I’ll grant…just about all of that. Though my understanding of the “emu war” was like three dudes in a truck with a box of bullets.
Let me ask you this though: Why isn’t that what would have happened if they landed in ancient Egypt? Indulge the sci-fi scenario a little bit, 11 ships carrying 600 16th century CE Spanish Conquistadors land in the Levant circa 2600 BCE. Why would it go any different for Khufu than it did for Montezuma? Would Cortes not win some early victories against some small coastal tribes, capture him a woman that speaks a couple local languages, learn who the major power in the region is, start gathering allies among the locals who’ve lived under Egypt’s thumb and would like to get a piece of that highfalutin pharaoh, and then march his combined army on Memphis? All the while the natives are dying of all the diseases that the 15th century has that the -25th doesn’t?
Would Cortes not win some early victories against some small coastal tribes, capture him a woman that speaks a couple local languages, learn who the major power in the region is,
Yes
start gathering allies among the locals who’ve lived under Egypt’s thumb and would like to get a piece of that highfalutin pharaoh,
This is where things break. Do you know enough about the different people living under the Pharaoh’s rule in the era you’re talking about? I don’t. Thus, I cannot say whether Cortez would manage to find enough support to march to the capital, be hailed as the incarnation of some god, or whether the translator would try to warn everyone that the conquistadors are a bunch of pillaging pirates that should be killed, with them being none the wiser. When you’re a stranger in someone else’s land and everyone absolutely hates you above all else, you can’t even breathe without fear of being ambushed. Sure, they have these frightening tools that are louder than thunder, create foul smoke and kill people from a distance, but those things won’t protect your back from being shanked
Or, let’s throw a more recent perspective: USA vs. Taliban, 2001-2021. One side has drones, aerial supremacy, satellite imagery, smart missiles, aircraft carriers. The other has mostly just small arms, weapons that at most, need to be mounted on a pickup truck, no tanks, no planes, it was a bunch of fanatics using guerilla tactics. USA never managed to fully beat the Taliban and, after the end of the withdrawal, it didn’t take 2 weeks before they seized power.
Was the United States trying to kill all the Afghanis, raise the Stars and Stripes over Afghanistan and start mining and farming the place for goods to ship back home? Not sure it’s a fair comparison given the differing goals. I’m pretty sure we were using Afghanistan as the Military Industrial Complex’s cum dumpster.
Sure, they have these frightening tools that are louder than thunder, create foul smoke and kill people from a distance, but those things won’t protect your back from being shanked
No, that’s what a quirass is for. That’s why they wore those.
I’m sure they spent 24/7 with a cuirass in the Central American heat. Also, not every Spaniard in those expeditions had the money to buy one for themselves.
EDIT:
Was the United States trying to kill all the Afghanis,
No, neither was Spain in America, since the natives could be captured as slaves
raise the Stars and Stripes over Afghanistan and start mining and farming the place for goods to ship back home?
Pretty sure that ended up being one of the things during the occupation, yes.
I’ll grant…just about all of that. Though my understanding of the “emu war” was like three dudes in a truck with a box of bullets.
Let me ask you this though: Why isn’t that what would have happened if they landed in ancient Egypt? Indulge the sci-fi scenario a little bit, 11 ships carrying 600 16th century CE Spanish Conquistadors land in the Levant circa 2600 BCE. Why would it go any different for Khufu than it did for Montezuma? Would Cortes not win some early victories against some small coastal tribes, capture him a woman that speaks a couple local languages, learn who the major power in the region is, start gathering allies among the locals who’ve lived under Egypt’s thumb and would like to get a piece of that highfalutin pharaoh, and then march his combined army on Memphis? All the while the natives are dying of all the diseases that the 15th century has that the -25th doesn’t?
Yes
This is where things break. Do you know enough about the different people living under the Pharaoh’s rule in the era you’re talking about? I don’t. Thus, I cannot say whether Cortez would manage to find enough support to march to the capital, be hailed as the incarnation of some god, or whether the translator would try to warn everyone that the conquistadors are a bunch of pillaging pirates that should be killed, with them being none the wiser. When you’re a stranger in someone else’s land and everyone absolutely hates you above all else, you can’t even breathe without fear of being ambushed. Sure, they have these frightening tools that are louder than thunder, create foul smoke and kill people from a distance, but those things won’t protect your back from being shanked
Or, let’s throw a more recent perspective: USA vs. Taliban, 2001-2021. One side has drones, aerial supremacy, satellite imagery, smart missiles, aircraft carriers. The other has mostly just small arms, weapons that at most, need to be mounted on a pickup truck, no tanks, no planes, it was a bunch of fanatics using guerilla tactics. USA never managed to fully beat the Taliban and, after the end of the withdrawal, it didn’t take 2 weeks before they seized power.
Was the United States trying to kill all the Afghanis, raise the Stars and Stripes over Afghanistan and start mining and farming the place for goods to ship back home? Not sure it’s a fair comparison given the differing goals. I’m pretty sure we were using Afghanistan as the Military Industrial Complex’s cum dumpster.
No, that’s what a quirass is for. That’s why they wore those.
I’m sure they spent 24/7 with a cuirass in the Central American heat. Also, not every Spaniard in those expeditions had the money to buy one for themselves.
EDIT:
No, neither was Spain in America, since the natives could be captured as slaves
Pretty sure that ended up being one of the things during the occupation, yes.