Gulag, a name derived from Rostislav's twisted sense of humor, was met with confusion by everyone, but as it was the Prince's command, they could only accept it.
And as various rumors about this prison spread, gradually, "I'll send you to Gulag to carry wood" became a common curse word among the residents of Moscow and even Northeast Rus.
This prison, resembling a fortress, was entirely constructed of brick and tile, capable of holding three hundred prisoners simultaneously, though it always housed more.
The warden, of course, was "Bloody Hand" Gvaran, who managed the scoundrels there with an iron fist, and he would not let them stay in their cells all day; every day, he would have guards escort groups of fifty prisoners to the forest opposite Gulag to chop and carry wood.
This wood would then be sent to Moscow, becoming material for the city's growth, and the funds generated would be used to improve the prison's issues.
As for what those prison issues were, they naturally involved enhancing the guards' protective levels and combat effectiveness, continuously strengthening their deterrence over prisoners, and maintaining prison security.
The guards of Gulag were not weak either; they were assembled by Gvaran through his prestige, composed of retired veterans and mercenaries, each with blood on their hands, making even the most vicious criminals obedient in their presence.
On normal days, the guards wore black chainmail and carried flails, inspiring awe.
However, because of this, many suspected that Rostislav had Gvaran appointed as warden and gathered such a group of people, most likely for future deployment... but rumors are just rumors, without basis.
Conditions in Gulag were very poor, with too many people crammed into each cell, forcing everyone to sleep on the ground; in such large cells, anything could happen, and all sorts of evils were commonplace, such as food being stolen, which was routine, and even sodomy.
Several corpses were produced here every week, and the guards merely cleared the bodies and left, not caring at all about what had happened, as these guys were all scoundrels anyway, and it was better if they all died.
As released prisoners spread news of the prison, various horror stories also increased; for example, some said Gvaran even flayed people and had a special room for these things, further demonizing Gvaran's image.
Gvaran, however, didn't care; his reputation was already in tatters anyway, so they could fabricate whatever they wanted, he let them be.
To have a better life in this prison, one could only bribe Gvaran to be assigned to a less crowded cell or even a single cell.
And to leave earlier, there was only one option: become a Gulag guard, and even then, becoming a guard was not simply a matter of saying so; it required rigorous testing, which could be fatal.
But upon passing, they could wear heavy armor, eat meat, drink wine, and have combat training every day, living a joyful life. There were only one hundred guards in total, but even if everyone in this normally overcrowded prison rioted, they could not stand against them.
In the eyes of many, Gulag was where Rostislav raised wild beasts; those who hated Gvaran initially thought that the Captain of the Guard's departure meant he had completely lost power, but they never expected Rostislav to send this man to train and manage wild beasts.
The Gulag guards only left their fortress once, for an emergency deployment to defeat the rebellious bandits in Rostov; as a result, the guards arrived at the area three times faster than normal, then efficiently defeated the bandits and restored local stability.
But the problem was that these guys left behind many villages reduced to ashes along the way; afterwards, when the Prince asked them why, a simple "suspected of harboring rebels" silenced the Prince, as by this standard, most Northeast Rus villages could be killed, and while no one had actually done it, if one were to stretch the interpretation, well, it could indeed be stretched that way.
This also made Gvaran's opponents realize that this guy could at any time kill his way to Moscow and arrest them all, and they wouldn't even have time to react, which made them fear Gvaran even more, and at the same time, they no longer made things difficult for Domnal.
And now, on the large parade ground of the Gulag prison, prisoners, under the supervision of guards, were loading logs onto carts.
As for the warden of Gulag, he was in the high tower of the fortress, a place designated by the Prince as Lubyanka Tower.
Gvaran was there for a simple reason: he was talking with his son-in-law, Domnal Pence.
The Gael sat glumly before his "notorious" father-in-law, recounting the troubles he had encountered.
"...I really don't know what to do; those retainers this time openly proposed to separate from the Druzhina and become an entity equal to us."
This was a rare sight; normally, Domnar was full of confidence, so such a display was uncommon.
All along, although the Bodyguard and the Retainers were considered two units, legally, the Retainers had always been part of the Druzhina; now, the Retainers wanted to legally overturn this fact, which the Bodyguard could not accept.
