already someone else's family matter, and he couldn't interfere at all.
Initially, Sokar's wife, Varu's widow, was still causing trouble, but once Sokar got her pregnant, she settled down. It was clear that this woman was aware of these unwritten rules, and she even had to thank Sokar for not rooting out the problem.
Therefore, Varu was very puzzled by his current unease. Whether in politics or in terms of descendants, he was on an upward trajectory, rising higher. Why was he so uneasy?
If there was any bad news, at most it was just some rumors among farmers and Nomads that there seemed to be a large army marching in the forests to the west.
But no one could provide evidence, and Varu dismissed it as a rumor among farmers.
Such things were common. Farmers would often spread absurd rumors; even a black-clad rider galloping through a village in the middle of the night could be spread as a "black-clad messenger of death."
While Varu was pondering, a group of riders suddenly appeared in his sight. This group of travelers was wrapped in cloaks, looking travel-worn.
Sokar's eyes narrowed, because he saw the person leading the group. He knew that person; wasn't it Edward? They had fought side by side back then. Why was he back in Northeast Rus?
Although he was puzzled, his actions didn't stop. He immediately walked down the city wall and called for his attendants.
Edward was Rostislav's in-law, a figure in the Moscow Court. No matter why he came to Northeast Rus, he had to be treated well.
"We've arrived, we've finally arrived, Torzhok."
Just as Sokar was leaving the city, Edward looked at the Rus' wooden city and said, his words carrying a sense of relief.
The journey had been too stressful, and they had to avoid Polotsk's scouts along the way, constantly worrying about whether they had been discovered.
Now that they had finally entered the territory of Northeast Rus, Edward immediately felt at ease. No matter how arrogant the people of Polotsk were, they couldn't possibly run over here. It would definitely be safe here.
Moreover, he knew a little about John Sokar. Although he came from the steppe, his reputation was very good, and now he had become the Lord of Torzhok, belonging to a trustworthy person.
As Edward was pondering the information, Sokar, whom he was thinking of, also came to meet him. Behind him was a troop of steppe cavalry. These steppe cavalry wore pointed helmets, looking more like Rus' warriors.
Sokar was dressed completely like a Rus' noble, which was similar to his predecessor, Varu. However, Sokar had not learned Varu's weakness, so no one dared to ignore him.
As Sokar galloped by, whether it was the farmers in the fields or the travelers on the road, they all bowed in respect to him, showing the authority of this Lord.
"Lord Edward Wessex, is that right? Long time no see. May I ask why you have returned to Northeast Rus?"
The Lord of Torzhok skillfully stopped his warhorse and called out to Edward.
"It's me, Lord Sokar, it has been a long time. I plan to settle down here."
Edward also stopped his warhorse. It was then that Sokar noticed Edward's unusually travel-worn appearance. The Lord instinctively felt that something was wrong, but his face showed no expression.
"So you've returned. Then the Moscow Court will have another person... But what happened? Lord Edward, why did you come in such a hurry? Did someone rob you? Tell me which tribe it was, and I will teach them a lesson."
Sokar first realized that the Moscow Court would gain another important figure, and then he wondered if one of the tribes had robbed Edward and his companions.
Although he had tamed most of the tribes in his territory, it was difficult to prevent robberies, as it was too easy to destroy evidence.
If it was indeed one of his subordinates who attacked Edward, then he must deal with it seriously, because this person could speak to Lord Rostislav and would surely hold a high position in the Moscow Court in the future. His surname and relationship with the Rurik family determined that this was inevitable, so he had to take it seriously.
"No, no, it wasn't an attack, Lord Sokar. The situation is very complex. Let's discuss it inside the castle."
Edward said in a serious tone. Seeing this, Sokar also realized that it might be a very important matter.
Edward had some communication with him before; although this noble was usually jovial, his seriousness indicated that something might truly happen.
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Naturally, Torzhok's castle was also a typical Rus' style fortress, and its interior decoration was even more so.
Edward noticed several landscape paintings hanging on the walls of the lord's hall. This was a custom that originated from the Moscow Court, and Sokar naturally took the Moscow Court as his role model, acquiring a few for himself.
However, from Edward's perspective, having seen the paintings in the Moscow Court, these few were truly unsightly, incomparable to the works of those imperial capital painters. But the presence of these things indicated that this Nomad lord's taste was still quite good, at least better than that of a pure barbarian.
Edward first handed Sokar the letter entrusted to him by Sogier. The ruler of Riga had asked him to deliver a few letters when Edward left. Sokar sighed a few times upon receiving the letter, as his relationship with the Riga ruler was also very good.
But he did not open the letter immediately, because Edward had not yet spoken about his own matter.
Then, Edward mentioned the main reason for his solemnity: "Polotsk's army is moving towards Novgorod. They are clearly well-prepared, and their numbers are very large, with many troops."
This made Sokar pause, but he obviously didn't believe it at first, and then he asked, "Are you sure? If it's true, then I must act."
The reason Sokar said "he must act" was because, from the very beginning, the existence of Torzhok and the Nomads near it was for one thing—to enter Novgorod when necessary.
