by David Adkins
Taduheppa turned to me. “My Turet is a clever girl.”
“I knew that already,” I agreed.
“I will have Prince Lisore eating out of my hand,” Taduheppa exclaimed smiling.
“I am not sure that I want you to go that far,” I responded. “But Turet is right, we pander to his self-importance and we bide our time. That way we continue to survive and hopefully become both valuable and comfortable prisoners.”
Taduheppa clapped her hands. “It is decided then.”
****
The next morning the army swiftly abandoned the overnight camp and marched in a northern direction across the eastern desert. Prince Lisore insisted that I ride alongside him for he liked the idea of two princes together in co-operation as long as it was clear that he was very much the senior partner. “Speed is of the essence,” he remarked as we made our way across the barren, lifeless desert.
“If you are to take your enemies by surprise,” I agreed. “How far north do you intend to go?”
“Further north than Thebes and then we will turn west. It will be an outflanking movement for they will never expect us to descend on them from the north. We will take them by surprise and win a great victory.”
I wiped the sweat from my brow for the desert sun was hot. “You have planned the campaign very well,” I congratulated him.
“Indeed I have, and have you considered the proposal that I made to you?”
“If you depose my brother and set me up in Thebes you will enjoy the support of the people of Egypt. I can win them over, for Akhenamun and his chief vizier, Ay, are not popular with the populace and I am a prince of Egypt. I will rule in your name and Egypt will be yours, but I would make one demand in return.”
“You are in no position to make demands,” he laughed.
“I want Ay, and I want to do with him as I please.”
“Request granted,” he said. “This Ay is yours.”
“I have talked it over with my wife and with that proviso I agree to your proposal,” I smiled.
“Excellent, Smenkhkare, and now that you have agreed I will consider whether to accept your agreement.”
“I hope you will find it to your liking.” I tried to sound a little subservient in order to further massage his ego.
“I will offer you some advice, Smenkhkare. Never seek the concurrence of your wife – even if she is a Mitanni princess.” He smiled. “Wives should be told and not asked. You are young and she is older than you and perhaps her age and rank makes that difficult for you, but heed my words and you will be much happier.”
“Thank you for your advice, Prince Lisore.”
“Now, Smenkhkare, I must consult with some of my generals.”
With that he turned his mount, almost full circle, and rode off. I was alone close to the front of the army and I looked ahead as the gleaming sand of the vast desert spread out before me. The sun seemed to dance on the golden surface as it beat down with searing heat on the land below. I looked behind me at the vast host that Prince Lisore intended to use to bring Egypt to its knees. Then I heard shouting and realised that orders were being barked out. The army was turning in a new direction and I realised that we would now be heading west towards the great city of Thebes.
****
The days passed as we moved relentlessly towards our destination at a speed that surprised me considering the size of our large army. Lisore seemed to like our chats but also enjoyed indulging himself in the small harem that accompanied him on his grand conquest. He believed that he would take Egypt for his father, Ka, but that he himself was destined to rule the world. I realised though, that despite the high opinion he had of himself, the army was well organised with several efficient generals who would give Lisore excellent advice. Egypt was indeed under great threat.
While I rode with the army Taduheppa, Turet, Rana and the other servants stayed in their wagons nominally still protected by the small contingent of Malkata guard. Much to my relief she made no attempt to have Lisore eating out of her hand, and the prince was too occupied to give any thought to my wife. She was happy to leave it to me to persuade Lisore of the good sense of a partnership between us though I was still slightly apprehensive for I felt she was holding her own wiles in reserve if I failed. However, failure for this prospective partnership was unlikely because Lisore favoured it as it had originally been his own idea. This was confirmed one evening as the sun was going down.
I was joined by the prince as I rode with one of the palace guard who discreetly rode away when he saw the Kushite prince approaching. “I have considered,” he said.
“What have you decided?” I inquired.
“That you will rule in Thebes as the instrument of my power,” he said regally and smiled waiting for my gratitude.
“I will rule in Thebes in your name,” I confirmed.
He slapped me on the back and then rode away shouting, “And you will have the head of this Ay.”
Ay was going to have me executed and so to have Ay executed after all the crimes he had committed appealed to me greatly. The problem was that it meant a betrayal of my country – and that did not rest easy on me. Taduheppa had no problem with it but she was not an Egyptian. Could I really assist Lisore in the conquest and pacification of Egypt? I had all this on my mind plus the knowledge that the ceremony for the final journey of my father to the afterlife must be taking place about this time back in Thebes and I would not be attending. He never had much time for me and so in a way it was fitting I would not be attending the ceremony. It did, nevertheless, prey on my mind but not as much as the betrayal of my country.
Chapter 16
The next day my dilemma became increasingly focused on my mind for the powerful Egyptian army had appeared and faced us across the desert wasteland. The time had come for the outcome to be settled. I had been resting in the wagon after a hard day in the saddle when I heard the unmistakable noise of one army suddenly seeing an opposing army. I rushed out of the wagon only to be met by Taduheppa who was returning with Turet after drinking from the water supply at the large Kushite water caravan. “The Egyptian army is here,” she gasped as dusk began to settle over the eastern desert.
