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Chapter 1286

The Devers stayed for two days and met with the members of the Messenian Council and a few Messenian citizens, causing a sensation in the whole territory. The leaders of the nearby cities of Sparta, Arcadia Union, Ellis, Agos, Corinth, and other cities also came to see them, causing the Devers to stay for another two days.

Five days later, the Devers bid farewell to the people of Peloponnesus, and the fleet sailed southeast, passing by Crete. After replenishing their food and water supplies, they sailed straight south.

The next 500-kilometer long sea voyage was slightly risky, but under the leadership of the Holy Kingdom of Diónia, it had become one of the most prosperous sea routes between the Western Mediterranean, Greece, Cyrenaica, and Egypt. The other route was through Sicily to Carthage, and then along the coast of Africa to Egypt. Due to the storm that happened in the African sea last year, which destroyed the fleet of the Egyptian emissary delegation, the Diónia fleet chose this route for the safety of the King.

The fleet sailed smoothly and did not encounter any trouble, and successfully arrived at the coast of Cyrenaica.

Although Cyrenaica was once known as a child of Sparta, Diónia and Cyrenaica had established friendly relations since the time when Dionysius crossed the sea to conquer Diónia, and this friendly relationship continued to strengthen over time. Of course, Cyrenaica had also consciously changed from the initial equal status of both sides to a respectful attitude of a small country serving a large country.

Since last year, several waves of the Dionysian Army had passed through Cyrenaica, the people of Cyrenaica were not alarmed, and were even somewhat used to it. However, when the emissary of the Dionysian Army informed the Cyrenaican leaders that "the King of Devers is in the army", these Cyrenaican oligarchs hurriedly prepared a large amount of gold, silver, and military supplies, and then rushed to the temporary camp by the port to pay their respects.

The Devers had a friendly conversation with them and made it clear that Diónia would do its best to ensure the political stability of Egypt during the war with Persia.

For the people of Cyrenaica, who had never been invaded by foreign enemies, the war between Diónia and Persia had no effect on them. The only things that could affect the safety of Cyrenaica were civil strife and famine. The unrest in Egypt would cause a large number of Libyans living in Egypt to flee to the west, which would inevitably destabilize the political situation in Cyrenaica. Although the Dionysian Army had helped Egypt to quell the rebellion last year, a new Pharaoh had not been elected, which made the oligarchs of Cyrenaica feel uneasy. Now that they had the assurance of the king of Diónia, they could go back in peace.

The fleet of Diónia rested for two days at the port of Cyrenaica, then continued to sail eastward along the coast of Africa. By the middle of February, they finally reached the coast of Egypt.

While the Devers led the fleet on their journey, the messenger ship that had set off from Turií had arrived in Egypt eight days ago. Whether it was the Asistes and Tapirus in Memphis, or Calsidis in Pere Ramesses, they had all led their officials to the city of Naucratis.

When the Devers' ship successfully passed through the checkpoint at the mouth of the Pelusia River, a tributary of the Nile, and slowly sailed into the port, the Egyptians who came to welcome them let out deafening cheers. This surprised the Devers who had yet to disembark.

When he stepped onto the dock, the Asistes and the others immediately went up to him and bowed respectfully.

"You have all worked hard during this period. On behalf of the people of the kingdom, I would like to express my gratitude for your contributions to the kingdom!" The Devers returned the salute solemnly, then looked around at the densely packed Egyptians and asked curiously, "Did you arrange this?"

"Due to concerns about safety, we did not announce it to the public. This was all done on their own initiative," the Asistes quickly explained.

"Oh!" The Devers looked at the excited faces in the distance and asked with interest, "Are they from all over Egypt?"

"No, Your Majesty," Asistes answered frankly. "Most of them come from this city and the surrounding villages and towns," Asistes answered honestly.

Naukratis was a stronghold provided by the Egyptian pharaohs for Greek mercenaries hundreds of years ago. Later, it gradually developed into the only Hellenistic Egyptian town that often traded with the Greeks. Most of the residents of the city were of Greek descent, not to mention that in the past 20 years, most of the diplomatic and trade contacts between Diónia and Egypt were conducted through this town, causing some Diónia citizens to settle here for a long time.

