Although Mstislav Izyaslavich Rurik had long served as the Prince of Novgorod, he never felt a sense of belonging to the city.
From the very beginning, he was unwilling to go to such a northern place; Kiev was where he grew up, his hometown. He didn't want to go to an unfamiliar place, but his father's will ultimately made him yield and obediently go to this great northern city.
Even after arriving in the city, Mstislav still disliked everything about it. He disliked the unruly people there, the excessively cold weather, and even more, the vast numbers of pagans outside the city.
But he had already arrived here and could only accept it. He hoped that time would allow him to successfully rule this city, but reality often went against his wishes.
He had been here for twelve whole years, but he had never gained power over this city.
Before, he could use his youth as an excuse, but now he was an adult. Ostromir was dead, yet he still couldn't get close to the city's real power.
The administrators below him used various methods to put off this young man, their eyes full of contempt and disregard for him. These people always compared Mstislav to his cousin Rostislav, believing that Mstislav was far inferior to Rostislav at his age, and then they would heap on more disparagement.
Therefore, the young Mstislav was unwilling to fight for Novgorod. After all, this city had never welcomed him as Prince, nor recognized him as Prince. If they liked his cousin Rostislav so much, then let them go find Rostislav.
So he ran away, fleeing after hearing the endless rumors about the Polotsk army.
Running away was simple: just find a city gate that wasn't facing the main Polotsk army. No one dared to stop him from leaving the city gate, so he left with his Druzhina.
Mstislav wanted to return to Kiev, to his home, to his father's side. He had suffered enough contempt in this damned city. Let them do whatever they wanted; he didn't care about the fate of these people at all.
As for how his father would be enraged by his actions, let his father be. He had to return to Kiev no matter what; he was utterly disgusted by this city!
So when the people sent by the administrators entered the castle, they found that the Prince had already fled, not even taking this year's Novgorod taxes with him.
Upon learning that the Prince was gone, everyone was undoubtedly in a panic. Though they no longer treated the Prince as important, they all understood the Prince's significance to the city. Without the Prince, the soldiers' morale would crumble!
For a hundred years, Novgorod had always desired to have a Rurik Prince of their own, but they had never succeeded. This alone showed the importance of a Rurik Prince to this city.
The news of the Prince's escape quickly leaked out. After all, it had to pass through so many administrators' hands, and the more people involved, the greater the chance of a leak. Soon, the entire city wall knew the news, and the Novgorod Militia frantically shouted, making the news spread even faster.
Even outside the city, the news was heard. Vseslav, wearing bright golden scale armor, with dragon patterns on his gauntlets, and a pointed helmet embroidered with various monsters, laughed. Everything was unfolding just as he had predicted.
Moreover, that Yaroslavich inside the city was even more useless than he had imagined, actually fleeing directly and leaving the entire city to him.
However, he still needed to add some fuel to the fire for them.
Vseslav thought, then he raised his right hand. As his hand went up, a series of battle cries erupted from behind the Prince.
These battle cries were in the local Polotsk dialect, which the Novgorod people naturally didn't understand. To them, these were the battle cries of distant pagans, the hellish roars of the Polotsk Prince's black magic army, which inevitably filled them with dread.
In fact, Vseslav had always been puzzled by the absurd rumors about sorcery around him. Was it not just that his mother made him an amniotic membrane as an amulet? How did the story spread so ridiculously?
However, despite its absurdity, and despite the Polotsk Prince's constant private complaints, he quickly realized the benefits this terrifying reputation could bring.
Fear is a very useful tool. If you cannot make yourself loved, then let them fear you.
But the key is to use it in the right place, and Vseslav was precisely someone who knew how to use fear.
This scene greatly terrified the Novgorod Militia on the city wall, their fear of the enemy amplified by what they saw.
Seeing that the time was ripe, Vseslav waved his hand and ordered an attack. Given Novgorod's state, his army would certainly take it. He would let his soldiers go in and slaughter.
But at this moment, a cavalry unit suddenly charged from another direction, coming from the other side of the Volkhov River, moving parallel to the Polotsk army.
Their target was none other than Novgorod, and their momentum was immense. The dust they kicked up almost obscured everyone's vision, indicating the large number of cavalry.
