by Max Overton
Perhaps we underestimated the importance of the South to the overall stability of Kemet as a whole. I do not say we made a mistake, for any decision by the king is, almost by definition, the correct one, but equally obviously we have had ill advice. Ta Shemau controls access to Kush, whence derives the gold that runs the kingdoms, and Waset controls access to the Great Field and the royal tombs. I feel like stamping my feet and spitting when I think of Waset in the hands of that man.
I thought my husband would have a fit when the news came to us that Messuwy (I do not like to use the throne name he has taken, for to use it would legitimise his claim) had halted work on his tomb. He raved and swore vengeance, but in truth there is little he can do right now. He has an army, but he also has a responsibility, and he cannot withdraw the legions from the northern borders. So he has sent out the word through Tjaty Hori that men be mustered to strengthen the legions.
Ah yes, Tjaty Merysekhmet died. He was getting on in years and his health often caused him to neglect his duties. Seti asked him if he wanted to step down, but he declined, vowing that he could manage. He did, for about another three days. Then, when he was presiding over the law courts, he clutched his chest and pitched forward onto the stone floor, cracking his head on the step. A physician was sent for but there was nothing he could do except order him be taken off to the embalmers.
The new Tjaty, Hori, comes of an illustrious line and is in fact my cousin. He is the grandson of that Khaemwaset who was most the beloved son of Usermaatre Ramesses and Crown Prince before my adoptive father Baenre Merenptah. Khaemwaset had a son called Hori who is High Priest of Ptah here in Men-nefer, and he also had a son called Hori. This younger Hori is a youthful though serious man of around thirty years, and such is his learning that Seti saw at once that he would make a good Tjaty.
So Hori's first task was to find men for new legions. The existing legions of Re, Ptah, Set and Heru were combed for officers to command the new legions and I was pleased to be able to recommend Ament for one of these positions. I had made him Overseer of Vineyards in Per-Bast, but if I knew him he would be pining for the military life. As it happened, he volunteered for the new legion and, with my influence, became a Troop Commander in the Per-Bast legion, under the command of Setnakhte, who was once Commander of the Amun legion.
The other news we received from the south was of Takhat, my husband's new young wife. When we came north, called by the threat of foreigners on Kemet's northern borders, we left Takhat in Waset. She was heavy with child and did not relish the thought of even a calm river voyage. I was not sorry she stayed behind, for it gave me time with my husband and we found our earlier bonds that had weakened with the deaths of our children were strengthened once more. At the time of leaving Takhat, there was no hint of danger from Messuwy, but while Seti's eyes were fixed on the north, he sallied out of Kush at the head of a small army and crowned himself king.
King. As if that man could ever truly be king. Even being King's Son of Kush was too great an honour for him. Well, the gods will not allow him to dishonour the throne for long, and I have no doubt Seti will be the instrument of their vengeance.
To return to the subject of Takhat, she was with child when we left her in Waset in the care of her women. She has had the child now, and it was a daughter. I have to admit I am happy with that outcome. I know my husband desperately desires a son and heir, but I have to be the one to give it to him. If I do not, he will look elsewhere for the mother of a prince. He thought Takhat was going to be that mother, but he was wrong. The gods still favour me.
And now I have heard that Messuwy means to marry Takhat himself. Not content with stealing a throne, he intends to steal a wife too. Well, I do not begrudge him some small measure of comfort before he is sent wailing down to death. Seti will not take her back after his death, so once more I am the king's only Great Wife. I mean to jealously guard my position, and will, if the gods allow, produce a son.
To this end I have contacted numerous physicians and wise women of Ta Mehu to find out the best methods of ensuring my next child is a boy. The medicines are foul-tasting when taken by mouth, and make me feel unclean when applied elsewhere, but I will do it, such is my determination. Priests have uttered efficacious prayers and scribes have inscribed them on scraps of papyrus which I wear next to my skin or in amulets around my neck. I do not know what else I can do to ensure I bear my husband a son. Every bit of medicine I eat or drink or smear on my private parts, and every magical formula I utter can only enhance the fertility of my belly, but can have no effect on the seed my husband sows there. If he sows male seed, then I must make sure my fertile field is ready for it.
One other thing I must mention. Royal Butler Bay has proved invaluable in these straitened times. His contacts amongst the followers of Messuwy and amongst the common people of Waset have meant that scraps of information are continually flowing to our ears. From such scraps are policies made, and Seti, Tjaty Hori and General Iurudef of the Northern Army have formulated a plan by which we can wrest control of Ta Shemau from Messuwy and send him down into death. When this is all over, and the Ma'at of Kemet is restored, we must think about a suitable reward for our faithful servant Bay.
Chapter 28
Year 3 of Userkheperure Seti
Year 2 of Menmire Amenmesse
Seti's rage was very great when he learned that Messuwy had stopped work on the royal tomb and had executed faithful Neferronpet, the Tjaty of the South. He wanted to rush down there immediately and crush this rebellion, consigning his traitorous half-brother to an ignominious death. Instead, he had to add frustration to the rage that curdled the food in his stomach and robbed him of equanimity when he was told quite forcefully by his Tjaty that he did not have the military resources to impose his will on the south. He ordered Tjaty Hori to set about conscripting more men for new legions and sent fresh orders winging northward to General of the Northern Army Iurudef to settle affairs on the northern border and release all but one legion for duties in the south.
