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In a sense, Flavius Vegetius Renatus wrote A Brief Description of the Art of War, which can be said to have quite a bit of self-confidence. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

This point is closely related to the fact that he had a wealth of relevant experience before compiling the "Brief Introduction to the Art of War".

This relevant experience is not only related to Renatus's military practice, but also has a considerable wealth of knowledge in his own right.

This can be seen in the following content:

These brief statements of mine on the art of war are based on fairly authoritative texts. Anyone who thinks it is worth reading these briefs must be anxious to know how the decisive battle is set up. It is often only two or three hours before the two armies clash head-on, after which the losing side loses its fighting spirit. Therefore, everything must be thought through beforehand, and everything must be arranged before things reach this predestined state. A good general would never go into a head-on battle to plan how to kill or disturb the enemy, while preserving his forces from being lost. These measures should be set in secret in advance, because a head-on war would be equal for both sides. This was considered by the ancients to be crucial. Let me now elaborate on that.

As far as the commander-in-chief is concerned, the most effective and clever trick is to select from the whole army those who know the art of war and who are wise and courageous; we must get rid of all flattery and flattery, which is extremely harmful in wartime. It is necessary to talk frequently with the selected people about the situation on both sides of the enemy, about which side has more people, whether they are more on us or against the enemy, who is better equipped and well supplied, whose sergeants are well trained, and who is more courageous and fearless in difficult conditions. It should be dissected to understand which side has the better cavalry and what about the infantry, and it is necessary to realize that the strength of the army lies in the infantry. For cavalry, it is necessary to figure out which side has the upper hand in terms of archers and who is stronger in terms of arrowheads, which side has the most people in armor and which side has better quality armor, and whose horses are more durable. Finally, it is also necessary to find out who is favored by the terrain conditions on the battlefield, whether it is in favor of us or the enemy.

If our cavalry is worthy of boasting, then we should expect a flat field, and if our infantry is strong, we should choose narrow, crisscrossed by trenches and marshes, and choose terrain full of woods and hills. It is also important to analyse who is well prepared and who is not enough, as it is said that hunger is an enemy within oneself and can often cause you to lose a battle without a sword or a sword.

The main question, of course, is to determine whether it is more advantageous to rush into battle or to delay as necessary. Sometimes the enemy wants to end the battle as soon as possible, and if it drags on for a long time, they will be exhausted by the lack of troops, or they will run back to their homeland because they miss their loved ones. With nothing to say about it, frustration can sometimes keep them in hiding. At this time, the heavy burden and loneliness caused many people to leave the team in sorrow. Some may even become traitors, while others may defect. When all kinds of misfortunes come one after another, it is difficult to say that there is no more loyalty or disloyalty. As a result, the large number of people gradually decreased and thinned out.

One thing is important: to know what kind of person the commander-in-chief of the enemy army is, to know the situation of his retinue and senior commanders. They are characterized by rashness or prudence, bravery or fearlessness or greed for life and fear of death, whether they are skilled in martial arts or fought only on their own narrow experience, and which races in their ranks are brave and which are lazy.

We must also find out how loyal our auxiliaries are, what their strength is, what the enemy's soldiers are, what is the situation of our troops, and which side is more confident in expecting victory.

(Later generations believed that such research could lift the spirits or depress them.) In those troops that grew pessimistic and disappointed, the commander-in-chief's passionate words were enough to boost the strength of the stubborn fight. As long as the commander himself is radiant and fearless, his troops will definitely be full of vitality. The above assertion is most evident when an ambush or some advantageous position has been used to accomplish a remarkable feat, and the enemy has begun to fall into calamity, or when the weaker or poorer part of the enemy can be selected to defeat him. ）

Beware of allowing a vacillating and panicked force to throw itself into a head-on engagement. It makes a big difference whether your unit is made up of new recruits or veterans and experienced soldiers, whether it has fought a short time ago or has been in peace for several years in a row: those who have not been involved in the war for many years can be considered like new soldiers. If the regiments, auxiliaries, and cavalry are brought together from all over the world, a good commander should appoint to each unit a select and experienced tribune who will train them in the various methods of using weapons, and then bring them together and teach them personally, as if they were already facing actual combat.

