March 1067, Kiev.
As the mother of all cities in All Rus, Kiev had always been the most prosperous place in All Rus, which is why every Rurik Prince wanted to become the ruler of Kiev.
Even if they couldn't return to Kiev, they would use Kiev as a blueprint to build their own cities.
As they did so, the culture from Kiev spread to the local areas, and the Rus' nation began to form through this dissemination.
It can be said that the spread of Rus' culture was closely related to the Rurik Prince; All Rus itself was a nation lacking in culture and cultural groups, so to spread the culture of Kiev, it could only rely on these Princes who grew up in Kiev and built cities modeled after Kiev.
This created a paradox: if the Rurik Prince were not enfeoffed to various places, and no cultural and ideological unity was established, then the Rus' nation could not form, and complete fragmentation would easily occur.
However, if the Rurik Prince were enfeoffed to various places, it would certainly lead to the political fragmentation of All Rus, but an ideological and national commonality would remain.
Rostislav was also very confused about this issue; although he had a bureaucracy, this group couldn't even fill Moscow and its surrounding areas, and he didn't know how to solve this problem.
But the current focus wasn't that, but the present Kiev.
As the ruler of Kiev, Izyaslav Yaroslavich Rurik should have been the person with the least worries in All Rus.
All Rus submitted to his authority, and all Princes paid tribute to Kiev (through caravan shares), countless gold and silver entered his treasury every year, and his army was the strongest in all of All Rus.
But now, he was troubled within the Vladimir Palace, troubled while sitting on Yaroslav's throne.
Yaroslav's palace had changed quite a bit over the years; if the Vladimir Palace previously resembled the residence of a scholarly ruler, always filled with books and artifacts, it now merely resembled the palace of an ordinary ruler, with mediocre and uninteresting decorations.
Since becoming Grand Prince of Kyiv these past years, Izyaslav's authority had grown stronger, and the aura that once only appeared on his father, Yaroslav, was now quite present in him; he now more closely resembled a Grand Prince of Kyiv.
The reason for his distress was simple: the events that transpired in the north last month were truly dazzling, with intricate and intertwined relationships.
First, Vseslav of Polotsk's army launched a surprise attack on Novgorod, then his son fled the city, and then his nephew rescued the city and was elected Prince of Novgorod.
Izyaslav had too many things he hadn't expected: he hadn't expected Vseslav to directly attack Novgorod, hadn't expected his son to abandon the city directly, and even less had he expected his nephew to react so quickly, seizing Novgorod at this opportunity.
Initially, Izyaslav suspected there might be some conspiracy, but as more information came in, that idea disappeared, and then he felt both a headache and embarrassment.
"So, what do you all think?"
A meeting was held today for this matter, and the key officials of the Grand Prince of Kyiv's court were all present; they had been secretly whispering, but as the Grand Duke spoke, they immediately fell silent.
The first to speak was Izyaslav's eldest son, Yaropolk.
"Father, we should demand that Rostislav immediately relinquish Novgorod; it should be the property of the Grand Prince of Kyiv, and we are fully entitled to reclaim our property. After he yields it, we can then go and conquer Polotsk."
As the eldest son of the Grand Prince of Kyiv and the future Grand Prince of Kyiv, Yaropolk believed that both Kiev and Novgorod were their family's rightful property, so naturally, they should demand them from Rostislav; at most, they would give Rostislav some compensation, but the city could never be given to him.
In response to his answer, the Grand Prince of Kyiv shook his head with considerable disappointment; what he needed now were not these platitudes, not recitations of scripture—according to scripture, even pagans should all die—this child still needs more experience.
Noticing the Grand Duke's disappointment, Kosnyachko, the Kyiv Governor, immediately spoke. This was the most important figure in the Kiev court, in charge of the city's military and administration, and Izyaslav's most trusted subordinate.
"Rostislav being elected Prince of Novgorod is, after all, legitimate and lawful; we can hardly find fault with it... Grand Duke, I suggest that the matter of Novgorod should be put on hold for a while. The key now is not Novgorod, but rather to conquer the rebels of Polotsk. It is time to use your authority to summon the armies of All Rus and let the rebels see your power."
