154 、 The River of Blood
Supreme General Amon originally had five titles, but now one was cut down to four. The original first title, "The Blessing of the Great God Horus", disappeared, and the other title, "Inherit the Glory of An-Ra", was raised to the top and changed to "Radiate the Glory of An-Ra".
This change was natural, because Horus had not only lost his status as the king of Eygut, but he also no longer had the title of a god, and An-Ra had become the only supreme god by law. The monotheistic reform of Merneptah first took the title of the famous Supreme General of the Empire, Amon, as a test and a declaration.
Amon could not say anything more than thanks for the reward, and the ministers of Eygut also knew the direction the Empire was going. Although it was just a change in the title of the Supreme General, its practical role was very important.
Amon's achievements and glory were obtained on the battlefield, and he enjoyed a high reputation among the people. There was also a rumor that it was because of the protection of An-Ra that the An-Ra Legion was able to achieve a miraculous victory on the battlefield. The defeat of the Horus Legion, the most elite force of the kingdom, naturally symbolized the injury and retirement of Horus.
The legions of the Empire were named after the gods, and naturally, there was another meaning. The soldiers believed that the name of the legion was the guardian god on the battlefield. While the Horus Legion lost the first battle and was almost wiped out, the An-Ra Legion, which had just been formed from a miscellaneous army, repeatedly made great contributions and saved the Empire of Eygut from the fate of defeat. Once this rumor was spread, the impact on the people was indeed considerable, and it was also adding fuel to the monotheistic reform of Merneptah Pharaoh.
Even if the gods had a divine realm, to turn it into a true "realm of divine power", they still needed true faith and offerings. The establishment of a monotheistic system required a corresponding social foundation, and only then could Seth enjoy the status of a true god in the name of An-Ra.
After Amon wrote back to thank Pharaoh for the reward, Merneptah issued a series of new decrees requiring the city-states to replace the chief god worshipped in their shrines with Ra. The other gods, including Horus, did not cancel the sacrifice, but they had to be ranked after Seth. At the same time, he built a magnificent Shrine of Ra in Hilmore and made Hilmore the new capital of the Empire.
Merneptah's monotheistic reform also had a very practical significance in the secular world of the Empire of Eygut, as it concentrated and strengthened the rule of the monarchy. After going through a war that mobilized the whole nation, the conflicts between the various factions within the empire became more and more obvious, especially the conflicts between the emerging nobles and the aristocrats that had existed for thousands of years.
Lasith Ii's death was too sudden, and Merneptah's position after succeeding the throne was not stable. He was not the eldest son of Lasith Ii, but the luckiest of the princes, who ascended the throne with the support of powerful ministers. Much of the power of the Empire of Eygut was in the hands of the traditional aristocrats represented by the clergy groups, and Merneptah's reform was equivalent to centralization of power.
There was a certain difference between the concept of the clergy groups and the concept of the mages. Supreme mages like Maria and George did not belong to this group, but the aristocracy that had risen in recent years. People like Rod-dick, although not a mage himself, were still the chief priest of the Cape States, holding local military and political power for generations. He was a typical representative of this group.
For example, the Ramose family, from which Nero came, was also a member of the clergy groups, and Amon had a strong conflict with this family. If personal factors aside, this was also one of the inevitable contradictions caused by the rise of the new forces represented by Amon.
When the position of the royal power was unstable, it was easy for the power to be controlled by the local aristocratic groups. The change in the Ennead divine clan was an opportunity, and Merneptah took the opportunity to carry out the monotheistic reform, which was also a move to weaken the various conflicting forces in the country and strengthen the centralization of power. Changing his own name and establishing a new king were the most important symbols.
Merneptah did not touch the Temple of Isis in Montefiore for the time being, but according to the oracle and decree, the goddess Isis had also become an angel. Pharaoh gave this angel a special title of "Our Lady of Isis", and also gave the original guardian of Isis, Saint Maria, a new title – Guardian of the Angels.
The Temple of Isis was still dedicated to the "Our Lady of Isis", but the most important east and west halls on both sides of the main shrine were rebuilt. The east side, where the sun rose, was dedicated to Ra, while the west side was dedicated to the angels led by Seth. In fact, this was Seth's shrine, and the angels behind it were just a foil to him.
