136 、 I Have Two Requests
Amon finally led the frontline generals back to the main city of Cape States, and once again met the Pharaohs Of Eygut, Lasith Ii. The governor of Cape States, Rod-dick, had already returned half a month in advance to prepare for a grand celebration. The ceremony was presided over by Pharaoh himself, and the kingdom's high priest, Rickard, was the master of ceremonies. The Supreme General Amon enjoyed the highest honor, and he was only half a step behind Pharaoh, offering sacrifices to Horus side by side.
The ceremony was held in the city's shrine, but the real climax was when the ceremonial procession passed through the square and received the cheers of the people. Amon, dressed in shining armor and with a long sword at his waist, walked beside Pharaoh. This was not the attire for battle, but the ceremonial dress worn by the Supreme General for the ceremony. The sword was a special gift from Pharaoh.
This was the second time that Amon walked here and heard the cheers of the people. The first time was when he came to return the relics of Nero, and at that time, the people were praising the great god and the wise governor, Rod-dick. This time, the story changed, and the people were praising the gods, Pharaoh, and Amon.
Amon was even more famous than the gods and the Pharaoh. He was a young and handsome Supreme General of the Empire, who had repeatedly made great achievements and returned triumphantly. He was simply an idol in the hearts of men and a fantasy in the dreams of women. Countless eyes were focused on him. Amon heard the people cheering his name. The reverence and worship that came from the bottom of their hearts actually converged into a force. When he used his strange ability, he could clearly feel it.
Amon, who had lost his power, inexplicably felt a new kind of power on this occasion, but he did not know how to use it. This was not the magic of a mage, nor was it the martial power of a warrior. It contained too many mysteries and mysteries. He also felt various thoughts between the gates of the Underworld. Those were the prayers of the people to the Queen of the Underworld. Did they also contain such power?
The Underworld of Anunnaki was the divine realm of Kella. Could it be that the mystery of the so-called divine realm lay in this? Was that a power that only the gods knew how to use?
Countless people's thoughts were reflected into Amon's soul, and countless gazes were cast on him. Amon actually felt an indescribable pressure, as if he was walking into another battlefield. He did not want to be so eye-catching, but he had nowhere to hide. When the crowd cheered his name louder than Pharaoh's name, he could clearly feel Lasith Ii's displeasure. How could Pharaoh describe his emotions? It was like a child who had his beloved toy snatched away, or a drunkard who saw someone else drinking better wine.
Of course, Lasith Ii would not show his emotions. He walked at the front of the group, wearing a tall golden crown. He was the most dignified king of the continent. Amon glanced at the crowd on both sides and found that many girls were waving their headscarves at him, putting their fingers to their lips and then waving at him crazily, shouting passionate words that made people blush and their hearts beat faster.
Amon could only smile bitterly in his heart, and inexplicably, he thought of Gilgamesh again. After Gilgamesh killed Humbaba, he sent some of the snake teeth and tendons to the capital of Bablon, and it was the same scene when he entered the city. At that time, the nobles of Bablon who came to greet him had different attitudes, but the proud hero did not care at all. He just nodded and waved his hand generously, accepting the cheers of the people.
Amon didn't have Gilgamesh's style, even though his reputation today was no less than Gilgamesh's. Perhaps it was because of their different attitudes. Gilgamesh was a hereditary governor and the pride of the city since childhood, while Amon had always been a sorcerer, and his mission was to unravel the secrets of the gods, so he was not used to being so ostentatious.
The once proud hero, Gilgamesh, had retreated in dejection, but it was Amon who had achieved the glory he had today.
When Pharaoh walked to the end of the long stairs, he turned around in front of the majestic gate of the shrine and raised his hand to signal to the people. The cheers reached the climax, like a tsunami. Many people in the square were so excited that their bodies were trembling, and even their voices were hoarse. Amon took another half step back and quietly stood aside, while the generals and priests lined up at the bottom of the stairs.
