Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Chapter 1654 Landlord and Tenant

“I have no complaints,” Victoria replied. “It’s true that the land is yours. But don’t forget, this house is ours. You shouldn’t just come in here.”

“No, there’s a problem here.” Hermanubis pointed behind him. “Have you ever wondered why there’s a big hole in the floor?”

"Could it be!" Victoria suddenly remembered, "This is the big hole from last time... the one that was blown up last time?"

“That’s right.” Hermanubis shook his head. “Your floor and our ceiling were blown through last time and haven’t been repaired yet. So the boundary between the two sides is still ambiguous. At least the area I’m standing in is Aru in every sense, not Cybernia.”

From the moment he entered, Hermanubis was actually standing less than 30 centimeters from the doorway, almost leaning against the door frame.

He had no intention of coming in, because he wouldn't break the rules casually.

“Okay.” Victoria pressed her forehead. “How about we discuss this?”

“Yes, anytime, absolutely.” Hermanubis nodded. “What would you like to discuss?”

"Who is in charge of Aru? Who is in charge of Egypt?"

"I should have already made this very clear before—Aru belonged to the Pharaoh. To be precise, it was part of Lower Egypt."

Historically, Egypt is divided into two parts: Upper and Lower Egypt, which are the upper and lower Nile Rivers.

The upper Nile region is a long, narrow oasis along the Nile's course.

The lower reaches of the Nile River are the Nile Delta.

What Yaru imitated was the state of the Nile Delta. The fertile Nile River carved vast plains here, where endless waves of wheat grew. The weather was favorable, and disasters were rare. Apart from its relatively small size, it was almost the most suitable place to nurture early human civilization.

The Egyptians' wish for the underworld was that the Nile Delta could be bigger and bigger, so that the golden wheat fields and reed beds could stretch to the ends of the earth.

This is Yaru.

Egyptians did not reject labor; they loved farming. Their greatest hope after death was to enter Aru and join the pharaohs, sharing the gods' endless fields. Here, there was no disease, no calamity; as long as one cultivated, there would be a harvest. The past and present met here, and everyone could enjoy eternal peace.

However, Egypt was already destroyed—Egypt had been destroyed many times in history, but each time it was only conquered by barbarian tribes. Everything changed when the Greeks entered Egypt.

Firstly, Greece has been influenced by Egypt since ancient times, and many places are very close to Egypt. Greeks also frequently quote Egyptian cultural allusions.

For example, Greek philosophers often mentioned Anubis, referring to him as "that dog god," as if recounting their own cultural heritage. Other neighboring barbarian tribes also exhibited this tendency. However, while Greece was influenced by Egypt, it also possessed its own strong cultural foundation, which enabled the Greek conquerors to systematically integrate Egyptian culture without being assimilated.

In Shangluo's view, this is similar to the Norman conquest of England. The Normans and Anglo-Saxons were cultural cousins, so their integration didn't lead to irreconcilable conflicts. However, in this process, the native Celts suffered true cultural annihilation. This is because the Normans only cared about their relationship with the Anglo-Saxons and completely disregarded who the Celts were.

This differs from a simple invasion. Because the capital of Ptolemaic Egypt was in Alexandria, the Ptolemaic dynasty, which occupied the area, actively carried out a complete Egyptianization.

If it were simply a matter of rejection, even a powerful culture like Persia would not have affected Egyptian culture in the slightest.

However, it was precisely Ptolemy's Egyptianization that led to a blurring of Egyptian and Greek cultures, leaving even the Egyptians themselves confused about which part belonged to Egypt and which to Greece. Yet, even at this point, the two could still be separated. After all, it was merely a fusion, and by investigating the reasons for this fusion, the process could still be reversed.

Egyptian culture was completely destroyed when the Romans arrived and blew away all the independent regimes in the land.

This was a very coincidental combo:
Egyptian culture itself is impregnable and cannot be conquered by force.

However, the Greeks, through cultural assimilation, created a Greco-Egyptian hybrid culture, weakening Egypt's cultural immunity. Then, they launched a brutal invasion, annihilating the weakened Egyptians.

The Romans didn't care about Egyptian culture at all, because Rome and Greece shared power.

This process can also be explained from Shangluo's perspective.

Ethnicity is a constant in history. However, if an entity is defeated while trying to assimilate, then that entity is utterly destroyed. Looking back, he recalls many similar events in his own historical experience.

This also includes the Yuan Dynasty—if the Yuan Dynasty were defeated by foreign enemies rather than overthrown by peasant uprisings, that would indeed be the most dangerous time. If that most dangerous time were to be triggered, it would be a "great change unprecedented in a thousand years."

That is why the "Reopening of the Great Song Dynasty" is so important; it broke the state of fusion. And if it can further save civilization during the "unprecedented changes in a thousand years," that would be an achievement beyond words.

Egypt is what it is today because it lacks such people.

Roman rule in Egypt did not actually directly integrate Egyptian culture, but rather a fusion of Greco-Egyptian cultures.

This is why Aru's master was not represented as Anubis, but rather as a chimera of Hermes and Anubis.

From this perspective, Shangluo still harbored some sympathy for the Egyptians—however, countless civilizations throughout history have been destroyed in this way, and he wouldn't necessarily sympathize with every single one. After all, Rome itself perished in the same way: Rome's bureaucratic system in Italy had once survived through its close ties with the Papacy, but after declerification, Rome's legacy was completely destroyed and ignored.

Civilizations come and go, and the thought that Rome itself had brought about its own downfall amused him considerably. The most resilient and powerful certainly have the right to revel in such things.

As Rome's old friend and elder brother, Rome and Egypt are no different in his eyes.

"How about this, as the eldest brother, take my advice and try to find a compromise?" Shang Luo suggested. "I think you can find common ground."

“Therefore,” Hermanubis emphasized, “the key issue remains the selection of the pharaoh. If one of you has a legitimate pharaoh, then of course you can rule Egypt. If not, then let’s continue to deal with each other as landlord and tenant.”

"Please wait." Shangluo raised his hand. "What is your assessment of the Pharaoh?"

“Any legitimate pharaoh will do—any legitimate successor of any pharaoh dynasty, including the Kushite and Ptolemaic dynasties. Or, a descendant of Caesar.”

“Can the Kushites be counted?” Victoria covered her forehead.

“That’s racist. Black people have been pharaohs, so of course they can be counted. Greeks are no different from black people in our eyes.”

“Then let’s go with Ptolemy,” Victoria said. “So, you need an heir to the Ptolemaic family? They’re Greek. So other Greeks can also be pharaohs, right?”

(End of this chapter)