The reason Adam took over Bulgar City was simple: Akad Khan had never returned to this capital of Bulgar, so the public sentiment, unsettled by the Khan's defeat, had never been suppressed.
The unsuppressed public opinion continued to ferment, and after the panic came anger.
The anger was directed at Akad Khan's failure; it was because of his defeat that everyone was now in such an awkward situation, facing the siege of the Ross Army.
Akad Khan's power within the city was extremely limited at this moment; only a small number of city guards remained loyal to this Khan, who had a poor reputation among the populace.
This loyalty was limited to the military officers promoted by Akad Khan, who either had blood debts and could only go all the way to the end, or whose promotions were entirely dependent on Akad Khan's power.
The jurists, moreover, had disappeared at some unknown time, and the remaining few incompetent ones were utterly unable to pacify the populace; even the most senior one who remained could only maintain a superficial peace, preventing the people from causing trouble.
As for the islam disciplinary team, composed of students from the religious academy, which struck great fear into the hearts of Bulgar citizens, hardly anyone could be seen.
It was unknown where these arrogant fellows, who usually strutted about, had gone, and the few remaining ones did not even dare to show their faces.
Under such circumstances, the wave of resistance naturally continued to brew; the populace had long-standing grievances, and their emotions were easily stirred.
Furthermore, Adam sent many scouts into the city to incite public discontent, making the fire burn even brighter and fiercer.
Therefore, when Adam's army arrived below Bulgar City, the situation within the city was already extremely chaotic.
Akad Khan's forces could not even fully control the city walls; only a few key points were in their grasp, while other areas were completely beyond their control.
Adam, on the other hand, brought a large army; his forces had expanded to six thousand men during this period, a strength sufficient to overwhelm the Bulgar defenders within the city.
There was also widespread unrest within these troops; the Khan's continued disappearance made everyone uneasy, and if it weren't for the officers who were fiercely loyal to Akad Khan, this unit would have collapsed long ago.
But even so, they were merely biding their time, living one day at a time, waiting for the enemy's arrival, and then deciding what to do.
Adam issued a demand for surrender to the city, which struck a chord with the Bulgar citizens.
In fact, many people were already hoping for the arrival of Adam's army, because as long as Adam's army entered and took control of the city, it would be safe, and they wouldn't have to fear potential looting.
Recently, news about how the Ross people plundered had been circulating wildly in the city, with various sensational stories.
In truth, people had a somewhat resigned acceptance of robbery, as this land had been plagued by wars and experienced such events for many years.
However, large-scale killing and burning of houses were another matter; the former wanted your money, while the latter wanted your life.
As for Adam's conversion to Christian, the citizens now had no objection.
islam's wanton behavior and strict restrictions on people's lives in recent years had made everyone sick of this religion, and many no longer cared about religious issues.
Furthermore, Adam was the legitimate heir of the Dulu Family, and Akad Khan was merely a usurping scoundrel who had even murdered his own kin.
No matter what kind of deity, such chaos would not be forgiven, and the populace was very willing to welcome the legitimate heir of the Khan back to his city.
On the day Adam arrived, the city gates opened directly before him, and the citizens warmly welcomed the exiled prince back to the city of his ancestors.
While welcoming Adam's army into the city, the entire city was engaged in settling accounts with the remaining Akad Khan forces.
These people had abused their power during Akad Khan's reign, and now they had to pay the price for their actions.
Those who were once arrogant were dragged out of their homes like dogs and then mercilessly killed, while their wives and children suffered even more brutal treatment; *** was an inevitable part of it.
Even boys were not spared; the Bulgar citizens had no aversion to the love of beautiful boys.
Akad Khan's forces collapsed so quickly that the entire city fell into chaos within mere tens of minutes.
Fortunately, no one took advantage of the situation to loot at that moment; everyone focused their efforts on the beneficiaries of the Akad Khan era, as there was enough wealth on these fellows for everyone to share.
But unfortunately, they only dealt with some small fries and minor leaders; the wealthy merchants and nobles who supported Akad Khan had all disappeared.
Their homes were even emptied of all movable assets, except for large items that couldn't be carried away.
However, even so, the populace could still extract things from these properties.
They could now move out the large items, and as for the relief carvings on the walls or the gold and silver inlays, they were all pried off.
When there was truly nothing left to scrape, cutting down the pillars of the rooms was also an option, and prying off the wooden boards as well; those were all good timbers, suitable for resale or burning as firewood.
The populace was like a group of highly efficient porters, dismantling the luxurious mansions before them, transporting away everything valuable inside, like a swarm of locusts.
Moreover, it was foreseeable that after all this was done, these empty shell residences would become places where nearby residents could procure building materials.
While the populace was enthusiastically carrying out the purge, Adam led his troops to control the various strategic points within the city.
The soldiers on the city walls basically surrendered the moment the city gates opened, but fortresses, barracks, palaces, and temples were still occupied by Akad Khan's troops.
Adam calmly commanded his troops to attack one stronghold after another, and the defenders inside had no will to fight.
They basically surrendered after a brief struggle, and some even voluntarily killed Akad Khan's loyalists before surrendering to Adam.
Thus, Adam smoothly captured most of the key points within the city.
The only place that offered resistance was the temple, guarded by the city's most devout believers.
Their faith was fanatical, and they feared no sacrifice, taking a full hour to conquer this building and incurring heavy casualties and deaths.
But no matter what, the city had fallen under Adam's control.
Adam Dulü thus returned to his homeland, the land ruled by his ancestors; this great city, no less than Kiev, now belonged to him.
At this moment, Adam could naturally be considered the true Bulgar Khan.
On the second day, as the frenzy subsided, the city gradually returned to calm.
His soldiers began to maintain order in the city and inventory Akad Khan's property, as well as confiscating the property of Akad Khan's supporters who were not affected by the chaos.
Adam then sent a letter to Rostislav, inviting Rostislav to this city, their greatest objective.
Once this place was taken, orders could be sent out to all parts of Bulgar, essentially completing their goal.
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