Praise be to you, Nile!

You were born from the earth and came to us to give gifts to the poor.

It brought nourishment to Egypt, irrigated the fields, and allowed livestock to survive.

You quench the thirst of the desert far from the water source. Let our barley and wheat survive.

Fill the granary, and fill the treasury.

We play the harp for you and sing your praises......

With the song "Ode to the Nile" sung by the fishermen of the Nile, a new dawn was ushered in in ancient Egypt.

For the ancient Egyptians, the Nile was the center of the universe. Beyond the Nile, there is only barbarism and chaos.

In their hearts, the Nile is not only a river, she is the life of Egypt, the soul of Egypt. It was she who created Egypt in a desert!

As the Greek historian Herodotus described in his writings, Egypt was a gift from the Nile.

Nurtured by the waters of the Nile, the Egyptians enjoyed a life of abundant abundance. And the protection of the vast desert allowed Egypt to avoid the vast majority of the outside enemy's troops. As a result of these unique conditions, the ancient Egyptian civilization was not repeatedly destroyed by invaders from all sides and torn apart by endless wars, as was the case with the contemporaries of the two river basins, but seemed to be as solid as the stones of the pyramids.

Three thousand years of time passed through it, and it slowly swallowed up the ancient Egyptian civilization.

However, mortals inevitably die, and there is an end to all things - the ancient Egyptian civilization that has been quietly adrift in the river of time for thirty centuries like the long Nile. It also has its final destination.

While the wheel of history was turning to the first century B.C., the ancient Egyptian civilization had come to an end.

And the famous "daughter of the Nile", the famous Cleopatra Cleopatra. It is a flower that bloomed when the ancient Egyptian civilization was about to die......

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Now to add a bit of historical background.

Sanae Rika travels back in time to the identity of ancient Egypt as the famous Cleopatra (to be exact, the queen) Cleopatra VII. The time traveled was in the autumn of 48 BC, the fourth year of Cleopatra VII's reign.

She is currently located on the banks of a tributary of the Nile Delta, on the outskirts of the eastern border fortress of Egypt, the city of Pelusim.

At this moment. She is in a turbulent era of turbulence and heroism.

In the East, this is the bleak years when the sisters Zhao Feiyan and Zhao Hede confused the palace and the Western Han Dynasty gradually declined;

In the West. It was Julius Caesar who eliminated the republicans in the civil war and transformed the Roman Republic into the glory days of the Roman Empire.

In June of that year, Caesar had just decisively defeated Pompey at the Battle of Fasalu and was sweeping across the Mediterranean with an autumn wind. The rest of the republican heads of the Roman Senate. The remnants were gathered in North Africa and Spain. Prepare for a Zuihou contest with Caesar.

With a river of blood and cannibalism among hundreds of thousands of Roman legions, the rising sun of the Roman Empire has risen on the horizon.

It is really embarrassing to think of the helplessness and embarrassment of an Eastern Roman emperor trapped in Constantinople fifteen centuries later.

At the same time, Egypt, an ancient civilization that has been born for 30 centuries, is like a broken candle in the wind, just one step away from being wiped out.

-- Not only the inheritance of ancient Egyptian civilization is dying. Even the Zuihou dynasty of ancient Egypt, led by Alexander the Great's general Ptolemy. The Ptolemaic dynasty, a colonial regime established with a group of Macedonian and Greek conquerors, had also reached the point of decay.

In fact, more than forty years ago, the kingdom was almost a semi-colony of the Romans.

In the past, around the 3rd century B.C., the Ptolemaic dynasty also had a period of heyday, defeating the Seleucid dynasty in Syria in the east, and fighting fiercely against the Macedonian kingdom in Greece in the north, and winning successive victories.

At its peak, in addition to Egypt itself, the Ptolemaic dynasty at that time also ruled Cyrenaica (today's Benghazi), Cyprus, Palestine, southern Syria, southwestern Asia Minor, the coast of the Sea of Marmara, and the islands of the Aegean Sea. Stretching from the Red Sea to the Black Sea, it covers an area of about 1.2 million square kilometers (not counting uninhabited deserts) and has a population of more than 10 million people, making it the superpower of the Eastern Mediterranean. Today's Jerusalem, Constantinople and many other famous cities were located within the territory of Egypt at that time.

However, in the following years, this dynasty followed the historical cycle of "prosperity and decline", and began to embark on a downward slope of increasing street fighting-one defeat after another, the loss of overseas territories everywhere, the intensification of coups, mutinies and popular uprisings at home, and the intensification of contradictions between Greek colonists and Egyptians natives, and even triggered several major national uprisings throughout Egypt......