“I heard the noise of everyone talking about it and it woke me from my slumber,” I responded.
“I suppose we can now only await the outcome,” she said excitedly.
“Go back to your wagon, Taduheppa.” I was concerned for her safety. “I fear that there will be a great battle and it could be soon.”
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
“I will seek out Lisore.” I kissed her on the cheek and went to get my horse which was tied to the wagon and she followed me.
“Do not get involved in the battle,” she warned. “It is not your fight, Smenkhkare.”
“I will not,” I assured her. “But I wish to find out what Lisore intends to do.”
“He will fight,” she said. “He has come all this way, so he must fight.”
“You are right but I am interested in his battle plans and who leads the Egyptian Army.”
“When you have found that out then return to the wagon for it is safer here at the rear of the army and I do not want you killed on the battlefield. We have gone through much together, Smenkhkare, and I do not wish it to end here.”
Her concern touched me. “Neither do I,” I smiled.
“If Lisore wins we go ahead as planned. If the Egyptians win then we will throw ourselves on their mercy.”
“They will show mercy to you, Taduheppa, but I doubt that they will to me.”
“Then we must hope Lisore wins,” she smiled.
I kissed her again gently and tenderly on the lips and she kissed me back. “Now go and do what you have to, Smenkhkare, and then return to the wagon.” It seemed that with these dangerous times there was an improvement in our relationship. It was almost worth the extreme danger.
I smiled and mounted my horse and rode away to find the Kushite prince. I was quic
kly joined by two Kushite guards who rode a short distance behind me. They had no intention of allowing me to try and join up with the Egyptian forces but what they did not know was that I had no intention of trying. The Egyptian camp was probably a more dangerous place for me than the Kushite camp. I saw Prince Lisore in conversation with some of his officers and I dismounted my horse and joined him.
He turned when he saw me approaching. “Smenkhkare, I was just about to send for you.”
“Then I have saved you the trouble,” I commented.
“They have anticipated our movements and so the benefit of the element of surprise I was hoping for has almost disappeared. I have been discussing the Egyptian army with some of my confidants. It seems they are of similar strength to us with neither of us holding any significant numerical advantage.”
“Then it should be a close-fought battle,” I offered. I looked across the desert at the large Egyptian force.
“I plan to seize the initiative and launch an attack. They have many chariots and we have few, but their chariots will be less effective if we attack first and do not allow them space to operate.”
“That would seem like a sensible course of action,” I agreed, though I had no experience of battle tactics.
“My scouts report that the Egyptians are led by a giant of a man so I will not offer single combat,” he grinned. “Do you know of this man?”
“I know who he is, his name is Horemheb.”
“Is he an experienced general, Smenkhkare?”
“No, he is not, Prince Lisore. He is new to leading the army having recently replaced the experienced general Coreb in a coup.” The reminder of Coreb and his fate rekindled my anger.
“You sound bitter. Was Coreb supporting you, and are we talking about the same coup as the one you were involved in?”
“We are,” I confirmed.
“Good, so he is not experienced and big men often have a little brain,” he grinned again.
“I do not think that is so in the case of Horemheb. I have only met him twice and he seemed an intelligent man to me. I think he might prove a good general.”
“That is what I wanted your opinion about. I will not then underestimate this Horemheb.”
I saw a large dust cloud on the horizon beginning to move. “It looks like they may intend to attack us first,” I offered.
“You are right, Smenkhkare, but we will still strike first and quickly. He started giving orders to the officers that were standing around us and they began to dash into action. “We will pre-empt their attack. Now go back to your wagons at the rear where you will be comparatively safe, Prince Smenkhkare. You are young and you and your wife are still valuable hostages. Stay there until the outcome is settled, and if you are genuine in giving me your allegiance then you can pray to your gods that Kush wins the day.”
“How many men will fight this battle?” I asked, looking once again at the vast Egyptian army across the hard-packed desert sands.
“Both sides have several thousand. Now leave us.” He mounted his horse and called out fresh orders to his generals and rode away. The Kushites were quickly preparing to launch an attack and meet the Egyptian forces in the expanse of wasteland between the two armies. I mounted my horse and made my way to the wagons and baggage at the rear of the army followed by my two ever-present guards. There was about to be a huge loss of life and I was glad that I did not have to fight.
Taduheppa was waiting for me. “I was worried that you might get involved in the fighting,” she said.
“I am to wait here for the outcome,” I mused.
“Good, then let them kill one another and hope that whoever wins will not prove to be our enemy,” she shrugged.
She was a Mitanni princess and she did not much care for either Egyptians or Kushites, but I was an Egyptian and could not help feeling sad that many Egyptians would die this day. “I am going to climb that dune over there where I can get a better view of the battle.”
“Be careful of any stray arrows,” she advised.
“We are out of range,” I laughed. “But it is good to know you care.”
