For Guo Kang's suggestion, others also thought about it.

Lady Elena first asked, "What if the Sheikh refuses to accept this situation and insists on fighting us to the end?" ”

Theodora was stunned and glanced at Guo Kang helplessly.

The question was too simplistic, and she obviously didn't want to answer it. Guo Kang had no choice but to take the initiative to explain: "Then find another person." Whatever the world lacks, there will be no shortage of those who want to be emirs. He doesn't do it, some people do. ”

"Then this newcomer, can he take on the responsibilities you said?" Lady Elena asked again.

"Absolutely." Guo Kang replied: "I just said that Sheikh is slightly stronger than Hafez, which is just an example. In turn, Hafez is stronger than the Sheikh or this new opponent, and can achieve the same effect. ”

"We don't have to worry about no one." He looked at everyone, thought about it, and said bluntly: "A lord's power does not come from himself, but from the needs of the social environment. ”

"As long as there is a vacancy in power, there will definitely be someone on top. If there is this demand, there will naturally be someone to meet it. As for who is on, we don't need to care at all. ”

"If the Sheikh falls, it will naturally be someone who will replace him and govern the areas that we and Hafez cannot control. We don't have to worry about whether his ability will work or not. The competition between the Mamluks was extremely fierce, and the incompetent ones were cut down by themselves after a while, and we didn't have to pick them. ”

"We just need to take care of the port and trade routes, and leave the rest to them to fight." Guo Kang said: "And rest assured, not only us, but also the caliph also very much hopes that these people will fight." If one day they stop fighting, then the caliph is in danger......"

"The caliph is also a force. What if he goes big and then tries to build his own country? "Lady Elena asked all about everything.

"I think it's too unlikely. But if you have this ability, you won't be a puppet for hundreds of years. Guo Kang shook his head: "Moreover, if he has this idea, then the Mamluk warlords will immediately teach him a lesson—just like every time the bishop of Rome has a little thought, King Alemanni will lead his army south." On the other hand, it has become a habit. ”

"Besides, I'm only halfway there. In addition to ourselves, other forces can be introduced. ”

Elena seemed to have some problems, but Cao Xun put his hand on her arm and told her to stop talking.

"Please continue." He said to Guo Kang: "Who else can we rely on? ”

"Italian merchant." Guo Kang replied: "The Venetians have long wanted to dredge the canal, pull them up, and the problem of money can be solved, and even the money can be reversed." ”

"Canal?" Cao Xun didn't seem to have heard of it either.

"A canal connecting the Red Sea to the Nile." Guo Kang nodded: "The construction of this river is not very difficult, the Egyptians tried it more than three thousand years ago. The pharaoh who presided over the excavation at that time was called Sinuselt, and the site of the canal was named after him. Because of the constant change of sound, it should be called 'Suez' now. ”

"After the collapse of the Abbasid Empire, the various regimes that controlled Egypt were unwilling to maintain the canal, and the river gradually silted up and disappeared, and it has not been restored until now."

"The Venetians would love to restore the canal so that they have direct access to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. The profits on this trade route were so staggering that they even contacted the Mamluks, who were willing to pay for the construction themselves, and would not claim control of the canal, as long as they could ensure the unhindered passage of their merchant ships. ”

"I think this condition is very good, why hasn't it been implemented before? Is it the Venetian's bad credit, or is there something wrong with the canal? Cao Xun asked.

"It's not the river." "Because it has been blocked for hundreds of years, in order to replace the failed canals, there are many camel caravans to take goods from various ports on the Red Sea to various ports on the Red Sea to various ports on the Egyptian hinterland or the Mediterranean coast," Guo said. Over the years, huge groups have been formed, which are said to be 100,000 in size. If the canal were to be reopened, most of these people would be unemployed. ”

"The Mamluk regime is not very stable, so the sultans cannot afford to offend them for this money. Anyway, the transportation is not convenient, and it just makes the Venetians, who are engaged in the next step of transportation and distribution, anxious. The Mamluks themselves still collect tolls, so they don't care much. ”

"Aren't we going to face this problem too?" Cao Xun asked: "Or did the Venetian give a plan this time?" ”

"Oh, it's a lot smaller now." Guo Kang said: "There was a severe plague outbreak in Egypt before, and the losses along the trade route were very serious. After that, there was a civil war, and it has not been peaceful until now. Many of the current caravans have taken other routes, and the size of the caravans has also shrunk considerably. It's much easier to deal with than it was back then. ”

"This is also okay......" Cao Xun didn't seem to expect to be able to solve it like this, and muttered.

"As soon as the Mamluk envoy opened, several representatives of the Italian Chamber of Commerce came to look for Tuhuan and me." Guo Kang said: "I deliberately told them all the news about the canal, so that they could bid with each other so that we could make a little more money." ”

"At the moment, the Venetians are not only willing to pay money, but also support our garrison in Egypt. Because they think that the local government cares too much about trivial matters such as camel caravans, and only outsiders like us are more focused on business itself. ”

"We told them that in that kind of place, everybody is an outsider, and it's best to be able to hold together. The Venetians also found it justified and felt that they could invest in the canal, and offered to sponsor our military operations. ”

"When we finalize the specific plan, maybe we can raise the price again. Because the merchants of several other city-states are also enthusiastic, there will definitely be another round of competition at that time. At present, if the talks are good, the garrison we left behind may not have to pay for it ourselves. ”

"Are you prepared to use force against the local forces?" Cao Xun asked.

"I don't know much about Egypt, but in my experience, this kind of team that has been operating on fixed trade routes for a long time will not only have their own organization, but will also be inextricably linked with local forces along the way."

"You mean, now that the power of the camel caravan has weakened, there is no problem in dealing with them. But we need to consider the subsequent effects. He stroked his white beard, stared at Guo Kang attentively, and continued to ask questions: "If we fight with the camel team by force, will it affect the future construction?" ”

"If we don't rush it, of course we can slowly organize our manpower and wait for the local government to establish our own management structure, and then dig the canal. But what this plan pursues is to restore the canal as soon as possible, right? In this way, it is necessary to gather a large number of local laborers quickly, and this kind of work must require the cooperation of the surrounding local tyrants. How are you going to deal with these people? ”

(End of chapter)