(The Macedonian Ptolemaic dynasty in ancient Egypt, a bit like the Qing dynasty in China, was founded by foreign conquerors, with a weak foundation and a monopoly of political power by the Macedonians and Greeks, which caused strong resentment among the Egyptians.) Even at the height of the Ptolemaic dynasty, Egypt's underground anti-government organizations never ceased, and once the dynasty fell, it was even more shattered. ）

In the midst of internal and external troubles, in order to keep the crumbling throne under the buttocks, several Egyptian pharaohs at the end of the Ptolemaic dynasty had to choose to defect to the Romans, borrowing the invincible Roman legions at that time to suppress domestic riots. But this practice of luring the wolf into the house also made Egypt a Roman protectorate and an ATM, and the Romans extorted almost half of their financial revenue every year......

In order to satisfy the insatiable appetite of the Romans, the Macedonian nobility of the Ptolemaic dynasty had to "measure the material resources of Egypt." to the heart of Rome". The looting and exploitation of the Egyptians was carried out far more than in any previous era - this cruel policy of exploiting all the money further acutely made the class contradictions in Egypt more and more acute. It also provoked the courageous resistance of the Egyptian people, and all kinds of rebellions bloomed everywhere for a time.

When Cleopatra VII took over the throne, the Ptolemaic dynasty had long been a complete mess. Not only were the overseas colonies lost, not a single city or island remained, but even nearly half of Egypt's own territory was lost - in the area of Lower Egypt, the Nile Delta, around the capital Alexandria. The Ptolemaic rule was barely solid. But the area of Upper Egypt, south of Memphis (roughly equivalent to present-day Cairo), was almost the same as the Japanese occupation of North China, and as soon as they left the city, they were full of anti-government guerrillas. Many local officials also secretly collaborated with the enemy, and almost every time the government army went to the countryside, they were surrounded and suppressed.

In short, the Ptolemaic dynasty at this time was already just a poor little court ruling half of Egypt. The actual territory is only a few thousand square kilometres. Fragile as a reed in the wind, it may be pushed down and crushed by the overlord of the new era at any time, and then disappear with the wind.

Of course, compared to the miserable miniature empire of the last Eastern Roman emperor, Constantine XI, the Ptolemaic dynasty was in a good position at this time - first, the Nile Delta was almost the most fertile land in the entire Mediterranean, and the rulers of Egypt at least did not have to worry about food; Secondly, while the population of Upper Egypt was two million. It was already a rebellion of rebellion, a division of separatism, and it was basically out of the jurisdiction of the dynasty. However, Lower Egypt, which was still under the rule of the Ptolemaic Dynasty, also had a population of 3 million, and its products were far more abundant than that of Upper Egypt, which could provide the dynasty with sufficient manpower and taxes to satisfy the poverty and luxury of the ruling class and the extortion of the Romans.

But it is precisely because the small life is so-so and passable that the rulers of the Ptolemaic Dynasty are very lacking in the sense of crisis and unity, and they do not have the unity and unity of the people at the end of the Eastern Roman Empire, but are still tirelessly immersed in all kinds of intrigues and infighting.

So, when Pompey and Caesar used the entire vast Mediterranean Sea as a stage, using flags, warships and legions as props, they staged a wonderful war drama for the world. In this small and peaceful court in the Nile Delta, a storm in the teacup was also set off......

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Although it is autumn now, it is always difficult to feel much chill in Egypt, a land favored by the sun god.

Sanae Rika, or now Cleopatra VII, the shrine maiden who served the cat god, lay lazily under a date palm tree with a lazy expression, and looked at the wide waters of the Nile to the west, quietly thinking about her thoughts.

Behind her was a modest barracks of more than 2,000 patchwork troops. The costumes of these soldiers were disorganized, and even their ethnicity and skin color varied, including white-skinned Greek mercenaries, desert nomads Bedouins wrapped in turbans and veils, dark-skinned natives of Egypt, all-black Ethiopians, and even quite a few Spartacus native Thracians.

Because the sun was scorching and the slightest movement made them sweat, the soldiers all gathered in the shade of the trees, drinking beer or wine in a binge, boasting to each other about their past achievements, and occasionally a few small brawls...... All kinds of noisy sounds reached Cleopatra's ears, and she couldn't help but furrow her delicate eyebrows.

However, apart from frowning, Cleopatra did not say a word about it: according to the memories left by this body, in the beginning, Cleopatra did try to clean up the military and restrain these rough mercenaries. But after a few defeats, Cleopatra had no choice but to let them go freely - the reason why they were willing to fight for the queen with the sword was never for national justice, but only for the queen's money. But if someone is willing to pay a higher price, or if the queen does something that provokes the outrage of the public, then Cleopatra is likely to become a prisoner of the army in the blink of an eye......