This scene reminded Amon of Goliath, whose reputation in the Hittite Kingdom had reached its peak. Whether it was Gilgamesh in the past or Goliath now, Amon's status and glory seemed to be on par with them, but he knew very well that the actual situation was very different.
Amon was a foreigner, and his origins were rather unclear. His rise in status was too fast, he was too young, and he had too much prestige in the army. There was no doubt that his meritorious service would overshadow the ruler, which could be seen from the Pharaoh's mood just now. Whether it was the King of Hittite or the King of Bablon, even if they were afraid, they could not do anything to Goliath or Gilgamesh. But Amon's situation was different, not to mention that he had lost the power to protect himself.
When the ministers of Eygut followed Pharaoh into the shrine, the cheers of the crowd remained outside the door, and the majestic and solemn statue of Horus greeted them. The statue of Horus worshiped in the shrine of Cape had the body of a human and the wings of a giant eagle. Amon inexplicably thought of the cloud eagle that Enkidu had killed with one strike.
He thought of another thing. Was the power that he felt from the gratitude and reverence of the people just now the so-called power of the gods? Perhaps this was the meaning of the divine realm. The statue standing on the altar was, of course, not Horus himself, but Amon could feel the pressure of being stared at, as if it had some kind of life, as if Horus was here.
What was the significance of this statue to the gods? Perhaps this was the answer. Was it necessary to become a God? Was it necessary to stand high above the God's Altar? Perhaps, perhaps not. This was not the question that Amon needed to think about, but he could not help but think about it.
After the sacrificial ceremony, it was time for a grand banquet. It was as if they had returned to the banquet with the ministers of Hittite in the desert. Many people stood up to toast Pharaoh, and then toasted Amon, praising his achievements. Pharaoh also personally patted Amon's shoulder and said, "Our great general is the true number one warrior of the continent."
The day after the banquet, it was finally time to get down to business. The divisions needed to return to their encampments to recuperate, the soldiers who died in battle needed to be compensated, and the soldiers who made contributions needed to be rewarded. These were important matters that Pharaoh discussed with the ministers, and then handed over to the managers to carry out.
In fact, the Empire of Eygut had not won the last two battles. They had fallen into a desperate situation in Hittite, but because of the unexpected reversal of the situation, they succeeded in negotiating peace. As for the battle with the Uruk Legion, they had retreated first and then defended. Although they had inflicted heavy losses on the enemy, the Eygut Army had suffered even more losses, and in the end, the Uruk Legion had retreated of their own accord.
For the glory of the Empire and Pharaoh's face, it could be said that this was a victory for the Eygut Army. However, they had not gained any advantage in these two battles, and it could be said that they had wasted a lot of manpower and resources, but in the end, they had gained nothing. Even so, Lasith Ii still wanted to reward the entire army according to the victory.
Since Pharaoh did not feel the pinch himself, Amon naturally did not have to think about it for him. He asked the commanders to directly submit the list of soldiers who needed to be rewarded to Pharaoh, and the rest of the ordinary rewards and compensation were handed over to the Eygut Army for handling. As for the An-Ra Legion that he personally led, he naturally did not miss out on any of the meritorious personnel. He had the clerk tally the names of the meritorious personnel in advance.
The rewards that Amon nominated were, of course, well-deserved. The quartermaster of the An-Ra Legion, Sio, had finally become a noble as he had wished. Not only that, but because of Amon's special recommendation, he had also become a noble with a title, and was even given a nominal title in the property department of Montefiore.
With a title came a fiefdom, but Pharaoh did not directly reward Sio with a fiefdom. He only allowed Sio to buy it with his own money. Of course, Sio could not have asked for more. In the past, he did not have the qualifications to buy a piece of land near Montefiore as his own territory, but now he could.
