First three moves
Deep in the palace, candlelight was bright, making her shadow on the wall look thin and firm.
Kadesh, the fortress that the Hittites were proud of, has now turned into countless interlaced red and blue lines in her mind.
Red represents the enemy's front line, while blue represents our own lifeline.
At this moment, those blue dry roads that were so thin that they seemed to break with a pinch were emitting the breath of death.
"Hathol." Ding Wei's voice was calm, as if she was stating an insignificant matter.
The loyal captain of the guards emerged from the shadows and knelt on one knee: "Princess."
"Go to Thebes immediately and find the leader of the Merchant Alliance. Tell him that the royal family needs their camel caravans. Recruit all available transport capacity to deliver supplies to the front lines."
Hathor was stunned and looked troubled: "Princess, those people in the Merchant Alliance are only interested in profit. Without a large sum of money, I'm afraid..."
"Who said we would give them gold?" Ding Wei raised a cold smile at the corner of her lips.
"Tell him this is a 'wartime concession.' All caravans participating in this transport will permanently receive the status of 'royal tribute merchants' after the war, and their goods can enter any temple in Memphis duty-free. This is an honor and tangible benefit that cannot be purchased with any gold coin in the treasury."
Hathor's eyes suddenly lit up.
This is not a conscription, it is clearly a gift!
Without deploying a single soldier or spending a single penny, he was able to firmly grasp the largest civilian logistics network in Egypt!
"I obey your command!"
At dawn the next day, the atmosphere in the meeting hall where officials gathered was as heavy as iron.
Veteran General Seti stepped forward and boomed, "Your Majesty, the Hittite cavalry is unstoppable, and Kadesh is fortified. I believe our army should hold the eastern bank of the Nile, waiting for reinforcements from the provinces to arrive before making any plans. We should not start a war lightly!"
These words were mature and steady, causing many conservative ministers to nod their heads.
Ramses frowned slightly and his eyes involuntarily turned to Ding Wei.
Ding Wei didn't refute, but smiled and nodded: "General Seti is absolutely right. Safe and sound is the best policy. It is a blessing for the country."
Unexpectedly, Ding Wei changed the subject, took a roll of papyrus from the maid, and held it high. "But holding on has its price. I drafted this draft of the 'Conscription Order for Civilians' overnight. If we want to strengthen the thousand-mile defense line, we will need to conscript at least 100,000 civilians to work day and night. By then, public resentment will boil over, and the country will be unstable. I'm afraid that even before the Hittites attack, our rear will be in chaos."
She paused, her clear eyes sweeping across the room. "Instead of wasting manpower, it's better to take the initiative and bring the war to the enemy's territory. A quick victory is the best strategy!"
The hall fell silent in an instant.
Ding Wei's gaze finally settled on Seti, her tone growing more respectful. "General, you're a seasoned warrior with a long and distinguished reputation. I propose that you assume full control of all supplies and fodder for this expedition. As long as the logistics are in place, the army will have no worries. I believe we can reach Kadesh within three months!"
These words were like a thunderclap, making Seti dizzy.
He originally wanted to avoid fighting in the name of "holding on", but now Ding Wei has pushed him to an even more dangerous position - the chief logistics officer!
This is the guarantee of military merit, but also the blame for defeat!
If there is a shortage of food and grass at the front line, he will be the first culprit.
This woman has such a vicious mind!
Seti's face flushed, and he was about to refuse, but Ramses on the throne had already made the final decision.
"Permitted."
The two words, light and airy, were as heavy as Mount Tai, weighing down Seti so much that he could no longer utter a single "no".
He could only bow his head and accept the order. When he retreated back to the formation, the fear of Ding Wei in the depths of his eyes had turned into a trace of fear that was difficult to conceal.
Ding Wei knew very well that relying solely on political tactics to suppress him would not make a veteran like Seti truly submit.
She needed a sharper knife, a knife from the gods.
Three days later, a grand blessing ceremony was being held at the largest Temple of Amun in Memphis.
In the name of the princess, Ding Wei invited the high priest Isis to offer sacrifices to Yu Ze for the soldiers who were about to go to war.
On the altar, the sacred fire is burning.
Ding Wei held a huge battle flag in her own hands and walked slowly towards Isis.
The flag was embroidered with royal golden silk thread, depicting a magnificent sight of a blazing sun and a bright moon coexisting, which exactly meant "two suns shining together".
"High Priest!" Her voice was clearly heard by everyone through the special structure of the temple.
"Please consecrate this battle flag. From now on, wherever this flag reaches, it will be protected by the king and the princess together!"
Isis took the battle flag and held it high above her head, her holy face solemn and dignified in the firelight.
She declared loudly: "The Eye of Amon has witnessed the union of two hearts. The gods will protect our two kings and crush all invading enemies!"
"God bless the two kings!"
In the square, tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians cheered like thunder, their voices shaking the sky.
Seti stood among the generals, his face ashen.
