Chapter 4670: The Bold Male Servant

  But the lord of the city did not receive any blame for this, and instead received praise from Pharaoh. The praise was also deserved, because the main responsibility for the defeat of the Seti army lay with Pharaoh himself, and since Pharaoh claimed to have won the great war, he naturally had to commend his generals. On the other hand, Rodej was repeatedly defeated in battle, but returned to the city-state at the fastest speed, gathered the remnants of the southern desert, not only minimized losses to the greatest extent, but also quickly organized reinforcements and sat in the city-state of Haikou, ensuring the stability of the great rear.

  The logistics fleet of the An-Lashun Army was able to navigate smoothly, and Luo De also made great contributions.

  When the great army returned within Egypt's borders, Rode-Dick led the reorganized Setet legion to the border line to meet them, bringing enough comfort supplies so that Pharaoh could reward his soldiers. This arrangement made everyone very satisfied. After eating bitter food in the desert for so many days, Pharaoh temporarily rested in a prepared palace in the city-state after summarizing the war and then returned to the capital. The various legions were also dispatched here, returning to their original garrison locations.

  Lord Dick welcomed all the legions at the border pass until the Ann Lu army returned safely. When he saw Amun again, the city lord was full of emotion, holding Amun's hand and saying: "Brave warrior, great legion commander, I don't know how to express my admiration for you... when you first came to Haicheng City and returned Niu Lu's belongings in public, I never thought that you would achieve such a feat today. There have been many things, privately speaking, I owe you an apology..."

  "Lord City Master, why must you say such things? Think back to when I was a mysterious foreign hunter. You gave me hospitality and protection, and publicly recognized the will of Lord Nero, allowing me to obtain that precious inheritance without any debt or obligation from you personally. In fact, it's precisely because you went to Du Ke Town back then that I am who I am today. My heart is filled with gratitude."

  Two people walked hand in hand into the Eguchi border. At this time, Amun was already able to walk shoulder to shoulder with Rodick, which was unimaginable a few years ago. When Rodick arrived at Duke Town back then, he was so high and mighty, his noble status almost impossible to reach, only looking up to him. But Amun never looked up to him, nor did he ever look down on him, whether in the past or now.

  They were supposed to be the last batch to enter Cape City, and a grand ceremony was already prepared in the city to celebrate the victory. However, this ceremony was suddenly postponed. The Anluo army corps, which had just withdrawn from the battlefield, received an urgent order again, turned around and became the vanguard, going to resist the Uruk army corps that suddenly rushed towards the border of Egu.

  Gilgamesh and Enkidu launched an attack on the coastal city-state at this time.

  Gilgamesh chose a very critical moment, the Egou army had just returned from a long expedition, and the main force was heavily damaged, exhausted and unable to rest. More importantly, except for the Anla Army, the Horus Army and the Isis Army, which were defeated in the desert and besieged for a long time, had lost their morale and could not fight hard battles in the short term.

  The legion is made up of people, and the physical and mental strength of people has a limit. After several months of intense tension in the desert, they returned to Eju and relaxed, naturally dispersing in battle, making it difficult to gather together in a short period of time. The two legions that arrived at Haicheng first had already been sent back in batches, leaving only the elite guard troops and high-ranking generals, while the rest of the soldiers were on their way back to their garrison. The sudden arrival of the Uruk legion was somewhat unexpected.

  Fortunately, Amun's abduction of the king led to negotiations between the two countries and Pharaoh's army has withdrawn. Otherwise, the timing of Uruk's attack would have coincided with Pharaoh's army being besieged in the northern desert, allowing Gilgamesh to take advantage of the situation, and Roddick's half-Seth army would not have been able to withstand it.

  The peace talks between the two countries were unexpected, and Gilgamesh did not expect it either. When he sent troops, he also sent an envoy to the commander of the Hittite battlefield, Sari, with a letter. The letter strongly condemned Pharaoh Ramses II's aggressive behavior and expressed that the Kingdom of Babylon and the city-state of Uruk were willing to help Hatti defeat their brutal enemy together. He would send troops to attack the coastal city-state, cut off the rear route of the Egyptian expeditionary force, occupy their logistical base, and cooperate with the Hittite kingdom to annihilate the Pharaoh's army in the desert.

