Life or Death
Medanzo steered the shuttle away from Ahmad's territory. It was much faster than riding a horse. Ahmad reminded him to be careful on the way, and to avoid densely populated cities. A few days later, the guard sent to the Temple of Isis should have returned by now, but he was nowhere to be seen. Ahmad was puzzled.
The highest authority in the Temple of Isis was the Holy Lady, and the one in charge of all the books and documents was High Priest George. Only these two could deny his request. Was the book really so important that Maria or George wouldn't let him borrow it? Regardless of whether it was public or private, the possibility of that happening was extremely small.
Ahmad was about to send someone to the Temple of Isis to urge them, but the messenger from the Temple of Isis arrived at that moment. To his surprise, it was High Priest George who personally delivered the book. What surprised him even more was that George also brought a message and a person.
The message was about the Kingdom of Bablon and the Hittite Kingdom. The two countries had started a war not long ago, and the Hittite Kingdom had suddenly retreated despite having the upper hand. This was because of the death of their King Lucier.
At the same time that Gilgamesh invaded the Empire of Eygut, the elite Marduc Legion of the Kingdom of Bablon and the Kish Legion of the Kingdom of Kish had assembled at the crossings of the middle reaches of the Euphrates River. When the Uruk Legion advanced into the territory of the Eygut and occupied a large area of the Cape States, the Marduc Legion and the Kish Legion took the opportunity to cross the Euphrates River and approach the Plains of Duc.
The army of the Kingdom of Bablon was stationed at the northeast corner of the Syah Desert and the southeast corner of the inland lake, waiting for news from the Uruk Legion. If Gilgamesh's strategic intentions were realized, the army of Bablon would have nothing to worry about. The entire Syah Desert was under the control of the Kingdom of Bablon, and they could take advantage of the opportunity to cross the inland lake and occupy the entire Plains of Duc.
Hittite had just concluded a peace treaty with the Empire of Eygut. Originally, they didn't wish to continue the war. However, with a powerful foe eyeing them covetously, they had no choice but to regroup their troops, advancing to the southwest corner of the inland lake in preparation.
The Hittite Army had not completely retreated, so it was convenient for them to regroup. King Lucier did not return to the frontlines and went straight back to the capital. Before he left, he wanted to reappoint Goliath as the commander-in-chief of the battlefield. Indeed, there was no one more suitable than him. But Goliath rejected the appointment and recommended Prince Asher to the King.
Prince Asher was Lucier's favorite youngest son, and he had accompanied the King on this expedition. When Lucier was kidnapped by Ah, Goliath was not at the frontline camp, and he had acted as the commander-in-chief of the battlefield. The prince had experienced the previous war and humbly sought guidance from Goliath, and he got along very well with the generals at the frontlines. Asher was suitable in terms of status, experience, and connections, and it was a rare opportunity for him to be the commander-in-chief of the battlefield.
Lucier was already somewhat wary of Goliath's influence in the kingdom, and this suggestion was exactly what he wanted. So he went with the flow and appointed Asher as the commander-in-chief of the battlefield. Prince Asher himself was a little uncertain, so he begged Goliath to be the chief priest of the army. This was a new position that did not exist before, and in fact, it was to assist the prince in commanding the battle at the frontlines. Goliath nodded and agreed.
Prince Asher was the commander-in-chief, but he obeyed Goliath's every word. When Goliath suggested that he stay put, Prince Asher remained on the sidelines and was not in a hurry to fight. The armies of the two countries faced each other in a strange state of silence.
Eygut and Hittite were allies, and Goliath would send people to the Cape States every day to obtain the latest battle reports. The soldiers did not need to fight, but a group of mages in the army were exhausted, flying shuttles back and forth every day without rest. Meanwhile, the Bablon army was also waiting for news from the Uruk Corps. Once the southern frontlines were stabilized, they could take advantage of the situation to advance.
Even a supreme mage would normally take more than two days to drive a shuttle from the Hittite camp to the Cape States if they did not overexert themselves. At the same speed, it would take more than three days to cross the desert from the Bablon camp to the rear of the Uruk Corps. In other words, a round trip would take the Bablon army seven days, while the Hittite Army would need five days.
