This event was related to the two kingdoms, and King Assyria of Hatti actually made a request to the city-state of Salem. The city-state of Salem was established nominally within the territory of the Kingdom of Hatti, and the entrance to the business roads of the Blackfire Swamp was also controlled by the Kingdom of Hatti. King Asher already gave a lot of face in the name of "request", which was actually an order. The cause and effect of the matter is this-
After a great battle, Aesop must fulfill his pre-war promise as soon as possible, and reward meritorious fighters in order to attract more people to serve Salem. But many of the soldiers who died in battle were foreign explorers and civilian husbands. They had no family members in Salem, and they couldn't even find a person for pensions. If you change the situation, it's okay, it's not that the city of Salem didn't reward, but that these people didn't have the order to collect it.
But after discussing with Aesop, Joshua and Aesop issued a very interesting decree: According to the prior agreement, the soldiers will get the corresponding land on the Duk Plain according to the size of their military exploits. Although many soldiers who set up the army were killed, the city of Salem still gave them the land.
Salem City announced the list of these people, their identities, and the land they acquired, and issued an announcement that if the legal heirs of these fallen soldiers came to Salem City, as long as they could prove their identities, they could work in the city-state's farming and animal husbandry. The land registered with the Department to receive the award.
The largest number of soldiers who died in battle were the peasants sent by the city-state of Syria. They died in battle on the Duke Plain, but they left the land to their heirs. Many people could hardly believe it when they heard about it.
As a result, there was an endless stream of people going to Salem City through the business road of the Black Fire Swamp from the territory of Hatti. Some of them came to inherit the fiefdom, and some came to the city-state of Salem to seek opportunities. The decree of the city-state of Salem is very attractive, and it is simply the gospel of the rogue proletarians from all over the Tianshu continent.
Aesop's New Deal through Joshua brought more people to Salem City in a short period of time after the war, and the registered residents exceeded 10,000. The two commercial roads in the direction of Blackfire Swamp and Marduk City are also bustling like never before. At this time, King Asher of Hatti sent Celia as an envoy to send a letter of credence to the city of Salem, and made a request to the city lord Aesop and Amon behind the scenes.
The Kingdom of Hatti was preparing to go to war with the Kingdom of Baron again. The first target to attack was Marduk City in the southeast corner of the Duk Plain, and the battle plan was to seize the land east of the inland lake and west of the Youdi River. King Asher planned to send two legions to outflank and attack from the north and south of the inland lake. Of course, the army in the south marched along the Syrian desert, while the army in the north needed to cross the Duk Plain.
It is difficult for the large army to enter the Duk Plain, but after the opening of the trade road in the Blackfyre Swamp, this tactic became possible. The export of commercial roads is in the hands of the city-state of Salem. So King Asher asked to march through the territory controlled by the city of Salem, and then went south to attack the city of Marduk. This request made it difficult for Aesop to agree, but also unable to refuse.
Why did King Hattie launch a war against the Kingdom of Baron at this time? The reason is very complicated, the most important thing is that the young king wanted to make up for a regret in his heart, and also to realize the great dream of an emperor who expanded his territory.
When Asher was still a prince, he fought a great battle with the Baron army with the help of Ge Lie as the commander. He had already won a complete victory, but he failed because of the sudden death of his father and the usurpation of his brother. Instead, Prince Feng Niu, who came to negotiate with the Kingdom of Baron, took advantage of it. This is a regret that Asher has never forgotten.
Asher also has the dream and ambition to leave a legacy in the history of the kingdom. After her position is stabilized and the domestic situation is stable, she intends to raise troops to punish the Baron Kingdom that had offended Hatti back then. There is almost no need for an excuse for this war, because the newly established Marduk City of the Baron Kingdom is within the territory of Hatti. Although the Hatti Kingdom has never really controlled that area, it is the nominal territory of the kingdom after all.
