After the triumph came questions of policy, and here the prince and the people differed greatly. “He is too kind,” said the people. “He does not understand those traitors, their plans and their wickedness. He is too innocent, too good-hearted.” Still Vsevolod’s celebrated “good-heartedness” was what bound the people to him. They believed him to be honest and kind. But they saw in the captured boyars vile enemies with whom there could be no compromise. They were traitors who had burned, robbed and slain, and were not to be forgiven. They accused the Ryazan princes and boyars openly of framing the plot to kill Andrei. They accused Glaib’s brother-in-law and his adherents of being connected with the murder, because they exhibited no enmity toward the assassins. All the inhabitants met and took counsel. Then, going to Vsevolod, they addressed him thus: “We are willing to lay down our lives for thee, and will spare nothing. But those Ryazan prisoners are treated as if they were guests in our city. In secret they are preparing to attack us, and will do so if freed from prison. We ask thee to punish these enemies with death, or if not with death to put their eyes out. If thou wilt do neither, deliver them to us. We will care for them.” It was difficult for Vsevolod to restrain the people who stood there before him. He promised to keep the prisoners, not as guests, but in strictness, and to treat future captives more sternly. He declared also that he had sent a demand to deliver other enemies to Vladimir; if not, he would march to Ryazan with his warriors. But prayers for the captives came now from many sides. Mystislav the Brave, who had married Glaib’s daughter, begged Sviatoslav of Chernigoff to free the prisoners if possible. A whole embassy came from Chernigoff with the bishop at the head of it. In Vladimir the report spread that Vsevolod was weakening. There was anger a second time, and more danger than ever. The people threatened to break open the prisons and slay the captives, or at least blind them. The crowd gathered in greater numbers than before. Vsevolod went out to them, accompanied by the bishop, and declared that the Ryazan princes would not be freed until all the conditions were complied with. The bishop spoke to the people, who answered: “We wish not to break faith, we ask only that God’s justice be dealt out to traitors. The Lord himself, seeing their wickedness, has delivered them to us. Are we free to liberate such criminals?”