The frontline commander, John, had been demoted to Mount Horeb due to his recklessness, and was later promoted to the An-Ra Legion by Amon. He had been seriously injured while blocking the Uruk Legion's attack, and had now returned to Montefiore to recuperate. His contributions were not small, and he was promoted three times in a row under Amon's recommendation. His status was equivalent to that of the head of the military affairs department of a city.
At the same time, Amon requested to resign as the commander-in-chief of the battlefield as well as the head of the An-Ra Legion, and officially handed over his military power. Pharaoh pretended to persuade Amon to stay, persuading him to still be the head of the An-Ra Legion, and thanking him for training such an elite division for the Empire. Amon's handing over of military power also meant that he was relieved of his burden, so he was naturally determined to resign. So Pharaoh pushed the boat along with the current, and Amon also retired with honor.
Although the Uruk Legion had retreated, the dispute in the Plains of Duc was obviously not over, and the defense of the Cape States was naturally more important than before. The Legion of Sète had to return to their base to regroup, and it was obviously not enough to rely on the original garrisons of the city, so Rod-dick applied to Pharaoh to let the An-Ra Legion be stationed in the Cape States.
Amon also made the same suggestion to Pharaoh, and recommended John as the successor. Although John was not yet a supreme warrior, his military achievements were outstanding, and he was one of the direct founders of the Legion, so of course it was not a problem to recommend him. Pharaoh agreed to let the An-Ra Legion be stationed in the Cape States, but he did not reject John's appointment, only saying that it would wait until General John recovered from his injuries before discussing it.
There was no need to go into detail about the rewards that the soldiers who followed Amon had received. When he set out, he had selected eighty personal guards, and after this series of battles, there were only thirty-six left. These people were specially selected by Medanzo, and they were all commoners with no background and were illiterate. They had followed Amon through fire and water, and now they had all become nobles.
The personal guards were in the nature of a private army, and they were also the guards of the great nobles of the Empire when they went out, but their salaries were paid by the Empire, and Amon himself could also subsidize them out of his own pocket. After handing over the military power, it was naturally impossible to maintain a large private army. The thirty-six people were divided into three squads, which was exactly the number of personal guards required by a Supreme General of the Empire. Amon prepared to bring them back to his territory.
Now that Amon only had the nominal title of a Supreme General, his status was very high, exceeding that of an ordinary governor of a city-state. It was equivalent to the governor of a large city-state like Montefiore, and the high priest of the Temple of Isis. Therefore, the position of the captain of his personal guards was not low, and in terms of rank, it was equivalent to the commander of the garrison of an ordinary city-state. This was something that Amon could personally appoint.
But he did not continue to appoint Medanzo. Medanzo's identity was rather awkward. He was a noble of Bablon, and was in the nature of employment. The Eygut Army had just fought with the Uruk legion from Bablon some time ago. Before Amon set out, he did not know that there would be such a battle. Otherwise, he would not have appointed Medanzo as the captain of his personal guards.
During the battle with the Uruk legion, he did not let Medanzo lead the charge, but only appeared on the battlefield as his personal guard. After the battle ended, he handed over his military power, and Medanzo naturally left the Eygut Army. He received a large sum of money, but no other rewards.
This did not matter. Amon allowed Medanzo to temporarily return to his new territory with his personal guards. If the position of the captain of the personal guards was empty, then so be it. He could keep it as a favor in the future.
Without further ado, in the meeting hall of Pharaoh's palace, after all the messy affairs had been settled, Pharaoh was about to dismiss the ministers when Amon stood up, left his seat, and walked to the center of the hall. He knelt before Pharaoh and said, "Your Majesty, Amon has another request."
Pharaoh was startled for a moment, then smiled and said, "Supreme General, please sit down and speak. If you have any requests, feel free to speak."
But Amon did not stand up, and said unhurriedly, "After the meeting with the King of Hittite, you said that if I want any rewards, I can ask for them when I return to Eygut. Now, I would like to make a request to Your Majesty."
