Amon did not have a seat. After saluting the lords one by one, he stood in the middle of the hall and waited for the questions. The first to ask was Eisen, the Minister of Military Affairs of the Empire, who was also a Head of a legion in his early years and had a lot of experience in military campaigns. He asked Amon many questions, and the young supreme warrior answered them fluently. Lord Eisen also ordered people to bring maps, sand tables, and various military instruments for Amon to simulate on the spot how to organize troops, arrange battle formations, and other actual combat commands. Amon also did a good job without any flaws.
The assessment went on for a whole day, and continued after lunch. The high priest of the capital, Susga, played a game of chess with Amon, using a real military sand table. The result was also very satisfactory.
The assessment continued the next morning, and the seven lords asked all kinds of questions, some of which were beyond the scope of military operations. Amon tried his best to answer all of them, and then took his orders and left to wait for the results. The seven lords began to discuss, but Maria did not speak. The final opinion was three to three, with the number of people in favor and against being equal. Those who agreed with Amon were Eisen, Vörde, and George, while those who opposed were Susga, Daya Tujan, and Burke.
The main reason for the opposition was that Amon had no experience in commanding a battle, and the main reason was because of his background. Amon used to be a resident of the town of Duc, a dependency of the Hittite Kingdom. It was doubtful whether he could guarantee absolute loyalty to the Empire of Eygut in a battle. The two sides were at a stalemate, and in the end, it still depended on the opinion of the Adoratrice.
Maria pondered and said, "After these two days of assessment, there is no longer any doubt whether Amon is suitable to be the Head of the An-Ra Legion. We all know very well that this legion will not participate in the real battle of the main forces, but only carry out coordinated vigilance and cover missions. Amon is completely qualified for this position. Does anyone have any objections to this? "
The other six did not object. Maria continued, "As for whether this person is loyal or not, haven't you heard of his deeds? His conduct is proof enough of his noble character, and that is why I recommend him. This man was indeed a miner from Duc. He was the one who offered the Gods' Tear and returned Nero's belongings.
I'm sure you all know what happened to Duc, don't you? Moreover, his clansmen were all under the control of the Empire. According to the latest news, the King of Hittite claimed to have received an oracle from Enril. Everyone should have heard of this oracle, right? If you were Amon, what would you think? "
There was also an interlude regarding the latest developments in the Hittite Kingdom. According to the King of Hittite Lucier and the Hittite Academy, Enril had sent down the latest oracle: He used his divine power to launch the Great Flood, not only to punish and expel the sinners, but also to cleanse the land of sin, and to give the people thousands of miles of fertile land. It would become a land blessed by the gods, and the people would be told to cultivate the fertile land and build a prosperous and happy home.
The oracle was conveyed to all parts of the kingdom, and the people were excited, especially the unemployed, wandering explorers, and farmers of some of the barren cities of the Empire. People flooded into the shrine to thank Enril for his blessing, and vowed to cultivate the fertile land given by the gods as a sacred cause. The altar was filled with flowers and all kinds of precious tributes, and everyone was praising the greatness, mercy, and solemnity of the gods.
In the midst of this uproar, there was a group of forgotten people who could only silently grieve. They were the original miners of Duc. They were already sinners punished by the gods and hated by the people of the kingdom. Whether the dead were innocent or guilty, they no longer knew anything. But what about the descendants who were still alive in the world, how did they feel?
It was impossible for Amon to return to the Kingdom of Enril. Even if he wanted to, there was no place for him there. Besides, the surviving people of Duc were all in the Empire of Eygut. Amon could not and had no reason to betray the Empire.
In fact, not only Enril had received the oracle, but not long ago, the Pharaohs Of Eygut and the high priests of the Main Shrine of Horus also received the oracle of King Horus. The great god Horus declared that in the center of the continent, there would be a thousand miles of fertile land, a symbol of the cruelty and evil of the foreign gods, and a brand new territory for the great Empire of Eygut to establish its eternal glory. He called on his people to go there and build a home for the people of Eygut and build a real shrine, so that the glory of the gods could shine on the continent.
