Within the city of Heracleopolis, inside the governor's mansion, Melibra Akhito was enjoying a dance performed by his female slaves.
Although, compared to other warlords who indulged in debauchery and excess, Melibra could be considered a more far-sighted and ambitious tyrant, that did not mean he would live frugally or pour all his accumulated wealth into military development.
Chaos and division had, after all, improved his quality of life.
Before Melibra, the scantily dressed dancers swayed with exceptional effort.
Though in Egypt, concubine-like slave women held extremely low status, every slave knew that as long as they gained their master's favor, their living conditions would at least improve.
Faced with the alluring dance before him, Melibra felt a stirring within.
Just as he was about to act on impulse, a sudden burst of hurried footsteps came from outside the door.
"Damn it!"
His mood ruined, Melibra angrily shoved the dancer aside. He had no desire to present himself as a lustful man in front of his subordinates.
However, he had already taken note of the one who had interrupted his pleasure.
"At a time like this, what urgent matter could there be?"
Thinking this, he straightened his posture and assumed a dignified seated position, waiting for the visitor.
Soon, a soldier clad only in leather shorts rushed in.
"This is bad, Governor!" the soldier shouted, panting heavily. "Governor, urgent news from the city walls, there are… there are enemies approaching our city!"
"What enemies?" Upon hearing this, Melibra did not panic, maintaining a calm demeanor. "Where are they from? A nearby nome? Bandits? Or a rebellion?"
In truth, Melibra did not believe that any enemy would appear at this moment.
If there truly were enemies, they would most likely fall into one of those three categories. Egypt was currently fragmented, each region governing itself.
The warlords across the land were like feudal lords of small states.
Under such circumstances, it was indeed possible for some warlords to attack neighboring ones, for wealth, for personal grudges, or for territory.
Bandits were also a strong possibility.
With the collapse of central authority and protection, some poorly defended cities had indeed been brazenly attacked by desert raiders.
These raiders were no longer what they once were, prolonged chaos had rapidly expanded their forces.
And some particularly audacious groups were no longer satisfied with robbing travelers, instead launching sieges and carving out territories to become lords themselves.
As for rebellion, for these self-proclaimed warlords, it was an everyday occurrence.
After all, unlike the Pharaoh, they lacked legitimate authority.
Many people refused to accept their rule, some were loyalists to the Pharaoh, others were powerful local elites who also wished to establish themselves as warlords.
And then there were the countless rebels who rose up due to the oppressive rule of these warlords.
However, for Melibra, none of these three possibilities should have applied.
He simply did not believe that nearby warlords would dare to attack him. His strength ranked among the greatest not only in nearby nomes but even across Egypt.
While the others might not know the full extent of his power, they were aware of his might and vaguely regarded him as their leader, how could they dare to attack him?
Bandits were even less likely.
Since declaring himself a warlord, Melibra had conducted several sweeps around Heracleopolis to secure his territory, eliminating numerous groups of desert raiders, both large and small.
His reputation had spread among them; those bandits no longer even dared to harass villages within his domain, let alone attack his city.
As for rebellion… within Heracleopolis, all diehard loyalists to the Pharaoh had already been executed. The noble families were completely submissive to him.
As for the common people, he was not as short-sighted as other warlords, harboring ambitions of becoming Pharaoh, he would naturally not mistreat his people.
Why would anyone rise in revolt?
And the soldier's answer confirmed his thoughts.
"It's not troops from other nomes, not bandits, and not rebels, my lord," the soldier said, his voice trembling with fear.
"They are… they are… they are the Pharaoh's army from Memphis!"
"How is that possible?!"
This answer made the previously composed Melibra slam the table and rise to his feet, abandoning all pretense of composure and image.
He stepped forward and tightly grabbed the soldier by the shoulders.
"You're not mistaken, are you? It's really the Pharaoh's army?"
"No mistake! I recognize the banners, the 'Red and White Crown,' the symbols of 'Horus' and 'Ra.' That is the Pharaoh's army, without a doubt!"
The soldier confirmed the fact with a terrified expression.
"How could this happen?" The news that the Pharaoh had come to attack him left Melibra looking lost.
"No… that shouldn't be. Memphis should still be in chaos. Those corrupt fools have ruined the country, how could Memphis possibly organize an army?
Could those rumors be true? But… that's impossible…"
The chaotic situation in Egypt had made the flow of information extremely restricted.
Aside from Nitocris, who could gather intelligence through merchant caravans, most warlords relied on rumors to learn about other regions.
Of course, in the case of Memphis, there had also been communication between local officials and officials in the capital.
However, after Nitocris regained power and purged most officials, that channel of information had ceased to function.
As a result, what these officials knew about Memphis mostly came from hearsay.
For example, rumors like "the Pharaoh executed all officials in one stroke," "the Pharaoh invented new smelting techniques," or "the Pharaoh promoted many commoners to high positions"…, none of these sounded reliable at all.
In short, due to prolonged chaos and their disdain for a female Pharaoh, the rebels had completely overlooked Nitocris's four years of diligent governance.
And now, they would have to pay the price for their negligence.
Though he found it hard to believe, since the urgent report had come from the city walls, Melibra still trusted his subordinates.
He immediately ordered the mobilization of weapons and supplies, then personally rushed to the walls.
What he saw was a vast army setting up camp amid the rolling yellow sands in the distance, their dark mass stretching across the horizon.
Their banners bore the unmistakable symbols of the Pharaoh, something Melibra, as a former governor, recognized all too well.
Sure enough, it was indeed the Pharaoh's army.
Heracleopolis was not adjacent to the Pharaoh's city, the royal capital Memphis; several nomes lay between them.
So what did it mean that the Pharaoh's army had appeared here?
Those intervening nomes had most likely already been conquered by the Pharaoh.
It seemed that this army was not without its capabilities.