Making decisions on the battlefield
The wheel of the empire suddenly turned under the will of the Pharaoh, and the golden chariot rolled up the yellow sand and rushed towards the Kadesh Fortress on the eastern border.
Ramses was dressed in military uniform, and his handsome figure seemed to be coated with a layer of divine glory in the sunlight. Beside him, Ding Wei stood on an equally gorgeous chariot.
She accompanied him in the name of "Princess Inspector of the Army", and this decision caused quite a stir in the court.
The generals looked at the foreign woman who suddenly appeared beside the Pharaoh with scrutiny and suspicion. They didn't understand why he would bring a delicate princess with him to the battlefield where swords were merciless.
When they reached the frontier fortress, the Hittite offensive was as fierce as the flood of the Nile.
The huge battering ram hit the heavy city gate again and again, making a dull sound, and arrows flew like locusts, covering the sky and the sun.
However, amid the deafening shouts and cries of killing, Ding Wei keenly sensed a hint of disharmony.
The Hittite offensive seemed fierce, but it always maintained a fixed intensity. They neither increased their troops nor changed their tactics, as if they were just completing a predetermined task.
This doesn't seem like a decisive battle to be won, but more like a hugely expensive... performance.
That night, she avoided everyone and went to the fortress's archives alone.
Using the excuse of checking the fort's material reserves, she retrieved records of all the trade routes that had passed through this place in the past month.
The yellowed papyrus exuded an old smell under the oil lamp. Ding Wei's fingers quickly moved across the lines of hieroglyphs. Finally, her eyes fixed on a volume recording the northern trade routes.
A few days ago, a large-scale "camel caravan" did not go south to Memphis as usual, but paid high tolls and took a detour into the northern desert where almost no one had set foot.
At the end of the Sea of Death is a hidden path that can quietly bypass all military fortresses and reach the heart of the empire - Thebes!
A terrible thought suddenly struck her.
Make a feint to the east and attack in the west!
Ding Wei grabbed the file and rushed to Ramses' command tent regardless of everything.
"Your Majesty!" She opened the curtain, breathing heavily. "We were all wrong! The main force of the Hittites is not here at all!"
Ramses was discussing countermeasures with several generals while looking at the map. When he saw her intruding, he frowned slightly.
An old general snorted rudely, "Your Highness, this is a strategically important military location, not a place for you to be."
"The main force of the Hittite army is passing through the northern desert and launching a surprise attack on our empty capital, Thebes! The siege here is just a bait to delay our main army!" Ding Wei's voice was not loud, but every word was clear, like a heavy hammer hitting everyone's heart.
"Absolutely impossible!" the old general immediately retorted.
"The northern desert is God's forbidden zone. No army can cross it alive! The Hittites dare not advance so deeply alone. This is tantamount to suicide!"
A hint of disbelief flashed across Ramses' eyes, but he didn't immediately scold Ding Wei. Instead, he asked in a deep voice, "What evidence do you have?"
"The evidence is right here." Ding Wei spread out the trade route records.
"A supply caravan, strong enough to support tens of thousands of troops across the desert, set out five days ago. They deceived everyone by using the name of a caravan!"
Without giving everyone much time to react, she turned and walked to the huge sand table. Her hands, which were usually as gentle as water, now carried an unquestionable power as she quickly rearranged the small blue flag representing the Egyptian army.
"We can't retreat. If we do, the Hittite feinting forces in front will immediately catch up with us, buying more time for their main force." Her voice was calm and decisive, and a powerful logic derived from modern military knowledge instantly stunned the whole audience.
"My suggestion is to divide the troops into three parts."
She picked up a wooden pole and pointed it at the sandbox.
"In the first part, an experienced general led the army to hold the fortress, creating the illusion that the main force was still there, and continuing to hold back the enemy."
"The second unit, led by another general, will pretend to be a small, defeated force and retreat southward, luring the enemy into splitting up and pursuing them, further distracting them."
"And the third part..."
Her pole landed heavily on the edge of the northern desert.
"Your Majesty, personally lead the most elite chariot cavalry to form a lightning assault team. We will go around the enemy's rear without engaging their main force. Our only goal is to cut off their supply lines!"
She raised her head and looked at Ramses with a burning gaze. "Water and food are their lifeblood during this desert march. Once we burn their supplies, the isolated Hittite main force deep in the desert will collapse without a single soldier from us!"
The entire tent was completely silent, even breathing seemed to have stopped.
The generals stared in amazement at the bold and ingenious layout on the sand table, and at Ding Wei's confident and calm face, as if they were meeting the princess for the first time.
Ramses' pupils suddenly shrank, and a huge wave of emotion rose in his heart.
What shocked him was not the cruelty of the plan, but the terrifying wisdom behind it that understood human nature and the war situation.
He had never heard of such a strategy that took the battlefield, logistics, and people's hearts into consideration!
After a long moment, he took a deep breath, his eyes moved away from Ding Wei's face, and he swept across the generals. His voice was low and majestic: "Pass on my order, the entire army will act according to Princess Nefertari's plan!"
The battle began two days later on a stormy night.