Gvaran stood before his seated son-in-law, looking at Domnar's aggrieved expression, his disdain growing more severe; how could this kid not even handle such a matter?
And Domnar's grievance was also normal; he was not Gvaran, and his identity and experience destined him to have difficulty managing the Druzhina; merely maintaining daily affairs was already a frantic scramble.
The Gael usually felt a lot of pressure; he was afraid of not taking over his father-in-law's position well, and afraid that the Prince might be dissatisfied with the Druzhina in his territory.
It was also because of this that the Retainers seized this opportunity to cause trouble; they also did not want to be mixed with the Bodyguard, because if they remained under the legal framework of the Druzhina, then some promotions would have to come after the Bodyguard's, which they could not tolerate.
And the reason they tolerated it back then was that they believed the old men of the Druzhina would definitely not give promotion opportunities to those below them, and the future would eventually be theirs, but they never expected Gvaran to simply hand over the job to his son-in-law, and with his son-in-law's promotion, a group of young people also rose to power.
For this, they created a huge commotion, even bringing in the Prince's personal guards, such as the crossbowmen, to participate.
This matter made Domnar feel somewhat overwhelmed; both the Bodyguard and the Retainers were pressuring him, and the Prince's attitude was ambiguous, which truly made him unsure how to respond, so he came to his father-in-law.
"Don't cry like a woman, you are a man!"
Gvaran grabbed his son-in-law's arms, shaking him constantly, and even slapped Domnar, then began to mimic an aggrieved expression and said,
"What should I do? What should I do? Huh? Can problems really be solved like this?"
Due to Gvaran's exaggerated and comical performance, Domnar couldn't help but laugh, and with this laugh, the atmosphere finally eased, and Domnar was no longer so nervous.
"Those young men saw the leadership changes in our Bodyguard over the past three years and believe they can no longer completely replace us; as subordinates of the Druzhina, they have always had to be inferior to us in some matters, so they plan to start anew."
Although Gvaran had "retired," he still had a clear insight into the situation in Moscow, immediately seeing the core objective of the Retainers.
"The Prince's opinion is key; don't worry about what others think, but you must stand firm, resolutely oppose the Retainers' separation, first unite the Druzhina around yourself to ensure your strength is sufficient, then unite the standing army; these guys definitely don't want more independent units competing with them for positions."
Gvaran's foresight and methods were indeed sharp; in just a few words, he hit the crucial points for the Retainers and provided solutions.
"Overall, these are minor issues; don't look so flustered, be a man! Moreover, this struggle is just the beginning; there's a long road ahead. Also, you need to pay attention to one thing: these matters are merely struggles during peacetime and are not important to the Prince; the only important thing is performance on the battlefield, which determines the Prince's judgment of us, and that opportunity will come very soon."
"You..."
Hearing Gvaran say this, Domnar subconsciously spoke, as this warden was now hinting at Rus' politics.
"Don't be surprised, and you, kid, must have also noticed that there's been increasing unrest in the south lately; anyone can see that war is inevitable, and I'm all too familiar with this atmosphere. In short, keep working hard, don't forget your main job; if war comes, let it come, we live by war."
Gvaran actually forcefully changed the subject; sometimes, he didn't act like himself, as his son-in-law was a bigmouth, and his current position was sensitive, making it unsuitable for him to speak on these matters.
"I understand."
Domnar said; he understood his father-in-law's meaning, and the expression on his face was no longer so bitter, but had returned to its original confidence; finding direction made all the difference.
However, he then felt a bit dejected; Gvaran immediately saw the core of the problem, while he hadn't, which couldn't help but discourage him.
Gvaran observed his son-in-law's emotional changes. He stepped forward, patted his son-in-law's shoulder, and gave him a comforting smile.
"Take your time, don't rush; this is your first time dealing with such matters, you'll get used to it after a few more times. In a few years, you'll be able to see the core of the problem at a glance, just like me, and once you're outside the situation, you'll have a complete grasp of everything."
Gvaran said as he stood up; he had to continue their work, and as he walked out of the tower, he added a remark.
"When will you bring my grandson to see me?"
Domnar was startled to hear this, then he too smiled.
"Yes, I'll bring him next time."