In fact, Bablon's army did not use shuttles to send messages as frequently as Golier did. Only a mage who had mastered advanced spatial magic and air magic could operate the shuttles, and that mage had to be at least a sixth-level mage. How many mages did Bablon's army have to send to and fro to and fro every day? No one knew how long the current stalemate would last, and it was also a huge manpower drain.
The fall of Enkidu, the number one warrior of the continent, and Gilgamesh's retreat, Goliath was the first to receive the news, a full four days ahead of the Bablon army. When he received the news, Goliath advised the Assyrian prince to march immediately and launch a surprise attack before Bablon's army could react.
The battle plan was also formulated by Goliath. Prince Asher commanded the three legions of Enril, Anu, and Nanar. Goliath's route of advance was not to go straight to the Bablon camp, but to go straight through the Syah Desert in the south, while the Army of Nanar launched an attack northwards.
Of course, this single legion could not defeat the Bablon army. On the way, the Enlil Legion would turn around and outflank the retreating Army of Nanar to stop the Bablon army's counterattack. As for the Anu Legion, the most elite legion formed by Goliath, they did not care about the unfavorable situation in the rear. They broke through all the defensive lines and entered Bablon territory, occupying the crossing on the west bank of the Euphrate River.
This tactic of splitting the army to block the enemy and sneak attacking the enemy's rear caused the two legions of the Bablon Kingdom to lose the crossing, cutting off their retreat. The Bablon army won several victories at the beginning and was about to push the Army of Nanar and the Enlil Legion back into the desert. At this time, the Legion of Anu occupied the crossing and seized the enemy's logistical supplies on the bank of the Euphrate River.
At Golier's suggestion, Prince Asher divided the Anu legion into two parts, with a small part guarding the west bank of the Euphrates River to block the reinforcements from Bablon, and a large part returning to flank the Bablon army, whose retreat route had been cut off. The Bablon army was immediately routed and was almost pushed into the inland lake. After a series of bitter battles, they barely managed to gain a foothold by the lake. They were already fighting with their backs against the river, and there was no way out.
The sudden change in the situation at the frontlines shocked the Kingdom of Bablon, and they urgently mobilized the Ea Legion to reinforce them. In terms of national strength, Bablon was stronger than Hittite. It had a larger territory, a larger population, fertile land, abundant resources, and a better standard of living. However, national strength did not necessarily equate to military strength. Under the command of Prince Asher and Goliath, Hittite had an absolute advantage in the battle around the inland lake.
There were two major problems for Bablon to reinforce the frontlines. Firstly, the Ea Legion might not be able to reach the frontlines in time. Even if they could, they would have to cross the river and take over the position on the west bank. The crossing on the other side of the river had already been lost, and the cost of crossing the river was huge. It would take a long time for the reinforcements to cross the river.
Under these circumstances, Bablon ordered the reinforcements to speed up their march while sending messengers to the Hittite camp by shuttle to negotiate for peace. To negotiate for peace was to admit defeat. They were willing to pay a ransom and ask the Hittite Army to rescue them, then retreat the two legions to the east bank of the Euphrates River. This way, both sides could minimize their losses.
This was a humiliating task, but the messengers had to be of high enough status. Ordinary ministers were not qualified to negotiate. The nobles pushed and pushed, and finally, the task fell to Prince Benut, who had always kept a low profile. On the surface, Prince Benut had no interest in the fight for the throne, but he liked to travel among the people and gather all kinds of talents, which made the other nephews of King Hammurabi wary. This time, they made a collective recommendation to make Benut the scapegoat.
Originally, the King wanted to send Princess Sissila as the messenger, but the princess played a trick and pretended to be sick. The King's nephews then jointly recommended Benut. The affairs of the state were of utmost importance. Although he knew it was not a good thing, Prince Benut accepted the order and left.
