Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 190 The Special Military Operation of the Caliph against the Emir

Although it was rather funny, everyone in the hall probably understood that his first two statements were just to attract attention and lead the topic.The highlight that I really want to talk about is the last one.

This is actually a common trick.

Guo Kang himself knows that this "strategic choice" lobbying method is actually an option he prefers, plus a few obviously unreliable options, and put them together to the audience.

Other options can give the listener the illusion of "I'm making a choice," making them more psychologically acceptable.Introducing and explaining the absurdity of these options is also helpful in eliminating wrong thinking.Therefore, he did it on purpose.

Theodora and others should also be able to see this kind of technique—the absurd conclusions deduced to prove the point of view are wrong. This is Zeno’s reductio absurdum, which is a common debating technique used by Greeks in classical times.

"Then let's talk about the third plan." The queen mother couldn't wait any longer, and urged: "Is the most reliable one left for the last?"

"Whether it is reliable or not is up to everyone to judge, but as I said, this plan is the most complicated and requires the most patience and execution. The first thing it needs to test is ourselves." Guo Kang replied.

"As for the opportunity of this plan, I can tell a story."

"The Cathedral of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is a common holy place for all denominations of God worshipers. The various churches divided up the ownership of the church, and even a staircase and a door have specific allocations, and they are in constant dispute with each other. Saladin re- Occupy Jerusalem and find them still arguing."

"So, Saladin simply appointed a Tianfang believer to manage the gate of the church. In this way, everyone will stop arguing about this most troublesome administrator position. As a result, all factions have accepted it. Until now, the cathedral is still Every day, the descendants of this Tianfang believer will open the door."

"I've heard this story too." Mrs. Irina thought for a while, "You mean, we are in Egypt, so we also have to be the 'gatekeeper'?"

"That's right, madam really has vision." Guo Kang praised, "That's it."

"Our religion is regarded as an 'outsider' in Egypt. But outsiders also have the benefits of outsiders." He analyzed: "The current situation in Egypt is a state of three pillars, so we don't need to rush to eliminate one side. On the contrary, let It is the most beneficial for them to exist at the same time and fight against each other."

"Caliph Mustain has the shallowest foundation and the weakest military strength. He is currently trapped in Alexandria and can only barely keep the surrounding area. However, although everyone knows that he is just a puppet, he is very important to the lower class believers and other Tianfang Sect worlds. , still has a religious appeal. Moreover, he has a good relationship with businessmen and scholars. We control Egypt to enter the Indian Ocean trade, and he can give us a lot of help in this regard.”

"Syria's emir Hafiz, with a medium military strength, is currently recruiting allies and trying to fight against other enemies. He often communicates with us, and usually uses us to scare other emirs. This is a force that can be used, because His influence in Egypt is far less than that of his hometown, and we must rely on our cooperation to have the strength to repel the Turkmen tribe who covets his hometown, and then draw extra troops to fight for power in Egypt."

"Finally, there is the Egyptian warlord Sheikh. He is the most powerful. On paper, he controls most of Egypt. He is also the target of our battle this time. But he also has a major problem, that is, the Mamluk regime. It is very loose, and many emirs in various places obey orders because they are afraid of his own military strength."

"We brought the caliphate and the Syrians to show that this is not a war to annex and destroy local forces, and the local emirs will also hold the attitude of sitting on the mountain and watching the tigers fight. They will not risk their lives for the Sheikh. Let’s go in, this time we will have less combat pressure.”

"That's what Elizabeth told me before, we just need to hit this Sheikh?" Madam Irina asked.

"We don't even have to declare that we want to fight him." Guo Kang shook his head: "Because, even Sheikh is not going to fight us to the death."

"How do you say that?" Cao Xun also became interested.

"I heard that those who cannot realize the harm of using troops cannot realize the benefits of using troops; those who cannot plan how to stop wars cannot plan how to start wars." Guo Kang said: "Our strategic conception should be based on On the basis of how the battle is ended. It starts with determining what state we need post-war Egypt to be in the best interest of Rome."

"The problem now is that eliminating the Sheikh, or even hitting him too far, does not meet our needs. Hafiz cooperates with us a lot, but we must be vigilant against him. Because once he wins with our support, If he annexes other opponents, he will also try to squeeze us out in order to achieve his goal of mastering the Caliphate and dominating Egypt."

"A few days ago, I just heard the Queen Mother recount the words of Senhan Basil, and I was very touched. A person's ambition is determined by his situation and strength, and it can change at any time." He reminded: "Even if he shows respect , we cannot give him the opportunity to dominate Egypt. Therefore, unless we are prepared to send a large number of main forces to maintain the occupation, other forces will be needed to target him and curb his ambitions.”

"We have too many enemies. I don't think it is really possible to send a large army permanently." Cao Xun nodded, "Your idea is also reasonable. So do you think Xie He is the most suitable for this position?"

"Yes. He and Hafiz have a feud, and we can use military means to make them unable to unite." Guo Kang said.

"Let's talk." Cao Xun seemed more and more eager to talk.

"We need to defeat the Sheikh in a decisive battle, depriving him of the ability to regain control of the Caliph. But we don't need to weaken him to the point where he is weaker than Hafiz. Instead, I recommend not taking the upper Egypt he controls To attack, but to leave him a nest, and indulge him to maintain a stronger military force than Hafiz."

"In this way, they will not be able to unite. They will also consider what to do after defeating us. If Sheikh is still stronger, after expelling us, he will still go to annex Hafez. Said, this is tantamount to asking us to fight a war in vain, which is obviously unacceptable. Their direct common goal will make the two of them wary of each other and unable to cooperate."

"The advantage of this is that we can move in and out quickly." Guo Kang analyzed: "After the first round, the main force of the expeditionary force can go home. After that, we can leave some garrison troops in Alexandria, which can save a lot of money." of troops."

"Similarly, as a supporting package, we don't have to formally declare war, but publicize in advance, saying that this is not a war against the Mamluk country, but just a military operation to help the Caliphate restore its status. In this way, it can also leave a step forward for both sides. , After winning, it will be convenient for follow-up negotiations."

(End of this chapter)