Two boats crossed the river, and the people's hearts were determined

The kneeling messenger shuddered, his entire body trembling. Cold sweat instantly soaked his linen back. He barely dared to look up, his voice straining through his throat. "Reporting to the princess... the food route to the west coast was completely destroyed three days ago. The flood has besieged the three villages... they've been without food for days, relying entirely on picking wild fruits and... Guanyin soil to fill their stomachs."

Before he finished speaking, the air in the hall suddenly froze. Guanyin soil, that's not soil, that's despair.

"Bastard!" The palace steward beside him turned pale and shouted harshly.

"Such an important event, why is it reported only today?"

The messenger trembled like a leaf in the wind. "The flood is raging. I... I risked my life to deliver the message to the palace. The messenger stations along the way have long been swallowed by the flood..."

Ding Wei's eyes were as cold as the winter wind from the Nile River.

She ignored the palace steward's anger and did not question the messenger's delay.

The war machine has started, and the expedition to the Hittites will begin tomorrow. At this moment in the royal capital, everyone's attention is focused on the oath-taking platform on the east bank. Who would care about the corner of the west bank that was forgotten by the flood?

But she will.

"Open the side warehouse of the palace." Ding Wei's voice was not loud, but it was filled with unquestionable determination.

The palace steward was horrified and quickly stepped forward, lowering his voice and saying, "Princess, this is absolutely not allowed! The grain stored in the side warehouses is for war preparations and can only be used with Pharaoh's written permission! You...you are violating the rules!"

Ding Wei slowly turned around, her phoenix eyes looking straight at him. Her gaze was calm, yet more oppressive than any anger. "People are starving to death. Rules are meant to save people, not kill them. Immediately, immediately, mobilize all the usable boats in the palace, fill them with wheat cakes and porridge, and follow me to the west bank."

She didn't even refer to herself as "this palace", but only used the word "I", but with an almost domineering majesty.

The palace steward opened his mouth, looked into her unyielding eyes, and finally bowed dejectedly: "Yes."

Half an hour later, the side door of the palace quietly opened.

Led by Ding Wei, dozens of palace maids, holding up their skirts, carried baskets of wheat cakes and buckets of hot porridge onto the bumpy boat.

Ding Wei took off her complicated princess dress and put on a neat suit. She was the first to step into the muddy water and stabilized the boat herself.

When Ramses received the news and hurried to the west bank ferry with a team of personal guards, this was the scene he saw.

The floodwaters were still muddy, carrying with them the smell of mud and decay.

His wife, co-ruler of Egypt, was standing barefoot in the muddy water up to her knees.

Her once carefully combed braids were now disheveled, with a few strands of wet hair clinging to her smooth forehead and cheeks.

She held the boat with one hand and handed a bowl of steaming oatmeal porridge to a skinny child with the other. Her voice was so gentle that it could melt ice: "Drink slowly, don't burn yourself, there's still plenty in the pot."

She was surrounded by thousands of disaster victims with pale faces and numb eyes.

But when they took the food and saw the legendary beautiful and majestic princess standing in the mud with them, a light of hope gradually ignited in her numb eyes.

Ramses' heart seemed to be gripped tightly by an invisible hand.

He had seen her holiness in the temple and her majesty on the throne, but he had never seen her so embarrassed, nor had he seen her so... dazzling.

He walked forward silently, took off the crimson cloak that symbolized the glory of the Pharaoh, and wrapped Ding Wei tightly from head to toe without saying a word.

Ding Wei raised her head and saw the complex emotions surging in his deep eyes, including heartache, shock, and a passion that she could not understand.

"You..." She was about to speak, but Ramses had already turned around and faced the accompanying officers. His voice was low and majestic, and it spread throughout the entire river bank.

"Pass on my orders. Before the entire army marches out, select five men from each century and immediately go to the three villages on the west bank to assist the people in clearing silt and draining water, and rebuilding their homes. Tell them that Pharaoh's army must not only defeat foreign enemies, but also protect every citizen of the Nile River!"

When these words were spoken, all the soldiers and civilians present were shocked.

This was not only a benevolent order, but also a brilliant move.

The army helped the people, which not only won the hearts of the people, but also allowed Pharaoh's armed forces to quietly penetrate every corner of the capital like mercury pouring on the ground on the eve of the expedition.

At dawn the next day, the sky was turning pale.

The huge royal boat was like a moving golden palace, slowly sailing away from the palace dock and heading towards the oath-taking platform on the east bank.

According to Egypt's oldest etiquette, when swearing an oath to go to war, only the pharaoh holding the scepter of life can board the royal ship and receive the blessings of the gods and the people.

Princess, you should stay in the palace and pray for him.

However, today, everyone saw an incredible scene.

Ding Wei, wearing a silver scale armor battle skirt and the double-feather crown of Uyadin that symbolizes royal power, stood at the bow of the boat side by side with Ramses.

The morning breeze blew, blowing the fiery red ribbon behind her like a burning flame.