Another goal of the war was to achieve the results that should have been achieved in those years, and to drive the Kingdom of Baron back to the east of the Eudi River. As for the bigger strategic goal in the next step, Asher didn't say but it can be guessed that if the city of Marduk and the land west of the Eudi River were captured, it might be possible to control the entire Duk Plain. But this is only a long-term prospect, and the victory in front must be achieved first.
After learning of King Asher's plan, Golie neither encouraged nor objected. He just excused that he was old and wanted to devote himself to the study of divine arts, and he would no longer intervene or participate in this matter. Ge Lie has been famous all over the country and has become a figure second only to gods. King Asher has endured for too long under the glory of his old man. This time, the king planned to rely entirely on his own prestige and ingenuity to make meritorious deeds, and the battle plan was also personally designated.
Ge Lie understood the young king's thoughts very well, knew why Asher wanted to start this war, and knew that he couldn't persuade him even if he wanted to, so he didn't express his opinion. In fact, King Asher's launch of this war was also related to an oracle. Enlil sent an oracle just at this time, instructing the Kingdom of Hatti to attack the Kingdom of Baron. This oracle fully catered to King Asher's mind, and it was impossible to change his mind.
The battle plan of the two-line attack, sending the Anu Legion into the Duke Plain, must pass through the exit of the commercial road controlled by the city of Salem. King Asher wrote very clearly in the document that he sent the legion only to march through the road and would not threaten the city of Salem. The target of the attack was the city of Marduk in the southeast.
King Asher also knew that Salem was fighting against the Assyrian kingdom in the north, and promised to ensure the smooth flow of trade in the Black Fire Swamp so that Salem could receive continuous logistical support. The implication is that if the city of Salem refuses to agree, he will order the city-state of Syria to close the commercial road.
If Aesop agreed, it would be tantamount to putting an elite regiment of Hatti Kingdom into the Duke Plain, and it was hard to guarantee that it would not be a threat. If the Hatti Kingdom really captured the city of Marduk, it is hard to say that it will not take advantage of the trend to capture the entire Duk Plain including the city of Salem in the future. If they launch a surprise attack from behind while Salem is at war with Enlil, they might take Salem first.
If there is a choice, Aesop absolutely does not want this situation to happen, but if he refuses this request, King Asher can block the commercial roads in the Black Fire Swamp and cut off the logistics supply line that Salem City urgently needs with just one order. Aesop, George and others couldn't decide, so they came to the temple to call for Amon's guidance.
At this time, Link had switched to defending the fort that Raphael was guarding, and John was sent to guard another fort. Aesop, George, Yunmeng, and Raphael who stayed in Salem all came to the temple and faced the statue. Called for prayer, and read the letter sent by King Asher. They knew that Amon must be able to hear it, and they would reply as long as they wanted to pay attention.
After reading the document, they really heard Amon's voice: "For requests that cannot be refused, we can only consider how to agree to them. You must have discussed it. How have you decided? Asher will send a When the army enters the Duke Plain, they should also know what Salem City will worry about. It is impossible for him not to try to dispel your doubts, and what kind of promise has he made?"
Aesop smiled bitterly and said, "Just now we just read out the document, and Celia sent another appointment. King Asher appointed you Prince of Salem, General of Glory, and your title and status are not much higher than when you were in Eju. Low! The Kingdom of Hatti also granted you a large territory, which is a 200-mile radius around the city of Salem, which was awarded to you by Pharaoh Lasis II. It also promised to open trade and collect taxes by itself. It is necessary to provide services to the kingdom during the war."
Amon's voice was full of smiles: "This is something we have worked hard for. He is very good at being a favor, and he gave it to me in the name of the kingdom. If I accept this appointment, it will be equivalent to making the city of Salem official." Incorporated into the territory of the Kingdom of Hatti, if I reject this appointment, it means that the city of Salem will not cooperate. In fact, this appointment is a promise made by the Kingdom of Hatti to the city of Salem, how do you think about it?"
