Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 561: Slowly advance to a rapid battle
Guo Kang thought for a while and felt that this was not a big problem.

"This expedition is not considered a secret. I estimate that all the major forces are aware of it." He said: "The Mamluk Caliphate and those large and small warlords who asked us to intervene must have already invited other similar religious forces around them. ”

"It's just that the church members either come up to the lion and offer too high a price; or they are too unreliable and even think about annexing the enemy before attacking them. In view of various cases in history, I prefer the second option. It’s both. So, if you have no choice, come and ask us for help.”

"So, everyone around us should know that we are going to Egypt. This strategic goal cannot be concealed. Moreover, because of Egypt's important strategic position, this kind of expedition has also appeared many times in history. The previous attack methods and As a result, we can acquiesce that they are also aware of it.”

"That being said, the previous results were not very good." Guo Ponu hesitated: "Since the Romans were driven out of Egypt, the forces on the northern shore of the Mediterranean have never come back. The Eastern Roman efforts to regain this place have never been Success; although the Crusaders once forced the Fatimid dynasty to pay tribute, they were ultimately unable to control the country; the French expedition was also defeated by the Mamluks."

"Our whole country is eager for the opportunity to make meritorious deeds, but this time, there are so many people who oppose it, and it makes sense. Cross-sea expeditions have never seemed to be a good thing, starting with the failed war of the Athenians against Egypt in the classical era. , that’s it.”

"The main problem is that I don't know what the cultural level of the Turkmen warlords in West Asia and the Mamluks in Egypt is like." Guo Kang scratched his head: "If everyone knows these stories, then these historical experiences can become our tools . I'm actually worried that they don't know..."

"What do you mean?" Guo Ponu asked.

"If enemies and potential enemies believe that you will definitely fail, then you may find opportunities to take advantage of their laxness to defeat them." Guo Kang replied: "Because the previous failures were not due to distance and geographical factors. s reason."

"The Crusaders had too few people, and in those critical years, the prestigious King Amalric of Jerusalem died of illness. After that, there was a series of internal fights, and the best opportunity was lost. The French suffered a complete military failure. , and I still can’t understand their messy strategic plan, and I don’t know what they were thinking at the time - but this is their daily life, so it’s not too surprising.”

"Then what should we do?" Guo Ponu asked.

"As for the ancient Athenians, to be honest, with that crazy decision-making mechanism, I don't think they could win any important offensive battle. Instead of thinking about how to overthrow the Persian rule of Egypt, it is better to think about how to overthrow the Persian rule of Egypt. If you overthrow democracy in the city, it will be useless even if you win.”

"And such a military operation, I think, should be heavy on the beginning and the end, and light on the war part in the middle." Guo Kang thought for a while and said, "Our reconnaissance, material preparation, and diplomatic operations are the most important. Whenever possible, we must try to divide the enemy, win over those who are wavering, and weaken possible obstacles. If we can succeed, the so-called "expedition to Egypt" will only be a battle. Just two thorns."

"So we don't have to be too rigid in our thinking." He analyzed: "You see, the one who took the lead in inviting us this time is Hafez, the warlord entrenched in southern Syria and Palestine. If this road is opened, then enter There is no difficulty in Egypt. We can even separate the land and water to divert their attention. With more choices, there will be more corresponding tactics.”

"The Persians conquered Egypt by starting from the Syrian area and taking this route. Later, Alexander and Antioch all entered from this route. The wars up to the Ilkhanate and the Mamluks also revolved around the Syrian area. Expand, because after taking this place, Egypt will be even more undefeated. Go all the way south through the Sinai Peninsula, and you will soon reach the core area of ​​Egypt.”

"Furthermore, according to previous ideas, when we go there, we are not going there to achieve military results and destroy many enemies, but to establish order as soon as possible. We all like war, but some people will forget that war is the same if they fight too much. Establishing order is a means, not an end.”

"Is it the same in Syria?" Guo Ponu asked.

"Only when a new order is established and we join it, can we establish our own foundation as soon as possible, allow our military power to be self-sustaining in Egypt, and even cover the costs, making the entire operation meaningful."

"If you feel that it is unsafe to take the sea route, there are too many failed precedents, you can also take the land route." Guo Kang said: "The water network of the Nile River is really not conducive to directly entering the hinterland of Egypt. But if you take the land route, it will be much more convenient."

"If I tell you, three legions are probably too many. We can send only two, one to defend in Syria and one to attack in Egypt. I think this is enough."

"The strength of the Mamluks is now far less than it used to be." Guo Kang said: "I estimate that there are at most five to six thousand Mamluks there, and they are divided into several camps. The largest one, but Just over 2,000. Therefore, we must either send a particularly large force to suppress everyone in one fell swoop, or we should not invest too much force at the beginning, lest we replace the unlucky guy now and become the target of everyone's attack. Once we gain a foothold, we can accept more soldiers and complete the mission in one fell swoop.”

"Also, after arriving at the place, how to operate it can make all parties feel acceptable, so as to recognize the situation at this time and end the war. Who must issue, who needs to beat, and who can unite, these must be carried out More detailed analysis, but our preparation is still not enough." He pointed to the files on the table: "Many things can only be done while advancing."

"Why do you say that?" Guo Ponu asked curiously.

"Same." Guo Kang nodded: "If we send out too many people, the other side will be suspicious, wondering whether we are aiming to annex them in one fell swoop. Do they dare to bring out their men to attack Egypt? It’s hard to say.”

"So, I tend not to rush. We must march, but we must not panic too much. We must make preparations and observe while moving forward. We must prepare supplies and other things along the way to see if the enemy will I think the possibility of continuing internal strife to make the surname more beneficial is not small.”