"I am not accompanying you." Her voice was clearly transmitted to both sides of the river with the help of the priest's magic weapon.

"It's a joint expedition. The waters of the Nile carry the two of us, and will also carry the fate of all Egypt!"

On the shore, a sea of ​​people rushed over after hearing the news. Their initial shock turned into thunderous cheers that broke out in an instant.

They had never seen such a princess before. She was not a shadow behind the Pharaoh, but a blade fighting alongside him!

At this moment, the high priestess Isis appeared in person at the top of the tallest Temple of Isis on the east coast. She raised her arms high and struck the huge bronze bell that had not been moved for a hundred years.

“Dang! Dang! Dang…”

Nine long calls, majestic and ancient, came across time and space.

That was the highest tribute that only appeared in legends—the ceremony of "two gods coming to earth"!

The atmosphere on the oath-taking stage was solemn and dignified.

General Seti holds a golden sword inlaid with sapphires and is about to present it to the only monarch Ramses according to tradition.

"etc."

Ding Wei took the lead and took something out of her arms.

It was an ancient bronze military token engraved with the Eye of Horus, emitting a terrifying aura.

It was last night that Isis personally handed her the "Royal Seal of Military Supervision"!

According to legend, this seal can only be held by a co-ruler who has been recognized by the gods.

She solemnly handed the military talisman to Ramses and said aloud, "This talisman will not only silence the hearts of the three armies, but also dispel rumors. From this day forward, there will be no more 'two kings in vain' in Egypt!"

Ramses looked at the stars twinkling in her eyes, and his heart was filled with great ambition.

He took the military command and raised it above his head along with the golden sword, roaring like a lion towards the sky and the Nile River, and towards the 100,000 troops under his command.

Then, under the watchful eyes of everyone, he personally tied the red ribbon of military power for Ding Wei, which only the supreme commander was qualified to wear.

With a loud "bang", all the soldiers below the stage, including Seti, knelt on one knee and struck their breastplates with the hilts of their swords, making a deafening noise.

"Two kings protect the country! Invincible!"

At the noble table, Hathor watched this scene with a barely perceptible smile on his face.

She quietly whispered to the nobles around her, "Have you heard? Her Royal Highness has secretly contacted the Nubian allies in the south. If the Hittite army dares to invade the south, 30,000 Nubian Black Shields will reach the border within seven days and strike directly at the enemy's rear."

This was naturally a bluff instigated by Ding Wei, but the effect was immediate.

The faces of those nobles who were still hesitating and even advocating peace talks with the Hittites changed instantly.

They no longer dared to give in.

The atmosphere at the dinner was lively.

A middle-level military officer with a weathered face walked up to Ding Wei with a glass of wine in his hands, his eyes full of admiration and excitement.

"Your Highness, my mother once told me that women could also pick up shields and protect their families. I always thought it was just a story. Until yesterday, when I saw you standing in the mud and water distributing food to my fellow countrymen, and today, when I saw you board the royal ship and fight alongside Pharaoh in this national crisis, I finally believed that such women really existed in this world."

Ding Wei raised her glass and clinked it with his gently. The mellow wine in the glass shone like a gem.

“You’re wrong!”

She smiled, her eyes sweeping across the eager soldiers: "The swords in your hands are the truest oracles of this era."

As the night deepens, the noise fades away.

On the returning Wang boat, only Ramses and Ding Wei were left.

The moonlight on the Nile River is like a piece of soft silk, covering the surface of the river.

Ding Wei leaned on his shoulder, letting go of the sharpness of the day, and there was a hint of fatigue in her voice.

"Do you think they think that by separating the two of us, they can defeat us individually?"

Ramses held her hand tightly, and the coolness of her skin could be felt at his fingertips.

He held her tighter, lowered his head and pressed a kiss to her hair, his voice low and certain.

"But they forget that it was only after you came that I truly became Pharaoh."

Before he finished speaking, in the distant reeds under the night sky, an inconspicuous fishing boat quietly changed direction, and the figure on the boat flashed and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Moments later, an urgent report was delivered to the heavily guarded Temple of Amun deep on the west bank: "The two kings are deeply loyal, the military and the people are united, and the outcome is a foregone conclusion."

Back in the bedroom, Ding Wei took off her glorious silver-scale battle skirt and was about to change into comfortable casual clothes.

The moonlight shines through the window lattice and falls on the battle skirt, making the silver armor plates sparkle. Each piece is tightly woven from the toughest silk threads.

Her fingers unconsciously brushed the edge of her skirt, but suddenly stopped.

It is an intuition that only weavers have, deep in their bones.

The knotting method of a silk thread at the most inconspicuous edge appears extremely abrupt and even a bit...clumsy compared to the gorgeous style of the entire battle skirt.

Ding Wei's eyes instantly became as sharp as an eagle.

She picked up the hem of the skirt and examined it carefully under the candlelight, her fingertips stroking the small knot repeatedly.

This is definitely not the technique of the master weaver in the palace weaving workshop.