River of Blood

  General Amun had five titles originally, now reduced to four. The first title "Great God Horus of Protection" is gone and another title "Heir of Ankh of Life" has been promoted to the first place and changed to "Shining Ankh of Life".

  This change was inevitable, as Horus not only lost the status of king of the gods, but also no longer held the title of divine, and Anra became the only supreme god. Elah's monotheistic reform, which first took the title of Amun, the famous imperial general, was a test and a declaration.

  Amon had nothing to say except for thanks, and the officials also knew the current direction of the empire. Although it seemed like only a title change for the general, its actual effect was very important.

  Amun's merits and glory were gained on the battlefield, with a very high reputation among the people. It is also unknown when and where a rumor came out that it was because of Anra's protection by the gods that the Anra Legion could achieve miraculous victories on the battlefield. The defeat of the kingdom's most elite main force, Horus Legion, naturally also symbolized Horus' injury and retreat.

  The legions were all named after the gods, and naturally had another meaning, the soldiers believed that the name of the legion was the protective god on the battlefield. The Horus Legion suffered a defeat in its first battle, almost annihilating the entire army, while the newly formed Anra Legion, composed of miscellaneous troops, achieved great victories, saving the fate of the Eguth Empire from failure. Once this rumor spread, it had a significant impact on the people, and also helped to promote Elahert's monotheistic reform.

  Even if the gods have their own divine countries, to turn them into a true "divine power source domain", they still need true devotion and sacrifice. The establishment of a monotheistic system requires a corresponding social foundation, and Set can only enjoy the status of a true main god in the name of Anra.

  After thanking Pharaoh for the reward, Er-Hotep issued a series of new decrees, requiring each city-state to replace the main god in the temple with An-Ra. Horus and other gods did not cancel sacrifices, but must be ranked after Set. At the same time, he built a magnificent An-Ra Temple in Xiermo and designated Xiermo as the new capital of the empire.

  Erahet's monotheistic reform also had very practical significance in the secular sphere of the Ej Empire, namely in concentrating and strengthening royal power. After going through a war of national mobilization, the contradictions between various factions within the empire became more and more apparent, especially the contradictions between the emerging noble class and the centuries-old hereditary nobility became sharper and sharper.

  Lacis II died too suddenly, and after Eracht succeeded to the throne, his position was not stable. He was not the eldest son of Lacis II, but one of the most fortunate among the princes, who ascended to the throne with the support of the powerful ministers. Many powers in the Egur Empire were held by traditional aristocrats represented by the priestly group, and Eracht's reform was a centralized power that drained the pot from the bottom.

  The concept of the clergy and the divine art also has some differences. People like Maria and George, who are great divine artists, do not belong to this force, but are rather a new aristocracy that has risen in recent years. On the other hand, people like Lord Dick, although he is not a divine artist himself, still holds the position of chief priest of the Cape City-State, and his family has held local military and political power for generations, making him a typical representative of this group.

  For example, the Lynton family, where Nero was born, is also a part of the hereditary priestly group. Amun had a strong conflict with this family. If we put aside personal factors, this is also one of the inevitable contradictions caused by the rise of new forces represented by Amun.

  The divine right and royal power combined to rule, when the royal position was unstable, power was easily held by local clan groups. The change of the Nine-Linked Divine System was an opportunity, and Erhahete took advantage of it to promote monotheistic reforms, which was also a move to weaken various conflicting forces within the country and strengthen centralization, giving himself a new name and building a new king were the most important symbols.

  Ereboam did not have the Temple of Isis at first, but according to the oracle and decree, Isis also became an angel, and Pharaoh gave this angel a special title "Holy Mother Angel", and also gave the original Isis goddess the latest title of Guardian of Holy Mother Mary - "Guardian of Holy Mother Angel".

  In the temple of Isis, the "Isis Mother Angel" is still worshipped. The two most important side halls on both sides of the main hall were rebuilt. On the east side where the sun rises, An-Ra is worshipped, and on the west side, Set and his host of angels are worshipped. In fact, this is the temple of Set, and the host of angels behind him are just his entourage.

