"Dear Cleopatra, the threat of the Parthians is becoming more and more apparent, they occupy the trade routes of the East, and untold riches are pouring into this rich and vast country. It is our greatest threat. I transferred the Gallic Legions, the Thirteenth Legions, and the Germanic Legions here, not for anything else, but to prepare for another Pathian war. For this reason, I want you to once again provide the legions with sufficient supplies and food, and do not hesitate, my dear, for once the Parthian threat is removed, the wealth will flow into Rome and Egypt in a steady stream. This prosperous era is just around the corner. ”

When Apis's letter for help reached Cleopatra, the queen was weeping over Antony's death. The clever Cleopatra actually knew very well that when Antony was alive, Apis had the power to restrain him. Now that Antony has been completely defeated, Egypt's good days are almost over. The attack on Parthia was just an excuse for Appis, and the hopeful words of the letter seemed to Cleopatra to be poison and fangs. What endless wealth flowed into Parthia, it is too exaggerated, although the trade routes of the East were extremely profitable, but they were far from being as exaggerated as Apis said, these words, not to say are good, but they made Cleopatra feel uneasy when he saw them.

"Apis, this is to coerce us, and before the war against Parthia has begun, he has asked for so much food, grass and money, what is his purpose? It's obvious! ”

Cleopatra translated the general contents of the letter to her own minister, Hanubard, and of course, omitted the sensual and disgusting words of Appis. After listening to the queen's statement, Hanubold soon could not sit still, he was loyal to the Ptolemaic dynasty, and now, when someone wanted to destroy it, Hanubold was indignant.

"Alas, you and I both know Appis' intentions and ambitions, he wants too much. But even if he wanted more, there was no reason why we should not give it to him, and he could rightly say that he was sweeping away Egypt and stabilizing the Roman frontier. Yes, for this reason alone, we can't say a 'no'. Coupled with the fact that he eradicated the great plague for Egypt, there is no reason why we should not provide money and food for his foreign wars. ”

Cleopatra said sadly. Things have developed to this day, and the queen of Egypt suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion and helplessness. He calculated others all his life, but in the end, he was calculated by Apis. When Apis sailed from Rome to Egypt alone, he should have guessed his intentions and ulterior motives, and Apis had already planned it, and Egypt was just a springboard for him, a springboard for his success.

However, in retrospect, did I have any other choices in the first place? Egypt was hit by a plague not seen in a century, and only Apis could help control the epidemic. And what was Anthony doing then? Shouting in Asia Minor, he needs food, he needs soldiers...... The arrival of Apis relieved Egypt of the plague, but it also laid a hidden danger for himself. Cleopatra sat on the throne and couldn't help but sigh as she remembered everything from the past. How long can she sit on this throne? Small countries have no diplomacy, and Cleopatra has experienced this sadness profoundly.

"We don't have a reason, but do we need a reason for everything? Queen Cleopatra, in the face of robbers, maybe we should be tough, and the Ptolemaic dynasty should no longer be at the mercy of others. You should write to Abis to refuse all the demands of Apis and tell him that the grain in Egypt is not yet ripe, that there is not so much food in the city, and that it is necessary to prepare some necessary rations for the people in order to prevent the destruction of the city by the catastrophe. If we have to have reasons and excuses, then this is our reason. ”

Hanubold said resentfully.

"Hanubad, I know that you are loyal to me and to this country, so I have come to you to consult, but some things are not so simple. We push it so much, Apis will come to Egypt in person to collect grain, Rome is now unified, there is no strong foreign enemy to trouble, there is no other war, Apis is ostensibly stationed in Syria, in fact he can come to Egypt with an army at any time, the Parthian army? Where is it? On the other side of the desert, far away. ”

In the face of the anger of the minister Hanubard, Cleopatra only said lightly, and then denied his minister's claim. It is true that although Cleopatra does not understand military affairs, she has a thorough analysis of the situation, and she knows what to do and when. has a clear analysis of what is coming, but in the past, she was able to come up with several plans to prepare and deal with it. But this time, the wise and wise queen is a little powerless.

"Stop Appis from entering Egypt, then! Organize an army, Queen, and if Apis himself comes to Alexander to collect food, then we will send men to imprison him, or even kill him. ”

"Alas, this is exactly what he is trapping. If Apis really wants to annex Egypt this time, as we suspected, then he needs an excuse to send troops to Egypt. We organized an army, and just fell into his trap, and he could march into Egypt under all kinds of fame and all kinds of pretexts. He could even say that we organized the legions to attack Syria, to attack Cyrene, saying that we were treacherous and threatened Rome. Yes, I'm sure he will, because Appis is that kind of person, cunning and shameless. I don't even know how I could have gotten such a person to work with in the first place. ”

Sitting in the palace, Cleopatra analyzed all possible scenarios. However, he still couldn't come up with a plan to deal with it. Under the threat of power and tyranny, no amount of tactfulness will help. Perhaps this is fate, the fate of a country has come to an end, and the fate of a person has also come to an end. Cleopatra knew that she had long tied her personal destiny to Egypt.

Rome, on the other hand, may have reached the time of its rise, and all obstacles that stood in its way would finally be removed. Even if there is no Apis, there will be other generals, other dictators, to rise up and fulfill the mission entrusted to him by this era.

Cleopatra was tired, she lay on the throne and quietly watched the whole luxurious palace, the real world was cruel and left her no more choice. "Hanubard, go and call Caesarion and little Antony, I have something to say to them."

Cleopatra lay on her throne and sighed in contemplation, and then called her loyal servant Hanubold to her two children, and she was about to begin arranging her final retreat.