This was openly asking for rewards in front of the ministers. Pharaoh had already rewarded Amon handsomely, and now he wanted to ask for more rewards. Moreover, he was using Pharaoh's words in front of the ministers. It was inevitable that he would be forced to abdicate. But with his meritorious service, it was normal for him to ask for rewards after handing over his military power. No matter what request he made, Pharaoh could not refuse.
Lasith Ii was startled for a moment, then laughed heartily and said, "Amon, of course you can ask for any reward. Say it, as long as it is within my means."
Amon: "Thank you for your approval, Your Majesty. You have given me enough rewards, and I do not want to ask for more. It's just that my people, the descendants of the original miners in Duc, are still doing hard labor on Mount Horeb. I hope you can release them and return them their freedom. I'm fighting for the Empire for your glory and to save my people. "
Pharaoh frowned, "Is that so? Why didn't I know? "
There was no telling whether Pharaoh really did not know or was just pretending. Amon took out a scroll and held it over his head, "Perhaps Your Majesty can't remember such a trivial matter, but it is very important to me. It was you who personally ordered them to be imprisoned on Mount Horeb. This is the official record. "
A servant took the scroll and handed it to Pharaoh. Lasith Ii opened it and glanced at it. He said, "I remember now, there is such a thing. Supreme General Amon, I cannot refuse your request. But do you remember the peace treaty we signed with the Hittite Kingdom? You are also a witness to the peace treaty by returning their fugitive slaves. Keeping them on Mount Horeb is also a form of protection. Should I return them to the Hittite Kingdom? "
Amon replied calmly, "Your Majesty does not need to return them to the Hittite Kingdom, because they left Hittite not as slaves, but as fugitives who have lost their homes and nowhere to go. It was the generous and benevolent His Majesty who took them in. I thank you on behalf of my people."
Amon seemed to be pressuring Pharaoh. Pharaoh's expression did not look too good. The minister of the interior hurriedly interrupted, "Supreme General Amon may not know, but they are now Pharaoh's slaves. Although you have made great contributions to the Empire, they are only your kinsmen. You cannot grant them freedom just because of your contributions. "
Amon thought for a moment and said, "That's easy. I will ask Your Majesty to reward me with these slaves."
Pharaoh looked at Amon and finally smiled, "Of course, it's not a problem. It's just a few dozen slaves. If I am stingy with these rewards, how can the soldiers of Eygut trust me? Amon, your kinsmen are now your slaves. You can bring them back to your territory. "
When the generals in the hall heard Pharaoh reject Amon's initial request, they all showed indignant expressions and wanted to speak up for him. Now that they heard Pharaoh agree to reward these slaves to Amon, they did not say anything. With Amon's contributions, it was only a matter of asking for a few dozen slaves, and they were his kinsmen. This was not a big deal.
Amon bowed and said, "Thank you for your gift, Your Majesty."
Pharaoh probably felt embarrassed and deliberately asked, "Amon, what other requests do you have? Whether it's treasures, beauties, or even more slaves and territory, you can ask. "
Amon smiled, "Since Your Majesty has said so, I do have a request. I hope you can grant me another territory."
He did not expect Amon to really know how to take advantage of the situation. Pharaoh could not take back his words, so he could only ask, "Great General, you already have a very large territory. Where else do you fancy?"
Amon's request was indeed a bit excessive. All the generals looked at him curiously. They didn't know which piece of land the Supreme General had his eyes on. If it was a piece of land with an owner, it would be a little difficult to deal with. Amon calmly took out another sheepskin scroll from his bosom, held it high over his head, and said, "I have prepared the map, please have a look, Your Majesty."
Pharaoh picked up the sheepskin scroll presented by the chamberlain, and then said in surprise, "The Plains of Duc is not in the territory of the Empire of Eygut." What Amon presented was a map of the Plains of Duc. In the area where the town of Duc used to be, he drew an irregular circle with a radius of two to three hundred miles. It was the most suitable fertile land for living and building a city after surveying the terrain.