"On the contrary, if the battle starts, it must be done as soon as possible without giving them time to breathe and react. Beat the leader down as soon as possible, and the others will immediately become more honest."

"There are many warlords in his place, but there are certainly more than just these people in society. I guess that a historically wealthy place like theirs would also have a lot of... well, just like that Vlahos People. These people have various resources and have a certain influence in the local area, but they are even less willing to resist than those warlords. As long as they win the battle, they will soon be frightened enough to accept our demands. " "Oh, that person..." Guo Ponu also learned about what they did some time ago, and showed a clear expression: "Such an analogy is easier to understand."

"This kind of people, no matter where they are, no matter what civilization they are in, or what religion they believe in, they have this kind of virtue. The situation in Egypt is probably worse than here." Guo Kang shook his head: "But it's okay, with them here, we There is no need to worry about military expenses.”

"Robbing them directly?" Guo Ponu asked.

"It's not called robbery." Guo Kang corrected: "Actually, I hate the behavior of plundering. It is too inefficient and unsustainable. It seems that you get a lot at once, but in fact you are killing the goose that lays the goose to lay eggs. Not only does it make the locals hate you, , and you won’t get much profit, it’s a very primitive way to get loot.”

"After the turmoil in Dadu, I kept reflecting. I found that we actually have a simpler way to solve the problem, which is to find the richest people and the most angry people and ask them to spit out all their gold coins. ”

"The wealth in the city is highly concentrated. If you go to the city to plunder spoils, most people will resist you. The total amount of wealth you can rob is also limited, and the city is likely to be damaged and difficult to recover in a short period of time. However, if you kill these most annoying rich people, the wealth you get will not decrease much, and most people will come to help you. The city will soon be able to return to normal, and gather wealth that is no less than before, and the efficiency may even be higher."

"We can try this idea when we get there." He finally said: "If it works, I estimate that even in the early stage, we will not lose money, and we can even make a lot of money."

"Then these people must be able to survive and keep their property for a long time, they must have something to rely on." Guo Ponu said: "Robbing their money will not lead to a fight with these forces and make it difficult for more people to live with us? "

"It will be like this in normal times, but it doesn't matter during the war." Guo Kang analyzed: "I have considered this issue from the beginning - but if you think about it, the side we are at war with can allow us to occupy their cities afterwards. This What does it mean? It means that the force used to protect them is over. In this case, no matter who they turn to, their money is ours."

"It's not hard to think about. Just think about it yourself."

"...I really didn't think so far." Guo Ponu curled his lips and said helplessly: "This is too troublesome."

"You haven't thought about it, which means someone is thinking about it for you." Guo Kang disagreed: "However, our efficiency here is indeed not high."

"Our current information collection capabilities are not much improved compared to hundreds of years ago during the Mongols' Western Expedition. We mainly rely on merchants and envoys to obtain information."

"From that time until now, the most effective way to obtain intelligence is to bribe businessmen. Cooperate with them and understand the information they provide. In the past, this was not impossible. After all, the Europeans had too many organizations. Too loose. In order to maintain the operation of the court, businessmen can enter and exit the palace at will, and even handle important tasks such as finance and taxation. In this way, there is no need to keep secrets at all. "

"However, merchants are an independent force after all. We get information from merchants, and many times when we have needs, we go to them to buy. I think this is still unreliable. When we encounter places that they don't often go to, or interests When the involvement is complicated, this source of information is less reliable. Moreover, in addition to simply asking for information, sometimes we also need to perform operations directly, but businessmen may not be able to help us with these things. This demand is expected to increase in the future. The bigger the problem, sooner or later we have to do it ourselves. Like this time, who is worthy of asking for money? This kind of thing cannot be obtained by others..."

"I'm not talking about this trouble." Guo Ponu said truthfully: "I think things other than military training and combat are quite troublesome. Shouldn't those be matters resolved by civil servants and staff?"

"You don't understand it yourself, how can you let others do it?" Guo Kang shook his head: "A qualified commander has to take care of many things, intelligence and logistics are just a part of it. If you can't do these, then you are definitely not qualified. . The ancients said that a general has five basic requirements..."

"Okay, okay." Guo Ponu interrupted him quickly: "No wonder everyone says that you are suitable to lead the army. You are much more thoughtful than me..."

"It's more timid than careful." Guo Kang didn't think it was a big deal: "My military power is not as good as yours, and I don't think I have any talent in the military. All I can do is learn as much as possible and think more. , I hope that after the war breaks out, I can minimize my mistakes and not hinder everyone. In this way, it will naturally appear to be "meticulous" - it is not okay if it is not meticulous, it is all forced. "

"That's not bad. With this kind of mentality, at least you won't suffer defeat. After all, there are no people like Bai Qi and Han Xin in Europe." Guo Ponu said: "What often happens here, On the contrary, everyone was too aggressive in the battle. Many of our relatives, as well as the children of several other pillar countries, died because of underestimating the enemy. "

"This is also a matter of mentality." Guo Kang thought for a while and said: "The tactics adopted in the battle ultimately depend on one's own goals. These people receive the most resources, but also receive the most attention and pressure. It is estimated that they are all Too eager to get military glory."

"Yes." Guo Ponu nodded, came to Guo Kang, stretched out his hand to press his shoulder: "You too, I saw that when you started fighting before, you still couldn't help but want to rush forward. As a qualified person, Commander, you have to restrain this impulse."

"I know." Guo Kang quickly pushed her away.

Guo Ponu looked a little unhappy, but didn't say anything further.

(End of this chapter)