Benut brought only two attendants with him to the Hittite camp in a shuttle controlled by the supreme mage Jaykai. Prince Asher asked Goliath how to negotiate. Goliath suggested that the way to deal with Prince Benut was to 'stall', neither rush to the conclusion of the negotiations nor refuse the request. The way to deal with Bablon's army was to 'trap', neither besiege nor annihilate them, nor give them the slightest chance to breathe. At the same time, mobilize a large number of troops to strengthen the defenses on the west bank of the Euphrates River.
The longer the battle dragged on, the more trapped they were, and the stronger the defenses of the Euphrates River were, the more advantageous it would be for Hittite, and the higher the price they could ask for in the negotiations.
That was what Prince Asher did, negotiating unhurriedly. As the price he asked for grew higher and higher, Prince Benut had no choice but to swallow the humiliation and agree. The young Prince Asher had achieved such a brilliant victory in his first official command of an army, and he could not help but feel a little inflated. In the end, he even made a request.
He asked the Kingdom of Bablon to officially cede a large area of land on the west bank of the Euphrates River, which had been conquered by the Hittite Army, to Hittite. This was the same request that Gilgamesh had made to the Empire of Eygut. Prince Benut did not dare to agree. He could tolerate any amount of money and supplies that the Hittite Kingdom demanded, but this request was beyond the pale. Even if the Kingdom of Bablon agreed, Prince Benut himself would be cursed by history.
Prince Benut, who had always been modest, finally lost his temper and decided not to negotiate anymore. He said to Prince Asher, "If Your Highness is stubborn, then let's start a decisive battle. Even if you can wipe out the two legions of Bablon and occupy the land on the west bank of the Euphrates River, your losses will not be small. The Kingdom of Bablon will launch a counterattack with all its might, and no one will gain more than they lose! "
After saying this, Prince Benut prepared to leave. Even the various conditions that he had previously agreed to were nullified, and the negotiations officially broke down. Goliath was commanding the army at the frontline, leaving Prince Asher in the main camp to negotiate. When he heard the news, he immediately rushed back to remind His Highness that his request was indeed too much. If Prince Asher did not want to fall out with Prince Asher, he should not negotiate like this. After all, a victory should not be turned into a long-term war of attrition.
Prince Asher also regretted his decision. He quickly persuaded Prince Benut to withdraw his previous excessive demands and renegotiate. At this time, the reinforcements from Bablon had arrived at the east bank of the Euphrates River, but they did not cross the river by force. Instead, they were waiting for the outcome of the negotiations with the prince. Just then, a shocking piece of news came from the capital of Hittite. Prince Asher had no choice but to end the negotiations and withdraw his troops!
King Lucier had died of a sudden illness. According to the official statement, Lucier had been frightened when he was kidnapped by King Ahmet, and his mental state had not been very good. On the way back to the capital, he had caught a cold, and although the priests had carefully treated him, he still did not get up.
After returning to the capital, the King's mood improved a little, and he relaxed. He held a banquet in the palace, but due to excessive drinking, he fell ill and died in the middle of the night. The cause of the King's death was suspicious, but all the court records were flawless, so no one dared to say anything. A country could not be without a ruler for a single day. Before the King died, he passed the throne to his eldest son, Ainis. While Prince Asher was leading the army into battle, his eldest brother had succeeded to the throne with the support of the court.
After King Ainis succeeded to the throne, he wanted to hold a funeral for his father, so he sent an urgent report to the frontlines. On one hand, he informed the King of his death and the succession of a new ruler. At the same time, he urgently summoned Prince Asher back to the capital to attend Lucier's funeral, and ordered Goliath to succeed him as the commander-in-chief of the battlefield.
Asher and Ainis were contenders for the King's throne, and they each had their own influence in the kingdom. People had long understood that the new king after Lucier must be one of them. This time, by letting Asher lead the army and be assisted by Golier, Lucier's intention was clear. He wanted to pass his position to Asher, and making contributions was just a stepping stone. At the same time, it could also establish Asher's prestige in the army.