George replied: "It's actually easy to handle. You are God Amon, and you have already cultivated in the Kingdom of God. Even the king's order is difficult to deliver. We left these documents in the city-state, but we couldn't send them to you. You Neither accept nor reject."
Amon: "Okay, that's exactly how it should be handled. If you agree to the request of Hatti Kingdom, there are advantages and disadvantages, so what is the biggest disadvantage?"
George: "If we allow the Legion of the Hatti Kingdom to enter the Duk Plain to attack Marduk City, then the trade route between us and Marduk City will be cut off, and supplies must be replenished through the trade route in the Blackfyre Swamp."
Amon: "The business road in the Black Fire Swamp is much more important than the business road in the direction of Marduk City. If you refuse, the more important backup will be cut off. The two evils are the lesser of two evils. Opening up business with the Kingdom of Hatti It is what the city of Salem needs."
Aesop added: "In the long run, sending an army into the hinterland of the Duke Plain is always a potential threat."
Amon interrupted him and said: "The competition for the Duke Plain will inevitably involve more forces, sooner or later. If there is no such thing today, there will be other things tomorrow. Even Salem City has The population is obviously too small, let alone this fertile land? In the future, these three city-states will definitely not be the only ones on the Duke Plain."
George nodded again and again and said: "It is true that we should have such foresight. King Asher chose the right time. We resisted the invasion from the north, and he took the opportunity to enter the hinterland. places to build city-states."
The final result of the discussion was naturally to agree to King Asher's request, not only agreeing, but also offering more assistance. Salem City will serve as a logistics transfer station for the Hattite Kingdom's expeditionary force, providing trading, hoarding, and transshipment of military supplies Service has also become the foothold of a large number of logistics personnel of this legion after entering the plain, showing an attitude of full cooperation.
This kind of cooperation is exactly what the expeditionary army urgently needs, and in this way, it also means that it will bring renewed prosperity to the city-state of Salem. Among other things, if there are tens of thousands of logistics personnel in a regular army, if they all stay in the city of Salem, not only will they need to transport a large amount of supplies, but it will also be a very profitable business.
On the other hand, the official fighters of the Kingdom of Hatti are not allowed to enter the city-state, and the defense of the fortress at the exit of the business road in the Black Flame Swamp must also be independently responsible for Salem City, and the expeditionary army is not allowed to intervene. A total of three fortresses were built on the periphery of the city of Salem, two of which were on both sides of the northern road, which were against the city of Enlil.
The other fortress is on the edge of the Blackfyre Swamp, guarding the exit of the commercial road. If there is any change in the Hattite Kingdom, as long as the fortress is closed, it is equivalent to cutting off the most important logistics supply line of the Hattite Expeditionary Corps.
The agreement to provide logistics services is also based on the same idea. If they cooperate sincerely, both parties will benefit. If Hatti Kingdom has other plans, then the logistics supplies of the Expeditionary Legion are in the hands of the city-state of Salem, which is not so easy to turn their faces. If King Asher had no tricks, he should have agreed to terms that were favorable to both parties.
These countermeasures, Aesop and others have already discussed almost the same, and they just asked Amon for the final decision. Amon nodded in agreement, and finally said: "You put me on the altar, and I need to concentrate on cultivation to pursue the realm that is truly transcendent and immortal. It may not appear for many years, and even if it does, it may not be with Amon The identity of the city-state. The affairs of the city-state depend on the people of the city-state. Now that it has been decided, let’s do it well.”
The matter has been discussed, and Aesop and others did not dare to disturb God Amon's hidden cultivation, and were about to salute and leave, but Raphael touched his nose and coughed: "Ah, God Amon, Teacher Ge Lie I have written a letter, and there is another matter mentioned in the letter, which I think I should tell you."
Amon: "Oh, what else does the old man have to say?"
But Raphael asked hesitantly: "Don't you think the appointment given to you by the Kingdom of Hatti is a bit strange? You are not a royal nobleman, so why did you make an exception and give you the title of prince?"
