by Overton, Max
When Horemheb's army appeared outside the walls, he was amazed to see the royal standard of Nebmaetre floating above the palace, and for an hour contemplated the possibility that Tjaty Paramessu had rebelled against his authority. On being told the truth by a captured soldier on patrol, the king roared with laughter.
"The fool thinks he can be king, does he? Well, he will see there is more to it than sitting on a throne and giving orders." Horemheb roared for his legion commanders and gave orders for the taking of Waset.
"Neferikare, take a herald and get their attention. If they open the gates now, I will confine my attention to the rebel lords, but if they choose to fight, it will be a bloodbath."
Lord Raweret, newly appointed as Tjaty by the new king, refused to surrender, and offered rewards for any man who deserted Horemheb's legions.
"Djedhor, you will attack the north and east gates with the Geb legion. Neferikare, you will take the Set legion along the riverbank from the north and infiltrate the docks. Hrihor, your Asars will do the same from the south. Paranefer, the Sep legion contains the most newly recruited men so I'll put them in support. When the gates are breached, whether by the Gebs or being opened from within, you will lead them into the city."
Each legion commander saluted and accepted his assignment.
"Now, listen carefully," Horemheb went on. "I want the men with the loudest voices at the front. They are to call upon the populace to lay down their weapons and go into their houses. Spare any who obey instantly, but if there is any hesitation, cut them down where they stand. Two exceptions only--Nebamen and Raweret. I want them alive. Any questions? No? Then take up your positions. We attack at first light."
The Geb legion raised a great clamour outside the gates of Waset in the first grey light of day. The army of Nebamen rushed to the walls and started hurling missiles down. The din increased and the population of the city followed, shouting out for news of the battle. The Set and Asar legions swept silently along the riverbank, splashing through the shallows and clambering onto the docks and overwhelming the few guards still in place. Then in a silent rush, the legions swept through the almost empty streets to the north and east gates. Men and women ran screaming, throwing down any weapon they might be carrying and ducking into the nearest house to avoid the mass of armed men. The gates were thrown open and the Geb and Sep legions joined in the hunt for the retainers of the rebel lords. They died in a welter of blood before the others threw away their weapons and cowered on the ground. Many were killed anyway and the officers gave their men free rein for a while before stopping the slaughter. For most of the soldiers it was their first taste of blood and the officers knew it was a valuable experience before they must meet a proper enemy.
The legion commanders quartered the city and instituted martial law, keeping the populace indoors while they hunted for the rebel leaders. Raweret was found in his home in servant's dress, trying to blend in with his workers, but they gave him up in the hope of leniency for the rest of them. Nebamen was taken as he attempted to flee across the river and was dragged whimpering to the palace and the Hall of Justice.
Horemheb presided over a military audience in the Great Hall and the two rebel lords were flung onto the stone floor in front of the raised throne. Raweret knelt shivering and wringing his hands, his eyes wide with terror, while the self-proclaimed King Nebamen tried to bluster and face down the legitimate king.
"What in heaven or earth possessed you?" Horemheb asked. "Did you really think men would fight for you against me?"
"I have the blood of Nebmaetre Amenhotep in me. What is a mere military adventurer and commoner beside that?"
"A king, that's what he is. You are a fool, Nebamen, and for your foolishness I am tempted to let you and your sorry companion live."
Raweret stared at Horemheb with the dawn of hope in his eyes. "Forgive me, Great King," he whined. "I never meant anything. This one..." he pointed at Nebamen, "...swore the city would rise up to support us."
"Be quiet, you fool," Nebamen snapped. "We are of the blood of Nebmaetre. Besides which, General Horemheb, I am an anointed king of Kemet. You dare not raise your hand to me."
"Really? And which priest of Amun performed the consecration?" Horemheb waited for a few moments but when Nebamen remained silent, said, "You need not answer for I already know. It was Rekhamun, a junior priest, not even one of the Prophets. The Hem-Netjer of Amun will deal with him, so I will deal just with you two. What is the punishment for rebellion, Neferikare?"
"Death, Great King."
"Mercy!" Raweret screamed. He fell to the floor and started weeping.
