king of ros

Chapter 5 Father's Friendship
When the bishop completed the final ceremony, the noble prince and his wife's coffin were immediately sent into the alcove of the church, which faced the gate of Novgorod.

This is the tradition of Ross, and the prince will be sent to the church built by him after his death.

Although the construction of the Hagia Sophia in Nuocheng came from the order of his grandfather, it was his father who was the prince of Nuocheng who implemented it.

After silently mourning for his son, the wise man put his expression on his face and got up to leave. Nuocheng still needs to deal with the huge government affairs accumulated during this period, and everyone dispersed accordingly. The ceremony has been completed, and the Grand Duke has left. There is no need to stay up.

The crowd in the church quickly dispersed, and soon the main hall became deserted, only a few people stayed and had some unknown private conversations.

"I really don't know who the next prince of Novgorod will be."

In the corner of the church, an old aristocrat with a high position in the city expressed quietly that although this aristocrat has a gray beard and a fat body, his gestures still reveal the majesty of a military aristocrat.

"Father, speak carefully."

His son, Veshatar with shawl and blond hair, was very disturbed. He looked around nervously. Now the nobles of Ross are like boats in the dark night, heaving and falling in the waves.

Even as a noble family of Novgorod and a generational in-law of the Grand Duke of Kyiv, one must be cautious, otherwise the future of the broken family will no longer be so illusory.

"Don't be too suspicious, this matter depends on how our grand duke sees it. As for your worries, hey, I'm not afraid. Those people are just a group of screaming brats. They scream loudly but are useless. .”

The old noble is as stubborn as an old cow. When he was young, he was a man of the same age as the wise man. During the civil war, he dared to burn the ship of the wise man when he wanted to flee north (Note 1). The old noble was not afraid of those junior.Now he cares more about what his son thinks.

"Compared to these, I want to know what you think, is it loyal to Vladimir's child, or choose another master?"

His father’s words reminded Veshata of what his friend Vladimir had said to him before his death, “Although I lament for fate, my lament is not my own, but the fate of my son.”

When the man dies, it is self-evident what fate the remaining children will encounter.

Veshatta couldn't help feeling a little ironic. In this holy church, the only ones who really cared about the child's fate were their father and son and the Grand Duke.

He thought of Rostislav at the funeral. Although the 14-year-old child was the protagonist of the funeral, everyone just regarded it as a noble guard of honor.

Veshata felt an inexplicable sadness. He was a good friend of Vladimir. The two had set out together to conquer the imperial capital in the south (Remark 2), but unfortunately encountered a storm and were forced to fight against the imperial army on the shore.

The two relied on each other in the shield wall of the soldiers, fought side by side, and forged a deep friendship.

Later, due to the division of troops, Vishata was unfortunately captured by the army of the emperor of the imperial capital, and stayed in the dungeon of the emperor of the imperial capital for three years, and his eyes were almost gouged out at one point.

However, with Vladimir's efforts, he was able to leave the big city smoothly, and returned to Rose with those companions who were not lucky enough to have their eyes gouged out.

Seeing the loss of his comrades and the plight of their descendants now, Veshata is naturally very sad.Those magnificent and powerful scenes in the past are now gone with the wind like sand and gravel, as if they never existed.

After recalling the past, Veshatta met his father's eyes.

"Vladimir is my comrade in arms, so his son will also be my comrade in arms. I will fight for him to the last moment."

"Really? That's right, you're right. We can't betray our friends, and we can't abandon them when their descendants need them most. Every sword that joins the shield wall will make us stronger. Today's sacrifices will make us stronger." Will pay off tomorrow."

A heartfelt smile appeared on the face of the old nobleman, which was his recognition of his son. He thought that his son would directly change his family, but his son still chose to be a son who was loyal to his comrades. The man a son can be.

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"Teacher, what do you think grandfather came here for?"

At the same time, in the inner room of the church, Rostislav was standing in front of an old man, and this old man was Rostislav's teacher, Luka Zyjata, Bishop of Novo City.

The bishop's chin is covered with a thick white beard, and he is wearing a bishop's robe with small crosses embroidered on the edge, which makes him full of the temperament of a wise man.

For Rostislav, this old man has a different meaning. Now that his parents have passed away, the only elder he can trust is Bishop Luca, his teacher, and his father's old friend.

"I think you already know that."

The bishop, who was sitting at the scribe's desk, covered his heavy book without turning his head or answering his question.

Bishop Luca knew this student very well. If it was his peers, it was normal not to know these things, but it was impossible for him to fail to understand.

He spent a lot of energy on this student, imparting all the knowledge he had acquired, but even so, it was not enough for Rostislav to learn.

The bishop regards all this as a gift from God. He regrets that this student has no intention of God. If he can devote himself to God, his future achievements must be limitless. But he is not discouraged. It is not a great achievement to cultivate an excellent ruler. pieces?

"Yeah...but I didn't expect it to come so soon."

Rostislav sat down beside the teacher, bitterness appeared in his expression.He knew very well that when his grandfather came to the north, there was another level to look at him, to see how good-looking his grandson was.

And this is related to his future.

"However, no matter how far we have reached..." Bishop Luca put his hands on the cross and looked straight at the disciple.

"...should proceed as usual."

Rostislav was taken aback for a moment, and then subconsciously said the next sentence in the Bible. As a Rurik nobleman, the study of the Bible is also an important part of his education.

"Philips 3:16." The bishop stood up and patted the disciple on the shoulder. "I've already done so much, so it's ridiculous to be afraid on the spot?"

"I understand."

Rostislav also stood up, the wavering on his face had disappeared, as if it never existed.

He bowed to Bishop Luca to express his gratitude, and then left the inner room of the church. When he walked out, his steps were firm, without any hesitation before.

In this regard, Bishop Luka smiled at the back of Rostislav's departure. This student has never been a coward, but sometimes needs a little help.

And he, the teacher, has to do something to help this student, not only for him, but also for himself. It is time to contact his colleagues in Kyiv.

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Remark 1: In 1018, Yaroslav was defeated by Boleslaw I, who was invited by his brother and opponent "villain" to Poland. After the defeat, he wanted to go directly to Northern Europe, but he was afraid of losing Novgo, who led the battle and protected him. Rhodes burned Yaroslav's ships, so Yaroslav could only stay and continue fighting.

Remark 2: Refers to Ross's expedition to Byzantium in 1043. This expedition was first encountered in a storm and forced to go ashore, and then defeated by the Byzantine army.

(End of this chapter)