So, Cleopatra just sighed helplessly. Then she turned around and snapped her fingers, and motioned for the maid to come and fan her to repel insects. Immediately, several beautiful maids stepped forward and respectfully shook their long-handled fans with smoked spices. Send a warm cool breeze to the Queen.

-- These Egyptian maids wore white linen dresses and eyeshadows that were striking, and their dark and smooth skin showed a youthful and healthy glow. Because this kind of long skirt is actually two pieces of cloth, and there was no habit of wearing underwear at that time, as long as they moved slightly, it was really spring.

Cleopatra, on the other hand, wore a white "chunik" with gold ornaments - the Egyptian "chunik". It was a tubular bodice that hung from the chest to the ankles, and it was a graceful match for Cleopatra's figure—a pair of filigree sandals on her feet and an emerald around her neck. Necklace strung with lapis lazuli, agate, amethyst and colored glaze. There is also a golden tiara decorated with a cobra sculpture because it is too cumbersome and bulky. It made her neck hurt. So they were thrown aside, and they were not put on.

Because she was outdoors, she would have dressed so formally, and if she was indoors, then according to the habits of the ancient Egyptians, she would have basically been naked—the textile industry was not developed enough in those days, and the price of cloth was very expensive. And dyeing jishu is not reliable, and it is easy to fade when soaked in sweat a lot. So the ancient Egyptians were often naked in ordinary times, only on major occasions where attention was needed to pay attention to the image. will put on the clothes.

It is precisely because the ancient Egyptians, both men and women, did not take bare butts seriously, so when Sanae Rika crossed over to Cleopatra, who was taking a nap, she found herself naked. body, naked...... Her clothes were placed in another tent by the female officer......

However, this also gave Sanae Rika a chance to explore this unparalleled body when she first crossed over.

Seriously, after getting used to seeing those tall, busty and fat American movie stars in Hollywood movies, Sanae Rika really never dreamed that the famous Cleopatra in history would have such a petite Lori body like a doll...... But it's really beautiful beyond words: the skin is smooth and delicate like haode porcelain, and you can't find a single blemish; The breasts on the chest are vigorously expanding and continue to swell, as full and delicious as freshly ripe juicy fruit; The delicate face is picturesque, and a smile and a cheek are enough to seduce people's souls - the size is indeed too petite, estimated to be less than one hundred and forty centimeters tall, but the condensed essence is the essence!

In addition, thanks to the Ptolemaic royal family after taking root in Egypt, more than ten generations of close relatives in a row. Adulterous, brother-sister intermarriage, her appearance is completely Caucasian, her skin is almost transparent, and she does not change the dark brown complexion common to the natives of Egypt.

“…… Mmmm, this body looks like a Western-style Lori, and Elizabeth who starred in the movie "Cleopatra". Taylor is completely different! However, according to historical records, it seems that Cleopatra should indeed be a 'legal Lori' who is light and soft and easy to push down! Otherwise, how could they be in their twenties, and still be able to wrap themselves in a blanket and be carried around by a servant casually, without arousing suspicion? Uh, continue to deduce, Caesar seems to be an elderly Lori control?! ”

Queen Cleopatra groped her body as she looked up into the distance. In the early morning, the cool breeze mixed with water vapor has long since disappeared with the rising sun. The scorching desert winds swept across the land, and the golden sunlight rained down like a rain of fire, baking every inch of sand and gravel...... It also makes all the scenes in the field of vision become illusory and distorted under the refraction of the sun.

She rubbed her dizzy head, and continued to stare at the Nile with a melancholy face, while pondering a very serious and important question:

――Do you want to roll this cute Lori body into a blanket and pack it up for that old man named Caesar to spoil it?

“…… Alas, I can't imagine that I was like a jade in my previous life, and I was still a virgin until I died. Once you cross over, you will immediately sell your body and engage in a bad old man's assistance and communication, which may not be successful...... But if you refuse to sell meat, you will have no way to live...... What the hell should I do? ”

Due to the requirements of her previous profession, her knowledge and mastery of the ancient history of Shijie countries have long been far beyond the level of ordinary Japanese female high school students. But for the current bad situation, the time-traveling witch Sanae Rika, or the Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII, is really completely helpless...... Except for selling himself to Caesar's perverted old man as meat. Outside of being a slave, she really didn't know what else could get out of her predicament.

Speaking of which, Cleopatra VII is also the orthodox queen of Egypt, and has been crowned for four years. How can they now be trapped on the borders of their own country with a rabble hired by a temporary vote, or even desperate and in a dilemma?

Well, the cause and effect of this accident can basically be written as a bloody family ethics drama - in a sense, the turmoil that is happening within the Ptolemaic royal family today seems to have some similarities with a certain romance novel "A Curtain of Dreams" written by Taiwanese writer Qiong Yao...... (To be continued.) )