"You...you would not dare," Nebamen said. "No matter who the priest was, he still represented the god of our family, Holy Amun, and his consecration ceremony was in the god's Name."
Horemheb smiled. "I cannot kill you, but I can kill your half-brother here with impunity? Is that what you are saying?"
"Do with him as you wish. He is nothing to me."
"But he is your brother, for all that. It seems unfair to kill one brother but not the other, when both are guilty of the same crime."
"I am protected by the anointing. You would be god-cursed if you killed me," Nebamen said. "So let us both live if you wish to be thought of as fair."
"I tire of this," Horemheb said. "This poor fool's crime was to be taken in by your conceit and ambition, Nebamen, and for that I shall be merciful. Djedhor, take Raweret out and execute him. A quick death, and then give his body to his family for burial. Nebamen, I am mindful of your claimed status and while I do not believe it, I shall act accordingly. I shall not kill you, nor shall I order you to be killed. You will be placed in a cage of bronze and hung from the battlements. You will be given food and water daily. How long you live in that cage is up to you and the sun god."
Both men screamed as they were led out. Horemheb waited until Djedhor returned before turning to other matters.
"Paranefer, the Sep legion is the newest one. You will stay in Waset and take over the remnants of the Amun legion. I will leave it to your discretion whether you keep any parts of the old one, but I want a strong and loyal legion in this city. Djedhor, Neferikare and Hrihor--and Iurudef too--we march within the hour for Ta-Senet, where it seems we must rescue my Tjaty."
Horemheb decided a show of strength would not go amiss, so he had his three legions march through the city, with the fourth one lining the avenue of Amun's temple as an honour guard. As he rode through the East Gate at the head of his legions, King Horemheb looked up at the open-latticed bronze cage enclosing Nebamen. Already, flocks of crows circled the cage like shadows of night, waiting for the strength of the prisoner to ebb. Horemheb rode on and scarcely anyone in the following columns bothered to look up at the crying man.
The march to the crossing at Ta-Senet took two days, and a further day to ferry the army across the river. Scenes of devastation met their eyes on the western bank, where Menkure's rampaging tribesmen had scoured the countryside, driving off the herds and putting the torch to crops and villages alike. The town of Ta-Senet still stood undamaged behind its walls, but Paramessu and the Sobek legion had been pushed south away from the river crossing. Consequently, the crossing took longer for Horemheb's army as they had to fight off scattered tribesmen.
Horemheb led the Geb legion to relieve the pressure on Paramessu's camp, while sending the other two legions under Neferikare to free the town. The tribesmen fell back as the Geb legion advanced, and Paramessu led the Sobek legion out to join them. Horemheb met with his Tjaty near the road south and took him aside as soon as the area was secure.
"You got my message then, sire?" Paramessu said, grinning. "We'll smash them now you've brought the legions."
Horemheb did not match his friend's good humour. "What in the name of all the gods were you doing making agreements with the rebels? Your task was to defeat them and kill Menkure."
"Well, sire, they were in a fortified position, having destroyed the Oasis of Setwah, and I was badly o
utnumbered by about five thousand..."
"And has the position improved? There would seem to be more than five thousand natives here now."
"Er, yes, they brought up reinforcements, sire."
"Then your actions have made my task harder. You are relieved of your self-made command of the Sobek legion, Paramessu. You will stay by me and be my adviser, my Tjaty. Iurudef, you will resume command of Sobek. Djedhor, form the men up in columns, Geb at the front, Sobek behind. We will meet up with the other legions at Ta-Senet and I will decide what is to be done."
The legions marched out, shadowed by Nubian tribesmen just out of bow-shot. The men looked askance at the enemy, nervously wondering if they were about to fall on them, but Djedhor and Iurudef walked among their men, encouraging them.
"These are but undisciplined savages--all noise and threat. When it comes down to it, they will scatter before your spears. Why, even the Amorites and Hittites, who are far fiercer than these naked men, cannot withstand the might of King Horemheb's legions. Give us a cheer, lads, and let's scare these boys back to their mothers."