As Amon expected, he soon received a warrant from Pharaoh from the city of Herak, summoning the craftsmen of Duc to go to Hilmore to build the main shrine for Ra. Supreme General Amon's first title was "Glory to Ra", and he had no reason to refuse such a trivial matter. Otherwise, it would be disrespectful to the gods. Pharaoh ordered the cities to recruit craftsmen, and specifically mentioned the miners of Duc.
If Lasith Ii had not died, and nothing had happened to the Ennead divine clan, after Amon's rampage in Montefiore, most people would not deliberately find fault with him, unless there was conclusive evidence that the Supreme General had committed a serious crime. But now everything had changed, and the power structure of the empire was being reorganized. Prime Minister Joseph was the strongest supporter of the new Pharaoh's monotheistic reform, and perhaps he was the one who told Pharaoh where the best craftsmen on the continent were.
Even if the prime minister did not say it, Pharaoh himself would have made Amon state his position, as this was both the will of the gods and the direction of the empire's national policy. Amon said apologetically to the emissary of Herak: "I could not have predicted what would happen today, that group of craftsmen has been sent to the territory of the Plains of Duc."
The emissary said: "This is an order from Pharaoh, and it must be carried out. His Majesty has just awarded you a large territory, but it is only for the requisition of a few dozen slaves. This is the most important matter of the empire at present, Supreme General should recall those slaves immediately."
Amon nodded and said: "I will send my guards to recall them immediately."
The emissary said: "Thank you, Supreme General, I will wait for news in your territory."
John crossed the Nile River with a group of guards and "chased" Moses and the others along the official road. Two days later, he returned and reported to Amon with a terrified expression: "Supreme General, it's not good, your slaves have abandoned their carriages and escaped! We found their abandoned carriages on the official road by the river, as well as their footprints into the mountains and forests. The mountains are too desolate, we have searched all day but have not found them. "
Amon slapped the table and said: "What, they dared to escape? Continue to search, when you find them, bring them directly to Herak! " Then he said to the emissary: "I'm really sorry, those slaves have escaped, please report to Pharaoh truthfully. I am willing to donate a large sum of money to the empire for the construction of the Shrine of Ra. "
Slaves escaped from time to time, and the facts were clear. Supreme General Amon did not lie, he was also a victim, and Amon's donation was not empty talk. He took out the equivalent of a thousand parangons as a tribute, which was far more than the value of dozens of ordinary slaves.
The emissary did not know the inside story and thought that he had completed his mission perfectly. Although the Supreme General's slave had escaped, he had paid a thousand parangons for it. So, after comforting Amon, he returned to the city of Herak and reported the situation to the capital.
Unexpectedly, when Pharaoh saw the report, he attached great importance to it and immediately sent an order to reward Supreme General Amon with two hundred slaves in recognition of his generous donation to the Shrine of Ra, and at the same time to compensate him for the loss of his slaves' escape. Pharaoh also ordered the city-states of the country to assist the Supreme General in recovering the escaped slaves, and specifically emphasized the importance of these craftsmen in the divine prophecy.
Amon frowned after receiving the order. Merneptah's move was unusual. It was not as simple as summoning craftsmen, but he wanted this group of people. He actually personally ordered the city-states all over the country for the sake of dozens of escaped slaves. But Pharaoh could not punish the Supreme General himself on the surface. Amon's slaves had escaped, and he had suffered losses, not to mention that he had donated a large sum of money.
In the face of such "kindness" from the Empire's Pharaoh, Supreme General Amon was also very "grateful" and denounced John and the other "incompetent" personal guards in his territory. In anger, he dismissed John from his post as the captain of the guards and wanted to drive him back to Montefiore. John pleaded: "Supreme General, please give me a chance to redeem myself. Although you have dismissed me from my post as the captain of the guards, I still need to make up for my mistakes."