It is also to make them feel constantly and constantly how well they have mastered the art of war, how much their physical strength has increased, whether they can give them a mission, whether they can act accurately according to the orders of the trumpet, the instructions of the signal, and the verbal commands, or even a simple indication of his. If they make a mistake in something, let them continue to practice until they master it. And if they really have shown a fairly good level of training in footwork, archery, spear throwing, and maintaining formation, even in this case, they should not be suddenly thrown into battle on the ground, but should be allowed to participate in the battle under the condition that victory is more assured. They should be put through some smaller engagements before that.

If so, an alert, composed, and intelligent general, who can keep a close eye on all the conditions of his own troops and those of the opposing side, will judge like a judge dealing with a conflict between two parties in a civil case. If he can conclude that he has indeed outdone the enemy in many respects, he should immediately plunge into his advantageous engagement. Once you find that the enemy is stronger than you, you should try to avoid frontal combat. It is important to know that even if the troops are small in number and weak, in the event of a surprise attack or ambush, it is usually possible to win the victory due to the proper command of the commander-in-chief.

10. If any kind of skill and any kind of work is not tempered day after day and unremittingly, it will be difficult to reach the level of perfection. If this is a rule, then it is correct and applicable regardless of the size of the matter. Who can doubt that the art of war is above all else, because it is to preserve freedom and the dignity of the state, to protect the security of the provinces, and to safeguard the stability of the entire empire?

Once upon a time, the Lassidians, and then the Romans, abandoned all other learning, except for the art of war. To this day, the barbarians still think that the only thing worth cherishing is the art of war. They are convinced that the rest are all connected to it, and that by doing so, they can attain everything. The art of war is essential for those who are ready to fight, it can help you stay alive and win.

Therefore, since the commander has been conferred with such great power and high position, the fate of the people, the duty to defend the city-state, the life of the sergeant, the honour of the state, etc., all depend on his loyalty and bravery, and he should pay attention not only to the army as a whole, but to each individual soldier. Because once something really happens to the soldiers in the war, it is his fault as a general, and it is also a loss for the country.

Therefore, if the troops he leads are composed of new recruits or non-commissioned officers who have not fought for a long time, he should pay attention not only to the legions and auxiliaries, but also to the strength of some of the rank-and-file units, their moods, habits, and so on. He ought to know as closely as possible his es, his tribunes, his retinue, and even the ordinary soldiers, to call them by name, to ascertain their temperament, and to know what role they could play in war. He should earn himself high prestige, and at the same time show the momentum of strict management of the army. Those who commit military wrongs must be punished by law, and no one of them should expect forgiveness. He should strive to be an example at all times and in all places, without favoritism.

With such a strict system of management, he could send experienced cavalry or infantry to attack the enemy on very favorable terms with him as he dispersed to plunder and plunder, and roamed freely from place to place. Doing so will increase their talents and increase the courage of the people. He should also be adept at setting up ambushes at ferries, steep cliffs, narrow forest paths, and impassable roadsides among swamps, so that no one can glimpse the mysteries.

He should have made clever arrangements for the timing of the battle, so that our side was in a state of being ready for battle, while the enemy was at this time eating or sleeping or resting, and their troops were enjoying themselves, with no shoes on their feet, and the sight of swords and guns being put into storage and horses being put in Nanshan was really unguarded. Fighting under such circumstances, our army must be full of confidence. But a sergeant who has not seen or has never seen how to wound or kill a man is frightened when he sees it with his own eyes, and his mind is often more about how to escape than how to fight.

When the enemy is attacking, our commanders should be ready to attack those who are exhausted by the long journey, or attack the enemy's rear by surprise, either by moving troops to appear in unexpected places, or by leading a small and lean force to clean up the enemy's stragglers who have gone out in search of fodder or taken the people captive and thus stay away from the ranks. These practices can be a starting point. If it doesn't succeed, it won't cause much harm; A wise commander is good at creating strife between enemies. No nation, even a very small one, will not be wiped out by the enemy as long as there is no internecine situation within itself. This is because the hatred caused by civil war can ignite a desire to destroy opponents and neglect to protect the public interest.