  It was not beyond Amun's expectation that he soon received another royal decree from the city-state of Herak, ordering him to gather craftsmen from Duketown to build a grand temple for An-Ra in Shilmor. As the General-in-Chief with the title "Radiant Glory of An-Ra", Amun had no reason to refuse this trivial matter, lest he be disrespectful to the gods. The Pharaoh's decree specifically mentioned the miners' clan from Duketown among the craftsmen to be recruited from various city-states.

  If Ramses II hadn't died and the Ennead hadn't undergone a change, after Amun's big fuss, ordinary people wouldn't have deliberately looked for trouble with him again, unless there was conclusive evidence that the general had committed serious crimes. But now everything has changed, the imperial power structure is being reorganized, and Chancellor Joseph is one of the most staunch supporters of the new Pharaoh's monotheistic reform, perhaps he told the Pharaoh where the best craftsmen on the continent are.

  Even if the vizier did not say it, Pharaoh himself would have Amun express his views, which is both the will of the gods and the national policy. Amun apologized to the envoy of the city-state of Herak: "I could not foresee today's events, that batch of craftsmen has been sent to the territory of Dukping Plain."

  The envoy said, "This is the pharaoh's order and must be carried out. Your Majesty has just granted you a large piece of land, but only requires the use of a few dozen slaves. This is currently the most important matter for the empire. The general should immediately summon those slaves back."

  Amun nodded and said: "I will immediately dispatch my personal guards to summon them back."

  The envoy said: "Thank you, General, I will wait for news on your territory."

  John led a team of guards across the Roni River, along the official road "chasing back" Moses and others who had already set off. Two days later, he returned with a look of terror to report to Ahmon: "General, it's not good! Your slaves have abandoned their chariots and run away! We found the chariots they discarded on the official road by the river, as well as footprints entering the deep mountains and dense forests. The wilderness is too desolate, we searched for a whole day but couldn't find them."

  Ahmon slammed his hand on the table and said, "What, they dare to escape? Continue searching, and once found, take them directly to the city-state of Herak!" Then he turned to the messenger and said, "I'm truly sorry that those slaves have escaped. Please report this truthfully to Pharaoh. I am willing to donate a large sum of money to offer to the Empire for the construction of the An-Ra temple."

  It happened when the slaves escaped, the fact is clear, General Amun did not lie, he was also a victim. Moreover, Amun's donation of a large sum of money was not empty talk, he contributed an offering equivalent to one thousand divine stones, which far exceeded the value of dozens of ordinary slaves.

  The messenger was not aware of the inside story, thinking that his mission had been completed very satisfactorily. The general's slave had run away, but he had sacrificed a thousand divine stones for it, so he comforted Amun for a few sentences and returned to the city-state of Herak, reporting the situation to the capital.

  The Pharaoh, however, took the report very seriously and immediately dispatched orders to reward General Amun with 200 slaves for his generous contribution of gold to the temple of An-Ra, as well as compensation for the loss of his escaped slaves. The Pharaoh also commanded all cities in the country to assist General Amun in retrieving the escaped slaves, emphasizing that these craftsmen were extremely important according to the divine revelation.

  Ahmose's brow furrowed as he received the order. El-Horeb's move was unusual, not just a simple gathering of craftsmen, but specifically wanting this group of people, and even issuing a nationwide decree to the city-states for dozens of escaped slaves. However, Pharaoh couldn't openly rebuke the general himself, Ahmose had lost his own slaves and suffered losses, let alone donating a large sum of money.

  Facing the Emperor's "kindness", General Amun was also very "grateful". In his territory, he severely scolded John and other "incompetent" guards. In a fit of rage, he removed John from his position as captain of the guard and wanted to send him back to Dreamflight. John begged: "General, please give me a chance to redeem myself. Although you have removed me from my position as captain of the guard, I still need to make up for my mistakes."

  Amun nodded and said, "John, you are no longer related to me. Since you have the desire to help General Ben, I will give you a handwritten order in the name of Pharaoh. Take all my guards along the official road to find them, even if they leave Egypt!"

  John bowed and said: "Thank you, General! If I hadn't found them, I wouldn't have come to see you!"