  If the battle really develops like this, then all of the expeditionary forces including An-Ra Legion will be doomed. The An-Ra Legion, Horus Legion, Isis Legion and Set Legion will all face annihilation. Even if other legions from the Egu homeland come to rescue them, it will be too late. It's just a matter of suffering a crushing defeat on the front lines before engaging in another border defense battle with the Uruk Legion.

  Unfortunately, the situation changed too quickly. Gilgamesh's envoy had just set out when Egdu and Hatti had already completed their negotiations and withdrawn their troops. By the time the Uruk army entered the southern part of the Syrian Desert, Pharaoh had led his main force back to the city-state of Haqa. Gilgamesh's plan for a surprise attack came to nothing, but he did not change his military plans and continued to lead his army straight towards the border.

  Gao Lie received a letter from Gilgamesh during the retreat, and he could only sigh with a bitter smile. At that time, Gao Lie had already handed over his position as commander of the legion and commander-in-chief on the battlefield, and no longer controlled the army. Gilgamesh's letter came too late, and Gao Lie simply passed it on to the king for handling. Hatti and Egypt had signed a treaty and become allies, and Pharaoh's army had withdrawn into Egyptian territory, so Lucille would not cooperate with the military actions of the Kingdom of Balen.

  Moreover, on the other hand, the Balun Kingdom may not be well-intentioned either. At the same time that the Uruk army crossed the Euphrates River and headed west, at another crossing point in the middle of the Euphrates River, the city-state army of Kish from the Balun Kingdom had already assembled, and the elite army of Marduk from the capital of Balun was also preparing to depart. That place is the closest location of the Balun Kingdom to the Duk Plain, and as long as they cross the Euphrates River along the edge of the mountain and march, it will be 300 miles to the east coast of the inland lake.

  These two legions gathered there with the intention of taking advantage of the fact that Hatti and Egypt were both wounded, and also intervening in the dispute over the Dukkian Plain. The words sounded very good, they wanted to help the Hittite kingdom defend against a powerful enemy. Dispatching a large army to help could not be done for nothing, so after the event, demands would be made of the Hittite kingdom to express "gratitude", and the target would naturally be the Dukkian Plain.

  Lucille ordered the Prime Minister to write a reply, politely declining Gilgamesh's "kindness", stating that Hattie and Egypt had already signed a peace treaty and formed an alliance to defend against external enemies, so as not to trouble the Kingdom of Babylon or Gilgamesh.

  At the same time as sending a reply, Luzi's envoy rushed to Hazi City with an urgent report, informing Pharaoh of the military movements of the Kingdom of Balen. Of course, Hatti would not send troops across the desert to intercept the Uruk army, which was led by Gilgamesh and Enkidu and was feared by all on the mainland. But Luzi was also good at talking, and in his letter he mentioned the news that two armies of the Kingdom of Balen were gathering in Kish City, saying that they would heavily defend the north of the desert and respond to the south of the desert, which actually meant taking care of their own affairs.

  The army of Uruk marched too quickly, and due to the outbreak of war, there were no merchant caravans traveling through the desert, and news was strictly blocked along the way. The Pharaoh only learned of Gilgamesh's movements on the day before he received the urgent report from Lusir, and was naturally shocked. Fortunately, all the generals were by his side, and after a night of deliberation, several emergency orders were issued.

  The Isis Legion and the Horus Legion, which were being sent back to their garrison in batches, are urgently gathering. The wounded and sick personnel will return to their garrison for rest and recovery as planned, while the remaining combat personnel will be reorganized. The Cabal Legion, which was originally rushing to reinforce Cape City-State, is now hastening to accelerate its advance to the front line.

