If ever the revolution were to be realized and achieved, then ingratiating himself amongst the target demographic – in this circumstance, the peasantry – would need to be a prioritized necessity for Lev. As such, whilst his soldiers rested and sat collectively under the hot sun, he alternatively went to visit the village elder. Accompanying him was his Sergeants: Ivan and Maxim.
As a simple man, the respected figurehead of the village lived no different to the rest of his people. His hut was constructed from crooked planks, with open windows and a roof made from hay. If not for the open glassless window, the inside was otherwise devoid of internal lighting. Indeed, the only light source was the external sunlight, which beamed through the open orifices cut into the walls. Upon entering, the carpeting was noticeably also no different to the ground outside, with the flooring consisting solely of dirt. Regarding household assets, there existed no more than a flimsy looking wooden table surrounded by similarly flimsy looking wooden chairs, along with a small single bead with fur blanketing. Evidently, the elder was either unmarried or widowed, and lived off the bare minimum required for survival. Whilst Lev was taken aback by these appalling conditions, Ivan and Maxim seemed indifferent; derived from the fact they themselves had originated from such conditions.
"Take a seat and introduce yourselves" the elderly man said, hobbling over to the crooked table.
"Captain Lev Sorokin… leader of the revolt, and with me are my immediate subordinates and Sergeants I-" before he could finish, the two brothers interrupted.
"Ivan" said the first, "maxim" said the other, skipping over the introductory process. All present individuals then took a seat around the table.
"You lot seem pretty organized" the elderly man spoke, surprised by the liberated slaves having already structured themselves with ranks. Though, he had already they had at the very least elected Lev as their leader, for he was surprised by his unform; which was overtly reminiscent of a steely officer's attire. Darting his eyes across the insignia, badges and miscellaneous decorations, the man tried to pinpoint where exactly the young Captain was from. After darting his eyes around Lev, he paused before speaking:
"I fought in many wars under the Grand Dukes levies, but not once have I seen such a uniform… I take it your origins are not from this land, or those immediately bordering us. Regardless, I can at least infer you have military experience, Captain".
The older man was clearly not hindered by his age and spoke with clarity and confidence in his assumption. There was little time to detail his understandably unbelievable background, and so instead Lev diverted attention to himself and his men; that is, he diverted the discussion so that it revolved around how long they would be able to stay, what would happen thereafter, and what they were fighting for. The older figurehead listened intently, his expression appearing rather perplexed at the gravity of what this much younger man was trying to achieve. After letting the information settle and digest, he appropriately replied:
"So… If I have heard you correctly, you want to overthrow the Grand Duke and his Council… and hand the power back to the toilers? Sounds like a righteous goal, but have you calculated the logistics for such a hefty task?"
Interestingly, he did not sound entirely opposed to the idea, but rather questioned the possibility of achieving such a large goal. The men sat in silence; Lev thinking how to respond, Ivan and Maxim allowing their captain to do all the talking, and the elderly man twirling his greyed beard in deep contemplation. Upon preparing his next lines, lev replied:
"I am of the belief that it is not only a righteous and sacred cause, but also an achievable cause… but only if the people take our side. In all honesty, we came to this village not only to rest, but to garner support… we will not force anyone's hand, but rather speak to them… if you would allow it".
Once the words were spoken, they could not be taken back. They lingered in the air. The plan had given away. Yet the elderly man seemed to appreciate the honesty. In fact, it seemed that this was the very answer he was hoping for. As such, once the words landed, he responded thusly with a smirk and an approving nod.
"Very well, lad… make your speech" he followed up, signaling towards the door. Accordingly, the four men all stood up, and exiting the musky, claustrophobic hut walked into the sweet-smelling air. Calling out, the elder rallied over all the villagers. Women, children, and men thus exited their homes and ceased tending the fields, instead favoring to stand around their village leader.
"I've had a word with our guests here" he followed up, gesturing towards Lev, Ivan, and Maxim", And have concluded that their words ought to be heard by all… take it away Captain".
The crowd was large. Gathered around was a mixed accumulation of liberated slaves and villages. Realizing the importance of appearance, lev straightened his posture and took a step forward. Realizing what was happening, Ivan and maxim played into the steely persona of their leader and similarly stood alongside him with their back straightened and their heels clicked to attention.
"I am Captain Lev Sorokin, leader of the slave revolt" he boomed, his voice echoing as he spoke, "No more than a day ago, as you have already heard from a straggler unintentionally left alive, we liberated ourselves from the mines in which we were enslaved", he followed up with a few seconds of silence as to test the impact of his words, "But our struggle has yet to end. As we did to the Overseer, we wish to dethrone the Grand Duke and restore power the people that toil the land… that is, we wish to transition power from the nobility to the common people such as yourselves".
It appeared as though the wind had taken hold of the words and swiftly taken them away, for the crowd remained silent. The liberated slaves already knew of this notion and supported it, but the villagers were taken aback and hence await more elaboration. Realizing this, Lev continued:
"We will not force anyone but would instead invite those willing to join us in our campaign. At the very least, we invite you to spread the word to neighboring villages on our behalf."
The crowd remained silent, instead turning to their respected figurehead. The elderly man hesitated, not in confusion or fright, but in contemplation as he mentally articulated what he would say.
"I believe their cause to be righteous and achievable. Provided that the young Captain here has the military experience, and has already organized his men structurally, it seems to me that now more than ever will be the best chance at acquiring real change to the benefit of us, and to all those that inhabit Kolva" he replied in a confident and serious manner.
[The Young Captain? Not a bad epithet]
"How many men you need" replied a voice from the crowd. In response, Lev shook his head and replied:
"Not just men, but also women… as for numbers, any would do. But if we are to win, we will need as many soldiers as possible. Again, I will not force a single person, but would highly encourage all abled bodies to partake in the righteous and sacred struggle".
From the depths of the growing silence spoke out a single voice. Following that, another. Soon, there were numerous hands arising and numerous voices pledging their weapons to Lev, his army, and their figurehead who vocally endorsed the recruitment of his villagers. Thus, it was decided, the volunteer men and women would join the band of liberated slaves, whilst the rest attended to the farms and helped spread word to the neighboring villages. Whilst Lev and his army would continue their recruitment efforts, it was hoped that spontaneous small brigands would similarly arise in the other nearby rural settlements; hence causing a spontaneous revolution. Nodding his head in approval, Lev took a step back and shook off the stress.