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

It's actually a common tip.

Guo Kang himself knows that this kind of "strategic choice" lobbying method is actually an option that he tends to, plus several obviously unreliable options, and puts them on the audience together.

Other options can give listeners the illusion of "I'm making a choice" and make them psychologically more receptive. Introducing and explaining the absurdities in these options is also helpful in eliminating misthinking. That's why he did it on purpose.

This technique should also be seen by Theodora and others—to prove the error of the point of view by deducing absurd conclusions, that is, Zeno's fallacy method, which is a common debating technique used by the Greeks in classical times.

"Then let's talk about the third plan." The Queen Mother couldn't wait any longer, and urged: "It's to leave the most reliable one last, right?" ”

"It's up to you to judge whether it's reliable or not, but as I said, this is the most complex plan that requires the most patience and execution. The first thing it tests is ourselves. Guo Kang replied.

"As for the impetus for this project, I can tell a story."

"The Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is a common shrine for all denominations of the Worship of God. Each church divided the ownership of the church, and even a staircase and a door were assigned a specific one, and they quarreled with each other. When Saladin reoccupied Jerusalem, he found that they were still arguing. ”

Saladin appointed a Celestial to take care of the church's gates. This way, everyone should not quarrel over this most troublesome administrator position. As a result, all factions accepted it. To this day, the cathedral is still opened daily by the descendants of the Celestial Cultist. ”

"I've heard this story too." Lady Elena thought for a moment: "You mean, we are in Egypt, and we are also going to be this 'gatekeeper'?" ”

"That's right, Madame really has a vision." Guo Kang praised: "That's it. ”

"Our religion is an 'outsider' in Egypt. But outsiders also have the benefits of outsiders. He analyzed: "The current situation in Egypt is a three-legged state, so we don't need to rush to eliminate one party. On the contrary, it is most advantageous for them to exist at the same time, fighting each other. ”

"Caliph al-Mustain, the least based and militarily weakest, is currently trapped in Alexandria, barely holding on to the surrounding areas. However, although everyone knows that he is just a puppet, he still has a religious appeal to the lower class cultists and other Celestial Sect worlds. Moreover, he had a good relationship with businessmen and scholars. We control Egypt for trade in the Indian Ocean, and he can help us a lot in that regard. ”

"The Syrian emir Hafez, with a moderate military force, is currently widely courting allies in an attempt to confront other enemies. He communicated with us a lot, and he usually used us to scare the other emirs. This is a force that can be exploited, because his influence in Egypt is far less than that of his hometown, and he must rely on our cooperation to have the strength to repel the Turkmen tribes who covet his hometown, and then draw out the surplus troops to go to Egypt to fight for power. ”

"Finally, there is the Egyptian warlord Sheikh, who is the most powerful, who controls most of Egypt on paper, and who should be our target this time. But he also had a major problem, which was that the Mamluk regime was very loose, and many of the emirs everywhere were afraid of his own military strength to obey orders. ”

"We brought the caliphs and Syrians to show that this is not a war to annex and destroy local powers, and that the local little emirs will sit back and watch the tigers fight. They won't work hard for the Sheikh and put their own money into it, this time we will have less pressure to fight. ”

"That's the same thing Elizabeth told me before, we just need to fight this sheikh?" Lady Elena asked.

"We don't even have to announce that we're going to fight him." Guo Kang shook his head: "Because, even if it's the Sheikh, it's not like we have to live or die with you." ”

"What does that mean?" Cao Xun also came to be interested.

"I have heard that those who do not recognize the harms of using military force do not recognize the benefits of using military force; Those who cannot plan how to stop the war cannot plan how to start it. Guo Kang said: "Our strategic concept should be based on how to end the fighting. We must first determine what we need to do in post-war Egypt in the best interests of Rome. ”

"The problem now is that eliminating the Sheikh, or even striking him too far, is not in line with our needs. Hafez has worked with us a lot, but we have to be wary of him. For once he wins with our support and annexes the rest of his opponents, he will also try to squeeze us out in order to achieve his goal of mastering the caliphate and dominating Egypt. ”

"I just heard the Queen Mother relay the remarks of the former Khan Basil a few days ago, and I was very touched. A person's ambition is determined by his circumstances and strength, and it is also subject to change. He reminded: "Even if he behaves deferentially, we will not give him the opportunity to dominate Egypt." So, unless we are prepared to send a large number of main forces to maintain the occupation, we will need other forces to target him and curb his ambitions. ”

"We have so many enemies that I don't think we can send a large army to stay there." Cao Xun nodded: "Ling's idea is also reasonable. So in your opinion, the Sheikh is the best fit for this position? ”

"Yes. He has a vendetta with Hafez, and we can use military means to keep them from uniting. Guo Kang said.

"Let's talk about it." Cao Xun looked more and more eager to talk.

"We need to defeat the Sheikh in a decisive battle and deprive him of the ability to regain control of the Caliphate. But we don't need to weaken him to the point where he is weaker than Hafez. Instead, I propose not to strike at the area of Upper Egypt under his control, but to leave him a nest and allow him to maintain a military force stronger than Hafez. ”

"In this way, they will not be able to unite. They will also think about what to do if they defeat us. If the Sheikh is still stronger, then after expelling us, he still wants to annex Hafez, which is tantamount to inviting us to fight in vain, which is obviously unacceptable. Their direct common goal will make the two wary of each other and unable to cooperate. ”

"The good thing about that is that we can go in and out fast." Guo Kang analyzed: "After the first round, the main force of the expeditionary force can go home. After that, we can save a lot of troops by leaving some garrison troops in Alexandria. ”

"Again, as a companion, we do not have to officially declare war, but to advertise in advance that this is not a war against the Mamluk state, but only a military operation to help the caliph regain its status. In this way, it can also leave a step for both sides in advance, and after winning the war, it will be convenient for follow-up negotiations. ”

(End of chapter)