Volume 4: The War of the Gods Chapter 109: Prelude to War

  Amon did this on one hand because he had just taken control of the legion and needed to win people over and stabilize morale, and on the other hand he really wasn't short of money either.

  The highest official in the legion, apart from the legion commander, is the chief priest. The chief priest has 50 priests under him, and their treatment is very good. Amun himself was very clean, but he did not ask the chief priest George to follow him in poverty. All the supplies and silver that belonged to the priests were allocated to George for his own disposal.

  As a result, George also fully distributed the materials and equipment, leaving only one-tenth of the military salary, completely following Amun's approach. As the high priest of the Isis temple, George had plenty of opportunities to make a profit without having to write about it.

  Equipment and military pay were all given, but Amun was not lenient in training soldiers. He planned to govern the army strictly, but he encountered a former commander who was even more strict than his requirements. John was notorious for his violent temper at Mount Horeb, and now that he has come to the legion to lead the soldiers into battle, how can he tolerate the soldiers being lazy when they have been given enough equipment and money?

  Whoever was not serious during the exercise, this former commander would bypass the lower officers and directly drag the person out for a beating. On the contrary, Ammon played a tolerant role, often persuading John not to be too strict, and handling it according to military discipline was enough, without adding extra punishment.

  Ah Mon also reminded John not to be too impatient and not to arbitrarily increase the burden on the soldiers. For example, when the archers were in a formation shooting in unison, they would shoot 15 arrows in a row. In peacetime drills, they would only shoot 15 arrows and not force them to shoot 20 arrows, which would eventually lead to loss of accuracy and strength. After all, they were still on the march and needed to conserve their energy.

  John, on Mount Hiei, under the guidance of Amon, gradually gained control over that uncontrollable agitation, but the power of the agitation did not disappear. When they met again, this sixth-level warrior had become even stronger than before. He still had times when he was enraged and impulsive, but he found a way to transform that agitation into an explosive force, suddenly entering a more powerful, flexible, and sensitive state.

  This seems to be a strange, explosive power awakening, which is quite an interesting discovery for Amun.

  Amon had once tested John's power burst, and when he entered this state, even Medanzo didn't dare to confront him head-on. If Amon didn't use his divine magic and only used martial arts, he could at most suppress John. John became stronger than usual in this state, but after it ended, he would become weaker than usual and needed to rest for a while to recover.

  According to Amun's analysis, if John overuses this explosive power, it may cause unpredictable harm to his body and mind, also reminding him to be more careful.

  Training troops requires not only strict discipline and proper command, but also two other conditions to achieve the best results. First, food and nutrition must keep up, which Amun ordered the quartermaster to guarantee absolutely, and the fleet organized by Hsiu provided sufficient dairy products. The other condition requires the cooperation of the gods.

  Divine casters will not directly charge into the melee in the first line of battle. Their role is mainly reflected in two aspects. One is to use various divine techniques to assist warriors in combat, and another more important aspect is to boost the morale of the army. Divine techniques can be both offensive and supportive, such as healing techniques that cannot immediately cure the wounds suffered by soldiers but can make them temporarily forget their pain, while blessing techniques can make warriors braver and no longer fearful. Certain high-level spiritual divine techniques can even give warriors a sense of invincibility, inspiring them to fight with reckless abandon.

  This is very important in large-scale warfare, as the failure of a battle is often not due to the number of casualties, but rather the collapse of morale. Because once soldiers lose confidence and no longer have the courage to fight on, feelings of despair will spread, and commanders will also be unable to control them.

  These great mages are accustomed to a life of luxury and comfort, so marching is already considered hardship for them. They generally won't use this power until the real battle begins. However, Amun requires the military priests to play a third role outside of combat, which is to form an array during training exercises to display healing and blessing spells, allowing the soldiers to recover from fatigue and maintain a confident and enthusiastic state of mind at all times.

  Amon cannot directly command the divine officers, which requires Lord George to issue orders. The main divine officer, George, is very cooperative and issues commands according to Amon's requirements, dividing his subordinate divine wizards into four teams of twelve each, forming a divine wizard array that takes turns helping Amon train troops every day.

  This was a bitter pill for the divine casters to swallow, as their magical abilities were extremely valuable and couldn't be wasted so recklessly. Even high-ranking nobles only occasionally used such methods when training their personal guards, and it was almost unheard of in an entire legion. The divine casters soon began to complain bitterly, running to Lord George to protest - if they weren't even in actual combat, why should these noble clerics waste their magical abilities on those common warrior plebeians?

  George didn't say anything at first, but later seeing that the complaining priests were too numerous, he made a stunning decision. This great wizard himself came to the training ground with his staff and led four different teams of wizards in practicing magic for four consecutive days. Even George himself did so, and other priests dared not complain openly anymore.

  "This is when George publicly said: 'Our legion was previously lacking in training, if we encountered a real war, it's likely that the front line warriors would collapse. In a big battle, once the front line collapses, as gods' officers, you won't have a good ending either. Training soldiers is also to protect yourselves. The battle hasn't even started yet and you're already complaining, what will you do if we really go onto the battlefield?'"

