The Red River swears an oath, and our hearts beat in unison
The moment the words fell, the air in the whole of Thebes seemed to tighten.
Ding Wei's voice was not loud, but it was like a stone thrown into a quiet lake, stirring up huge waves in the hearts of all the nobles.
She proposed to hold a grand ceremony called "Red River Crossing Oath".
All nobles who swore allegiance to the dual rule of the kings had to personally sail their own solar boats from the east bank of the Nile to the center of the river.
On that stretch of water that still glows a strange red, they burned holy books and papyri and swore a blood oath to the gods, the pharaoh, and the millions of Egyptian people.
This proposal was like a thunderbolt, making Isis uneasy.
In the dead of night, she anxiously sought out Ding Wei, her beautiful face filled with worry. "Princess, this is too risky! The crimson color of the Nile fades daily. If the river returns to normal on the day of the ceremony, our so-called 'miracle' will become a joke. Far from consolidating our royal power, we will completely lose the gods' blessing and the people's trust!"
Ding Wei just looked calmly at the Nile River under the moonlight outside the window, with a mysterious curve at the corner of her mouth.
"High Priest, do you believe in miracles?" she asked softly.
Without waiting for an answer, Isis turned around, her eyes gleaming with an almost insane confidence. "It's enough for the people to believe. Miracles sometimes don't come from the gods, but from the will of the people. Don't worry, on that day, the Nile will give us the warmest response."
Under Isis's confused gaze, Ding Wei had already quietly issued a series of secret orders.
Several of the most elite royal guards sneaked into the heart of the Nile under the cover of night.
Instead of praying, they built a huge invisible floating platform under the turbid red water, which was only a finger below the water surface.
The floating platform was covered with red silk soaked in grease, and between the silks was evenly sprinkled a layer of snow-white powder - it was "white phosphorus" that came from a distant foreign country and would burn when it came into contact with fire, and could even burn on the water surface.
This was a scam, a shocking scam that was enough to deceive the entire Egypt.
What Ding Wei wants is not the gift from God, but to create an irrefutable myth with her own hands.
On the day of the ceremony, the sky was bright.
The streets of Thebes were deserted, and all the people gathered on both sides of the Nile. They were excited and full of awe, waiting to witness this historic moment.
The royal trumpet sounded, and hundreds of gorgeously decorated solar boats set out from the east coast one after another, with Egypt's most powerful nobles standing on board.
Their expressions varied, some were fanatical, some were solemn, and some had flickering eyes, obviously harboring ulterior motives.
Ramses and Ding Wei stood side by side on the magnificent royal barge, accepting the worship of the people.
The ceremony proceeded in an orderly manner. Boat after boat arrived at the center of the river. Under the guidance of the priests, the nobles burned incense and swore an oath. The sound echoed clearly over the river bank through specially designed sound-transmitting copper tubes.
However, when it was General Seti Khamon's turn, his eagle warship was slow to start.
Everyone's eyes were focused on the general who commanded a large number of troops.
He stood at the bow, his posture as steady as a mountain, but his eyes as sharp as an eagle, constantly scanning Ramses on the king's ship, the seemingly weak Ding Wei, and the red river water that was gradually fading.
He is waiting, watching, and judging the final direction of this political gamble.
The air seemed to freeze. This silent confrontation was more oppressive than any heated words.
At this moment, Ding Wei suddenly moved.
She lifted her skirt and, in front of everyone's astonished gaze, boarded a light sedge raft alone. Rowed by two guards, she headed straight for Seti's warship.
As the raft approached the warship, Ding Wei raised her head, meeting Seti's inquiring gaze, a brilliant yet provocative smile spread across her face. "General, the scenery of the Nile is so magnificent. Would you like to cross this sacred journey with me?"
Her voice was not loud, but it was clearly heard by everyone.
This is no longer an invitation, but a challenge.
In front of all the people, in front of Pharaoh, the princess came in person to invite Seti-khamun, and there was no way out.
Seti's pupils suddenly shrank, and he stared at Ding Wei, as if trying to find some flaws in her clear eyes.
However, he only saw bottomless confidence.
He nodded slowly and replied in a low voice, "I will obey the princess's order."
Ding Wei boarded the warship and stood beside Seti without fear.
The warship finally started and slowly sailed towards the center of the river.
The people on both sides of the strait burst into thunderous cheers. In their eyes, this was a harmonious dance between royal power and military power, and a symbol of Egypt's unity.
Only Seti knew that a silent battle was going on on this ship.
When the warship arrived at the designated waters, just as Seti was about to speak and make that insincere oath - something strange happened!
There was a loud "hiss" sound, as if boiling oil was poured into a raging fire, and the river water under their feet suddenly caught fire without any warning!
Red flames shot up into the sky, instantly turning the river surface within a radius of 100 meters into a sea of fire!
It was no ordinary flame, but a strange, phosphorescent crimson flame that made the river water look like boiling magma.
The rolling heat wave hit me in the face, and I could even smell the burning sulfur in the air.
"A miracle! It's a miracle!"
"The river god has appeared! God of Ra has blessed us!"
The people on both sides of the strait were first dead silent, and then erupted in shouts like a landslide and tsunami.
They fell to their knees, kowtowed madly, tears streaming down their faces.
