Chapter 1279
Considering the great threat that Diónia posed to Persia, Artaxerxes had a lot to rely on Terebasus, who was good at fighting. Therefore, he pondered for a long time and finally ordered the intelligence department not to investigate this matter anymore, but to strengthen the surveillance on Terebasus.
One day, when Artaxerxes was still fretting over the instability of the Babylonian government, the minister Trebassus hurried into the palace with a message sent by a messenger from Egypt, and asked for an audience with Artaxerxes.
"Jeho died in a storm on his way to Diónia. Niketani Persia has started a rebellion and is marching towards Memphis." When Artaxerxes saw this, the gloominess in his heart was swept away, and he shouted excitedly, "There's a civil war in Egypt. This is a rare opportunity! We should take this opportunity to send our troops and reclaim Egypt in the name of helping Niketani Persia! "
Terebasus reminded him tactfully, "Your Majesty is wise. This is indeed a great opportunity to reclaim Egypt! However, Niketani Persia suddenly raised their troops without informing us. Obviously, they have other intentions. I'm afraid they are taking precautions against us. "
"Once Egypt is in a civil war, he will no longer be of any use to us." Artaxerxes curled his lips in disdain, then said solemnly, "What we need to worry about is the reinforcements from Diónia. We must send our army before they reach Egypt. As long as the army crosses the Nile and captures Memphis, Egypt will be in our hands."
Artaxerxes paused for a moment, then said in a serious tone, "So I have decided to appoint you as the military commander of the attack on Egypt. I hope you can successfully fulfill the kingdom's long-lasting regret!"
Terebasus looked at the king of Persia, who was full of expectations. He immediately bowed and said in a clear voice, "Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty! I will do my best to complete the mission and present Egypt to Your Majesty! "
"I will wait for your good news!" Artaxerxes thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "If you successfully reclaim Egypt, I will marry Atosha to you."
Terebasus was stunned. After a while, he thanked Artaxerxes and left with a complicated feeling.
… …
Artaxerxes wanted to take advantage of the civil strife in Egypt to quickly send troops to conquer Egypt. The fastest way was to mobilize the Undead Army stationed in the Babylonian Royal Court. However, in order to maintain his own safety, it was impossible for him to send out this loyal elite force. Instead, he mobilized the troops near Babylon.
In this way, it would take a lot of time to gather the army, not to mention the long journey from Babylon to Egypt, which would take a lot of time.
Trebassus felt that he had done his best to urge the army to assemble, but he did not know that the Holy Kingdom of Diónia had already made plans before the civil war broke out in Egypt. When the King of Persia gave him the order, the King of Diónia had already officially appointed the Eighth Legion Commander, Calsidis, as the wartime commander of the Egyptian reinforcements.
Just two days later, the four Sicilian legions and the light cavalry legions, which had long been assembled and on standby, boarded ships at the ports of Lilybay and Hadrumentum respectively and headed for Egypt.
Perhaps it was the blessing of Hades, but the Dionysian Army did not encounter any storms during the voyage. After five days, they successfully entered the mouth of the Nile River.
At this time, Niketani Persia had just conquered Memphis and publicly announced that Pharaoh Tanib had died of illness. Before his death, he had issued a letter of invitation for Niketani to take over the position of Pharaoh.
However, while he was appointing himself as Pharaoh and forcefully marrying the Queen, he also sent people to kill members of the royal family and the former Pharaoh's trusted aides. The people of Memphis were in a state of panic, and the entire Nile Delta was in turmoil.
Some of the mayors announced that they would support Niketani Persia as the "new Pharaoh", while some of the mayors mobilized their troops to eradicate the rebels. Some of the mayors decided to wait and see how the situation would develop …
Naukratis, located at the mouth of the Nile Delta, was an Egyptian town with the largest population of Greek descendants. It was also the town that benefited the most from the alliance between Egypt and Diónia over the past 20 years. Not only did the residents have a favorable impression of Diónia, but many Diónia had also settled there for a long period of time. Among them were the intelligence agents of the Kingdom of Diónia. They had already convinced the officials of Naukratis beforehand. Therefore, when the fleet of Diónia soldiers approached the outpost at the mouth of the river, the officials and citizens of Naukratis opened the city gates wide under the instigation of the intelligence agents of Diónia.
When they saw the well-groomed and imposing Diónia soldiers entering Naukratis, the citizens did not feel worried. Instead, they felt relieved. Only a strong army could ensure the safety of the people in this period of turmoil. With the protection of the Dionysian Army, Naukratis would naturally be able to stay away from the chaos of war.
After resting for a night in Naukratis, Calsidis's army quickly advanced south the next day. The route they took was exactly the same as the Dionysian Army that had come to reinforce Persia's invasion a few years ago. However, their goal was completely different.