Iurudef swore loudly and colourfully when the order arrived, denouncing the unrealistic expectations of certain people, but retained sufficient control of himself to avoid specifically mentioning the king. There were always people ready to gossip and carry tales to superiors, so it paid to be careful. When his temper had subsided, the general sat down with the legion commanders in the north and worked out a stratagem for bringing the remaining rebels and their Sea Peoples allies to battle. They had prevented the fall of the city of Ghazzat, but the threat remained.
Unfortunately for the plan, the Sea Peoples declined combat and slipped away whenever the Kemetu legions approached, only to return when the soldiers moved on. It was most frustrating, and Iurudef was forced to come up with another idea, as Seti had sent another order demanding the presence of his soldiers immediately.
"Say we sent one of the legions south today," Iurudef asked his commanders. "How long would they be away?"
"You're asking us, sir?" Emsaf said. "The Heru will go where it's ordered, of course."
"It is rather an imponderable, sir," Disebek added. "We've all heard how Messuwy has rebelled and that's why Userkheperure intends to march down there and defeat him, but how long will it take?" The commander of the Re legion shrugged. "If we have to march all the way down to Waset, fight a battle, and then march all the way back, then three or four months at least. If we only have to go as far as Men-nefer to provide support, we could be back in a month."
"Either way, it's too long to leave the border guarded by a single legion," Iurudef said. "A curse on it all, there has to be way to obey the king and safeguard the border at the same time."
"There are the forts too," Emsaf said. "Twelve forts with perhaps a hundred men in each, that's close on another legion."
Iurudef nodded. "They're garrison troops though, not front liners and besides, we can't strip them of their men and leave them defenceless."
"Would the enemy know they're empty though?" Emsaf asked.
"If they shut the gates and had a few men on the battlements, they'd still look fully manned."
"For a while anyway," Disebek said. "A pity we can't do the same with the legions."
Iurudef looked thoughtful. "Perhaps we can," he said slowly. "If we put up a permanent camp or two close to Ghazzat and prominently flew the banners of each legion, we could withdraw a legion and the enemy would be none the wiser, for a while, at least."
"It could work, I suppose," Disebek said after a few moments.
"But?" Iurudef asked. "Come on, out with it. What's wrong with it?"
"Well, sir, the enemy will be able to see from the number of men moving around the camp that there's nowhere near a full legion there."
"We could build a stockade, sir," Emsaf said. "Throw up some earthworks high enough that they can't see in."
"It's a lot of work."
"The men won't mind, sir. If you think it will help."
"The enemy would still know something was up," Disebek said. "They expect us on patrol, at least."
"So we would have to keep that up. Say we build two walled camps, big enough to house a legion in each, but in fact divide one legion between the two. If two or three Troops went out on patrol each day, while the ones that stayed behind made plenty of noise, it might still look as if we were all there."
The Heru and Re legions built two large camps just within sight of each other on the flat plains outside the city of Ghazzat. They were far enough away from the walled city that men standing on the walls could not make out the level of activity within the camps, and Iurudef thought that if there was a constant movement of small bodies of men out on patrol and between the camps, it would be impossible to judge how many men there were in each camp. They raised up a rampart of loose rock, securing the edges with larger stones and woven scrub branches, packing the gaps with earth scraped from excavations through the desert sand. Finally, they topped the man-high rampart with large stone blocks commandeered from the Kemetu Governor of the city.
Satisfied that nobody could see inside the camps, Iurudef took his commanders aside and gave them their instructions. He made it clear that each Troop, whether actually on patrol or just making a show of moving between the camps, was to prominently fly the banners of each legion.
"If the Governor of Ghazzat wants to see me or the missing Commander, he is to be told we are on patrol and may be gone some time. Be vague, and make sure the men don't talk to anyone outside the legions. Impress on them that their lives might depend on it."
"So which legion is accompanying you south, sir?" Emsaf asked.
"Heru."
Emsaf grinned, but Disebek scowled. "I'm the senior commander, sir. I should accompany you with Re legion rather than just be left on guard duty."
"This is a very important assignment, Disebek," Iurudef said. "It is imperative that the deception is maintained until we return. If the enemy even suspects the border is almost unguarded, the consequences could be catastrophic. As for the legion that goes, Heru has the fighting edge and so will be the most use to the king, but you are, as you say, the senior commander. I have to leave you the independent command."
Disebek grudgingly accepted his general's decision. "When do you leave?"
"Tonight. It's close to the dark of the moon and it's cloudy. We'll split Heru between the two camps so they can leave without emptying one camp."
"And the chariots?"
"I'll leave you with five. I'm sorry, but that will have to do. If the gods smile we'll be back in a month or so."
Disebek nodded morosely. "Let's hope you still have a legion to come back to."
"Make sure of it, Commander. I'm counting on you."