But no one expected Lucier's death to be so sudden, and his eldest son, Ainis, took advantage of the situation to ascend the throne, and on the surface, it was a matter of course. As the King, he ordered Prince Asher to step down from his position as commander-in-chief of the battlefield and immediately return to the capital to attend Lucier's funeral. If Asher really sent out his troops and returned just like that, wouldn't it be the same as throwing his life away?
Asher, who received the news, was shocked. He found Goliath and had a long talk with him throughout the night. Outsiders did not know the content of the conversation, but when Prince Asher came out of Goliath's tent, he immediately ordered the messenger from the capital to be detained and placed under house arrest. He also strictly ordered that the news should not be leaked, so as not to shake the morale of the army during the war.
Prince Asher claimed that he could not believe that his father was dead, and sent a messenger back to the capital to "verify" it. He suspected that the messenger this time was a spy from the Kingdom of Bablon, deliberately pretending to be a messenger from the capital to disrupt the morale of the Hittite army.
This excuse was very forced. The news of Lucier's death was absolutely true, and Asher was just stalling for time. He wanted to end the war with the Kingdom of Bablon before the messenger he sent returned from the capital, and he was eager to complete the negotiations. Prince Benut seemed to have heard some news, and the situation at the negotiation table was reversed. On the contrary, Prince Asher was extremely anxious, wishing that he could give Bablon a sum of money and quickly send the Bablon army away.
Prince Benut had originally accepted this difficult task under the infamy of losing his country's sovereignty, but he did not expect to get such a great bargain. He also knew when to stop, and did not make any excessive demands. He still paid a symbolic ransom, and the two countries reached an agreement to withdraw their troops from each other.
Prince Asher, of course, hoped that the sooner the better, so Prince Benut did something glorious. With only two followers, he passed through the heavy encirclement of the Hittite Army, entered the camp of the Bablon army, and brought out the two exhausted and heavily wounded legions, all the way to the safety of the eastern bank of the Euphrate River. Then the Hittite Army retreated, and Prince Benut led the reinforced Egyptian army to cross the Euphrate River again, recovering the lost land on the western bank without a drop of blood.
This caused a great sensation in the Kingdom of Bablon, and from word of mouth, Prince Benut became a legendary hero. He entered the enemy's camp alone, and did not fail to fulfill his mission. After the fall of Enkidu and the retirement of Gilgamesh, the people of the Kingdom of Bablon needed a new hero to restore the deep sense of loss. Prince Benut's appearance came at the right time, and his reputation in the Kingdom was unparalleled.
He was a prince, one of the legitimate heirs to the throne, which was something that Hittite's Goliath or Eygut's could not compare to.
Not to mention how Prince Benut became the hero of the Kingdom of Bablon, Prince Asher of the Hittite Kingdom did not have the authority to dispatch troops. He did return to the King's capital to attend the funeral, but he did not return by himself. Instead, he returned with the elite chariots and cavalry of the Hittite Army. The Enlil Legion was originally stationed in the capital, so it was only right for them to follow the prince back to the capital. The generals under Prince Benut also brought all the elites with them in the name of attending the King's funeral, and they galloped all the way to the capital, Hatusha.
When George received the news in Montefiore, Prince Asher had just set off. It seemed that the civil war in the Hittite Kingdom was inevitable. It was also said that Goliath had also returned to the capital with the prince, and it was unknown what role he would play.
When Asher heard the news, his heart was filled with emotion. He had once captured the former King of the Hittite Kingdom, Lucier, and kept him by his side for more than half a month. Although the King was not very strong, his body was not that weak. He also had a supreme mage to treat him at any time, so he should not have died so quickly. It seemed that there was more to it than meets the eye.
He was also feeling sorry for Goliath. Goliath led the main force of the Hittite Army, and the two wars he commanded were extremely successful. He should have won both wars, but both ended in a draw, and it was King Lucier who lagged behind. The King was dead, and his death was the last and most serious disaster to befall the country. It was truly not a good thing from birth to death.
Amidst his emotions, he smiled bitterly and asked the man beside George, "General John, since you have recovered from your injuries, why didn't you go to the An-Ra Legion and instead followed the high priest to my territory?"
