Hulegu
08-28-2002, 15:20
Those of us still awaiting M:TW's release have an advantage: we have further time to hone our skills at warfare with some study of appropriate texts.
Forget Sun Tzu and Machiavelli: I vote for General Tacticus, writer of "Veni Vidi Vici: A Soldier's Life", which features in Terry Pratchett's novel Jingo. Tacticus "brought back heaps of spoils, lots of captives and, almost uniquely among Ankh-Morpork's military leaders, most of his men."
Let us sample his wisdom:
"a crucial factor, I have always found, is NOT the size of the forces. It is the positioning and commitment of reserves, the bringing of power to a point......"
'the general has this to say about ensuring against defeat when outnumbered, out-weaponed and out-positioned. It is .... "Don't have a battle".'
"After the first battle of Sto Lat, I formulated a policy which has stood me in good stead in other battles. It is this: if the enemy has an impregnable stronghold, see he stays there."
and my favourite:
"It is always useful to face an enemy who is prepared to die for his country - this means that both you and he have exactly the same aim in mind."
Forget Sun Tzu and Machiavelli: I vote for General Tacticus, writer of "Veni Vidi Vici: A Soldier's Life", which features in Terry Pratchett's novel Jingo. Tacticus "brought back heaps of spoils, lots of captives and, almost uniquely among Ankh-Morpork's military leaders, most of his men."
Let us sample his wisdom:
"a crucial factor, I have always found, is NOT the size of the forces. It is the positioning and commitment of reserves, the bringing of power to a point......"
'the general has this to say about ensuring against defeat when outnumbered, out-weaponed and out-positioned. It is .... "Don't have a battle".'
"After the first battle of Sto Lat, I formulated a policy which has stood me in good stead in other battles. It is this: if the enemy has an impregnable stronghold, see he stays there."
and my favourite:
"It is always useful to face an enemy who is prepared to die for his country - this means that both you and he have exactly the same aim in mind."