The scene before them was beyond their comprehension. This was the true wrath and joy of God!
Seti's whole body was shaking as he stared in horror at the river water that was spontaneously combusting beneath his feet. He had seen countless wonders throughout his military career, but he had never seen such an unreasonable scene.
Could it be... really divine power?
Just when his mind was about to lose control, Ding Wei's voice resounded through the sky.
She stood at the bow, letting the flames' light outline her figure like a god.
She shouted, "Listen! This is the response of the Nile! Look! This is the radiance of the sun god! Today's oath is not for one person, not for one family, but for the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt, for the millions of my Egyptian people!"
She turned to Seti, her eyes burning, "General, the gods are watching you."
In the face of the blazing "miracle" and the enthusiastic cheers of the people, all Seti's calculations and hesitations seemed pale and powerless.
He knew that he had already lost.
He slowly picked up the holy book papyrus, and in the reflection of the flame, the expression on his face was extremely complicated.
Finally, he lit the straw paper, and his voice, low but remarkably clear, echoed across the river:
"I, General Seti-khamon, swear by the god of the Nile, by the sun god Ra, and by the great kings that I will follow them till death and defend Egypt without regrets, whether in life or death!"
After the oath was made, the fire in the center of the river seemed to be satisfied and gradually subsided, leaving only a churning red wave.
After the ceremony, the whole of Thebes was immersed in the frenzy brought by the miracle.
The high priest of Isis seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and took the initiative to ask for an audience with Ramses.
Without any compliments, she presented an ancient papyrus scroll from the deepest recesses of the Karnak Temple.
"Your Majesty!" She solemnly unfolded the ancient scroll and pointed to a record that almost no one knew about.
"Please refer to the temple text 'The Two Gods Coming Together', which states: 'When the Red River reflects the twin moons, the hearts of the two kings will become one. Then the Pharaoh's kingship will be eternal, and the Nile's gifts will never run dry.'"
This is the first and only time in several dynasties that the Temple of Amun has found theological basis for "dual rule" from the core doctrine texts!
Ramses was very pleased.
He lifted Isis to his feet and, in front of all the ministers in the palace, loudly announced: "High Priest Isis has communicated with the gods and her contributions will be remembered for generations to come! Today, I decree that she be the 'Holy Envoy of the Two Kings', in charge of all royal sacrifices and documents. Her position is equivalent to that of a prime minister!"
Outside the palace gate, Queen Nefertir, who was about to ask for an audience, heard the imperial decree. She was struck by lightning and froze in place.
The lotus scepter in her hand, which symbolized the queen's majesty, trembled extremely slightly, almost inaudibly.
That night, the noise faded away and the moonlight was like water.
Ding Wei and Ramses stood side by side on the terrace of the palace, overlooking the quietly flowing Nile River.
"What you did today is enough to be recorded in history." Ramses' voice was filled with emotion and inquiry.
"Tell me, what on earth is going on with that flame?"
Ding Wei didn't answer, but just smiled faintly.
Ramses stared at her profile. In the moonlight, her outline was soft yet firm.
He suddenly asked an irrelevant question: "Ding Wei, if one day I become someone who hinders you from protecting this country, what will you do?"
This question is as heavy as the cornerstone of a pyramid.
Ding Wei turned around and for the first time looked into his eyes so seriously and without any avoidance, those golden eyes that symbolized the supreme royal power.
"I won't push you down." Her voice was cold and firm.
"But I will never stop. I will... hold your hand, pull you along, and walk together to where we should go."
Ramses was stunned at first, then a deep laugh rolled out of his chest, getting louder and louder, filled with unprecedented joy.
He suddenly stretched out his arms and hugged her tightly, with such strength that it seemed as if he wanted to knead her into his bones and blood.
"That's good." He whispered in her ear, his hot breath carrying an unquestionable declaration.
"Because my throne was never meant to belong to me alone."
Before dawn, in the darkest corner of Thebes.
General Seti sat alone in his airtight study, tore a secret letter from the Hittite Kingdom into pieces and threw it into the burning charcoal basin.
In the letter, the Hittites promised that as long as he could delay the Egyptian expedition, they would fully support him in seizing the sole throne.
The firelight reflected his gloomy face.
He stared out the window at the first hint of dawn in the sky and muttered to himself, "Ding Wei... you won this round. But once the war begins, the entire chessboard will be reshuffled."
At the same time, in the depths of the Karnak Temple, a forbidden area that even the pharaohs were not allowed to enter.
In stark contrast to the noisy celebrations of the miracle outside, this place was as silent as a tomb.
The high priest Amenhotep, the old man who seemed to have been forgotten by the world, was slowly walking down the last step leading to the underground.
There were no torches or oil lamps here, only pure darkness that swallowed up all light.
He stretched out his dry hand and lit a simple black pottery lamp.
However, what came out of the wick was not an ordinary orange flame, but a ball of faint black flame emitting a cold air.
The black flames flickered, casting his shadow onto the entire huge stone wall behind him.
In the darkness invisible to ordinary people, a secret that is older and more terrifying than all political conspiracies and all the killings on the battlefield is slowly awakening.
The dim firelight seemed not just for illumination, but more like calling or spying on something.
A truth hidden beneath the dust of history is waiting to be revealed by this extraordinary flame.
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