For Guo Kang's suggestion, the other three were very surprised. Guo Kang had no choice but to explain.

"What we're thinking about now is to lay a good foundation for Rome." "For this goal, it is also necessary to do something that seems shocking," he said. ”

"At the previous conference, the Great Khan and the senators came to a conclusion, and you should have all read that document: the Rus region is to the Great Qin State what Xirong is to the Qin State. By opening up this area, there is hope for strengthening the national strength. ”

Moreover, as we all know, the competition between major powers is often not determined by one or two battles, but depends on the competition of national strength between the two sides. So, if possible, the more such places, the better. Even if you can't hold it yourself, you can't let the enemy digest it. ”

"Now that the Mamluk regime is declining and civil strife is continuing, it has long since lost the prestige of the Ilkhanate that it used to resist the Ilkhanate. Moreover, compared to their military strength, the political level of these people is even worse. I don't believe the locals would welcome them. ”

"Egypt, like Shu, is the land of abundance. Now their masters can't even keep their own hands, and even invite us to intervene and help solve the problem. This is the opportunity that Heavenly Father has given us, how can we give it up? ”

"I'm not opposed to intervening in Egypt." "But intervening in Egypt and organizing the Egyptians to arm them and carry them out are two different things," said the Grand Lama. ”

"yes." Pronsky also said: "You mobilize the Slavs, they can still go and fill the lower front, and there are no requirements for supplies." If you mobilize the Egyptians...... They can only eat military rations. ”

"I just think it's not a human problem, it's a problem of the environment." Guo Kang said truthfully.

"Of course, but herein lies the problem." Cao Jian also analyzed: "If you want to say how different people are, I think there may be, but it should not be decisive." ”

"I used to read the "Biography of the Goods and Colonies" in the historical records, where Taishi Gong wrote a long paragraph to record the customs of various places and describe the character and cultural traditions of the local people. I believe that with his consistent attitude, these remarks are not groundless, and may indeed be the common view of people in the Western Han Dynasty. But, looking at it now, those words are just some strange stereotypes, and many of them are completely incorrect. ”

"So, there's nothing wrong with what you said. According to my thoughts, when Heavenly Father created man, there was no such big difference between people. The formation of so many ethnic groups in later generations is probably also due to the problem of terroir. Historical records also say that the Xiongnu were descendants of the Xia Dynasty, but when they arrived on the grassland, they had completely different customs. I don't think it's because of people, it's because of environmental changes. The history of the Central Plains is too long and there are too many records, which is why these laws are particularly obvious. ”

"In Europe, however, bizarre conjectures are often proposed, and even hypotheses about spiritual differences between people in different regions. However, these theories not only run counter to the teachings of our universal faith, but also do not conform to the history recorded by our predecessors. ”

"That's what I agree with." Guo Kang nodded: "In this way, it really shows that these people can use it." ”

"But you're only thinking about half of it." Cao Jian reminded: "If you bring an Egyptian to Rome and train him in the Roman way since he was a child, it will definitely be okay." When he grows up, he is not expected to be much weaker than the other Romans. But now the problem is that we are going to Egypt. ”

"The Egyptians did not come into being. They lack combat effectiveness, and I don't think it's because Heavenly Father deliberately didn't give them them, but because of the water and soil, such people will be raised. He went on to state his point:

"Ideally, of course, all of our control zones can be adjusted to the best possible condition. We built water conservancy, cultivated farmland, taught the locals how to grow crops, and brought Crimea to the west of the Dnieper, where many semi-nomadic people converted to sedentary farming. This is also a process of changing the terroir - through educating and persuading farmers, we have created a new way of life in that land, and it has also naturally changed the organizational form and collective character of the local people. The so-called sinicization and romanization,Maybe that's what it looks like.。 ”

"But our capabilities are also limited. There is some land that can be reclaimed but not well utilized, and with the technology in our hands, we can try to transform it as much as possible, so that it is suitable for our production methods, so that we can organize it effectively, so that we can complete the training and form a combat force. ”

"The Rus' region, for example, was almost impossible to cultivate effectively hundreds of years ago. Therefore, even if the dynasties of that time could defeat the incoming Rus' and other nomadic tribes, or even send expeditionary forces to destroy the nomadic countries there, they could not turn that place into the territory of Rome. But now, with more advanced iron smelting technology and more experience in water conservancy, we can solve many of the previous problems, adjust the local terroir, and educate the local people. ”

"But the Egyptian side...... How can we change the local water and soil? He spread his hands helplessly: "The situation over there is exactly the other way around, right?" ”

"What does that mean?" Grand Lama Wang asked.