He could no longer use the excuse of "women interfering in politics" to attack Ding Wei, because her power had been stamped with the seal of God by Isis herself.
In the crowd, several generals who had originally wavered in their positions quietly exchanged glances, and there was a hint of obvious recognition in those glances.
However, at the other end of the palace, in Queen Mother Nefer's bedroom, the atmosphere was cold.
"She does know how to borrow the power of the gods." Nefert stroked an exquisite alabaster box, his tone unable to tell whether he was happy or angry.
"Send this box of 'Soul-Calming Incense' to the princess and tell her it's a gift from me so she can have a good night's sleep before she leaves for battle."
The palace maid took the order and left.
No one knew that a trace amount of blue water lily powder was mixed into the spice.
A small amount of this substance can calm the mind, but an excessive amount can cause hallucinations and make people fall into bizarre nightmares.
Nefert wanted to try and find out whether this princess who claimed to have a "divine body" was really blessed by God or was just pretending to be mysterious.
That night, the moonlight in Ding Wei's bedroom courtyard was as bright as water.
The box of "calming incense" was lit, and a strange sweet fragrance quietly filled the air.
Ding Wei's nose twitched slightly, and with her keen sense of smell as a top agent in her previous life, she instantly detected the unusual, psychedelic component in the air.
She remained calm, but instead moved the incense burner closer and smiled at Ramses beside her: "The incense given by the Queen Mother is indeed extraordinary."
As she spoke, she deliberately moved closer to the incense burner and took a few deep breaths. Then her body softened and she gently leaned on Ramses' shoulder. Her voice was a bit dreamy and hazy: "Ramesses, if I saw the gods in my dream, I would definitely ask you this question - why didn't you let me meet you earlier?"
Ramses' heart moved, thinking that she was exhausted from days of hard work and that she relaxed after smelling the fragrance.
He reached out his hand and gently stroked her long, smooth hair. His deep laughter was particularly clear in the night. "You were the one who came to break my fate. What difference does it make if you came earlier or later?"
He didn't see that Ding Wei was leaning on his shoulder, and a hint of cold clarity flashed in her originally blurred eyes.
The next morning, the maid sent by Nefertl to visit her reported tremblingly, "Your Majesty, the princess slept well last night and was in good spirits. It's said...it's said she even smiled all night and showed no signs of madness at all."
Nefert stared at the empty incense box that had been sent back for a long time before waving his hand. His voice was filled with deep fatigue and he said, "Let's leave."
This woman is either a monster that is immune to all poisons, or... she is a darling favored even by the gods.
No matter which one it was, it made her feel powerless.
It was the last night before the war, and the sky was full of stars.
Ding Wei climbed up to the highest observatory in the palace alone.
The night wind blew her skirt, as if trying to blend her into the boundless night.
A figure appeared silently behind her. It was Isis.
"This was found by temple spies in the ruins of the Hittite embassy." Isis handed over a piece of burnt papyrus.
"Lord Amenhotep's handwriting is unmistakable."
Ding Wei took the fragment, and her pupils suddenly contracted in the starlight.
The text above was fragmentary, but it was enough to piece together a shocking conspiracy: "... wait for the war to start... detonate... cut off the sluice gates on the west bank of the Nile..."
Amenhotep, a member of the royal family's side branch, had always coveted the throne.
He actually colluded with the Hittites and attempted to destroy Egypt's lifeline from within when the war was at its most intense!
"Pass on my order immediately!" Ding Wei's voice was as cold as ice.
"Order Hathor to personally lead the palace guards and seal all seven sluice gates on the west bank overnight. No one is allowed to approach. Anyone who disobeys this order will be killed without mercy!"
Just as she turned around and was about to give the order, she suddenly looked up and gazed at the southern sky.
I saw three originally dim stars suddenly connected into a line, bursting out with unprecedented bright light, like a sword piercing the night sky.
Isis also saw it and cried out in surprise, "It's 'Two Kings Draw Arms'! Ancient astrological records record that this constellation foretells that the co-ruling king will personally lead a great army to conquer the land and conquer everything in his path!"
Ding Wei didn't say anything, but slowly clenched the hot letter fragment in her sleeve.
She looked up at the starry sky that signified victory, but a cold smile escaped the corner of her mouth.
You want to use the hands of foreign enemies to depose and enthrone the emperor and disrupt my rear.
But this time, we were the first to take action.
Everything seems to be under control.
Just as she withdrew her gaze and was about to walk down from the observatory, a personal guard hurried up to the platform with a panicked look on his face, tightly clutching an urgent military report from the western province. The edge of the papyrus was even a little soft from being soaked with sweat.
He knelt on one knee, his voice trembling slightly from the hasty running: "Princess...West Coast...Urgent news from the West Coast!"
Ding Wei's heart trembled, and an inexplicable sense of unease surged in her heart.
She slowly extended her hand, her voice steady, without a trace of emotion: "Tell me. Is the food route to the west coast still open?"
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