Looking at Adam's departing figure, Rostislav couldn't help but let out a sigh.
This boy still lacks experience; his control over his emotions and will isn't very good, and just now he practically wrote all his thoughts and feelings on his face.
However, it's a good thing this boy still has time; he is young and has plenty of time to learn, just like he was back in the day.
As for letting Adam's Bulgars act as the vanguard, Rostislav wouldn't really let them die; that would go against his original intention.
He mainly wanted to use this to train the boy, who for so many years still hadn't developed the ability to lead an army independently in battle.
Rostislav quickly put Adam's matter out of his mind and ordered his attendants to call the Generals in; he needed to discuss the upcoming river crossing battle with them.
Following the Prince's command, Gvaran and Poleye walked in. It was a bit embarrassing to admit, but among Rostislav's ten thousand strong army, there weren't many with the ability to command a large army, only these two at present.
Gvaran had been through so many battles, always as a deputy commander, so his experience in this regard was naturally impeccable.
Poleye had led armies on the battlefield since the time his grandfather ruled Kiev, and his understanding of war might even be the deepest here.
Poleye's complexion was very good; he didn't look like an old man at all, wearing his armor without a single heavy breath, while Gvaran, as always, was impeccably dressed, appearing incredibly serious.
Although Poleye hadn't appeared much in the Moscow central administration in recent years, Rostislav had always remembered this old friend of his father, remembering his loyalty, reliability, and his abilities on the battlefield.
The Kiev General's governance of Beloye Lake was also very good; in recent years, this town, once occupied by the Vesi, quickly regained its vitality, and the local Vesi were also tamed.
This time, Poleye directly led nearly a thousand men, making him a proper great noble.
Under his governance, Beloye Lake's trade was flourishing, and the merchant fleet repeatedly expanded, and these ships happened to help Rostislav solve his logistical problems, with even a large surplus.
Both of them saluted Rostislav, and the Prince, while inviting them to sit in front of him, spread out a map before them. This map was the result of the Rus' survey of this section of the Kama River during this period.
The reason Rostislav had not crossed the Kama River for so long was precisely because he was doing this; he had to first understand the river's hydrology before he could arrange the battle.
"Gvaran, Poleye, this is the state of the Kama River. Look at it and tell me where we should cross. I want to hear your opinions."
The Moscow Prince turned the map over and placed it in front of these two veteran Generals, hoping to get their opinions.
After looking for a while, the two put the map down. They had been circling the Kama River during this time to assess the terrain and choose a suitable crossing point.
So, looking at the map now was just a review, as many things were already memorized.
"Rostislav, I think the most suitable place to cross is the sandbars further north. There, the Kama River is divided by many sandbars, making it a suitable place to cross. Moreover, the river here is gentle, and we can completely build multiple pontoon bridges simultaneously to land directly on the sandbars. Once we occupy these sandbars, we will control the river."
Poleye directly gave his opinion, which was to cross from the group of sandbars on the north side of the Kama River.
"I object; it's too easy for an ambush there."
Gvaran immediately spoke against it. As someone who had been tested on countless battlefields, he understood too well that places like sandbars were the easiest to cause trouble, which is why he immediately voiced his opposition.
"But if not the sandbars, where else can we go? Directly across the Kama River? Transporting people one by one would be suicide. And building pontoon bridges? Our ships aren't that luxurious yet, and the current here is too swift, and we don't even know where the Bulgar fleet is."
Poleye immediately clashed with the Captain of the Guard, and his words made Rostislav's eyes darken, because he also understood that this was basically their only option now.
"I still object to starting from the sandbars. The terrain there is too complex; once we enter, we will be caught in a fierce struggle. Lord Rostislav, can't we wait for news from Suvar?"
Gvaran still insisted on his opinion. As the Captain of the Guard who had fought on the front lines for a long time, he was too clear that such a place would inevitably turn the battle into a meat grinder, which was not a sight he wished to see.
The Captain of the Guard knew that such a battle could only rely on Rostislav's inner strength to grind through the dense sandbars, and he was well aware that the Prince did not want the core elite to suffer too many losses.
"There will be no news from Suvar. Those Bulgars are caught in their own troubles. I suspect Akad did something. He hasn't made any moves against our occupation of the Kama River's west bank during this time. I suspect he is resolving internal instability."
Rostislav directly shattered Gvaran's illusion. In fact, the Prince had not yet announced this matter, so Gvaran and the others still thought everything would proceed according to the established plan.
"Suvar isn't rising up? How can this be? How did Gvaran bribe those fellows?"
Poleye was very surprised by this. Poleye had been studying the internal situation of Bulgar all this way and was very clear about the internal affairs of Bulgar. The occurrence of this situation was very difficult for him to accept.
After all, the conflict between Bulgar and Suvar was so intense, just like the relationship between Kiev and Chernigov. How could those people not seize this opportunity?
"Bribes, threats, even coups—in short, there are many ways. Akad, this parricide, dared to kill his own father; what else is he not capable of?"
Rostislav stated that this was not surprising. It seemed they had overestimated those Bulgars of Suvar. In hindsight, they should not have relied on this group from the beginning.
But the Prince was not disheartened by this, because in terms of troop proportion, he still had an absolute advantage. During this time, his scouts had been crossing the river to reconnoiter and assess the number of Bulgar defenders in various places.
"Let's still follow Poleye's method and cross from the northern sandbar area. That area is large enough for our army to enter. Akad will certainly have many troops stationed there as well. To sweep out the enemy forces within it, I want the nomadic cavalry to cross the river first."
Having received Rostislav's command, the two immediately prepared to go and relay the orders, but just then, the Moscow Prince added a sentence.
"Have Adam gather his elite; I need his troops as the vanguard."
These words made Gvaran and Poleye pause, and then they accepted the order and left without asking further questions.
— — — — — — — —