"The Ross region is too poor. Although the resources are abundant, they have not been developed for a long time, and we are all well aware of this. Cao Jian said: "But it's not on the Egyptian side." ”

"They were so good for farming, and since ancient times, they have settled along the Nile. I don't know when they got there, but they lived there long before the Greeks went through the Dark Ages, building those miraculous and magnificent buildings. ”

"Because the history is too long, they have already formed their own set of culture. I suspect that the civilization of these people may have to be compared with the Central Plains, far from being comparable to that of Europe. How are we going to educate them......"

"At least, there's room for faith." Wang Da Lama was a little unwilling: "The Egyptians have changed their faith several times in history. Their religion only appeared hundreds of years ago. There is still something we can do about this. ”

"None of this is a problem, the key is combat quality." Cao Jian said: "Whether it is the Persians of Zoroastrianism, the Greeks of polytheism, or the ancient Rome of God-worshipping, until the different dynasties of Tianfangjiao...... All religions, all sects, all ruled there, but you see, who dared to let the Egyptians serve as soldiers? ”

"I think that there may be some relationship between combat effectiveness and which religion you believe, but it is estimated that it is not big." He shook his head and said, "No matter what religion it is, the locals still live like that, so it doesn't have a big impact." ”

What he said was indeed the truth. Moreover, although people of this era know more about hundreds of years of "history", Guo Kang also cannot find an example to refute it. Hundreds of years later, no one dared to let the Egyptians join the army, and they did the same as they did back then.

"If I'm not mistaken, the Ptolemaic dynasty even hired Jews as soldiers." Cao Jian hesitated and said: "Forget about hiring Celts, the Jews have become a fighting nation over there, and this place is ......."

"I remember that the natives also fought." Guo Kang thought for a moment and said: "During the Fourth Syrian War, the political situation of the Ptolemaic Dynasty was unstable, and many generals who were disgusted with palace intrigues defected to Antiochus III of the Seleucid Dynasty. Thus, the Seleucid army outnumbered the Ptolemaic side in terms of Greek soldiers. ”

Prior to this, the Ptolemaic dynasty had also strictly followed the tradition of recruiting only the descendants of Greek colonists, or employing other barbarian tribes, and severely restricting the participation of the local rulers in the army. But Antioch's momentum was so great that Ptolemy's court was terrified, so Ptolemy IV made an exception and recruited 20,000 Egyptians to train as phalanx infantry. ”

"The two sides met at Rafia next to Gaza City, and the Seleucid army first routed the left flank of Ptolema's army, and when the army began to waver, Ptolemy IV's sister, Queen Arsinoe, ran into the ranks of soldiers, encouraged them to fight bravely, and promised to give them gold as a reward after the battle. As a result, the morale of the soldiers was greatly boosted, and they withstood the Seleucid army, and finally succeeded in turning defeat into victory. ”

"Oh, that's not bad." Pronsky said unexpectedly: "Doesn't this mean that the Egyptians can also fill in the line?" It seems that if they can lead well, maybe they can also reach the level of Slavs? ”

"And after that? I hadn't heard of it at all. The king said frankly: "I don't know what happened to them." These people don't seem to have much of an impact, do they? ”

"It depends on whether you give money or not." Pronsky speculated: "Ordinary people don't really give money to cannon fodder, but if they do, there will definitely be something in the future, and it won't disappear." ”

"According to the documents and steles unearthed over there, the queen really gave the money later. However, these soldiers did not play much role later. Guo Kang said:

"The Battle of Rufiyaa was the last successful foreign war of the Ptolemaic dynasty, but it did not achieve much success. After the war, Antioch and others retreated into Gaza City, and the Ptolemaic army was unable to pursue it, so it could only end there. ”

"Queen Arsinooi was later killed in a palace coup. Polybius records that she had a high reputation on the side of the Egyptians, and as a result, her death caused riots among the locals. People no longer cared about the king, but were sad about it. Her murder was soon killed by an angry populace, and the Egyptians, who had military training, did take the lead in the trouble, as feared by the previous rulers. So after that, there was basically no record of locals participating in the war on a large scale. ”

"That's right." Pronsky thought for a while, and finally forcibly commented: "No wonder, I have a feeling that I can't put it into words...... It seems that the upper limit of the combat effectiveness of these Egyptians is the old Greek ladies? That's still not as good as the Slavs on our side. ”

"I really haven't heard of any of these things." Wang Da Lama ignored his words and said to Guo Kang: "If you have any information, you can show it to me, and we will also analyze it to see if there is any experience that can be used as a reference." ”

"You have all that information. In addition to the historian's account, there are also some records in the Book of Maccabees. That book, I remember, was part of the Old Testament as recognized by the Catholic Church, and was also listed as a minor book by the Church of Constantinople and the Church of Kiev. You should have a save, just go and look through it. Guo Kang said.

"That's the Apocrypha." Grand Lama Wang said unexpectedly.

"I remember the last period?" Guo Kang scratched his head, thought about it, and wondered.

"I remember the Sutra too." Pronsky agreed: "Haven't the Patriarch seen it? ”

"Heretical books, what do I read." Grand Lama Wang hurriedly argued: "I just need to read the canon of our church." All sorts of other nonsense are left untouched. ”

"In those books, the weird and chaotic part says that the historical story is still somewhat interesting. I've heard that the Jews themselves don't consider the book of Maccabees as a scripture, because it is all about the process of rebellion against foreign rulers through military struggle, and it is about historical experience, not God's own intervention to show the record of miracles, so there is nothing sacred. Guo Kang said: "Of course, I think this kind of part is more valuable." ”

"Leave him alone." Grand Lama Wang waved his hand and said, "What is the value of Jewish things?" Their military experience, and just like that, boasted far more than it actually did. The Jewish mercenaries also participated in the Battle of Rafia, and if they were so powerful, why didn't they enter Gaza City and capture Antioch? I am afraid that what they say will not be taken seriously. ”

"The scriptures are ......," Pronsky was about to say, that many of the scriptures of the worship of God were written by Jews. After thinking about it, the church in the Purple Horde really didn't believe this.

"Oh yes, we don't seem to like Jews very much...... "He muttered, and for a moment felt that the Great Lama Wang had a point.

"Alright, alright." Cao Jian hurriedly played a round next to him: "In short, what I just said means that the Egyptians are actually usable?" It's just that some foreigners are pressing them, afraid that they will make trouble, and they will not let them be trained. Is that what it means? ”

"There's something wrong with that, too." Wang Da Lama still didn't believe it: "It is not without examples to use only your own clan and not recruit locals to join the army." When there was chaos in China, many people did this, but didn't they still fail? By the time of the Song and Yuan dynasties, it had become the case that whoever could make good use of the local Han people would be able to win the world. In this regard, the Song and Jin were inferior to Mongolia, so the results can be imagined. ”

"If the locals can really fight, it is not that the foreigners will not let them become soldiers, but that they will beg them to become soldiers. Any country has internal and external contradictions, and you don't need to put people who can fight, but what if the opponent uses them? ”

"On the Egyptian side, whether it was the Greek aristocracy back then, or the current Mamluks, it is certainly not monolithic. No matter how close we are, can there be brothers like Kublai Khan and Ali Buge? The result? He spread his hands and gave an example.

"That's why I think they still can't do it." Grand Lama Wang finally shook his head and said.

(End of chapter)