The 'guest' that George brought was John, the frontline commander of the An-Ra Legion. Not long ago, Asher recommended him to be the next Head of the Legion, and the Pharaoh did not reject it, only saying that he would appoint John after he recovered from his injuries. Counting the days, John should have already taken up his post, so why would he have the time to visit Asher's territory?
When John heard the question, he slammed the table heavily and said, "Supreme General, don't mention it! I was dismissed as soon as I took up my post, and even demoted by one rank! "
Asher was surprised, "What happened? Did your bad temper flare up again? What trouble did you cause this time? "
At the side, George shook his head and said, "The cause and effect of this matter are very complicated. You can't blame General John for his bad temper. Let me explain slowly."
Pharaoh did not refute Asher and the military. When John recovered from his injuries and returned to the Montefiore Military Office to report, Pharaoh ordered him to be appointed as the Head of the An-Ra Legion, and he was to rush to the Cape States to take up his post on the same day. John was a straightforward person, so he immediately went.
While John was on his way to the Cape States, Pharaoh and Eygut's military headquarters in the distant capital received several reports of impeachment against John. It was a long story. As early as when Ah was training his troops on the march, he had dealt with a few priests who didn't work hard. At that time, it was Hardedef who dragged them out of the army formation and personally beat them half to death.
One of the priests was severely injured. It was unknown if he was faking it or if Hardedef was too heavy-handed in his rage. In any case, this person took the opportunity to be transferred out of the army and returned to the rear to recuperate before going into battle. At that time, Asher did not have absolute authority. The priests were all under the jurisdiction of George. George had to agree because the priest was the distant nephew of Joseph, the Prime Minister of Eygut.
The priest may have been afraid of death and did not want to go to the front line, or he may have been unwilling to be humiliated. But later on, Asher made great achievements on the battlefield, and the accompanying priests of the An-Ra Legion were rewarded with high honors. Of course, all the credit did not go to the priest. He was always ridiculed by people, so he especially hated Asher and John.
With Asher's outstanding achievements, it was not wise to find fault with him. So he targeted John. There were many people who wanted to find fault with John. Some small things could not touch him, but one accusation was very serious. John once publicly reprimanded Pharaoh's orders as bullsh * t.
That was after the battle with the Hittite Army and just returned to Eygut. Before the news of the Uruk Legion's raid arrived, Pharaoh had already ordered Asher to be dismissed from his post. John happened to meet the messenger on his way back. When he heard the news, he was furious and shouted: "Bullsh * t! Asher is a warrior, is there any position more suitable than being the Head of an Imperial Legion? Even if you want to appoint him to another position, he can still be the Head of an Imperial Legion! "
At that time, John's hand was on the hilt of his sword and he was surrounded by soldiers. The messenger was so scared that his face turned pale. Coincidentally, the supreme mage Julien arrived with Pharaoh's second order, appointing Asher as the commander-in-chief of the battlefield. Only then did John stop losing his temper.
This matter could be big or small. If no one pursued it, it would just be a general cursing. But if they really wanted to collect evidence and make a big fuss about it, and then write a written impeachment report in hieroglyphs and send it to the Ejyptian military and the Pharaoh, the quality of the problem would be serious.
Pharaoh claimed to be the representative of Horus on earth, symbolizing the will of the gods, protecting and ruling over Eygut.
To protect and rule Ejypt, his official orders were equivalent to the effects of an oracle. Who dared to say that an oracle was bullsh * t? This was a great disrespect, a blasphemy against the gods, a disgrace to the dignity of the Empire, and must be severely punished!
A priest might not be able to stir up such a storm, but he went to the Prime Minister of the Empire to complain. The Prime Minister secretly intervened, so he obtained the signed testimony of the messenger, as well as the testimonies of the other people present, and then submitted an impeachment report.
The Prime Minister of the Empire had other considerations in this matter. He also wanted to use this matter to attack the military forces that had risen after the war, especially to weaken the influence of the newly rising Asher. Although Asher had lost his military power, his influence in the military still remained. John was his most important subordinate, and this was more or less in accordance with Pharaoh's hints.
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