Kamul then took out a piece of papyrus.
"Your Majesty the Holy Pharaoh."
"According to previous reports from Remheb, the actual grain storage in Matruh is much lower than the declared data."
"The city lord and his cronies embezzled a large amount of grain and used it for private transactions and profit."
"Over the past month, the Lord of Matruh ordered the transfer of one-third of the city's strategic grain reserves to so-called temporary warehouses. In reality, this grain has most likely already been transferred or sold by him."
Lin Ke's eyes moved back and forth between the papyrus and the map, and he narrowed his eyes slightly.
"If the Vikings attack Matruh while we are completely unprepared, the city will surely fall."
"If the city lord absconds with the money, the people of Matruh will face the dual threats of starvation and foreign enemies."
Afterwards, Lin Ke stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the sky in the distance.
"So, how are the defense preparations in other coastal cities progressing?"
Kamul immediately replied, "It's going well, Your Majesty the Holy Pharaoh."
"We have already dispatched personnel to all cities reporting unusual activity to help strengthen their defenses and increase the number of garrisons."
"The people were also informed of the possible threats and began to spontaneously organize militias and stockpile supplies."
Kamul hesitated for a moment and said, "But regarding Matruh... I haven't sent anyone to investigate yet."
"Considering the city lord's unusual behavior, I believe that sending someone rashly might alert the enemy."
Lin Ke raised his head and turned to face Kamul: "You did very well."
"If Lord Matruh senses our suspicions, he will likely act in advance."
"That could lead him to sell off the city's food prematurely, take away money, or even allow the Vikings to attack Matruh."
Kamul nodded, and he also agreed with Lin Ke's words.
"Yes, Your Majesty the Holy Pharaoh."
"So what should we do now?"
"The time was not far off when the Vikings might land, and Matruh's strategic position was crucial."
"If the Vikings were to capture Matruh, they would pose a serious threat to our coastline."
Lin Ke stood in front of the map for a long time, his fingers moving back and forth between several key locations.
"In this way, we need an elite force that is always ready to respond to possible crises."
Upon hearing this, Kamul asked, "Which troops does His Majesty the Holy Pharaoh intend to mobilize?"
Lin Ke hesitated for a moment and said, "Form a new army of about a thousand people, commanded by reliable officers who have participated in the Hebrew Empire campaign."
"Have them stationed outside the city of Alexandria, which is closer to Matruh, about half a day's journey away."
"This way, we can provide assistance quickly without alerting the Matruh side."
When Kamul heard this, he thought for a while.
"But Your Majesty, the Holy Pharaoh, isn't a thousand men too few? If the Vikings invade on a large scale... I'm afraid these thousand men won't be able to resist."
"You said before that the Vikings' fighting ability seems to be stronger than that of the Hebrew Empire."
"Perhaps, would you consider increasing it to around 3,000 people?"
When Lin Ke heard what Kamul said, he slowly began to explain.
"No, Kamul."
"All our elite troops have to do is provide emergency support."
"If their scale increases, it will definitely attract the attention of Matruh, which will be detrimental to concealment and hiding information."
"Also, I've already deployed a number of 'divine soldiers' to the coastline. If I find anything unusual, I'll dispatch them immediately."
Lin Ke said this and put his finger on the map again, pointing to the coastal area.
"Also, in my opinion, it is impossible for the Viking main fleet to reach Marsa Matruh directly."
"If their warships are destroyed, they won't be able to return, so their main force may dock on some islands in the Mediterranean."
"And what Matruh is facing is probably a reconnaissance fleet or a small harassment force, so a thousand-man force is enough to deal with it."
"If they were really so foolish as to choose to log in directly at Matruh, it would have saved me a lot of trouble."
"They will definitely come and never return."
After hearing what Lin Ke said, Kamul's mouth corners curled up slightly.
He knew very well that His Majesty the Holy Pharaoh obviously already had a plan.
Kamul nodded in understanding, "Yes, Your Majesty the Holy Pharaoh, what are your plans going forward?"
Lin Ke continued to speak at this time.
"Secondly, we need to deploy our forces inside Matruh."
"Note that this is not about replacing officials or planting an insider."
"We will dispatch a group of smart and capable guards to secretly station them in the city."
"They must disguise themselves as civilians. Their numbers may be small, but they must be strong and capable."
Kamul listened, his eyes wide, and nodded.
"Are you going to mobilize your guards, Holy Pharaoh?"
Lin Ke also nodded in affirmation, and then continued speaking.
"Yes, these guards will be directly under the Royal Guard and will be responsible only to me."
"On the surface, they are civilians, but in reality, they are monitoring the city lord's every move. If the city lord dares to abandon the city, he will be arrested immediately."
"After all, the identity of the Lord of Matruh represents our Holy Egypt."
"His actions will cause the people to distrust Holy Egypt. We must capture him alive and behead him in the city to make our stance clear to the public."
Of course, there are other reasons why Lin Ke thought so.
That is the loyalty of the city of Matru. In his opinion, the culprit who affected the loyalty of Matru was probably the city lord.
If the loyalty of the city of Matruh drops again, there is a possibility of triggering a rebellion.
"The most important thing is that their arrival won't arouse too much suspicion. They won't anticipate our speed."
Kamul thought for a moment and asked another question.
"But Your Majesty, what if the Lord of Matruh senses the danger and takes action in advance?"
"For example, if he ordered all the remaining food to be sold, or?"
When Lin Ke heard this, his expression became a little serious.
"That's right. That's why we can't act rashly by sending troops into Matruh, nor can we let the Lord of Matruh notice our actions."
"Also, we need more solid evidence to prove that he intends to sell all the food in the city."
He pointed to several small dots around Marsa Matruh on the map. "Look, we now have inside lines along the coastline of these cities. If they discover any unusual food transport activity in Marsa Matruh, they will report it immediately."
"At the same time, our guards will closely monitor the actions of the city lord and his cronies."
Kamul nodded, his eyes widening even more.
"Your Majesty the Holy Pharaoh is wise!"
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