When the Hussar General docked at the port of Berenice, Ren Hong finally set foot on the land he had been gazing at the map for a long time.The general waved at the soldiers who shouted at him at the port, smiling, but he knew in his heart that this day would not be easy.Ren Hong sighed secretly: "Ten years, ten years!"
Do you know how I've spent the last 10 years?
”In the days of poisoning, it is not like what a dark villain surnamed Yang thinks, every day the Brahmin is in her arms, riding an elephant to show off her might, and enjoying herself, which is much more tiring than when she was in the Central Plains.There are few talents that can be used under Ren Hong's hands, and even Yang Yun was pushed to be the deputy lieutenant of the Poison Capital Protectorate and take charge of government affairs on his behalf, while Ren Hong himself ran at both ends of the river and India.It is not an easy task to open up overseas, Ren Hong wants to try to make a mere 10,000 Han people gain a foothold in North India, which has a population of millions, so he did not make drastic changes to the local system and religion.Of course not, under the capital of the palace, there are large and small Han military colonial aristocrats, and before the number of Han people reaches one-fifth, before the balance point of the Xia change is reached, Ren Hong will strengthen the caste system.Through ambiguous policies, there are more Theravada and the public, so that those bald donkeys can see the hope of brainwashing and preaching to General Ren, and make them think that they are the next Wheel Saint King.On the other hand, let Buddhism threaten the Brahmins, and let the Brahmins see themselves as protectors, assisting the Protectorate in administering the vast indigenous population of India.But Ren Hong deliberately suppressed the development of the body poison industry, paper is not allowed to be made, silkworms are not allowed to be raised, only specializing in cotton, cane sugar and tropical spices, the introduction of cotton in the Central Plains, the selection of seeds is not overnight, within a hundred years, India's cotton cloth is still a fist product, this thing is much easier to wear than coarse linen.Indian goods must be complemented by the Central Plains, and if everything on both sides is self-sufficient, there will be ocean trade!
Ren Hong also had to resist the incomprehension of his ministers, and invested 30% of the income of the capital protection mansion into the navy, starting from scratch to build a large Han West Sea fleet, at least it can be called invincible in the Indian Ocean, which not only protects maritime trade, but also beats the surrounding small countries to train troops.In addition, in the rivers in the north, a regime that replaced the historical Kushan Empire appeared between Anxi and the Han Dynasty, and became the intersection of the sea and land Silk Road, and the profits of entrepot trade were supported.But even so, the strength he has developed in the past ten years is still far from enough.Ren Hong turned around, dozens of ships docked on the Red Sea, this is half of the ships of the West Sea Fleet, and several ships were sunk along the way, and hundreds of soldiers were buried in the belly of the fish.And the sailors who followed Ren Hong here, the foot soldiers who vomited on the road and almost lost their combat effectiveness, plus Chen Tang's forward, a total of more than 5,000 people, which was also half of the strength of the Han army in the capital protection mansion."
After ten years of operation, I have made a big gamble, and the value of that bet is only known to you and me, no wonder everyone is puzzled, and when the decision is made, even Chen Tang opposes it.""
I just listened to the master, but I haven't seen it with my own eyes, and I still have doubts in my heart, so you don't need to count me in."
Beside Ren Hong, is also bearded Liu Gengsheng, in addition to carrying forward the learning of the left in the Central Plains in the past ten years, he also taught himself Greece, arrived at the body poison gang Ren Hong to develop science and technology, and through Egyptian businessmen, learned Egyptian characters.It's all about coming in handy today.Therefore, this expedition can only succeed, and once it fails, the consequences are unimaginable.But fortunately, Ren Hong remembers those major events in history, Rome and Egypt both fell into civil war, this year, if he did not interfere, there would be Caesar chasing Pompey to Egypt, Cleopatra and Caesar reached an agreement to restore, Egypt and Rome went to war, resulting in the burning of the Library of Alexandria, etc.After Ren Hong entered the port of Berenice, he didn't bother to look at the statues in the Greek-style mansion, and immediately convened a military meeting, asking Chen Tang, Wu Zaihan and others to share the current information and decide on the next step."
Someone sent a message to the Han envoy?"
Hearing Chu Shaosun's report that someone had secretly sent news when he first arrived in Egypt, Ren Hong had no fluctuations in his heart after listening to the description of that person's appearance, and he didn't have a sense of understanding after looking at the Eye of Horus for a long time, he only thought it was someone from the Egyptian queen's camp, and only said: "After seizing the port, that person has appeared again?"
