บท 364: Chapter 441 Journey to Egypt 1
The next day, Irish Prime Minister Éamon de Valera and President Douglas Hyde signed an alliance agreement with Jonas. They then publicly read an independence declaration, announcing that Ireland had abandoned its neutrality and declared war on England.
As soon as the agreement was signed, Germany immediately sent 10 fighter planes to Ireland. By the time the armistice agreement between Germany and France came into effect, the arms factory in Toulouse had produced 43 planes for the French Air Force and 52 for the French Navy. During the campaign, a total of 106 planes were lost, most of which were due to ground losses and flight accidents.
Apart from the dozens of D.520 aircraft owned by Vichy France, the rest of the over 100 planes became German spoils of war. The Germans naturally had no use for these planes, which were no match for the Bf 109F. They almost considered burning them for firewood. However, since Vichy France was also producing fighter planes, the Germans decided to send them to Ireland, which had no air force to speak of.
Although the D.520 fighter planes were not as good as the German Bf 109F or the British Spitfire, they could still hold their own against the British Hurricane fighters. In the original timeline, ace pilot Pierre Le Gloan flew his D.520 and shot down six British Royal Air Force Hurricanes and one Gladiator.
Given that Ireland had few pilots, the Germans also sent pilots along. Many of the pilots in the German Foreign Legion were French, many of whom were experienced flyers.
The only trouble was that transporting supplies to Irish ports required clearing mines and creating a safe passage. Fortunately, the Germans were very familiar with their own mines, so clearing them was quite efficient.
On the North African front, Rommel's army had surrounded Cairo, and Wilhelm eagerly set off for Egypt. However, he wasn't going to the front lines to offer condolences; he was going to find the pyramids.
The plane landed at a temporary airfield near the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Stepping out of the cabin, Wilhelm was hit by a wave of stifling heat. "The temperature in Berlin is below freezing right now, but it feels like at least 27 or 28 degrees Celsius here," he remarked, taking off his heavy coat and descending the stairs.
"Welcome to Egypt, Your Highness," greeted an enthusiastic Rommel, waiting at the bottom of the stairs. In the original timeline, Rommel's advance to within 100 kilometers of Cairo was already his limit, and he had to retreat in defeat.
"Good job, General Rommel. I hear there are at least 300,000 soldiers in Cairo. Is General Wavell planning to fight a street battle?"
"Yes, Your Highness. Just give the order, and our troops can flatten Cairo immediately."
Wilhelm shook his head. "No rush. If he wants a street battle, I won't let him have his way! You just need to besiege Cairo. In a few days, they will experience what it means to face a world-ending super weapon." Looking off into the distance, he commented, "Wow, it really is magnificent."
His gaze was fixed on the famous Sphinx.
The Sphinx, roughly as thick as a street and as tall as a six-story building, faces due east. Every year, during the spring and autumn equinoxes, the sun rises directly in front of it. The statue's crouching posture seems as if, after thousands of years of slumber, it is finally ready to take a step forward. The choice of location must have been carefully considered, as the statue overlooks the Nile Valley. It was carved from the limestone hill, which is about 30 feet (approximately 9.14 meters) higher than the surrounding area, forming the head and neck of the Sphinx. The rectangular limestone below the hill was carved into the body, and a 5.5-meter-wide, 7.6-meter-deep trench was dug around the statue to separate it from the surrounding environment, making the Sphinx stand out prominently.
"Do you think Khafre really looked like this?"
The identity of the Sphinx's face is most commonly believed to be Pharaoh Khafre of the Fourth Dynasty. This view is presented in all standard Egyptology textbooks, encyclopedias, archaeological journals, and popular science literature. It has been accepted as historical fact.
The only problem is that without a time machine, no one among us can definitively determine if the Sphinx resembles Khafre, not even the most outstanding Egyptologists, as Pharaoh Khafre's body has never been found. All they can do is continue studying existing statues.
Among all these statues is a renowned masterpiece of carving, a dark diorite statue. This statue now lies quietly in a room on the ground floor of the Cairo Museum. Scholars have confidently asserted that the Sphinx resembles Khafre based on this striking and beautiful statue.
Rommel, a bit embarrassed, replied, "Your Highness, I'm not well-versed in archaeology."
Wilhelm then asked, "Do you think there's a treasure worth a nation's wealth hidden beneath it?"
Rommel seriously responded, "If Your Highness wishes, we can dig it up immediately to find out."
Wilhelm laughed heartily. "No need, I'm not like the rumored Napoleon."
The Sphinx originally had a nose, but it was later destroyed.
One popular story links this to Napoleon: In 1798, when Napoleon invaded Egypt, he was very arrogant, and many people bowed before him when he reached the Giza pyramids. However, the Sphinx remained resolutely facing east, showing no sign of submission. Enraged, Napoleon ordered his soldiers to bombard the Sphinx, and they used it for target practice, shooting off its nose.
Another account states that after conquering Egypt, Napoleon, seeking the entrance to the treasure beneath the Sphinx, ordered his soldiers to dig around it. When they couldn't find the entrance after many days, a frustrated Napoleon commanded them to bombard the Sphinx, destroying its nose in the process.
However, Wilhelm did not believe these stories.
Napoleon, though an invader, was not just a brute according to his diaries and memoirs. He was interested in history from a young age and had great respect for science and culture. His army had a saying, "Let scholars walk in the midst of the army."
Moreover, Napoleon himself was highly educated, excelling in mathematics, history, and other natural sciences in his youth. His research into Egyptian culture was as thorough as that of renowned scholars of his time. In 1798, when he led his army to Egypt, he brought nearly 200 scientists and artists to study Egypt's history and culture. Such a man, with so much respect for culture, would hardly commit such a sacrilege.
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