This oracle became the supreme decree of Lasith Ii to launch the war, and Pharaoh himself decided to lead the army himself. He had been planning this war for a long time. To be able to open up a brand new territory in the center of the continent was the greatest ambition of Pharaoh's life. This oracle had not been officially released to the people of Eygut, but when the army officially set out, it would spread throughout the country. At that time, the people of Eygut would also rush into the shrines to cheer, praising the holiness and greatness of the gods and Pharaoh.
The situation was just like what Goliath said to Amon: "It can be foreseen that the disputes there will also be disputes between the gods, and people will drive their own desires in the name of the gods."
The Adoratrice mentioned the oracle of the foreign god Enril and the past of the town of Duc, and no one could refute her. Perhaps to dispel the doubts in everyone's hearts, Maria looked around and said with a smile, "In fact, you don't have to worry too much. Although the Head of the Legion is the highest officer of the Legion, according to the law of the Empire, the Chief Priest of the Legion has the responsibility of supervising the army and supervising the war. If the Head of the Legion wants to transfer the Chief Priest, he must also get the approval of the Chief Priest. We only need to choose a trustworthy supreme mage to be the Chief Priest of the Legion, and it will be foolproof."
At this time, the high priest of the Temple of Isis, George, smiled bitterly and said, "Marching to war is a hard job for supreme mages, let alone the Chief Priest of the An-Ra Legion. It is either just a decoration or a thankless task, and I don't think many people will be willing to do it. Thank you, the Adoratrice, for your trust and promotion, for recommending me as the high priest of the Temple of Isis. This time, I volunteer to be the Chief Priest of the An-Ra Legion. I don't have any other requests, I just hope that the Ministry of Military Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, and the city of Montefiore can give me enough support, and not dismiss a miscellaneous army with a casual attitude. "
The matter was thus settled, and Amon officially became the Head of the Legion of the Empire. Although it was only a temporary miscellaneous army, his status was still there, and his status was equivalent to that of the deputy governor of a city. The following days were very busy for Amon. After taking office, there was a lot of work to deal with, and he even regretted sending Aesop away so early.
In formal battles, the Head of the Legion usually could not directly go to the front line to fight. He was the commander of the whole army, and an accident could easily cause the entire front line to collapse. Therefore, there was a need for a vanguard commander to fight on the front line, and now this position was also vacant. Maria let Amon choose himself, and if he really could not find a suitable person, she agreed to send Gabriel.
From this, it could be seen that His Majesty Pharaoh did not attach much importance to the An-Ra Legion, although the Military Council had formulated a march plan of coordinated operations, flanking guard, and covering. But in Pharaoh's mind, this miscellaneous army was actually dispensable, and the army led by him would be invincible.
But Amon himself could not ignore it. Gabriel was Maria's most important helper, and naturally, he could not easily take Gabriel away. Moreover, this supreme guardian had a high status, and Amon could not command him at will. After all, Amon still lacked enough foundation and prestige, and it was difficult to find a vanguard commander who was completely loyal and obedient to him.
After thinking for a long time, Amon submitted an application to the city of Montefiore, recommending and promoting a person. It was the captain of the guards of Mount Horeb, the sixth-level warrior John, who had been punished and sent out.
As the supreme commander of the legion, although he could not only rely on personal force to win the battle, in the minds of the soldiers, the personal strength and charm of the commander were still part of the prestige. Therefore, the Head of the Legion was usually held by a supreme warrior, and the situation like Rod-dick was only a special case.
Amon was already a supreme warrior, but he had not really shown his strength, so it was difficult to convince the noble generals who were born in the Eygut. The captain of the guards of Mount Horeb, John, was an exception. He had long been obedient to Amon, and he had also been taught and guided by Amon. This time, it was Amon's recommendation that promoted him from the desolate Mount Horeb to the legion, so naturally, he was willing to listen to orders.