”"Never."
This is strange, if it is the queen's subordinates, they should show up immediately to negotiate.Although the mysterious man disappeared as he appeared, the fact that Egypt was plunged into civil war through the mouth of the captives has been established.Ren Hong had a plan, so he spread out the map, pointed to it, and said: "Egypt seems to be vast, but in fact, it is only along this big river, and the narrow strips of land on both sides of the Nile River can be inhabited and built into cities and open up farmland, and the rest are all kinds of deserts, and there are no people. ”The long and narrow river valley in the upper reaches is called "Upper Egypt", and the delta region in the lower reaches is "Lower Egypt", and what Ren Hong wants is there.In addition, the Sinai Peninsula was adjacent to Judea and Syria, which were controlled by the Romans, and the queen of Egypt ran there, hearing that she had gathered a group of mercenaries to prepare to fight back against the pharaoh.And the place where the Sinai Peninsula connects with the Egyptian mainland is Egypt's northernmost port on the Red Sea: Port Alsinooi!"
From this place to the west, only to reach Upper Egypt, you must first break the retreating army, and go a thousand miles north, the loss is too great, and it is too slow."
Ren Hong's finger stroked on the Red Sea, and directly pointed to the port of Alsinooi: "It is better to let the fleet continue to carry soldiers to the north, take this port, first, to go to Lower Egypt closer, and second, to contact the Queen of Egypt."
Didn't Zigong borrow her name?
Then do it to the end, and let people publicize it, saying that this time the Han entered Egypt at the invitation of the queen. ”Then the general arranged the tasks of each person, a Qu Chang took 500 people and some poisonous oarsmen to stay here, and looked forward to the back road for the army, Ren Hongqin led 4,000 people and dozens of ships to the north.Everyone agreed, but secretly, Chen Tang, Wu Zaihan, and Wang Feng, the captain who came here with Ren Hong, secretly exchanged glances, and now, why the general wants to fight Egypt, except for Liu Gengsheng, the rest of the people don't know.Even if Ren Hong said it, they probably wouldn't be able to understand it.After everyone retreated, General Ren, who was a little dizzy all the way, leaned on the house a little tiredly, and when he got older, he was not less than when he got older, but this matter was a small goal he set for the rest of his life, and he was not at ease if he didn't come in person.Just as he was about to close his eyes and take a nap, he heard a "meow" call.When Ren Hong opened his eyes, he saw a white cat come in from the open window, it was lying on the windowsill basking in the sun, and it seemed to be a frequent visitor to this house, and he didn't know whether the former owner was an Egyptian or a Greek.This Ren Hong is not sleepy.There are also raccoon cats in the Central Plains, but raccoon cats are not so much like cats, but more like small leopards, with sharp teeth and claws, and a more ferocious temperament.This Egyptian cat is much closer to the pet domestic cats of later generations, speaking of which the ancient Egyptians are the originators of the cat sucking world, and they have been sucking for one or two thousand years, right?
Cats are also one of the animal gods they worship.Ren Hong smiled, he decided, when he returned home after finishing his errands, in addition to transporting what he wanted, he also had to bring dozens of "alien species" back and catch mice on the boat, his wife and daughter should like this animal."
Outside, I was surrounded by the guards three times, and the captain of the guard claimed that the birds couldn't fly in, but he couldn't stop you."
Ren Hong beckoned to it, and even threw some jerky over, but the cat was unmoved, and after moving its nose, it proudly licked its paws on the spot, with an elegant posture, as if it was the king of Egypt.In the eyes of the Ptolemaic ministers, the terrible invader from the East, the "man" who would not be easily named in the Central Plains, the general Ren who was honored like an emperor in the river and India, and who was worshiped and respected by countless people, was nothing more than a stupid mortal in the eyes of the cat master.In March, the northward attack on the port of Arsinooy went smoothly, thinking that there were almost no obstacles, and nature was more difficult, the north wind prevailed in this port, and there were many reefs, and the ships entered in batches, and after unloading the people, they had to go back to the southern port to anchor, and after the last Han soldier set foot in the port, Ren Hong also learned new news.Liu Gengsheng was already able to make a cameo appearance as an Egyptian translator and relay the information from the captives to Ren Hong."
They say that Pharaoh sent a general to attack her, and the queen was defeated, and all her recruits were wiped out, and she was only escorted by her cronies and a pirate captain out to sea, and she was nowhere to be found."