  John was relieved of his duties by Amun, and in order to make up for his mistakes, he asked the general to let him continue to lead the guards to search for the escaped slaves, all of which seemed voluntary and also appeared to be carrying out Pharaoh's orders. In fact, before this, Amun had privately asked John: "Pharaoh issued a decree to the whole country for dozens of escaped slaves, which is unusual. It seems that I will have to leave Egypt sooner or later. What will you do after I leave?"

  John replied without hesitation: "Of course I will continue to follow Amun, with Themis' cloak and walk with you."

  Amun smiled: "At that time, it's likely to be difficult to leave. Now I'll give you two choices. The first is to remove your position as the head of the Imperial Guard and have nothing more to do with me, returning to Meng Fei Si to continue being an idle general. The second choice is also to remove your position, but giving you a chance to go to where I'm going."

  John: "Of course, it's the second option. To be honest with you, all your personal guards will follow you to death. If you leave Egou, their fate will be miserable, please consider this, General."

  Amun nodded: "You've thought of everything, so I'll let you take them all away."

  Ahmon had John lead all the Imperial Guards along the official road to chase after the escaped slaves, just giving them an opportunity to leave Eguchi's borders and head towards the Duchy of Tuk. Ahmon the Great General dispersed the people around him cleanly, the tribesmen all fled, Medanzo and Linke also left, now even John has left, not even a single Imperial Guard remained!

  He was surrounded only by the slaves of the territory, and it was as if he lived alone in a vast and unfamiliar territory, yet he seemed very calm. Ahmon thought clearly that if the Pharaoh really wanted to harm him, he could leave at any time, but the people around him would inevitably be implicated, so it's better to make preparations early. Now he is just a general without an army, with only a cat by his side.

  Armon didn't want to actively "betray the country", if he was convicted of this crime, it would implicate too many people, including his former subordinates and the various nobles who had recommended him. Moreover, after John left, Armon had already begun to unseal the seal that bound Xue Ding'an, and didn't have the time or energy to deal with other things.

  But Pharaoh's emphasis on retrieving the Duket tribe far exceeded everyone's expectations, and behind the pharaoh's orders, there was even a shadow of the gods.

  ……

  Moses led the tribes along the eastern bank of the Roni River, through the desolate mountains and dense forests, from the city-state of Helios to the north into the territory of the city-state of Bubastis. Here the official road turned east, they had to cross the official road and enter another mountain range to avoid being tracked, Moses led the tribes hiding in the mountains, waiting for the deep night when there was no one on the official road before passing through.

  But at night he heard the voice of an angel again, and Medan-zo told him that they could not leave at night, but had to wait until dawn. Indeed, on this night, the city's guards with torches passed by on the official road, one after another, if Moses and others were seen, they would not be able to escape.

  As dawn broke, Moses heard Medan's voice again: "You can go now."

  Moses roused the sleeping tribesmen and stole quietly onto the highway, walking a considerable distance along the main road. This was far from any town, and travelers had not yet passed by; nearby farms were still asleep, with a cloud always covering them. They ventured across this densely populated open area and entered another desolate mountainous region, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

  After several days of trekking through the hills filled with shrubs, many places had to be cleared by cutting through thorny thickets. Everyone was carrying heavy loads and even the strong miners were tired. On this afternoon they arrived at a riverbank, which was a tributary of the lower reaches of the Roni River and an important source of water for irrigating the lands around the city-state of Bubastis. Moses ordered everyone to stop and rest, taking out their vessels to light a fire and cook food.

  The people piled up the earth and selected good firewood, Moses ordered six of the twelve tribes to be on duty, performing divine magic so that the thick smoke from the burning fire would not rise, lest they be discovered. As soon as the fire was lit, the clansmen who were sent to fetch water by the river stumbled back to report: "It's bad! A terrible omen has appeared, and the river water has all turned into blood!"

  Moses hastily led the people to the riverbank, where the flowing water glowed with a dark red light and emitted a faint bloody smell. Someone cried out in terror: "Didn't they say that the divine spirit would protect us? But the divine sign is blocking our way."