The men in earshot laughed and raised a cheer, shaking their weapons at the watching Nubians. The officers gained confidence from their commanders and repeated Djedhor's exhortations, encouraging the men to sing.
As the column neared the town of Ta-Senet, they came across the detritus of a battle--many Nubians strewn over the farmland, and a smaller number of copper-skinned Kemetu. The men fell silent, taking in the realities of warfare, and a few cried out in sorrow or anger when they recognised a familiar face among the fallen.
There was fighting still to the west of the town, and Horemheb turned the column in that direction. A runner came back, bearing the news that the Asar legion was pursuing the enemy slowly down the road toward Setwah, while the Set legion had fallen back toward the town. Horemheb ordered the Asar to cease its pursuit and called all his commanders together, determined to gather all the information he could before deciding on his course of action.
"Where exactly is the enemy?" Horemheb demanded. "We had elements shadowing the Geb and Sobek just now and more engaged by the Asars. Is that the lot, or is more out there somewhere?"
"I could not tell how many were on the Setwah road ahead of us," Hrihor said. "If you want me to guess, I'd say a thousand, maybe two. The problem is these savages don't seem to fight in recognisable units, just as a rabble."
"A rather successful rabble, it seems," Horemheb commented. "Djedhor?"
"A thousand shadowing the Geb legion."
"Perhaps a shade less," Iurudef amended. "They have withdrawn into the hills."
"Then where are the rest? Paramessu, you reported five thousand. Was that just exaggeration or are they here somewhere?"
"Sire, there was five thousand at Setwah, I swear. More arrived, so I pulled my legion back to defend Ta-Senet."
"Yes, so you have said. Neferikare, what was the activity around the town?"
"Scattered groups, Great King, but a man from the city said he saw a force moving upriver on the western bank."
"Upriver?"
"That is what he said."
"Find him. I want to talk to him."
An hour later, Neferikare ushered a city watchman into the king's presence and had him kneel. "Great King, this is the man."
"What is your name?"
"Nebi, Great King."
"What did you see, Nebi?"
"Last night, Great King. I was at my post on the wall and the moon went behind a cloud, spreading shadows. I could not see anything but I could hear something moving between the town and the river. Then the moon came out again and I saw many men, like a stain of ink, moving upriver."
"How many?"
"Like a cloud, Great King."
"Could it have been the shadow of a cloud, Nebi? At night, you are tired, you think you see something?"
"The wind was from the east, Great King, and this cloud moved south."
"Thank you, Nebi. You shall be rewarded for your vigilance." When the watchman had left, Horemheb sent a small patrol out toward the south. They reported back a little later than a lot of men on foot had passed that way.
"So, we have a thousand moving west toward Setwah, a thousand more in the hills and a large number heading south along the river. What are your thoughts, gentlemen? Advise me."
"One thing puzzles me," Hrihor admitted. "Why are they going south? What is the point?"
"Nekhen and Behdet are a few days' swift march upriver," Paramessu said. "They will not be expecting an attack."
"Then we must act quickly. Send them a warning."
"On the other hand, we could take advantage of our enemy's attention lying elsewhere to fall on the nearer parts and destroy them," Iurudef said.
"Hard on the citizens of those two towns," Djedhor said. "We should at least try and stop them."
"What? And leave a couple of thousand Nubians rampaging around Ta-Senet?" Neferikare asked. "We'd return to find smoking ruins."
"So we leave a legion to guard against them, or two even if we have to hunt them out of the hills," Iurudef countered.
"That might work. Geb and Sobek stay here, Asar and Set go south."
"No, I will not divide my army."
"What then?" Paramessu asked. "The enemy lies in three parts. We either divide our forces or we allow at least one Nubian army the opportunity to destroy towns and farms."
"Menkure--and Smenkhkare before him--has been allowed to do as he wishes for too long. This is our best opportunity to destroy him once and for all. I would rather a dozen towns were burned than we let him escape. We will concentrate the army here at Ta-Senet, pursue and annihilate the Setwah group. Then we will strike south with our full might, catch the other Nubians and kill them all too."
"And the ones in the hills?" Iurudef asked.
