"City Lord?"
"What are you doing here?"
The soldiers approached with torches and could see the face of the Lord of Aswan more clearly.
"Nothing."
The city lord waved his hand, and beads of sweat on his forehead slid down his cheeks.
"I just wanted to see if I could get these beams shipped over overnight."
"Time is short, so the more we can do, the better."
The mayor of Aswan just continued with his work, while the soldiers looked at him in a daze.
A young soldier approached and hesitantly handed over a cloth soaked in clean water.
"My Lord City Lord, why are you doing this?"
"As the Lord of Aswang, why do you have to do this kind of rough work yourself?"
The city lord took the wet linen cloth, wiped his face, and smiled bitterly.
"As the city lord, you should lead by example."
"This is the largest project in Aswan in hundreds of years. It concerns the instructions of the Holy Pharaoh and the future of Aswan."
He paused and looked towards the Nile.
"You must have heard about Matruh, right?"
"Your Majesty, the Holy Pharaoh now governs all the cities of Holy Egypt personally, and the present Matruh is no longer what it used to be."
"It is very rare for us in Aswang to appear in the eyes of His Majesty the Holy Pharaoh."
"Besides, this is the first time that His Majesty the Holy Pharaoh has come to Aswan in person. How can we not give our all?"
"Although the project is heavy and the time is tight, we have to give it our all."
"The others have worked hard all day and are very tired, but I still have some strength. I'll rest when I'm tired."
"If you have nothing else, you can leave first."
The night wind blew slowly, bringing a little coolness.
The lord of Aswan bent down, put the wooden beam on his shoulders again, and walked towards the boat with heavy steps.
His figure looked particularly lonely in the moonlight, but inexplicably made these soldiers admire him.
"Sir, let me help you."
The soldier who had tried to dissuade them finally couldn't help it and stepped forward to share some of the weight.
"Hey, you guys are tired too, go back and rest."
The city lord responded breathlessly.
"No, I've done hard labor before, so this is nothing."
The soldier said stubbornly, he did not let go of his hand.
"Besides, since you've already taken the lead, how can we young people be lazy?"
Together they lifted the beam onto the boat and secured it with ropes.
At this time, the city lord was gasping for breath and trying to force himself to carry the second one, but he was surrounded by more soldiers.
"City Lord, you take a rest, we'll do it!"
"Yes, sir, you have been working hard all day. Your body will not be able to bear it if you continue like this."
"Let us do it, and you can just give us some pointers!"
Faced with everyone's concern, the city lord finally nodded, but did not leave. Instead, he stood aside and instructed the correct way to tie the things up.
"It has to be tied crosswise, otherwise the beam will lose its center of gravity and slide down."
"When transporting stones, pay attention to the angles. Sharp edges can easily damage ships."
"Heavy cargo should be placed at the bottom of the hold as much as possible to maintain balance."
......
At first, the soldiers joined in the transportation out of respect for the city lord, but as time went on, more and more people joined in.
First came a few young soldiers, then a few experienced sailors, and finally even the officer on night duty joined the carrying team.
"Okay, brothers, our goal tonight is to transport all 20 cornerstones to the island, how about that?"
Another soldier responded.
"Isn't twenty dollars too little? At least forty dollars!"
Everyone burst into laughter, and their physical fatigue seemed to dissipate a little.
On the river, torches like fireflies flickered back and forth in the night.
Small boats travel back and forth between the shore and Philae Island one after another.
"Hold on tight!"
Someone shouted, and several small boats were nearly capsized by the sudden current.
The people on the shore immediately put down their work and tightened the ropes to stabilize the boat.
"Thank you, thank you! I was so scared just now!"
The people on the boat thanked him repeatedly.
The people on the shore laughed and said, "You're welcome. We're all here to fulfill His Majesty the Holy Pharaoh's mission!"
"Perhaps, our Aswan will also undergo earth-shaking changes in the future, just like Matruh."
"Everyone, work harder!"
The night grows deeper, but the enthusiasm for work remains undiminished.
The soldiers spontaneously divided into several groups, some were responsible for unloading, some were responsible for carrying, and some were responsible for driving the boat.
They found a more efficient way to transport the stones, reducing the original four trips to two.
"Lord City Lord, please drink some water."
A soldier handed over a canteen.
The lord of Aswan took the kettle and took a few gulps to moisten his dry throat.
"Luckily, I have you guys. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to finish moving these beams even if I work until dawn."
"Not to mention the rocks."
The soldier nodded at this time.
"We were all influenced by you. At the beginning, everyone felt very embarrassed. How could we possibly complete such a large project in just two weeks?"
"But seeing you doing it yourself, who can just sit back and watch?"
After hearing this, the city lord just smiled.
"Sir, don't you really need to go back and rest for a while? Your hands are all blistered."
Another soldier said this, and the Lord of Aswan looked at his calloused palms, and indeed there were several places that had been rubbed by the rough hemp rope.
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