Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1276: Swiftly Pacifying Egypt

Given the immense threat Daionia now posed to Persia, Artaxerxes relied heavily on the battle-tested Tiribazus. After lengthy deliberation, the king strictly ordered the Intelligence Department to stop pursuing the matter, though they were to tighten their surveillance on Tiribazus.

Later that day, while Artaxerxes was still fretting over Babylon's political instability, Minister Tiribazus rushed into the palace to seek an audience. He clutched an intelligence report just delivered by a messenger from Egypt.

"Tachos died in a storm while en route to Daionia. Nectanebos has launched a rebellion and is marching on Memphis—" Reading the report, Artaxerxes swept aside his gloom and exclaimed, "Civil war has broken out in Egypt! This is a rare opportunity! We should seize this moment to deploy our troops and reclaim Egypt under the guise of aiding Nectanebos!"

Tiribazus offered a tactful reminder. "Your Majesty is wise; this is indeed an excellent opportunity to retake Egypt. However, Nectanebos raised his army suddenly and without informing us. He clearly harbors his own ambitions and is likely on guard against us."

"Once the civil war in Egypt begins, he will be of no use to us," Artaxerxes said, curling his lip in disdain. His tone then turned solemn. "What we need to worry about are the Daionian reinforcements. We must dispatch our grand army before they reach Egypt. As long as our forces cross the Nile and capture Memphis, Egypt will be in the palm of our hand—"

Artaxerxes paused, emphasizing his next words. "Therefore, I have decided to appoint you as the military commander of the invasion of Egypt. I expect you to finally resolve this regret that has plagued our kingdom for years!"

Meeting the King of Persia's expectant gaze, Tiribazus immediately bowed and declared, "Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty! I will do everything in my power to fulfill this mission and offer Egypt to you!"

"I eagerly await your victory report!" Artaxerxes thought for a moment before suddenly adding, "If you successfully retake Egypt, I will give Atossa to you in marriage."

Tiribazus froze. It was only after a long pause that he bowed in gratitude, his heart a complex mix of emotions, and took his leave.

If Artaxerxes wanted to exploit Egypt's civil unrest to swiftly deploy troops and conquer the region, mobilizing the Immortals stationed at the royal court in Babylon would be the fastest method. However, to ensure his own safety, the king could not possibly dispatch this fiercely loyal elite force. Instead, he had to mobilize the troops surrounding Babylon.

Consequently, gathering the army alone would take a considerable amount of time—not to mention the vast distance between Babylon and Egypt, which would add many more days to the journey.

Tiribazus felt he was already doing his utmost to expedite the army's assembly. He was entirely unaware that the Sacred Kingdom of Daunia had begun making preparations long before the civil unrest in Egypt even broke out. In fact, right as the King of Persia issued his orders, the King of Daonia officially appointed Chalcides, Legion Commander of the Eighth Legion, as the wartime commander of the Egyptian reinforcements.

Just two days later, the four legions and the light cavalry legion from Sicily—having long been assembled and on standby—boarded ships at the ports of Lilybaeum and Hadrumetum and set sail for Egypt.

Perhaps due to the blessing of Hades, the Daionian Army encountered no storms during their voyage. They smoothly entered the mouth of the Nile five days later.

By this time, Nectanebos had only just conquered Memphis. He publicly announced that Pharaoh Tanib had died of illness, leaving behind a final decree naming him as the next pharaoh.

But even as he crowned himself pharaoh and forcefully married the queen, he systematically massacred the royal family and the late pharaoh's confidants. Panic gripped the City of Memphis, and the entire Nile Delta descended into turmoil.

Some city lords declared their support for Nectanebos as the "new pharaoh," others raised armies to eradicate the traitor, and still others chose to simply observe how the situation would unfold...

Located at the western mouth of the Nile Delta, Naucratis was the Egyptian town with the largest population of Greek descendants. It was also the town that had benefited the most from the nearly twenty-year alliance between Egypt and Daionia. Not only did its residents hold highly favorable views of Daionia, but many Theonians had settled there permanently. Among them were agents from the Kingdom of Daunia's Intelligence Department. Having persuaded the local officials in advance, when the Fleet fully loaded with Daionian soldiers approached the checkpoint at the river mouth, the officials and citizens of the City of Naucratis—spurred on by the intelligence agents—threw open their gates and lined the streets to welcome them.

Seeing the orderly, imposing ranks of Daionian soldiers marching grandly into the City of Naucratis, the citizens felt no anxiety; instead, they were deeply reassured. In such turbulent times, only a powerful army could guarantee safety. With the protection of the Daionian Army, Naucratis would naturally remain untouched by the ravages of war.

Chalcides and his army rested in the City of Naucratis for only one night before swiftly marching south along the river the next day. Their route was exactly the same as the one the Daionian Army had taken years ago when coming to Egypt's rescue during the Persian invasion, but their objective was entirely different.