  George's words were very pleasant, and the subordinate priests did not dare to refute them. However, Amun's approach was indeed unconventional. It had never been heard of that a commander would let the military mages waste their magic power unnecessarily, especially during the march. As a student of Nietzsche, Amun had never had the concept of conserving magic power as taught in the temple. He used to deploy magic at any time, even for trivial things like avoiding rain or sunshade, and it had become second nature to him. So, he didn't think it was a big deal to let the priests do this.

  The priests were not aware that their superior, Lord George, was also a magician in his early years and a friend of the old madman Nietzsche, who knew something about Amun's background, and this time he was cooperating with Amun to make trouble.

  But Amun wouldn't let someone go to such great lengths for nothing, so he also gave George a precious staff. Although as the high priest of the Isis temple, George wasn't lacking in good staves, keeping one on hand or bestowing it upon students and subordinates was still an excellent thing. Amun had originally obtained three staves in that mysterious large cave, one was Nergal's relic which had already been returned, another was given to Link, and the remaining one was finally given to George today.

  Apart from this, Amun gave each of the gods' officials a considerable amount of divine stone, an astonishingly generous gesture.

  There are rewards and punishments, although the gods do not dare to complain again, they can be lazy and sloppy. As a result, Ah Meng did not give face, nor did he care about the dignified status of these people. He once ordered John to drag two incompetent gods out of the training camp and beat them half to death in public. After that, everything got back on track.

  Divine casters are naturally of noble birth, and these divine officials may have come from some prestigious family or be distant relatives of some imperial minister. However, for now in the legion, they have to temporarily lower their heads, and even if someone has grievances against the Legion Commander, they can only speak out after the war is over.

  Amun marched and trained along the coast, steadily advancing forward. Two months later, when the legion entered the territory of Cape City near the border, he finally ordered a halt to training during rest stops, and all soldiers only needed to rest well. According to the battle plan, Amun could not advance alone or fall behind, but had to follow the main force along the northern coast at the same speed.

  The An-Lan army and the main force had scouts going back and forth to deliver messages, and if it came down to a critical moment, there would even be divine masters using flying objects to transmit signals directly.

  The Al-Rashid army finally left the border and turned north, ahead of which was the desolate Syrian Desert. The winding coastline separated the azure sea from the light yellow sand, and the waves and dunes stretched out endlessly. The sky was a bright blue, with clusters of white clouds floating about, as if the gods in heaven were herding their flocks.

  The scenery is so beautiful, yet the wilderness is desolate. In this peaceful atmosphere, a great war is about to break out in the distant desert. After leaving the border, Amun's army became more cautious, sending out divine technique practitioners to take turns detecting and paying attention to the movements around them. The supply transport fleet also followed far behind, no longer getting too close.

  At this time, the scout reported an unexpected situation. The Horus legion led by Pharaoh himself did not advance steadily according to the original battle plan, but suddenly accelerated and rushed towards the center of the Syrian Desert. The Seth legion that was originally stationed on the border also had to change its plan, covering the civilians and supplies as they entered the desert to follow Pharaoh.

  According to the original plan, the Isis Legion should have marched in tandem with the Horus Legion, which was lagging behind by tens of miles at that time. However, Pharaoh did not wait at the border. The Horus Legion suddenly accelerated and left the Isis Legion behind. Fearing loss, the Isis Legion left its heavy baggage in the city-state of Cape and entered the Syrian Desert with a light load.

  This is inconsistent with the original plan formulated by the Egu Military Department. One hair moves and the whole body reacts, changing the entire strategic situation from a steady advance to a surprise attack.

  Although the situation on the battlefield is changing, requiring commanders to make various temporary decisions, it's rare for such a big change to be made before the battle has even started. Generally, a legion commander doesn't have the guts or authority to do so. After all, following the plan is safe and blameless, and if things go wrong, it's the overall commander's responsibility. However, if the main force launches a surprise attack without authorization, all the cooperating troops will have to make corresponding adjustments. Only the legion commander of Horus' legion would dare to do so, because he is the almighty Pharaoh.

  At the same time that Horus launched his surprise attack, no order was given to An-Ra's legion to coordinate with it, leaving Amun at a loss as to whether he should proceed according to the original plan or also accelerate his march like Pharaoh. It wasn't until several days later that he received a messenger from Rod-Dick, commander of Set's legion, requesting that An-Ra's legion also speed up its march to cover the flank of the main battlefield.

  Rodrick, who led the Seth army in charge of the heavy luggage, was also heartbroken at this moment. He had advised Pharaoh not to change his plan and rush forward, but Ramses II did not listen.

  In the view of Rod-Dick, Egypt's national strength was obviously stronger than Hatti, and the combat effectiveness and equipment of the legions also had a great advantage. The most stable choice was to advance steadily in all directions. Moreover, this time it was the Pharaoh who personally led the expedition, and there could be no room for even half a risk. The only obstacle to conquering Hatti was the huge consumption of logistics supplies after crossing the Syrian Desert, which required a great price to be paid.

  But unexpected events disrupted the original battle plan and also changed Pharaoh's decision.