This sudden appearance of cavalry confused both sides. Novgorod thought it was Polotsk cavalry attacking from another direction, and they instantly became even more panicked. There weren't many defenders in that other direction, and this way, they wouldn't even have a chance to escape.
The Polotsk Prince was very confused. He clearly hadn't arranged any troops over there? What was going on with this cavalry unit? To whom did they belong?
At this point, the Polotsk Prince didn't dare to launch an attack. He immediately called a halt to the advancing troops. He had to figure out what was happening over there before he could act.
But with a river in between, it was difficult to figure out what was going on, and it would take time for the scouts he sent to return with a report.
As all parties hesitated, the cavalry unit arrived beneath the walls of Novgorod. However, they did not immediately begin to scale the walls or assume a siege posture. Instead, they shouted beneath the city gate.
"I am John Sokar! Rostislav sent me to reinforce you! I am Rostislav's vassal! Open the gate! Open it quickly!"
This news was undoubtedly a lifesaver for the panicked people of Novgorod. At this moment, they welcomed anyone who came to their aid.
The Novgorod people knew with their toes what those Polotsk bastards would do if they got in, so they needed reinforcements.
Furthermore, hearing about Rostislav made the Novgorod Militia on the city wall even more excited. Novgorod welcomed Rostislav. After seeing the Moscow Prince's series of achievements, Novgorod deeply regretted why Rostislav wasn't their Prince, as Novgorod had always yearned for a talented Prince to lead them.
And Rostislav was the most suitable. His father had once been the Prince of Novgorod, and he grew up in Novgorod. In everyone's eyes, Rostislav was a native-born Novgorodian.
But then, doubts arose on the city wall. How could they confirm that he was Rostislav's man? Could it be just by that flag?
This caution was very normal. Opening the gate rashly, who knew who was down there? If it were the enemy, they would be finished.
This immediately stumped Sokar. He really didn't have a good way to prove his identity.
Although he lived in Torzhok, the closest place to Novgorod, and was Rostislav's vassal who could reach the city the fastest, he truly hadn't visited this city many times.
At this moment, Edward stood up. He directly announced his identity: Edward Wessex.
Upon seeing Edward's face, shouts of recognition came from above, and then the gate opened. This quickly stunned Sokar, but he didn't think much of it. The key now was to enter the city.
Later, Sokar learned that when Edward was still in Rus, he often went to Novgorod to play. There, he met many people, and many people also got to know him, and these people were influential figures in Novgorod.
Even after so many years, these people still recognized Edward, and now the commander of their city gate was a friend of Edward from back then, which showed how much of an impression this Anglo-Saxon had left on them.
Sokar's nomadic cavalry naturally galloped towards the other half of Novgorod's urban area, rushing to aid the situation there. They still didn't know that reinforcements had entered the city, so they couldn't let the situation collapse.
As they rode through the main roads of Novgorod, they loudly shouted that Rostislav had arrived, calming the city's chaos caused by the Polotsk army "descending from the sky."
The Moscow Prince's reputation was very strong in the north. Countless songs praised his martial prowess, especially after the conquest of Bulgar, which reached its peak.
Furthermore, his father had once served as Prince in Novgorod, which made the people of Novgorod feel even closer to him. When his name rang out, when the saint george slaying the dragon banner representing him flew through the streets, the originally chaotic Novgorod citizens also settled down.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Vseslav of Polotsk saw the cavalry enter the city so smoothly and without any shouts of battle, and he realized that the newcomers were reinforcements for Novgorod.
He immediately ordered a full assault on Novgorod. The Polotsk Prince felt a sense of unease at this moment. The arrival of reinforcements would undoubtedly give the city a sense of security. If things continued like this, the situation would be dire, utterly dire.
"Take Novgorod! Quickly!"
Vseslav, feeling an instinctive urgency, roared. Before the Novgorod Militia on the opposite side could stabilize due to the arrival of reinforcements, he wanted to quickly seize the city.
Although he didn't know the number of those cavalry, as long as his army entered the city, victory would surely be his.
The Polotsk Prince firmly declared this in his heart.
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