With the help of the intelligence agents, the slogan "The Diónia Army will eliminate the rebels and help the Egyptians regain peace and tranquility" quickly spread throughout the entire Nile Delta.
After all, the Dionysian Army had left a very good impression in the hearts of the Egyptians. Their military discipline was strict, they fought bravely, and they did not offend the people. In addition, the 40,000 strong army led by Calsidis was very powerful. Therefore, the Egyptian towns and cities that they passed through did not put up any resistance and all opened their doors to welcome them.
The Dionysian Army had a smooth journey and quickly approached the walls of Memphis.
Niketani had originally colluded with Persia to strengthen his own forces and usurp the throne in the future. However, he knew very well that compared to Persia, which was bent on annexing Egypt, Diónia, which had been allied with Egypt for more than ten years and had saved Egypt several times in times of crisis, was a better partner to work with.
Therefore, he had originally made up his mind. After usurping the throne and the situation had stabilized, he would immediately send messengers to Diónia to express his goodwill and continue to ally with them. He would then borrow their strength to defend against the Persia.
However, he did not expect Diónia's reinforcements to arrive so quickly. However, he did not panic too much. He believed that he was the only member of the Egyptian royal bloodline and that it was a fact that he had succeeded the Pharaoh. If he showed his goodwill, Diónia could only acknowledge him as the next Pharaoh and form an alliance with him. That would be the best outcome.
Therefore, he sent messengers to the Dionysian Army, which was marching towards Memphis.
However, Calsidis, who had received instructions from the King of Devers, did not see the messengers he sent and detained them.
At first, when Niketani did not receive a reply from Persia, he thought that the messengers had met with an accident on the way. However, many of the messengers he sent never returned, and he began to feel uneasy.
During the previous invasion of Egypt by Persia, he had fought alongside the Diónia and had a deep understanding of the Dionysian Army's combat strength. He did not have much confidence that his army could defeat the Diónia. Moreover, he had just occupied Memphis, and the officials appointed by the former Pharaoh had not completely submitted to him yet. If he were to start a war with the Dionysian Army, he would most likely be in big trouble. On the other hand, he had deliberately waited for so many years and finally made use of this great opportunity to sit on the throne of the Pharaoh. However, if he were to give up on Memphis and lead his army back to his own territory, it would be equivalent to admitting that he was a traitor. Not only would he lose a lot of his prestige, but the throne would also be usurped by others …
Just as Niketani Persia was hesitating, the Dionysian Army was rapidly approaching the walls of Memphis. He wanted to make one last effort, so he stood on top of the walls and shouted at the commander of the Dionysian Army, Calsidis, who he knew. He sincerely expressed his willingness to form an eternal alliance with Diónia.
Only then did Calsidis give a clear response. "Pharaoh Tanibu is the hero of Egypt (referring to him overthrowing the rule of Persia in Egypt), and also the best friend of the Kingdom of Diónia. The King of Devers has ordered that the traitor must be severely punished and the murderer of Pharaoh Tanibu must be executed. Only then will the people of Egypt be at ease and peace will be restored to Egypt!"
At this time, Calsidis finally understood that war between them and Diónia was unavoidable.
At this time, an Egyptian river fleet that was originally stationed at Naukratis and a dozen small warships from the first Diónia fleet also arrived at the river near Memphis.
This way, the Dionysian Army had basically surrounded the city of Memphis. It was impossible for Niketani Persia to lead his army out of Memphis. He could only hurriedly strengthen the city's defenses and send messengers to take the risk of breaking out of the encirclement. He rushed to the city of Peyramesis (built by Pharaoh Ramesses II, now Niketani Persia's base) to ask for reinforcements and support from the Persia.
Calsidis did not give Niketani Persia any time to prepare. On the second day, he launched an attack on the city of Memphis. Although the continuous siege caused the Dionysian Army many casualties, the unprepared Egyptian rebel army found it even more difficult to hold on.
The former Pharaoh Tanib had been on the throne for 20 years, and the officials and citizens of Memphis were deeply affected by him. Niketani Persia's usurpation of the throne had already made them unhappy, and the massacre of the royal family and the cruel persecution of Tanib's officials made everyone hate him even more. When Tanib put all his efforts into defending the city against the Dionysian Army, he had no choice but to weaken his control over the city. Some of the Memphis officials strengthened their private contacts and even convinced the monks of Ptah Sanctuary in the city.
In the early morning of the sixth day of the siege, while the exhausted rebel soldiers were still asleep, these officials led an army of a few hundred guards and slaves to attack the west gate of the main city of Memphis. As there were some monks from Ptah Sanctum mixed in with the army, the rebel soldiers guarding the gate were at a loss for a moment, and the gate was quickly seized.
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