This had happened more than a month earlier, during the siege of the port of Berenice, and the queen was really missing.However, the Ptolemaic general named "Achillas" was in Syria with the main force of the kingdom, and even if he took a boat, it would take some time to return to Lower Egypt.Wu Zaihan and the others fell into thought, if there was no help from the queen, the situation would have shifted in their unfavorable direction, and the general had only more than 3,000 people, although they were all veterans who had been training in India for ten years, but against the tens of thousands of Ptolemy's troops, they might not necessarily have an advantage.Chen Tang also frowned, if the Han army advances westward now, don't think that the Ptolemaic general Achillas will arrive directly from the north to defend the port of Arsinooy, cutting off the Han army's back route, then they will really be alone."
What happened to Caesar's war with Pompey?"
Ren Hong is more concerned about this, his opponent is far more than Ptolemy's army.When the queen of Egypt was expelled from Alexandria, she fled in the direction of Syria in order to restore her father, Ptolemy XII, the piper, a few years earlier, with the help of Pompey, and it was after that time that Ptolemaic Egypt became a vassal of the Romans.However, General Pang was now afraid that he could not care about the civil strife in Egypt, and learned from some Jewish merchants in the port that Pompey had abandoned Italy and retreated to Greece, and he constantly asked the eastern vassals of Rome to provide troops to organize a counterattack, and Caesar was also preparing to march into Greece.The two giants of Rome are about to usher in a decisive battle, and Ren Hong is beyond the reach of Ren Hong, and I don't know if the butterfly effect will affect the result.Since the Romans could not take care of Egypt for the time being, it would be easy to do.Ren Hong picked up the bronze cavalry on the map representing the Han army, moved it westward, and smashed it heavily on the huge delta with the Nile!"
Take advantage of the emptiness of the city of Lixuan, and march into Lower Egypt!""
Take out the momentum of burning Guyan Mountain!"
General Ren completely lost the hesitation of crossing the wooden bridge on the sea, he was afraid of small things, but he was brave in big things, and encouraged everyone: "I think that in the uninhabited grassland of the Xiongnu, the Han army was short of water and food, and I and the old general Zhao of Yingping Zhuang were still able to plow the court and sweep the caves." ”Speaking of the late General Zhao Chongguo, Ren Hong couldn't help but sigh in his heart, the old general's old age was plain and happy, and he often corresponded with Ren Hong."
Now that Egypt is rich and fertile, and there is no food to spare, and the Egyptians and the Greeks are not of the same mind, and the internal strife is not extinguished, what is there to fear when I strike at its disintegrated country with my mighty army?"
Chen Tang also said: "What the general said is very true, the masses have already assembled, how can they easily retreat?
”All the captains have their own thoughts, but they can't be looked down upon, and they all support one after another.However, before the Han army left the port, another person known as the "queen's cronies" came to deliver the news.The visitor was a woman in her mid-thirties, with dark brown skin, her hair in a messy braid, casually placed on her shoulders, and two short knives stuck in her waist.Wu Zaihan said that this person was indeed the queen's personal female bodyguard, but General Ren was very cautious about the assassins, and Aya did not get close, and only sent a message through Wu Zaihan, and she also sent a "token".It was one of Ren Hong's gifts to the queen: a golden bracelet with words written in Chinese and Egyptian, such as "Han-Egypt friendship lasts forever."
Things are indeed right, Ren Hong asked Wu Jaehan to ask Aya: "Where is the queen?"
”If you can really control the Egyptian queen in your hands, at least when you go down to Egypt to collect grain, you can make the Han army less troublesome.The woman who called herself "Aya" bowed her head to Ren Hong: "The queen is in the city of a hundred gates, in Memphis. ”Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt, happened to be the only way for the Han army to go to Alexandria, but wasn't Cleopatra defeated in Syria and died overseas?
How did you escape to Memphis?
If you have this ability, isn't it good to come directly to the port?
Ren Hong knew in his heart that although the Egyptian queen was a lost dog and had nothing but a few cronies, she obviously had her own calculations and thoughts, and Aya conveyed her mellow and decent words."
The queen was very happy to hear that the co-rulers of Seris had arrived in Egypt, but her foolish brother must have been very disappointed that he had pointed his bow and spear at his friend.""
The queen wants to let the co-rulers know that Egypt is hospitable, and as a host, as a true pharaoh, she will of course greet her in person in the most solemn and ceremonial cities of Upper and Lower Egypt!"
PS: There is only one chapter today.