To Four Thousand Years Later

"I heard that you are somewhat dissatisfied with me. About... how I dealt with these soldiers."

Solomon sat on the horse and walked slowly towards his palace, waving to the passers-by kneeling on the ground on both sides of the road. Yastaru next to Solomon just smiled softly without saying a word.

The sound of their conversation was not heard by the cheering people on both sides. Only a few people around Solomon could hear it.

Solomon said casually among the crowd: "Really, Priest Meru?"

"No... Absolutely not!"

Melu, who followed closely behind Solomon because of some guilty conscience, was startled, and immediately replied: "Wise King Solomon—I hope you can learn from me, I never have such a heart!"

"No, you have."

Solomon chuckled, "You're even hostile to me."

— how did he know? !

Melu was shocked.

He felt the sweat running down his back in an instant, and a real fear crawled up his spine.

But the next moment, Solomon changed his voice.

"—However, that has nothing to do with me. If everyone who hates me is a knife, I will be cut into pieces sooner or later."

Solomon smiled and waved to his subjects, and said in a low voice, "But you can't do anything, and you can't change anything, so I forgive you, Priest of Amon."

Speaking of which, Solomon turned his head slightly, looked sideways at Melu and said in a low voice, "So don't worry, I don't plan to do anything to you."

After that, he turned around and continued to move forward.

But Melu was slightly taken aback when he heard the words, and stopped in place.

He was dazzled by the warm atmosphere welcoming King Solomon back home and the coldness soaked in ice water in his heart.

The moment Solomon turned his head, the indifferent but pityful eyes were really burned in his heart.

I won't do anything to you - because whatever you do won't affect me.

That strong sense of self-confidence made Melu feel bitter.

"You mean, King Solomon..."

He bowed slightly, bowing to Solomon who was drifting away. Even if Solomon could not hear his voice, nor see his salute.

This is gratitude to Solomon for saving his life.

At that moment, a rebellious thought arose in Melu's heart.

Why, Solomon is the king of Israel? Not an Egyptian pharaoh?

"My king, is he really hostile to you?"

The prophet Nathan leaned on his staff and walked slowly beside Solomon who was pacing slowly on his horse.

Although his pace was slow, he could always keep up with Solomon.

He didn't ask Solomon until Melu could not hear his voice.

"Yeah, there is."

Solomon nodded resolutely.

The blood-red name is almost as good as the enemy he met on the battlefield. Even after seeing Solomon, the hostility only flushed red with fear.

"Then why did you let him go?"

Nathan frowned and lowered his voice: "My king, if you feel that it is inconvenient to do it here, when he returns...I can go and see him off."

"No, Nathan."

Yastaru spoke suddenly, and said softly in a soft voice: "Since your lord has made a decision, there must be a reason for your lord."

Her voice was so soft that it didn't seem to have any deterrent effect, but Nathan immediately stopped talking and saluted her respectfully: "You are right."

"As Yastaru said. You are too nervous, Floros."

Solomon chuckled, walked out of the crowd with a few people around him, and his voice became louder: "That's right, Melu is right."

"I just want these people to feel how rich my country is and how good my attitude towards the people is... and then let them go back to hard labor, and they will deeply realize how strict the Pharaoh is to them .”

The corner of Solomon's mouth rose: "Life is so good here, Pharaoh would not dare to let them take power again. And I knocked off their right index and middle fingers, which made them unable to draw bows and arrows, but it did not affect them. Simple farm work, let alone hard work. This is a good excuse for the Pharaoh."

"But for the past month, they have eaten meat, wheat bread, and cold goat's milk every day, and they have been sung to them, and they don't have to work. This is enough to dispel my resentment for breaking their fingers, if not enough If not, I will apologize to them later.”

Solomon looked at Floros with a smile: "And they were sent to do hard labor as soon as they returned. It is self-evident which one is more hateful."

"Just like when everyone eats barley cakes, no one will feel that there is anything wrong with their life. But after he travels far, he knows that the villagers in the neighboring villages are all eating wheat cakes, and there is meat in their three meals. When the time comes, he will feel that the barley cake is not so tasty."

"Originally, as long as I can eat enough, I am very happy, but gradually I want to eat better, and then I want to get more. I will not let it go until it reaches the same standard as the 'food eaten by others', or even better. "

Solomon asked calmly, "I ask you, Floros—has the barley bread changed?"

"No."

Floros thought for a while, then replied: "It's their desires that have changed."

"That's right. The taste of barley cakes has never changed... what has changed is people's hearts."

Solomon chuckled and said, "So I say that Melu's idea is correct. Although he doesn't know the principle, and he doesn't know what's wrong...but it's really not a good thing for them that I treat these captives too favorably. .”

"Let's not talk about it, will someone sneak back because they are greedy for the treatment here... and they also have their own social circle in Egypt. They spread these experiences, in a sense, they have opened up cultural exchanges barrier."

Solomon looked at the goods parked outside the palace, the corners of his mouth raised.

Pharaoh had absolutely no idea that what he really wanted was not the Edomite's child, nor the cattle and sheep...but the papyrus hidden among the goods.

Knowledge has a price, and so do words. And what bears the price of knowledge and discourse is the medium of thought transmission.

Israel and Tyre began to sell large quantities of books abroad, requiring tons of papyrus as raw material. Once the Pharaoh realizes that papyrus is a necessary strategic material for Israel and resolutely stops exporting it, it will have a huge impact on Solomon's long-term plan.

And these papyrus are the key resource reserves. Moreover, Solomon asked for so much in one go, and at the same time, he was still cutting off Egypt's papyrus reserves.

In this way, once the barriers of cultural exchange are broken, Pharaoh will not be able to compete with Solomon on the bottom of the people.

The fire has been planted.

External envy and jealousy, coupled with internal dissatisfaction and resentment, are the best guides for cultural invasion.

"All thoughts can be guided, and all ideas can be changed."

Solomon said flatly: "Of course Priest Meru's idea is correct. But so what?"

"If an idea can have a positive effect on the masses simply because it is correct in itself. Why do I have to spend so much time educating the people?"

Solomon chuckled when he said this: "Okay, we're home, Floros."

—This also means that the only good day in the life of these prisoners is finally coming to an end.