The Moscow Prince had always been very concerned about Novgorod, and Rostislav very much wanted to reclaim his father's inheritance. Therefore, the Nomads who migrated to Northeast Rus were settled in this area precisely so that, when necessary, troops loyal to Rostislav could quickly reach Novgorod.
After John Sokar took over Varu's position, Rostislav summoned him to his office for a secret talk. The content of the conversation was simple: he gave Sokar the power to "act independently."
That is to say, if he believed the opportunity had arrived, he could personally dispatch troops to Novgorod and capture the city for the Moscow Prince.
Varu had once been entrusted with such a responsibility, but unfortunately, he did not live to see the day he would use that power.
And now, Sokar was also entrusted, but at the same time, Rostislav also gave that warning: he must confirm the feasibility of the matter before acting.
If he caused trouble, the Moscow Prince would not back him up, and might even have to impose some symbolic punishment.
So Sokar asked Edward again, emphasizing the words "if it's true" very heavily, showing that his mood had been stirred by this matter. After all, this was a task assigned by Rostislav; if he completed it, he might well rise to a higher level.
"I am very certain, because I saw everything with my own eyes, lying by the roadside for several hours. And those were Polotsk's elites. Everyone who came with me can prove it. Besides, haven't there already been such rumors among your subjects?"
Edward's words were full of certainty. In fact, he was also aware of Sokar's responsibility, as he was also considered to be in the Prince's circle. It was for this reason that he reported this news so solemnly, rather than reporting it to Rostislav in Moscow.
And on the way there, he also inquired about news from Torzhok's territory, learning that news of the large army's movement had, more or less, spread. Such things are ultimately unavoidable, even if one takes small paths and eliminates everyone encountered.
"Tsk…"
Sokar fell into a dilemma. He knew that this was a great achievement. If he could use this to take Novgorod, then he would become Rostislav's favorite in the future, and his status in the Moscow Court would also further improve.
But if this was false, then he would become a pawn discarded by the Prince, and it would then be almost impossible for him to enter the Moscow Court.
This made him very conflicted; risk and reward were equal, it just depended on how he acted—either prosper or suffer loss.
Sokar pondered, and everyone in the hall remained silent. They all knew Sokar was deep in thought, and no one disturbed him.
"That child in Novgorod definitely won't be able to maintain the situation against Polotsk's large army. There's no one there who can take charge. Although I don't go there, I've always had informants there. By then, the situation in Novgorod will become very interesting… I've decided, I will immediately dispatch troops to Novgorod. Whatever the Polotsk people intend to do, Torzhok's army will supervise from the side and act as the situation dictates."
Sokar ultimately decided to act, partly out of a desire for merit, and partly out of trust in Edward.
Edward had been in Rus' for so many years and had never done anything unreliable. Even after all these years, his good reputation still remained.
"Lord Edward, I will send someone to Moscow as soon as possible. Here, I would like to ask you to accompany me to Polotsk."
Sokar was being careful, and then said to Edward.
Edward, of course, understood that he was being pulled in to share the risk; with him there, some accusations could be avoided. Edward showed a knowing smile in response.
He had originally planned to bring a gift to Rostislav when he returned. Going to Novgorod with Sokar certainly carried risks, but the potential gains were also enormous. Edward did not want Rostislav to think he was coming to seek refuge; he needed to bring some gifts to prove himself.
For example, the second largest city in Rus'? This gift seems very good and qualified enough.
"Of course, no problem, Lord Sokar. Then, a pleasant cooperation?"
Edward agreed very readily. This time it was Sokar's turn to be stunned. He hadn't expected Edward to be so decisive, and to show such an active attitude of wanting to get involved. After his momentary stunned, he quickly grasped the outstretched hand.
"Of course, a pleasant cooperation."
Soon after the two reached an agreement, a team of envoys rushed out of Torzhok in all directions. They were going to rally the various Nomad tribes.
Sokar issued a full mobilization order, meaning that all tribes must bring their able-bodied men. This indicated that a major war was imminent, and something big was about to happen.
In Torzhok, the gates of the wooden city's armory were pulled open. Sokar's own people gathered the earliest, and then they continuously took out weapons and armor from within.
The Torzhok armory contained a large number of weapons and armor, because since the time of Varu, due to their responsibility as a mobile force, the Lord of Torzhok had been accumulating weapons and armor. Sokar naturally inherited this policy, and now the fruits of this policy could finally be enjoyed.
The Nomads moved quickly. Just one day later, the Nomad soldiers under Torzhok's command had already gathered. A full two thousand men appeared in Torzhok, and each person brought two to three horses for changing mounts or carrying goods.
Even after arriving in Northeast Rus, these herdsmen still maintained their herding habits, and it was precisely this habit that allowed them to maintain the luxurious number of warhorses characteristic of Nomads.
The core force among these two thousand men was Sokar's five hundred, each wearing iron armor. Although most of it was scale cuirass, this was iron armor, iron armor! How many people didn't even have a piece of iron sheet?
As for the other Nomads, they were also equipped with a good deal of ironware. This was indeed the cream of Torzhok's forces.
"Depart! Our target is Novgorod!"
In front of the Nomad army, Sokar roared, and he was answered by fervent war cries. Then, this powerful cavalry force began to advance, heading towards Novgorod.
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