Although there was a New King, life in Novgorod did not change because of it.
After the bodies from the brief battle were cleared, the city returned to its original state, and the citizens resumed their former lives.
Many refugees also returned to their homes, the burned villages, and began to rebuild the devastated land. Rostislav, needing to win over the people, provided them with some grain and tools to help them rebuild.
However, some people remained in the city. In their view, since their hometowns had become like that, what was the point of returning? It was better to develop in this city.
These people also received subsidies from the Moscow Prince, mainly in the form of grain and precious metals.
Rostislav did this not entirely out of kindness; he now needed to secure Novgorod's support, so acts of goodwill to win over the people were essential.
And the ruler of this city, Rostislav, sat on the throne his father once occupied, governing this ancient Rus' city.
Rostislav currently only controlled the city of Novgorod. He still needed time to bring this vast land under his rule.
The New Prince of Novgorod continuously promoted his supporters, sending them to various subordinate cities to serve as officials, thereby extending his power. At the same time, there was also the announcement of the change of power to various villages; there was still much to be done.
Fortunately, Novgorod's subordinate cities and territories were very willing to accept Rostislav's rule. Hearing that Vladimir's son was once again ruling in Novgorod, they all expressed goodwill to Rostislav.
It also showed the support the people of Novgorod had for his father during his reign.
Of course, another reason was that the rule of Izyaslav's son in the past was truly terrible. During that period, Novgorod's politics were fragmented and filled with disputes, which was incredibly disappointing.
Because of these tasks, Rostislav needed to stay in Novgorod for a long time, so he summoned his wife and children. He also had Leo send a group of reliable officials and left Northeast Rus for Poleye to manage.
In fact, the Moscow Prince originally wanted to use Leo; this Greek old bureaucrat's ability in this area was unmatched. However, considering that the rebellion three years ago was directed at the Greeks, led by Leo, Rostislav could only promote a Rus' person as the regent of Northeast Rus.
Poleye was undoubtedly politically reliable and capable. The Prince felt confident entrusting Northeast Rus to him, and Leo was there to assist.
Another matter was the Prince's adjustment of the army. He sent some troops back to Moscow and conscripted some new ones.
After all, the Moscow Prince's previous mobilization of troops was too hasty, basically a forced conscription, which resulted in uneven conditions across the various units. Such troops lacked combat effectiveness, so adjustments were needed.
There was still time now, so this issue naturally had to be resolved.
Novgorod was, after all, territory he had just acquired. When operating in this territory, Rostislav had to have a reliable unit by his side, as this city had even dared to burn his grandfather's ship. He felt uneasy without a guard by his side.
Public opinion is very difficult to control, and Rostislav was ultimately uneasy about it. Compared to unreliable public opinion, Rostislav trusted soldiers more.
Although he now had public support, who knew what the public would think in the future?
Furthermore, there was the demand from Polotsk. Who knew if the Polotsk Prince would make a surprise comeback? So, preparations had to be made early to deal with the Polotsk people at any time.
Additionally, Rostislav strictly restricted the army, not allowing soldiers to stay overnight outside the barracks. This was mainly because Novgorod had a precedent of clearing out his grandfather's Bodyguard Unit, and Rostislav feared such an event would repeat itself with him.
Moreover, this was also in response to the potential conscription from Kiev, so a small unit needed to be maintained in Novgorod, and with the Moscow Prince's financial resources, two to three thousand people could be supported.
Therefore, communication between messengers between Novgorod and Moscow became frequent, with both sides constantly exchanging various information and dispatching various supplies.
Vyshata, the Mayor of Smolensk in the south, sent a letter congratulating the son of his comrade-in-arms on finally reclaiming his ancestral inheritance.
Vyshata now looked at Rostislav, who ruled all of North Rus, and was deeply moved. The child who once lived precariously had now become one of the powerful figures on the Rus' political stage.
He also sent a long letter to Rostislav, advising the Prince on matters to pay attention to when governing a city, as it was Rostislav's first time ruling such a large Rus' city.
Vyshata originally wanted to personally go to Novgorod to congratulate the boy, but due to a sudden influx of Baltic tribes burning, killing, and plundering in his jurisdiction, Vyshata had to focus his energy on combating these raiders.
Vyshata's political acumen also made him realize that these people were most likely driven out by Polotsk. If so, he had to resist these fellows even more. Vseslav's plundering must have a purpose, and he could not let his plan succeed.
On the other side, with the arrival of his wife and children, Rostislav decided to hold a grand celebration to commemorate his ascension to the Prince of Novgorod. This celebration was also a way to win over the people.
After all, when it comes to winning hearts, nothing compares to theater and bread.
Rostislav had no shortage of bread; after all, Novgorod's nobles and merchants had been continuously offering gifts these past few days, and these gifts could be used as funds for the event.
As for theater, the Alexei Troupe also came with Rostislav. Now, the troupe's reputation had spread throughout all of Rus', and even people abroad had heard their name.
No one was more suitable than them for theater, and during the three-day celebration, they would perform continuously for the citizens of Novgorod.
However, what Rostislav did not expect was how effective Alexei's name was. The day he announced the celebration and informed everyone that the Alexei Troupe would also be present, many Novgorod nobles came to Rostislav to inquire about the whereabouts of Master Alexei.
Yes, Master. After so many years of touring, Alexei was now called Master everywhere in All Rus.
Alexei had been continuously producing new works over the years. His plays depicting the lives of citizens and farmers received widespread acclaim, causing his reputation to rise daily.
At the same time, due to the success of the Alexei Troupe, variety performers also began to form troupes and perform his plays, further spreading his fame.
However, his best works were still war epics. Alexei recently wrote a play set against Rostislav's conquest of Bulgar, which recently received another wave of positive reviews.
And the troupe's reputation naturally spread throughout Rus', and the troupe's famous actors also gained fame, such as Viona, whose reputation for beauty had spread across the Rus' land.
However, many people deeply regretted that such a beautiful woman had married a month ago, and her husband was none other than Meshko, the illegitimate son of the King of Poland.
As for how they fell in love, it was unknown to outsiders. After all, although Meshko had Piast blood, he was ultimately just an illegitimate son, while Viona's brother, Domnal, was the Moscow Prince's Captain of the Guard, a true top noble of Northeast Rus.
Some also suspected this was Domnal's way of allowing their family's bloodline to enter the royal family, but only the two of them knew the exact circumstances.
However, Meshko did not restrict his wife's acting career because of this; he still allowed her to perform on stage, which made Viona's performing career much smoother. After all, she was the wife of a high-ranking official of the Moscow Court. If anyone dared to harass her before, no one would dare now. What kind of reputation did Meshko have? No one would dare to provoke him.
And the day the Alexei Troupe arrived in Moscow was also the day the celebration began.