"If they come down and join their fellows, well and good. We kill them too. If they do not come down, a thousand men will not trouble Ta-Senet."
Scouts were sent out along the Setwah road and the legions formed up in columns, setting off at a rapid pace in pursuit of the Nubians. The scouts reported the enemy had set up a fortified camp straddling the road, no more than a few hours ahead. Warned by the scouts of the exact position of the Nubian army, Horemheb drove his men through the night and eventually called a halt no more than a thousand paces from the twinkling lights of the enemy camp fires.
At dawn, Horemheb offered up prayers, and ordered the legions forward. They met stiff resistance at the low barricades, but such was their determination that the Asar and Set legions broke through the Nubian lines and swung round to take them in the rear. The slaughter began. The battle was over by midday, and Horemheb had the bodies of the fallen--nearly two thousand Nubians--examined, hoping that Menkure had met his death there. However, there were no scarred Kemetu among the enemy dead.
By nightfall, the legions were on their way back to the river. They rested that night, as Horemheb needed them fresh for the pursuit along the riverbank. There had been no sign of the thousand Nubians who had disappeared into the hills, so Horemheb did not leave any men to guard against them. All his troops would be needed for this final battle.
Scouts had brought back information that the Nubians had laid siege to Nekhen and some had gone on the Behdet, so the king ordered an immediate departure of the legions. Even so, it was three days before the Set legion, which was leading that day, ran into the first units of Menkure's army. The fighting was fierce, and the Set legion was pressed back, giving ground slowly. Neferikare sent a runner back to the legions following, and Horemheb sent the Geb legion to support them. The tide of battle turned and the Nubians now streamed back to where their main army was encamped around the town of Nekhen. Set and Geb waited, tending to their wounded, until Asar and Sobek joined them.
Arrayed against them was a horde of nearly-naked tribesmen brandishing spears and tall ox-hide shields. They drummed the spear hafts on the taut hide and sang songs of past victories and how t
heir spears would soon drink Kemetu blood. The Nubians charged. A mass of tribesmen crashed onto the stationary legions, breaking over and around them in a welter of black and copper bodies and bright red blood. The Nubians withdrew, reformed into rough groups and started singing and dancing again, working themselves up into a frenzy for a fresh attack. While they danced, men of the legions heaped the fallen enemy in mounds, leaving open spaces where the oncoming warriors would be channelled onto the bright bronze of Kemetu soldiers.
They started forward again; spears raised, and hurled themselves into the legions, pushing them back with the ferocity of their onslaught. The legions buckled, but stood firm, and when the Nubians withdrew again, they left hundreds more of their dead behind. The dancing and singing started again, but with noticeably less enthusiasm, and when the Nubians charged a third time, they did not press home the attack vigorously.
"That is why Menkure and Smenkhkare failed," Horemheb observed. "They had to rely on undisciplined native troops."
Paramessu nodded. "They are good fighters individually, but do not cooperate. Do we take them this time or the next?"
Horemheb shaded his eyes and studied the melee of fighting men. "This time. If we wait, they may not attack again, and then we must attack standing troops. It is better if we chase them back, then they may never stop. Get ready...wait...wait...now."
Paramessu gave the signal, a wave of a blue banner, and horns sounded long and mournfully. The legions surged forward just as the Nubians paused, and crashed through the leading fighters. The others stepped back, and again, before turning and streaming back across the field. Asar and Set, Geb and Sobek charged on their heels, stabbing and cutting, allowing the Nubians no time to gather their strength, no chance to regroup, chasing them back past their initial lines and through their encampment around Nekhen. As the Nubian army disintegrated, the gates of Nekhen swung open. Two hundred men poured out of the town, hacking and slashing at the fleeing tribesmen.
Horemheb let the pursuit continue until nightfall, by which time the scattered remnants of tribesmen were beyond recovery. The right hands of the enemy slain were collected, counted, and heaped up outside Nekhen, but each body was carefully examined before the trophy was taken. Horemheb was determined that Menkure would not escape him this time, even in death. However, the corpse of the rebel Kemetu lord was not discovered on the battlefield.
