Augustus Road

After hearing the Pharaoh's order, the entire city of Thebes immediately boiled. The priests hurriedly ordered the employees and tenants in the city of God not to leave their respective posts easily, and then they were in a mess, making random guesses, "Does your Majesty have the slightest intention to Aren’t you afraid of God’s punishment?” This was the favorite mantra of these bald monks during this period. Not only did they send troops into the City of God, it is said that they also asked a foreign general to lead the army of the Nubian black master. Isn't this an insult and a threat?

"What we have to do now is to pray even more vigorously. This city of Thebes will never allow secular contamination! God Matt, this universe needs God and God's agents at all times. Only through guidance can a just and harmonious order be achieved.”

But Lepidus's Medici army, who didn't care, still came on time. Just as God Matt (the god of order in the universe) carefully arranged, three thousand dark-skinned soldiers came to the city of Thebes. In the wilderness separated by a river, they began to go to the farm fields belonging to the temple and took away the people and cattle. When the overseers appointed by the temple stopped the soldiers, the consequences were obvious: several overseers were whipped. They were beaten severely, and one was smeared with honey and hung up in a warehouse. He was bitten by flies and mosquitoes in the middle of the night and screamed in agony. He was tortured until he was half dead in the early morning of the next day before he was put down.

Then, Lepidus instructed the "obedient" people to build a bridge across the Nile River that spanned the camp and the City of God, and built small forts at both ends, sent soldiers to garrison, and dug a small half-moon. Shape the water port, erect wooden piles and exits outside. Ten small Libourna ships. Take dozens of canoes made of reeds (most suitable for fighting on the Nile). Patrolling near bridges, specifically intercepting ships from various places that were transporting tribute and rent to the temple through the Nile River, whether they were filled with rice, linen, wood, masonry, luxury goods, or valuable utensils, they all were snatched and "new" The temple of Serapis needs foundation stones and tributes, and then we will invite priests from Alexandria to calm the evil spirits." This was Lepidus' explanation to the Theban priests.

The temple authorities were really angry, so they sent countless personnel to carry the statues of the gods in a mighty manner, preparing to go to Alexandria City to petition for appeal. However, when they reached the necessary road, they were temporarily formed by another group. The "River Guards", also composed of black Nubians, were stopped. It is said that these soldiers were rough and fierce. He actually shot the idol with a bow and arrow and killed the priest's followers. The priests were so frightened that they had no choice but to run back.

When the move failed, the temple sent another letter to invite the bureaucrats and dignitaries in the royal city to remonstrate with the Pharaoh. However, the letter was sent to nothing. After the blood feast, four to five hundred dignitaries had their homes confiscated and the Egyptian royal court changed. Xin, how can anyone pay attention to these priests, let alone Tongyan appeal.

At this time, the city of Thebes was completely silent. The priests complained loudly in front of the temple altar, asking heaven to bring disasters to the two armies, such as lightning, hail, floods, locusts, etc., but it seemed that the gods were asleep - -Two months have passed, and Lepidus's Medici Guards are still active and active, holding shields and bows and practicing every day. In their free time, they sit on the bank of the river and eat beer, vegetables and bread. It is said that the person who originally belonged to the temple was forcibly taken away. The tenant farmers who built the Temple of Serapis actually received very good treatment from the foreign general. The general began to be kind to their village community and exempted them from rent and tax, allowing them to take turns doing hard labor. Many tenant farmers actually began to feel happy to be in Shu. !

The priests of the Thebes temple felt that they were not well. You have to know what the temple's economy relied on. They were the tenants who volunteered to work selflessly for the gods. They farmed, weaved, pressed oil, and donated countless wealth to the temple. Only then did we have magnificent temples and statues, and the priests had an outstanding status. They could sit on an equal footing with the nobles and generals, surrounding the pharaoh. They could sometimes provide help in times of trouble, sometimes add insult to injury, and even replace them. To some extent, they could control this world. nation.

But now this hateful foreign general, serving the hateful foreign gods, has cut off the river transportation and competed for the tenants. This has shaken the foundation of his livelihood.

"Let a few priests go negotiate terms with the general first. In addition - gather all the tenants in Thebes and distribute weapons to them." Peng Ma'a, the chief priest, was wearing a linen robe and holding incense. He specifically said that he was appointed by the flute player, but with the turmoil in the Ptolemaic royal family in recent years, he further strengthened the self-reliance trend of the city of Thebes, gradually bringing tens of thousands of tenants around the temple city, Transform your own personal power.

At the bridgehead, several priests and monks held up their staffs and asked the Nubian soldiers to report to their general. They waited under the scorching sun for a long time. The leader's skin was about to be cracked by the sun, and he kept grunting and complaining. Wear it and apply olive oil on your bald head. As a result, Lepidus sent a centurion to serve as a messenger, "I'm sorry, our general is unwilling to receive him."

Under the anger of the leader, the cracks that had been smoothed with oil exploded again. He protested through the interpreter with an excited expression, saying that he was the spokesperson of the god of this land and was in charge of the rise and fall of the Nile River, but the other party actually Not wanting to receive him was an insult to God.

As you can imagine, Lepidus sneered in the tent. The centurion seemed to have prepared a draft long ago, and replied a little stiffly: "I'm sorry, the general's instructions in advance were to build a temple of Serapis here, and to build a fortress to suppress the recent evil spirits in the Valley of the Kings. He does not believe in the gods of this land, and he is not interested enough in the rise and fall of the Nile River. He also asked me to tell you that according to the classics of the past dynasties, the Pharaoh is the god among gods, the perfect god of all priests, the son of Ramon, the incarnation of Horus (the eagle god) on earth, and you actually ignored the Pharaoh's orders, not only did you not provide assistance, but also hindered the project during the process, which is really abominable." After saying these words mixed with inexplicable terms, the centurion himself wanted to stroke his tongue and went back to the bridgehead.

The leader shouted angrily, curse-like words, and returned to the temple complex in Thebes. That night, bells and drums sounded in front of the temples in Thebes. Many believers and tenants with white turbans on their heads gathered in front of the fire pillar in front of them. The priests and monks had serious expressions. Most of these people originally had special skills, and were later recruited into the city of gods in Thebes to serve in temple gardening, clerical work, painting, and judicial affairs. Now they have a new way to serve the gods, which is to lead the army of gods to kill the pharaoh's army. (To be continued...)