With the help of the intelligence agents, a slogan rapidly spread across the entire Nile Delta: "The Daionian allied forces will eliminate the traitor and help the Egyptian people regain peace and tranquility."

The Daionian Army had already left an excellent impression on the Egyptian people: they maintained strict discipline, fought bravely, and never disturbed the civilians. Coupled with the overwhelming momentum of the nearly 40,000-strong army led by Chalcides, the Egyptian towns they passed through offered almost no resistance, opening their gates to welcome them one after another.

The Daionian Army advanced smoothly and soon closed in on the walls of Memphis.

Nectanebos had originally colluded with Persia solely to bolster his own strength for his eventual usurpation of the throne. However, he knew very well that compared to Persia—which was intent on annexing Egypt—Daionia was a far better partner, having been allied with Egypt for over a decade and having saved the nation from peril multiple times.

Thus, he had made up his mind: once he usurped the throne and the situation stabilized, he would immediately send envoys to Daionia to express his goodwill, maintain their alliance, and borrow their strength to defend against the Persians.

He simply never expected the Daionian reinforcements to arrive so quickly. Even so, he did not panic. He believed that since he was now the only remaining bloodline of the Egyptian royal family and his succession as pharaoh was an established fact, Daionia would have no choice but to recognize him as the next pharaoh so long as he showed goodwill. Allying with him was their best possible outcome.

Therefore, he dispatched envoys to the Daionian Army marching on Memphis.

To his surprise, Chalcides—who had already received instructions from King Davos—refused to even meet the envoys and detained them immediately.

At first, when Nectanebos received no reply, he assumed his envoys had encountered an accident on the road. But as multiple dispatches failed to return, he began to feel uneasy.

During the previous Persian invasion of Egypt, he had fought shoulder to shoulder with the Theonians and possessed a deep understanding of the Daionian Army's combat prowess. He had little confidence that his own troops could defeat them. Furthermore, he had only just occupied Memphis, and the officials appointed by the former pharaoh had not completely submitted to him. If he went to war with the Daionian Army, he would likely find himself in massive trouble. On the other hand, he had schemed and waited for so many years, finally seizing this incredible opportunity to sit on the pharaoh's throne. If he abandoned Memphis and retreated with his army to his old stronghold, it would be a self-incriminating admission that he was a traitor. Not only would his prestige be utterly shattered, but the title of pharaoh would inevitably be usurped by someone else...

While Nectanebos hesitated, the Daionian Army rapidly advanced to the walls of Memphis. Wanting to make one last attempt, he stood atop the battlements and shouted down to Chalcides, the Daionian Army commander whom he knew personally, sincerely expressing his desire to forge an eternal alliance with Daionia.

Only then did Chalcides issue a clear response. "Pharaoh Tanib was a hero to the Egyptian people"—referring to how he had overthrown Persian rule in Egypt—"and the best friend of the Kingdom of Daunia. His Majesty, Davos, has commanded: 'We must severely punish the traitors and execute the murderer of Pharaoh Tanib so the Egyptian people can be at ease and peace can be restored to Egypt!'"

At that moment, Nectanebos finally understood that a war between himself and Daionia was inevitable.

Right around the same time, an Egyptian river fleet originally stationed in Naucratis and over a dozen small Warships from the Daunian 1st Fleet successively arrived at the stretch of river near Memphis.

With this, the Daionian Army had essentially completed their encirclement of the City of Memphis. It was now impossible for Nectanebos to lead his army out and evacuate. He could only hastily reinforce the city's defenses while dispatching messengers to brave the siege and rush to the city of Pi-Ramesses—built by Pharaoh Ramesses II, and currently Nectanebos's base of operations—for reinforcements, as well as seek support from the Persians.

Chalcides gave Nectanebos no time to catch his breath whatsoever, launching an assault on the City of Memphis the very next day. Although the consecutive days of siege warfare caused considerable casualties for the Daionian Army, it left the ill-prepared Egyptian rebels feeling entirely incapable of holding out.

The former pharaoh, Tanib, had reigned for twenty years, leaving a profound impact on the officials and citizens of Memphis. Nectanebos's usurpation had already bred widespread dissatisfaction, and his massacre of the royal family and cruel persecution of Tanib's favored officials only filled their hearts with hatred. When he was forced to focus his efforts entirely on commanding the defense against the Daionian Army's siege, inevitably loosening his control over the city, a number of Memphian officials intensified their private communications. They even managed to persuade the monks of the Sanctuary of Ptah inside the city.

In the early hours of the sixth day of the siege, while the exhausted rebel soldiers were still fast asleep, these officials led a makeshift force of several hundred men—cobbled together from their own guards and slaves—in a surprise attack on the Western Sector gate of the main city of Memphis. Because the attacking force was mixed with monks from the Sanctuary of Ptah, the rebel soldiers guarding the gate were thrown into momentary confusion, and the gate was rapidly seized.