  These arrangements, more or less, took time. The immediate task was to hold off the first wave of Uruk's army at the front line. On the advice of his ministers, Pharaoh ordered the An-Ra army, which had been interrupted during its retreat, to defend the border and appointed Amun as the commander-in-chief of the battlefield. Rod-Dick, who remained at the border pass, became the quartermaster general of the battlefield.

  Angron was promoted, from Legion Commander to overall commander of the battlefield, commanding not only his original Angron's Own but also the remnants of the Sethian Legions gathered by Lord Driedyn. The two understrength Isstvan V Legions and Horus' own legion would also be placed under Angron's command once they had been reorganized and sent to the front lines.

  If non-combat logistics personnel are not counted, the An-Ra Legion has not yet replenished its troops after the Great War and still has more than 4,000 people who can be put into battle; The Seth Legion has only more than 2,000 people who can be put into battle; The Isis Legion and the Horus Legion have been reorganized together to have more than 5,000 people who can be put into battle. Amun will command more than 13,000 warriors and hundreds of priests.

  In the rear of Haizhou City, there were more than 100,000 logistical personnel who cooperated with the battle, transported supplies and built fortifications. This is almost equivalent to Ge Lie's position in the last big war, and Amun was pushed to such a situation without being prepared.

  Will Ah Meng just accept the favor of Fa Lao and the officials of Eju? In fact, it is not. This is a job that can only be done but not achieved, even a position to send one's life, anyone who takes it will be the same. Although Ah Meng has been promoted, he will also be a scapegoat because he must lose on the front line.

  Uruk City-State is the most powerful city-state in the Kingdom of Balen, except for the capital. The Uruk Legion is recognized as the strongest legion on the continent. Gilgamesh had been secretly recruiting and training troops over the past few years, and this time, with the main force of the northern kingdom covering and distracting him, he had no worries about his back, so he launched an all-out attack, with a total of 8,000 well-trained elite soldiers, accompanied by nearly a hundred divine officers.

  Even if Amun leads the exhausted army to fight, it's hard to win, let alone Horus and Isis legions have not yet been fully assembled and sent to the front line, and with only An-Ra legion and Set legion remnants in his hands, it is even more impossible to hold on.

  It is said that the mainland's number one warrior, Enqi, has the bravery of a thousand men and can take the head of the commander-in-chief in the midst of a hundred thousand soldiers. Whether this legend is true or false, it is certain that Enqi beheaded Hong Bababa. Amun should think more about his own life.

  Before that, there was a very interesting little episode. After the Pharaoh arrived at the palace in Cape City, Ahmen was still leading the Anra Legion on his way back, and the Pharaoh summoned the ministers to discuss and issue an order, asking Ahmen to hand over the position of Legion Commander and return to Egou Wangdu with him, where there would be more important appointments and rich rewards.

  This decision is not unreasonable either. The Ahmose military corps was a newly formed miscellaneous army, and Amun was the one who created this elite team with his own hands. He won brilliant victories in major battles and made incredible contributions to the country. His prestige in the army was at an all-time high. If Amun were still in the position of commander-in-chief, if there were any acts of disobedience, including the pharaoh, others would probably not be able to command this corps.

  Ahmose, being a foreigner, had shallow roots and could not avoid suspicion. As for the reasons why people suspected him, it is unnecessary to say more. Therefore, Pharaoh and the ministers all thought that Ahmose should be given a higher position and great wealth, but he was not suitable to continue commanding this army.

  The Pharaoh's envoy had just set out to deliver the decree to the border, when news arrived that the Uruk army was making a massive invasion. The situation took a dramatic turn, and at an emergency meeting held in the palace, those ministers who had originally suggested that the Pharaoh remove Ahmose from his position as commander of the Amun army suddenly changed their tune. Everyone unanimously advised the Pharaoh to immediately rescind the order and promote Ahmose to Commander-in-Chief on the battlefield, and so Ahmose was promoted.

  This suggestion is also reasonable. Through the war that has just been experienced, it has been proven that Ah Mon is indeed good at fighting and now his reputation is high, appointing him is also "the people's expectation".

  The pharaoh then urgently sent out a great magician, who controlled the flying shuttle to catch up with the messenger who had already gone halfway, and withdrew the original order and replaced it with the latest appointment.