Ding Wei did not stay in the safe fortress. She changed into a light leather armor and personally led a 500-man light cavalry as the vanguard of the raid on the supply team.
The strong wind blew up the yellow sand, blurring the vision and covering up the sound of horse hooves.
Under the cover of the sandstorm, they sneaked into the Hittite supply team's camp like ghosts.
Under Ding Wei's command, the soldiers set fire to the haystacks that had been prepared long ago. The thick black smoke, carried by the wind, instantly enveloped the Hittite camp.
"The wind is blowing northwest, they will think we are the main force coming from the southwest! Everyone, follow me and break in from the northeast corner!" Ding Wei drew the bronze dagger at her waist and took the lead.
In the chaos, a young Egyptian soldier accidentally fell off his horse and was about to be pierced by the spears of several Hittite guards.
In a flash, Ding Wei suddenly pulled the horse's head, rushed forward, and blocked the fatal attack with the dagger in her hand.
However, she herself was surrounded by this.
Just as a scimitar was about to chop her neck, a golden lightning bolt fell from the sky!
Ramses' chariot crushed the dust and enemies. He stretched out his strong arms, picked up Ding Wei from the horse's back, and held her tightly in his arms.
The two men looked at each other on the bumpy chariot, above the sand dunes.
The wind and sand messed up her hair, but could not blow away the stars in her eyes.
"Why do you always put yourself in danger?" Ramses' voice was hoarse with a hint of fear.
Ding Wei smiled. Amidst the deafening shouts and cries of killing, her smile was as bright as the rising sun: "Because I know you will come."
The battle situation was just as Ding Wei expected.
The main force of the Hittites, whose supply lines were completely destroyed, was trapped in a desperate situation in the desert. Three days later, the entire army retreated.
When the commander was captured, the Egyptians were shocked to discover that he was actually the brother of the traitor Thutmose who was imprisoned in the dungeon of Thebes.
The news was sent back to Thebes by the fastest messenger.
Deep in the dungeon, Thutmose heard the sad news of defeat and his last hope, that his brother had also become a prisoner. He was stunned at first, and then burst into wild laughter.
The laughter echoed in the dark cell, filled with despair and unwillingness.
His laughter died away, and he lunged towards the wall, only to be held back by the chains.
The next moment, a trace of determination flashed in his eyes, and he actually bit off his tongue hard!
Blood gushed out. In his last moments, he dipped his finger in his own blood and wrote a line of words crookedly on the cold stone wall:
"Egypt has this woman, and there will be no worries for a hundred years."
When the jailer discovered the line of blood words, the whole palace was shocked.
Princess Nefertari, who was thousands of miles away, received the highest praise from her most vicious enemy before his death!
Inside the Temple of Hathor, the high priest personally lit an ever-burning lamp for Ding Wei and exclaimed, "The princess's wisdom is more powerful than a thousand troops."
When the army returned to the capital, Thebes held an unprecedented grand celebration banquet.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Ramses took Ding Wei's hand and walked up to the platform in front of the throne.
He raised the golden goblet, glanced at all the nobles and ministers below the stage, and announced in a voice loud enough for the entire square to hear:
"My queen, Nefertari, is not only my wife, but also my counselor and protector of Upper and Lower Egypt. From this day forward, the queen will be consulted on all matters of the empire, both domestic and foreign!"
The moment these words came out, the whole place was in uproar. The nobles looked at each other in bewilderment.
Ding Wei stood on the high platform, facing countless complicated gazes, with an unprecedented calmness in her heart.
She knew that from this moment on, she had truly gained a foothold in this turbulent era.
As the night deepened and the noise of the celebration party gradually faded away.
Ding Wei sat alone by the pond in the palace garden, the moonlight sprinkled on the water, shattering into a piece of silver light.
A light sound of footsteps came from behind, and Ramses walked quietly to her side. Without saying a word, he put something cold into her palm.
It is a scarab amulet made of pure gold, with exquisite carving and full of the sense of time.
"This is a relic left by my mother."
Ramses' voice was particularly gentle in the quiet night: "She said that only those who truly know how to protect Egypt and understand Egypt are worthy of owning it."
Ding Wei took the amulet, her fingertips trembling uncontrollably.
Ramses stared at her profile. The moonlight outlined her soft features but could not illuminate the secret hidden in her eyes.
He finally asked the question that had been lingering for so long: "Tell me, Nefertari... You seem to know everything, yet you never belong here. Where do you come from?"
Ding Wei slowly raised her head, the cold moonlight reflected in her clear eyes. She looked at the man in front of her who loved her deeply and replied softly: "I come from a heart that loves you."
The romantic and vague answer left Ramses speechless for a moment. He was about to ask again when a captain of the palace guards came running towards the garden entrance with a panicked look on his face. He stopped in the distance, knelt on one knee, and his voice trembled with anxiety:
"Your Majesty! Urgent information!"
Ramses frowned and said in a deep voice, "Speak."
The captain of the guards swallowed, as if weighing his words. He quickly glanced at Ding Wei before lowering his voice and saying, "It's...it's about the aftermath of tonight's celebration banquet...something happened at the temple."
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