Iurudef marched the Heru legion south toward Ta Mehu that night, quietly slipping out of the two camps after dark, having sent most of the chariots out previously in several groups. These chariot squadrons headed off in different directions and only turned toward the meeting point with the legion after it was too dark for enemy spies to see their change of course. The Heru legion and chariots were well south by dawn, marching on a course that took them inland rather than along the well-used coast road where anyone might see them. They crossed into Ta Mehu and joined the road once more, making better time through the well-watered lands along the spreading delta of the Great River. Within ten days they were on the marshalling plains opposite Men-nefer where the Per-Bast legion was training.
General Iurudef and Commander Emsaf reported to the king and were pleased to be able to bring a smile to his face by telling him how many chariots they had brought with them.
"A hundred and fifteen chariots, you say. By the gods, that news is like honey in my ears. But you left sufficient behind to guard the north?"
"The Re legion and five chariots under the command of Disebek, Son of Re. It will be sufficient if he is cautious." Iurudef explained the setting up of the camps and the ruse by which the enemy would continue to think there were still two full legions opposing them. "When do we march south, Majesty?"
"Soon. Ptah and Set have already gone and have orders not to give battle but to wait for my arrival. Now you have brought me Heru and Per-Bast is almost ready."
"I saw Per-Bast when I arrived, Son of Re. Who commands it?"
"Setnakhte."
"I don't think I know him. Is he experienced?"
"He commanded the Amun legion in my father's time. When he heard of the plot against him, he was forced to flee."
"What of me, Son of Re? What is my role in this punitive expedition if I do not have a legion to command?"
Seti smiled at his general. "I had thought to offer you a choice. I do not really need a general as I shall be commanding all my troops, but you could come as my aide, or..."
"Or, Son of Re?"
"Queen Tausret and Tjaty Hori are gathering more men from Ta Mehu, to make up another legion. You could stay behind to train them and become their commander."
Iurudef scowled. "And then bring them south to join you?"
"No, you would stay near Men-nefer to guard the northern kingdom."
"I'll come with you as your aide, Son of Re."
"I rather thought you might."
The two legions, Heru experienced and battle hardened and Per-Bast inexperienced and scarcely able to march in their Troops, left for the south two days later. Seti, despite the fact that he was going to war against his own brother, was in high spirits and ranged wide in his chariot, picking off the sparse wildlife of the desert with his bow. The men marched steadily down the road, making good time on the hard-packed stretches, and markedly slower where the winds had blown drifts of soft sand, often obscuring the road. Normally, gangs of labourers would dig and sweep the road clear of debris, but in recent years this practice had fallen into abeyance.
A little south of the crescent scallop that still held the remnants of Akhet-Aten, the capital city of the heretic that had fallen into ruin and disuse, they came across the Set and Ptah legions encamped by a region of huge boulders amidst which was nestled a deep well with sweet water. Some called it the Well of the Scarab, though the reason for that was lost in time.
Seti's eyebrows rose when he saw the camp, and then descended as anger swept over him. He raced his chariot into the camp, scattering soldiers who leapt to escape hooves and wheels and brought his vehicle to a halt in a cloud of dust near the command tent. He was out of the chariot and striding toward the tent as the Commanders, Besenmut and Ahmes, emerged. They saw the face of their king and quailed, prostrating themselves in the hot sand, while the soldiers on guard drew back hurriedly.
"What is the meaning of this?" Seti demanded. "I send my two best legions to confront and contain the enemy, and instead find them skulking many days north of Waset. Must I appoint new commanders?"
Commander Ahmes stuttered, his face in the sand, but Besenmut raised himself to his knees and, with arms outstretched in supplication, spoke to his angry king.
"Son of Re, we have followed your commands, which were to find th
e enemy and contain him, but not to give battle. The legions of Messuwy are a day's march south of here, and have halted near the Well of Ransut while they scout out our position. Now that your Majesty has arrived, we can give battle whenever you like."
"How many men?"
"Three legions, Son of Re. Or at least, that is how many different banners there are. They are mostly Kushite and undisciplined, swarming rather than marching, and making them difficult to count."
"Get up," Seti told his commanders, and strode into the command tent ahead of them, calling for wine. Besenmut and Ahmes joined him moments later, with Setnakhte, Iurudef and Emsaf at the same time as servants staggered in with a jar of wine, another of river water, and several ornate cups. The king drank and then nodded to Besenmut. "Show me where the enemy is."
Ahmes half-turned toward the entrance before he realised the king did not mean literally. He coughed and hung his head while Besenmut took a staff and scratched a rough map in the scuffed sand of the tent's floor.
"We are here, Son of Re," he said, "and the enemy is, as best we can judge, here, here, and here, straddling the south road, with the Well of Ransut at their backs."
"What are their defences?"
"Almost none. Their left wing is anchored on a field of boulders and their right on a small but steep-sided gully. Nothing ahead of them on or near the road."
"Chariots?"
"A handful, Son of Re. Perhaps twenty at most."
"Who commands?"
"I cannot be certain, Son of Re, but I think it is Lord Sethi."
"Do not ennoble the traitor," Seti snapped. "Is my brother Messuwy there?"