It was precisely because of the uniqueness of Naukratis that it was ostracized and suppressed by the conservative Egyptian society. Like an isolated island in the middle of the ocean, it had no political influence on Egypt. This time, after the reinforcements from Diónia quelled the rebellion in Egypt, they stayed for a long time and did not leave. Even the recent decrees from Memphis to the cities and towns in the Nile Delta contained faint traces of Diónia. This made the sensitive people of Naukratis realize that the political situation in Egypt had probably changed drastically. This might be a great opportunity for them to make a comeback, hence the grand welcome today. This was the people of Naukratis showing their loyalty to the king of Diónia.

Of course, Devers had thought of this, and he felt a little disappointed.

At this time, a voice rang in his ear, "Your Majesty, in fact, the people of other cities and towns in Egypt are also very happy about your arrival. However, due to the long journey and lack of time, they were unable to come here in time to welcome you. When Your Majesty is on your way to Memphis, I believe you will be able to see the enthusiasm of the other Egyptians." The person who spoke was standing next to Asistes. He had dark skin and a slightly chubby body. His face was wrinkled, and he had a gray goatee on his chin. His upper body was slightly bowed, and he looked at Dyvers with a flattering smile.

Devers saw that he was wearing a pure white short-sleeved linen robe, a golden crown on his head, and a slender staff in his hand. He had a rough idea of who this person was, but he still asked in surprise, "This is?"

"Your Majesty, this is the high priest appointed by Pharaoh Tanib during his reign, Amun-Hotep from the Karak Temple. We have received a lot of help from him since we came to Egypt!" Asistes quickly introduced him.

Devers smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Asistes has mentioned you many times in his letters to me. You have given us great support!"

"Your Majesty, it is my honor to meet you!" Amun-Hotep bowed respectfully and said in slightly stiff Greek, "You are the Son of Amun, the Lord of Upper and Lower Egypt. It is my honor to serve you, and it is also the honor of the Egyptian people. So you do not have to be surprised that they have gathered here, because from now on, all the people of Egypt will listen to your teachings devoutly!"

Although Devers had already learned from Asistes' letters that this noble high priest had completely sided with Diónia, his overly flattering attitude still surprised Devers. They could not help but wonder if the power of Diónia had frightened these pampered Egyptian priests, making them so weak at the knees!

After all, three months ago, the vanguard led by Calsidis had not only destroyed the usurping Niketani Persia, but also quickly put down the rebellions in other towns in the Nile Delta. This scared the Thebes (not the Greek city-states, but the Thebes, the religious center of Upper Egypt) a little restless. Since last December, other Legion of Diónia had arrived in Egypt one after another. Including the first and second legions that had arrived today, the number of Legion of Dionysia in Egypt had reached close to 20, including the cavalry legions. A huge force of more than 100,000 people, coupled with their powerful combat power, was enough to destroy the whole of Egypt. How could Amun-Hotep not tremble?

Most of the people in the port of Naukratis understood Greek. When they heard High Priest Amun-Hotep say the title of "Son of Amon, King of Upper and Lower Egypt", there was an uproar at first, followed by a burst of cheers. Then, everyone knelt down and shouted the name of the great and noble Pharaoh Devers.

In the face of the cheers of the Egyptian people, the Devers did not forget himself. He knew very well that Amun-Hotep was actually a test for him, so he smiled and said, "I am very grateful to the great Amon for giving me such an important mission. However, the territory of Diónia is vast, and my energy is limited. I hope that the servants of God Amon can assist me in managing this ancient kingdom, so that the people of Egypt can once again bask in the light of God Amon's mercy."

Such a direct and clear answer from the Devers greatly relieved Amun-Hotep. He immediately declared loudly, "All the servants of Amon are willing to devote all their loyalty to you, the great Pharaoh!"

In the past few months, Tapirus and the eminent monks of Egypt had negotiated many times to reach an agreement. At this moment, with the commitment of the Devers and Amun-Hotep, the cooperation between the two sides was officially established.

Then, the Devers came to the front of the kneeling people, motioned for them to get up, and said loudly, "Subjects of Egypt, these years, Persia in the north has repeatedly sent troops to attack Egypt, in vain to occupy the land of the Nile, and then turn you into slaves, forcing you to give up your faith in Amon, and turning you into Ahura Mazda. The rebellion of Nikitani Persia was instigated by the Persia, and Egypt is already in a very dangerous situation!

So the great God Amon has made me the new master of this land, and I have brought brave and fearless soldiers. They will guard Egypt, defeat Persia, and let you enjoy a long period of peace and tranquility! Ensure that Egypt will always be Egypt's Egypt! … … "