  According to pre-war intelligence reports, this time the King of Hatty Kingdom, Luciel, also led his most elite Enriel Legion to personally command the battle. Luciel had not planned to take the field himself, but the royal nobles, high-ranking officials, and elders of the Academy of Magic all petitioned the king to lead the army in person, just like Egufa the Old, even if only as a symbol.

  The mighty army of the Aegyptus Empire is approaching, and the Hittite Kingdom has been secretly planning for this war for many years. It's time to unleash its greatest power in silence. The enemy's Lasis II has already taken to the front lines, if King Luciel is still hiding in the capital, it will give the people an impression of cowardice and lack of confidence. The king leading the most elite troops of the kingdom to take the field in person is the best way to boost morale.

  This war had different meanings for the Hittite Kingdom and the Egyptian Empire. If the Egyptian Empire lost, it would only lose a subordinate country. However, if the Hittite Kingdom lost, it would be a turning point in its national destiny, at least losing large tracts of land, paying heavy reparations and tributes, completely subjugating itself to the rule of the Egyptian Empire, and not recovering for a long time.

  King Rosiel, though unwilling, personally led the expedition. The seemingly peaceful and quiet city-state of Syria suddenly gathered a well-trained and well-equipped elite army, which was originally stationed on the western border - the Anu Army. Song Lie, as the Great Divine Master, unexpectedly took charge of the army, with his disciple Hua Leite as the chief priest, the front-line commander Mu En as the great warrior, and the governor Xiao Mo as the logistics officer.

  Another corps, which had previously been stationed on the southern coast, also advanced into the Syrian Desert along the coastline. The Hittite kingdom was well-prepared for war and marched quickly, with all three corps gathering in the northern desert region south of the Black Forest and west of the inland sea.

  The above is the last message sent back by the spy dispatched to the Hatti Kingdom. It's already difficult to travel back and forth across hundreds of miles of desert without being discovered by the enemy. The latest and most timely movements of the opponent are still unknown through our channels for the time being.

  The Horus legion's scouts penetrated deep into the desert, capturing several groups of people in different places. Some were passing merchant caravans, some were coastal fishermen, and others claimed to be bandits who had come to plunder. Since they appeared at this time and place, they were naturally very suspicious, so they were all treated as enemy spies and interrogated under torture. Under severe interrogation, they all confessed that they were spies of the Hatti kingdom.

  All the confessions of the spies mentioned the same information, King Luciel led the Enriel Legion to personally conquer, and had advanced to the grasslands adjacent to the desert on the south bank of Lake Inland, where a permanent camp was being established. The Anu Legion led by Glore was stationed in the southern part of the city-state of Syria, gathering war materials while building defensive fortifications, two hundred miles away from King Enriel's legion. Another branch of the South Nal Legion was stationed near the coastline, also two hundred miles away from the Anu Legion.

  The three legions were arranged in an inverted triangle formation, echoing each other, waiting for the Egu army to enter the ambush circle.

  According to the original combat plan of the Egyptian Empire's Ministry of War, the main attack route of Pharaoh's army was a direct strike on the southern pass of the Syrian city-state, where it would be met with a head-on block by the Anu army led by Goliath. The other two armies of Hatti may have been ambushed from both sides, even if they could not cut off the supply line of the Egyptian army, they could still hold back the main force of the Egyptian army. In this way, the Egyptian army would fight a costly war of attrition at the other end of the desert far from their homeland.

  If only one person said so, it might be a trick, but the spies caught in different places, after analyzing their confessions, all revealed similar information, and it seems that the possibility is very high. Pharaoh was initially extremely angry, even suspecting that there were traitors among the high-ranking military officers of Egypt who provided Hatti with top-secret battle plans, allowing them to make targeted arrangements.

  The commander of the vanguard of the Horus Legion, General Breze, the high priest and imperial high priest Le Quiede all advised Pharaoh to calm down. According to normal strategic trends, anyone who understands military affairs can analyze it slightly and judge the main attack route of the Egu army. The combat plan formulated by the Military Commission of Egu is nothing out of the ordinary, just steady and steady.

  The Hatian kingdom has long been preparing for war, and it is perfectly normal to make such a response. They just want to rely on the border line to defend against the enemy, occupying the favorable conditions of logistics supply and personnel replenishment.

  The army of Egypt only needs to attack the southern pass of Syria according to the original plan, and the main force will engage in a head-on decisive battle with the Anu army led by Goliath. At the same time, let a part of the Isis army and the majority of the Seth army cut off the connection between the Anu army and the Enlil army, and block the reinforcement of the Enlil army.

  As for the Southern Nal legion stationed on the coastline, let Ahmon lead the Anla legion to advance northward and confront them. It doesn't matter if Ahmon can win, as long as he can tie down the Southern Nal legion near the coastline and prevent them from joining forces with the main army of Egu, it will be considered a success.

  If the campaign had gone on like this, it would have been a hard-won battle with no room for trickery, and the outcome would depend on the comprehensive strength of both sides' combat power, equipment, training, battlefield command, and logistical support. However, Pharaoh rejected this plan and decided to launch a surprise attack on the Enlil army on the inland shore of Lake Hana. Rameses II's decision was not entirely unreasonable.