Amon: "This king of Asher has a unique style of doing things. You are a Hattite nobleman and have the status of the high priest of the city-state of Syria. I want to hear your opinion."
Raphael did not answer directly, but asked again: "Do you know why Asher specially sent the great magician Celia as an envoy? As far as I know, the expeditionary force sent by the Kingdom of Hatti to the Duk Plain was the Anu Legion. , Celia will be appointed as the priest. Her identity is the princess of the kingdom, and her father is the younger brother of the former king Lucille."
Amon hadn't said anything yet, but Yunmeng became anxious, and interjected: "Why are you so hesitant to speak? There is something very important, please tell me quickly, do you still want God Amon to play riddles with you?"
Raphael was a little embarrassed and went on to say: "This is what the teacher told me in private. He understood King Asher's intentions and hoped to marry Princess Celia to God Amon. It would be a long story..."
Celia is the princess of the kingdom, and she is also young and beautiful. Naturally, there are many suitors, even princes and nobles from surrounding countries. But on the other hand, she is also a great magician, and this identity makes her even more arrogant. In other words, her vision is too high, and many suitors are not interested in her.
When Lucille was alive, he was worried about his niece's marriage, and he once asked Celia specifically: "What kind of person do you want to marry? All the heroes in the kingdom, as long as you like them, I will immediately marry you." and ordered the marriage."
Celia replied: "I don't care about status. Those who pursue me should be more accomplished than me. They must defeat me in a duel."
This sentence is equivalent to rejecting all suitors, who can defeat a great magician? Those who pursue Princess Celia don't have this ability, don't even think about it. As for those who have this ability, those great warriors or great magicians have already married and achieved success, and it is unlikely that they will pursue this princess of the kingdom.
But then there is one thing that everyone knows, that is, the duel between Celia and Amon, and Amon won! The duel had nothing to do with the pursuit of Celia, of course, but one cannot help but link the two events. There are quite a few people discussing this matter in the royal capital of Eju. Many people even said that a great magician like Princess Celia can only be worthy of a great hero like Amon.
This time, King Asher specially sent Celia as an emissary to discuss cooperation, to some extent, to test whether Celia herself would like to come to see Amon, and Celia accepted this task. The designation of Amon as the Prince of Salem is already a hint. If the two people really have some meaning after meeting and the city of Salem is willing to cooperate, King Asher will immediately be a matchmaker. In a sense, this is also a vision of political marriage and a means of controlling the city of Salem.
Rafael explained the reason, and George kept winking to stop him from speaking, and then he started coughing again, almost kicking him. There is also a statue of Goddess Mu Yun standing on the altar. It seems inappropriate to say this in person!
Raphael finally said helplessly: "As far as Mr. Gelie knows, King Asher really has this idea, and it seems to be related to Enlil's oracle. As for the matter between the gods, I am not very good at evaluating it. But King Asher didn't say it clearly, the teacher just asked me to say hello to God Amon, and it seems that there is no need to worry about it, because God Amon didn't appear in Salem at all."
Amon smiled and replied: "There is no need to talk about this matter again, I think King Asher himself is thinking too much."
Raphael said again: "It's no wonder His Majesty the King thinks too much, you really don't have a family, and what kind of girl is worthy of a hero like you? In all honesty, Princess Celia is a An eighth-level great magician, it is rare for a woman on the mainland to have such an achievement."
The speaker was unintentional, but the listener was interested. Amon on the altar was silent for a while. Far away in the Garden of Eden, he inexplicably remembered another person, the guardian saint Mary of the Temple of Isis.
The people in the temple were waiting for God Amon to speak, but suddenly they heard the statue exclaim: "Gabriel, come quickly!..." Then there was silence, and people could not feel the gaze of the statue. Amon suddenly "leaved" the temple at this time, and he didn't even want to listen to the affairs of Salem.
George and the others looked at each other in blank dismay, something big must have happened in the Garden of Eden!