In addition to the vanguard commander, Amon had another task that he had to deal with himself, and that was to form a personal guard. There was such a structure in the legion, but it had to be built by the commander himself. There were not many personal guards, but they were the most elite force, and their duty was to protect the commander himself. Whether it was charging to kill the enemy or breaking out of the encirclement to escape, the personal guard had to follow the commander closely. The captain of the personal guard was also directly appointed by the commander himself, and others had no right to command.
The personal guards were equivalent to a small independent private army, numbering no more than a hundred people. Although they were also provided with weapons and pay by the army, the army commander would often pay out of his own pocket to equip them with better weapons, and they would also receive more generous rewards. After all, this was related to the safety of Amon himself. Personal guards not only needed to be absolutely loyal, but also had the courage to risk their lives to protect the commander.
If it were other officers, there would be various conditions and restrictions on the appointment, but the appointment of the captain of the personal guard was decided by the commander himself, and no one would interfere, even if he hired a wandering warrior. Because of this, Amon directly appointed Medanzo, a wandering warrior from Bablon, as the captain of the personal guard. As for the members of the personal guard, Medanzo would be selected from the soldiers of the legion.
The great merchant of Montefiore, Sio, finally met the newly promoted legion commander, Sir Amon. Amon brought Medanzo to visit personally, which made Sio feel flattered, and he was so excited that he stuttered. Amon came to reminisce about the old days, and at the same time, he also brought the warrant of the mayor of Montefiore, appointing Sio as the logistics officer of the An-Ra Legion. Amon even smiled and asked Sio if he was willing to accept the position.
Sio's face turned red, and his head nodded like a chick pecking on rice. He stuttered, "Yes, I'm very willing, Sir Amon. I've been looking forward to this day for a long time. You really haven't forgotten me."
Sio was not a fool, and he was very clear that it was difficult for a commoner merchant to have a noble status, no matter how rich he was. This was the best opportunity of his life. Although there was a certain risk in organizing the logistics of the legion, it would not be more dangerous than the soldiers at the frontlines. As long as he made contributions and was recommended by the legion commander, he might be granted a noble status by the Pharaohs Of Eygut. Glory was only one aspect, and it would be much more convenient for him to do business in the future.
In the legion, there was naturally a logistics officer officially appointed by the empire, who was responsible for the handover, statistics, and distribution of supplies. Amon appointed Sio to be the logistics officer, and his main responsibility was to organize the caravans and caravans outside the legion, and follow the legion to transport supplies. He was very clear that this merchant had no other abilities, but he was very good at this business.
With the order of the Pharaoh, the merchants of each city had to obey the distribution of supplies for the march. Sio happened to be very familiar with this, and he was also the most suitable candidate that Amon could find.
Being a logistics officer was a lucrative job. During times of war, he had the right to requisition military supplies from the cities along the way, and after the war, the empire's financial department would settle the accounts. It was needless to say that the profits were plentiful. Sio was very grateful to Amon, and according to the "custom", he presented a large sum of money to Amon on the spot. This time, he was generous and not stingy. After all, wool comes from the sheep, and he could earn back many times more in the future.
In terms of wealth, Amon was not short of money at all, so he refused on the spot with a smile. When Sio saw that Amon did not accept it, he was so anxious that his forehead was sweating. After a long time of begging, the guard captain Medanzo finally nodded and agreed to accept the gift, mainly to equip the Head's personal guards with better armor and weapons. These should have been paid for by Amon himself, but Sio generously did it for him.
As soon as all the preparations were ready, Amon received the empire's order to lead the An-Ra Legion to set off. With fifty mages and five thousand warriors, he marched along the east bank of the Nile towards the sea. The logistics team was divided into two parts. A small part was the convoy responsible for daily supplies, while the majority was loaded onto ships and sailed along the Nile to follow the army on land. The legion also sent warships to escort them.