The old official's answer was extraordinary; he immediately grasped the crux of the problem. The Kyiv Governor's answer made the Grand Duke nod in satisfaction; this was the kind of answer he wanted to hear.
He had originally thought his son could say these things, but he was just reciting scripture, and now his important court official had to smooth things over to prevent him from having to explain it himself.
As Izyaslav thought, he couldn't help but cast a disappointed glance at his son; if the Governor hadn't reacted quickly, he would have been embarrassed in front of everyone.
Yaropolk still looked bewildered, and his face was also filled with displeasure because of his father's disregard for him.
This made the Grand Duke feel even more of a headache. Why couldn't this boy be like Rostislav? The Moscow Prince was only a few years older than him, so why was his nephew so capable while his own son was still like this?
"Then let's do as Kosnyachko suggested. Governor, you go and issue the orders first, to my brothers. There's no need for Rostislav; that child must already be preparing. All right, now everyone except Yaropolk may withdraw."
The Kyiv Governor immediately left after receiving the order, and along with him, everyone else in the room also withdrew. Everyone moved quickly, as they all could tell that the Grand Duke wanted to speak with his son.
"Father, I don't understand, why aren't we taking back Novgorod? It's clearly our family's property! Didn't grandfather give it all to us?"
As soon as the court members left, Yaropolk began to question his father, asking why his father had ignored him directly; he had never been like this before.
To this, Izyaslav had a completely pained expression; how could this boy understand nothing, and why was he still saying these meaningless things?
Yaropolk was also bewildered; his father first ignored his suggestion, then agreed to the Governor's opposing advice. This was truly baffling, so his temper flared, and he directly lashed out at his father.
"Enough! Haven't you understood the situation yet?"
Izyaslav, who had always been good-tempered, finally erupted, yelling at his son.
And with that roar, Yaropolk finally quieted down. No matter how old, a child is still a child, and instinctively shrinks back in the face of a father's anger.
Moreover, he knew that his father had always had a good temper, and if he got angry, it meant he was truly upset, so it was best to lower his head obediently.
"Your cousin's taking of Novgorod is completely reasonable. This time, it was your brother who was too useless, which put us in such a predicament. Now we can only recognize Rostislav's kingship. Furthermore, this is not the most important thing right now; the most important thing is to suppress the rebels of Polotsk!"
The Grand Prince of Kyiv rubbed his temples, easing the headache caused by his anger. He didn't want to treat his child this way, but if not now, then when? Should they let their mother, who always protected them, handle it?
"Polotsk openly starting a war is the number one problem. As the Grand Prince of Kyiv, as the maintainer of order in All Rus, what I should do is immediately lead the army to encircle and annihilate this fellow, understand? This concerns the family's authority in All Rus. If we can't even do this, then I shouldn't even be the Grand Prince of Kyiv. So, do you still think Novgorod is very important? Don't be foolish! What's important now is to eliminate Polotsk! How can you not even realize this!"
Under Izyaslav's barrage of reprimands, the defiance on Yaropolk's face disappeared. This Kiev Prince realized that his father was right, although he was very reluctant to admit it.
"And Mstislav's performance was too embarrassing, severely damaging the family's prestige. Now, go find your brother and tell him to prepare for battle. I am very dissatisfied, very dissatisfied with his performance in Novgorod. I hope he can show some improvement in the upcoming battle, understand?"
The Grand Prince of Kyiv said this at last, and this time Yaropolk showed no defiance whatsoever. He then became subservient to his father, like a subordinate, indicating his agreement.
Then Izyaslav told his son to leave, and this time his son obediently followed the order. As he watched his son's figure depart, the Grand Prince of Kyiv's heart did not feel any relief despite his son's apparent obedience. Both of his adult sons performed so… sadly. What should he do in the future?
In contrast, Vladimir's (referring to the protagonist's father) son was so outstanding. Izyaslav was truly at a loss for words; he could only hope that this boy would grow up in the future, otherwise, if they inherited his position in their current state, Izyaslav dared not imagine what would happen.
However, his dejection did not last long. Izyaslav was not a person who dwelled in emotions for long. After composing himself, he resumed his work. War was about to begin, and things would immediately become busy.