Amon nodded and said, "Yes, I can't be greedy because of my military achievements, and naturally I can't ask for more territory in the Empire. But according to the peace treaty between Eygut and Hittite, explorers from both countries can enter the Plains to find wealth and reclaim the wilderness. I only ask Your Majesty to grant it to me in name, as for whether I can reclaim it as a territory, it is all up to me. "
So that's how it is, the officials all showed expressions of relief. This request, Pharaoh had no reason to refuse, for him, it was a favor without any cost, to grant Amon a territory that was not originally in the territory of Eygut, and Amon would have to reclaim it himself. Pharaoh looked at Amon thoughtfully and nodded, saying, "Well, it seems that you are prepared, then let the Ministry of the Interior issue a document to grant this land to you in the name of a territory, but you need to occupy and reclaim it yourself."
Amon thanked him again, then stood up and returned to his seat. He had already prepared these two things in order to get today's matter done, and relied on his military achievements in front of the officials to force Pharaoh to nod his head.
Although he only received a nominal fief, it was of great significance to Amon. Pharaoh refused to release the miners from their status as slaves, and Amon asked Pharaoh to grant them to himself, this was only the first step. Although Amon could treat the slaves well in his territory, slaves were, after all, slaves, and Amon had no right to give them freedom. Once these people escaped from the border, according to the agreement between Eygut and Hittite, they would still have to be returned.
Although Pharaoh did not gain any advantage in the expedition, he still did not give up on the Plains of Duc, and wanted to keep this group of miners in his hands. The descendants of Duc were once the legal owners of that land, but now they were Pharaoh's slaves, and as long as Pharaoh got the Title Deed, the owner of the slaves would become the owner of that land.
Pharaoh had inquired about the whereabouts of the Title Deed before launching the war, but Moses and the others only said that the Title Deed had long disappeared in the flood along with Duc. Whether or not there was a Title Deed was just a pretense, and Pharaoh still launched the expedition.
These miners had a more important role. Not only did they master magical skills, but they were also much more efficient at mining parangons than ordinary mages. They were also familiar with the distribution of mineral veins in the area of Duc, which symbolized a living, huge wealth. How could they be sold off so easily?
Moreover, now there was a new situation. If they stayed in the Empire of Eygut, they would be a means to contain Amon. Amon had great prestige among the people of Eygut, especially among the army, and such a person could not help but make Pharaoh wary. If Amon was loyal to the Empire of Eygut, everything would be fine, but if he went to any other country on the continent, it would be a blow to the Empire of Eygut. Naturally, Pharaoh did not want Amon to return home with his people. Such a person must be used by Eygut, but whether or not he would be used was another matter.
It was not a big deal that Pharaoh gave the slaves to Amon. They were still slaves of the Empire of Eygut, and being detained in Amon's territory was not only a kind of kindness, but also a better way to control them.
But Amon was also prepared for this move. He had also asked Pharaoh for an incredible territory, and under such circumstances, Lasith Ii could not refuse.
As the lord of the territory, Amon could naturally send his slaves to reclaim the land. These two requests seemed unrelated, but it just so happened that Moses and the others could escape the enslavement of Eygut and return to their hometown. As for what their status would be after returning to the Plains of Duc, it was no longer up to Pharaoh to care.
Today's Supreme General of the Empire was no longer as ignorant as when he first walked out of the town of Duc. Amon sat in the position of commander-in-chief of the battlefield, and he had dealt with many people from all walks of life. The move of bestowing territory was inspired by a certain experience a long time ago. Princess Sissila of the Kingdom of Bablon had bestowed a territory to Ussir, the leader of the allied tribe of the giants, but it was not within the borders of the Kingdom of Bablon.
Amon had learned this from Princess Sissila, but he had taken the initiative to make a request. He had always been a simple child and never played mind games with others. The first time he played officialdom, he played big, and his opponent was the Pharaohs Of Eygut.
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