  As An-Ra Legion was executing a rear guard mission, Ah-Mun as the legion commander walked at the very back of the army, while the vanguard troops of An-Ra Legion had already reached halfway between Cape City and the border. Ah-Mun did not receive the first order sent by Pharaoh, but John met the messenger on his way.

  John was furious upon hearing the news and drew his sword, nearly attacking someone. No one knew better than John how much effort Amun had put into building the Anra army, only to be stripped of command upon their triumphant return.

  The messenger did not dare to provoke the general, and could only smile and explain that Pharaoh's intention was to promote Amun to a more noble and important position. John shouted angrily: "What nonsense! Amun is a warrior, what position is more suitable than the commander of the Imperial Legion? Even if he wants to appoint him to another position, can't he still serve as the commander of the legion? Such a young general, how can he go to serve as the Minister of War? Does he want this great warrior to serve as the High Priest?"

  John flew into a rage, speaking recklessly, and with the murderous aura of his army arrayed around him, the messenger was too frightened to say more, only explaining that he had merely been sent to deliver the message, which was the decision of Pharaoh and his ministers. Just then Julian arrived with the flying shuttle bearing the latest orders, and Amun not only remained in command of the Anru army corps but also became commander-in-chief on the battlefield.

  John had barely caught his breath when he received this order and immediately led the vanguard back to the border to join Amun.

  ……

  Amun received the latest appointment from Pharaoh on his way back to the army, and the messenger was Julian, who had a feud with him. Julian is also the main priest of the Set military division and will stay on the front line to follow Amun's command. I don't know what mood this great divine master is in at this moment, and from a personal perspective, will he wait for Amun to lose the battle? However, on the battlefield, honor and shame are shared together. If the front line loses, Julian, as the main priest of the Set military division, will not have a good outcome either.

  When he saw the great divine magician who had once sent someone to chase and kill him thousands of miles away, Amun didn't say anything unnecessary, not even mentioning past events. First, he comforted a few sentences in a professional manner, then solemnly gathered his generals to discuss battle plans.

  The troops that can be gathered on the border today are the main force of Anluo Legion and the remnants of Saite Legion. In addition to the important generals of the two legions, there is also an advisor, Ariadne, a staff member of Lord Dick. Amun heard that Ariadne was in the army and specially invited him to attend the meeting. However, Ariadne made excuses for not being proficient in military affairs and did not speak throughout the conference.

  All of you gentlemen took out maps and sand tables and studied them for a long time, unanimously believing that they could not stop the attack of the Uruk army.

  George sighed and said, "Given the current state of battle, even if the Horus Legion and Isis Legion reorganize and rush to the border, it will be difficult for us to confront the Uruk Legion head-on."

  John asked irritably, "Aren't those two legions supposed to be the empire's most elite fighting forces?"

  "Depends on who the opponent is, and what the current situation is. If it were a few months ago when Horus' and Isis' legions had just departed from the border of Egypt, I wouldn't be afraid to engage in an all-out war with Uruk's legion, but now..."

  Julian frowned, "If we want to be evenly matched, we must wait for the reinforcements of the Kabir army to arrive at the front line and merge with the main force. However, distant water cannot save the fire nearby, the Uruk army is moving too fast. I'm just a bit puzzled, what's their purpose in fighting? They can't defeat the Egu Empire in the end, why bother to laboriously launch a long-distance attack?"

  Amon pointed to the sand table and said, "The combat purpose of the Uruk Legion can be guessed. They crossed the desert from east to west, not hoping to defeat the entire Egu Empire, but only needing to occupy the eastern part of the Haiding City-State with water grass and fields, establish a strategic fortress, and control the entire Syrian Desert. Don't forget that apart from the Egu Empire, the power of nearby countries belongs to Balen is the strongest.

  Amon drew a line on the sand table with his finger along the narrowest part of the land, cutting out two-fifths of the territory of the Sea Cape City-State, implying that this place was the target that the Uruk army would occupy.