“You staying alive helps me to stay alive. I will come with you.”
“Stay here. A battle is not for the eyes of a Mitanni princess,”
“You are frailer than me,” she answered decisively.
“Let us go then,” I said and I walked towards the dune. Taduheppa followed and so did the two guards.
When I reached the sand dune I took off my sandals and Taduheppa followed suit. We scampered to the top followed by the two guardsmen though they kept their distance affording us some degree of privacy. We were out of breath when we reached the top for it was not easy climbing the large dune. We surveyed the scene that met our eyes. We had a good view of the desert but the armies, particularly the Egyptian forces, were at a good distance so it was difficult to see exactly what was going on. One thing that was clear was that both armies were advancing and the area separating them was diminishing. I gasped as I realised that both armies were charging, with the Egyptian chariots bearing down on the Kushite cavalry. I remembered training in a chariot with my brother Thutmose for just such a day as this. I was pleased that I was not in a chariot now for the dead and dying were about to litter the desert floor.
“They will clash very soon,” said Taduheppa, and then a flurry of Egyptian arrows darkened the sky followed by a similar flurry of Kushite arrows. Men were dying on both sides and I saw Egyptians falling from their chariots. The space between the two opposing forces had disappeared and the first vicious clashes were starting. The battle had begun in earnest.
We both strained our eyes to see what was happening on the desert battlefield. The fury of the killing held us spellbound. The Egyptian chariots cut a swathe through the Kushite cavalry and then flooded into the front ranks of the infantry. Kushite spears were swept aside by the speed and power of the chariots. I could see that the Kushites were targeting the charioteers and their passengers but they kept low down in their chariots to avoid heavy losses. Prince Lisore’s cavalry then turned to come to the aid of their infantry but could not engage the Egyptian chariots because they had now wheeled towards the flanks of the Kushite forces in a spectacular motion that caused havoc in the ranks of the Kushite infantry.
In the mayhem that followed the Kushite cavalry could not engage the chariots and were running into their own infantry. The Egyptian chariots wheeled again, attacking the rear of the Kushite army, and I feared for our wagons but they turned again towards their own infantry ranks that were now pushing relentlessly towards the Kushite infantry. The chariots were going through the manoeuvres and routines that had been practised so frequently at the command of Thutmose and Coreb on the fields outside Thebes. It was now all being put into good effect by Horemheb. Prince Lisore had wished to deny the Egyptian chariots space to work their havoc but had failed completely and it was the Kushite cavalry that was being denied the space to operate.
There was a mighty roar as the two lines of infantry met, with the Kushite cavalry stuck between the lines with no space to work. Egyptian spears were unseating the cavalrymen and then meeting the spears of the Kushite infantry. Prince Lisore’s cavalry had been decimated and now the sides and flanks of their infantry were being attacked by the chariots while they tried to engage with the Egyptian infantry. Horemheb had proved himself to be a very capable general.
“The Egyptians are going to win,” said Taduheppa.
The battle had been short but I felt Taduheppa was right for already the Kushites looked beaten. “I think you are right,” I replied.
The Kushite infantry battled on for longer than I expected but they had suffered very heavy losses and it seemed only a matter of time before Horemheb claimed an overwhelming victory. Then I saw Prince Lisore and some of his lieutenants fleeing the battlefield and riding south at speed away from the disaster.
I pointed them out to Taduheppa. “The Prince is fleeing.”
“The coward is
abandoning his men,” she replied.
Word of the flight of their leader must have reached the infantry for now their lines were beginning to break up alarmingly. There was one massive shout of triumph from the Egyptian host as they realised that victory was now theirs for the taking. The men of Kush were fleeing the battlefield and they were being pursued and hunted down by Egyptian infantry and charioteers.
“We must return to the wagons,” I said to Taduheppa.
“I wish to see what happens and watch as the Egyptians achieve final victory.” She resisted my plea.
I took her arm and pulled her down the dune. I noticed the two Kushite guards had deserted us to flee for their lives. “The battle is over and the massacre begins and all that remains is slaughter and a bloodbath,” I said. “It is not something you would wish to witness, nor I for that matter.”
She nodded, and for once my headstrong wife heeded my wishes. The Kushites were abandoning the baggage train without a thought for their prisoners in their rush to escape. My palace guardsmen had also disappeared, probably seeking to join up with the Egyptian host. The only people still in the vicinity of the wagons were the Mitanni servants.
“I will protect you,” Taduheppa shouted to her servants and they, led by Rana, scampered into one of the wagons. I was not sure that Taduheppa could fulfil her promise but I said nothing. I entered the other wagon with Taduheppa and Turet. The noise outside was deafening but we did not want to enter the chaos for fear of being slaughtered. The comparative luxury of the two Mitanni wagons might show us to be of note and not Kushite and I was at least in Egyptian dress and so obviously not one of the enemies. The wagons therefore seemed to be the safest place to wait until we were inevitably discovered. I did contemplate trying to run with the Mitanni women but that would be hopeless and we would not get very far.