Although it was just a miscellaneous army that was not valued, it still looked majestic and mighty on the road. The eighty guards of Amon were all armored cavalry, while the five thousand warriors were composed of charioteers, archers, and heavy infantry with javelins and shields. John led the cavalry in front, while the light infantry phalanxes brought up the rear. Looking from afar, the reflection of weapons and armors under the sun formed a sea of stars.
Sitting in the spacious and comfortable chariot, Amon was quite emotional. When he first came to Montefiore, he was chased all the way and almost died by the Nile. But now, when he left, he had become a commander commanding thousands of soldiers. The one he should really thank was Maria. It was her who silently helped him get to where he was today.
Amon had no intention of fighting against the army of the Hittite Kingdom, but this war was inevitable whether he participated or not. He only wanted to make enough contributions to pardon the Ducians and lead them back to their homeland in the future. Amon knew very well that for the time being, what they could fight for in this war was not the thousands of miles of fertile land. It would take at least a year and a half for the swamps around the town of Duc to completely recede to accommodate the army. The Pharaoh of Ejypt was somewhat impatient to launch an expedition at this time.
However, judging from the strategic layout, the Pharaoh's purpose was to establish a base at the inland lake first so that he could occupy a favorable position in future disputes. As the flood receded completely, he could take over the entire fertile land and make it the new territory of the Empire.
The Pharaohs Of Eygut, Lasith II, was full of confidence. The strength of the Empire of Eygut was also recognized by all countries. The outcome of this war seemed to be without doubt. Although Amon was in the army of the Empire of Eygut, he was not optimistic about the victory of Eygut. The reason was simple. He felt that Lasith II seemed to underestimate this war too much. This was a matter of life and death for so many people, but in the eyes of Lasith II, it was like a game.
Lord Pharaoh did not know what the enemy thought of Amon, but at least Lasith II did not pay enough attention to the coordination of the An-Ra Legion. It was like throwing a tank that was about to fall apart and letting the legion follow him into battle. And it was only after Amon had assembled all the parts on the tank that it could operate normally.
Pharaoh thought that he was unstoppable and that it was enough to lead the most elite army to victory. But in such an important war between countries, his carelessness in this aspect had exposed many problems. If Amon was the commander of the entire army, he would never treat the An-Ra Legion so carelessly, even if the status of the legion was not very important.
The speed of the legion did not depend on how fast the carriages and horses could run, but whether the logistics and supplies could keep up. The supplies of the An-Ra Legion mainly relied on ships. Although the transport ships were equipped with long oars, the main power at sea was still the sails. The legion advanced steadily according to the established route. Amon did not waste the opportunity to march along the coastline. Although it was unlikely that he would participate in the main battle, he did not forget to drill along the way.
The coordination between the charioteers, archers, javelin throwers, cavalry and infantry was something that Amon had learned in military books and practiced on the sand table, but he had never commanded a real battle formation. During a break in the march, Amon ordered the generals to command their soldiers to take turns to drill, and he brought Medanzo to watch the actual battle.
The An-Ra Legion had just been formed, and the previous training was very lax. But to become an official soldier of the Empire, the minimum requirement was to be a level one swordsman who had practiced physical skills. When these people really fought together, they should be quite strong.
There was a custom in the army of the Empire of Eygut, or rather, a tradition. The supplies and provisions allocated by the Ministry of Military Affairs would be intercepted by the commanding officer according to a certain proportion, and the rest would be distributed to the soldiers. Needless to say, military supplies could also be sold for a lot of money on the market. This money was for the personal use of the commanding officer, such as equipping his personal guards, rewarding military achievements in his own name, bribing the enemy, and so on.
Under normal circumstances, the conventional rule was thirty percent, and the remaining seventy percent would be distributed to the soldiers below. That would be considered the full amount. But for the miscellaneous legions that were not valued, the quality of the equipment and the quantity of the troops could not compare to the elite legions of the Empire, and the proportion of the interception ratio was usually much higher. This would create a vicious cycle, and the combat effectiveness of the legion would be even lower.
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