Amon nodded and said: "John, you have nothing to do with me anymore. Since you have the desire to help me, for the sake of Pharaoh, I will give you a warrant. You will lead all my guards to search along the official road, even if you have to chase them out of the borders of Eygut, you must find them! "
John prostrated and bowed: "Thank you, Supreme General. If I can't find them, I will definitely not come to see you!"
John was dismissed from his post by Amon, and in order to redeem himself, he asked the Supreme General to let him continue to lead his guards to search for the escaped slaves. This was all voluntary, and it looked like he was carrying out Pharaoh's orders. In fact, before this, Amon had privately asked John: "For the sake of dozens of escaped slaves, Pharaoh has issued an order to all the cities in the country. This is not an ordinary action. It seems that I will have to leave Eygut sooner or later. After I leave, what will you do? "
John replied without thinking: "Of course I will continue to follow Amun and bring Misphi with me to follow you."
Amon smiled: "I'm afraid it will be difficult to leave when the time comes. I will give you two choices now. One is to dismiss you from your post as the captain of the guards, and you will no longer have anything to do with me. You can return to Montefiore and continue to be an unemployed general. The second choice is still to dismiss you from your post, but give you a chance to go to where I am going. "
John: "Of course it is the second choice. To tell you the truth, all your guards have also sworn to follow you to the death. If you leave Eygut, their fates will be very miserable, Supreme General, please consider it. "
Amon nodded: "You are very thoughtful, then I will let you take all of them and leave."
Amon asked John to lead all his guards to chase after the escaped slaves along the official road. It was nothing more than giving them a chance to leave the borders of Eygut and head to the Plains of Duc. Supreme General Amon had really dismissed all the people around him. His clansmen had all fled, Medanzo and Link had also left, and now even John had left. He did not even leave a single guard behind!
He only had the servants of the territory by his side, which was equivalent to living alone in such a huge and unfamiliar territory, but he seemed very calm. Amon had thought it through very clearly. If Pharaoh really wanted to harm him, he could leave at any time, but the people around him would definitely be implicated, so it was better to prepare early. He was now a Supreme General without an army, with only a cat by his side to keep him company.
Amon did not want to take the initiative to "commit treason". If he was convicted of this crime, too many people would be implicated, including his former subordinates and the lords who had recommended him. Moreover, after John left, Amon had already begun to undo the seal on Schrödinger, and there was no time or energy to deal with other things.
But the importance that the Pharaohs Of Eygut attached to the pursuit of the Ducians was far beyond ordinary people's expectations. Behind Pharaoh's orders, there was even the shadow of the gods.
… …
Moses led his clansmen along the barren mountains on the east bank of the Nile River, through the inaccessible dense forest, from the city of Heliot to the territory of the city of Bubas. Here, the official road turned east, and they had to cross the official road into another mountainous area to avoid being tracked. Moses led his clansmen to hide in the mountains, wanting to wait until late at night when the official road was deserted.
However, at night he heard the voice of the oracle again. Medanzo told him that they could not leave at night, and that they had to wait until dawn. Sure enough, that night, several groups of the city guards passed by on the official road with torches in their hands. If they saw Moses and the others, they would not be able to escape.
At dawn, Moses heard Medanzo's voice again, "You can go now."
Moses woke up his sleeping clansmen, quietly went to the official road, and walked along the main road for a distance. This place was far from the town, and the nearby farms were still in deep sleep. There was a cloud in the sky that always hid them. They took the risk to walk through this densely populated open area, and entered another desolate mountainous area. Finally, they breathed a sigh of relief.
They had been trudging through the hills full of bushes for several days, and in many places they had to cut down thorns to make a path. Everyone was carrying heavy loads, and even the strongest miners were tired. In the afternoon, they came to a river, a tributary of the Nile River, and an important water source for irrigating the land near the city of Bubas. Moses ordered everyone to stop and rest, and took out utensils to make a fire to cook.
They set up a stove and gathered firewood. Moses ordered six of the twelve Judges to perform magic to prevent the smoke from the fire from rising, so as not to be discovered. As soon as the fire was lit, the clansmen sent to fetch water from the river stumbled back and reported, "Oh no, there was a terrible miracle, the river has turned into blood!"
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