In this sense, Cortés’s strategy was perfect: in case of defeat, the Spanish would have no time to rebuild the burned ships. To work properly, a commitment strategy should also be costly in case of failure: had Cortés lost, no Spanish soldier would have escaped alive.
为了产生效果，承诺战略必须是可信的——也就是说，不能马上食言。从这个角度看，寇蒂斯的策略是完美的：一旦打了败仗，西班牙人根本没时间重新造船。要想起作用，承诺策略还必须具有万一失败代价沉重的特点：如果寇蒂斯失败，就没有一个西班牙士兵能够生还。正是这样的成本帮助激发了他的士兵的士气。