In this book, I have been trying to advocate the idea that no one should be pessimistic about whether we can reach the level that our ancestors once did. Some people may say: "It has been many years since no one dug trenches and built earthen embankments to enclose the camps where the troops were ready to stay." To this we should reply: "If such precautions could be taken, neither the enemy's attack at night nor by day would be of any danger to us." ”

The Persians followed the example of the Romans by digging trenches around the camp. Since the area was almost entirely sandy, they carried many empty bags, filled them with sand, and stacked them one by one to form an earthen embankment. The barbarians used their carts to form a large circle around them, like a fortified camp. They spent the night peacefully inside, without fear of a surprise attack.

What's going on? Are we afraid to learn what people have learned from us? In the past, these things were well known, and they were done in real life, and they were written in books. Then all this was discarded, and no one did so, and the prosperity of a peaceful life diluted the need to learn martial arts. However, we can show with examples that it is entirely possible to recover knowledge that is no longer practically applicable.

In ancient times, people sometimes neglected the study of martial arts. At first this study was able to recover thanks to the teachings of books, and later relied on the prestige of the generals. Scipio Afriganus incorporated the Spanish army, which had been crushed more than once under the leadership of other commanders. He strictly enforced the rules and regulations, emphasized discipline, forced them to dig trenches, did all kinds of labor, and repeatedly trained them, telling them again and again that if you did not want to be stained with the blood of the enemy, then you should be covered with dust when digging the trenches. Later, he led these troops to capture the city of Numantia and burned all its inhabitants, leaving no one spared. In Africa, a force originally led by Albinus suffered great humiliation.

(Note: This happened in the Jugurdah War at the beginning of the second century BCE, when the Numidian king Jugurdah was very good at dealing with the commanders of the Roman army, and each time he tried to put the war down by bribery and bribery.) At the beginning of 110 BCE, the Roman army re-entered Numidia under the command of the consul Olus Postumius Albinus. Albinus is also rumored to have been bought by Jugurdah. On his return to Rome, he appointed his brother Havre as lieutenant. Avre ventured deep into the heart of Numidia, and Jugurdah lured him into the desert, where he attacked and captured the camp of the Roman army in the darkness of the night. Avre Postumius was forced to sign a peace treaty with Jugurdah, and the Romans had to withdraw from all of Numidia. The Roman soldiers who survived the night attack walked down the hill without their shirts and weapons.

Walking in front was a group of Roman officers headed by Avre. Avre is also half-naked. The Romans walked with their heads down, not daring to look up at the enemies who were mocking them around them. The Roman soldier walked slowly to the yoke gate, with two javelins stuck in the ground and a third javelin tied horizontally to it, which was called the yoke because it resembled a yoke used to drive an ox. The Numidians burst into laughter as each half-naked man stooped down and struggled to get under the javelin. After the last Roman soldier had passed through the yoke gate, and the Numidians had had had enough of the excitement, Postumius was allowed to take his army with him. Ten days later, there was not a single Roman soldier left in Numidia. This was a great humiliation for the Romans. ）

Later, Metellus took command and strictly followed the rules of the past, which completely changed the appearance of the army, and finally defeated those who forced them to suffer humiliation. The Cimbris annihilated the legions of Scipio and Marius in Gaul, and Gaius Marius co-opted the remnants of these forces, taught them the techniques and methods of warfare, and together with them defeated numerous Cimbris, Teutons, and Yablons in a great battle. However, it is easier to inspire the courage of a newly recruited sergeant than to restore it to a frightened person.

11. After giving these introductory summaries of the more general rules of martial affairs, the narrative procedure of the martial arts requires me to turn to the actual battle itself and its elusive outcome, to the time when the fate of the nation and the people will be decided. The outcome of the battle is the key to the overall victory. The commander-in-chief should be preoccupied and concentrated, for great honour awaits the diligent and forgiving, and grave danger threatens the lazy and lazy. The significance of the experience you have gained at this time, the combat qualities of your military strategy, the clarity and precision of your plans, and the calmness and composure of your command, etc., will all be clearly and fully demonstrated.

In ancient times, before entering the battle, the sergeant usually had to let them eat in moderation, and the sergeant who was well fed and fed was more courageous, and the battle lasted for a long time without feeling tired from hunger.

If the troops can only be taken out of the camp or the city when the enemy can see it, it should also be noted that when our troops come out of the narrow gates, although the enemy has assembled and is prepared, it is important to know that they have not yet defeated even our weaker forces. If so, the main concern should be that if you want to leave the city, you must first position your troops before the enemy approaches you. If the enemy approaches in a well-organized formation, and we remain within the four walls, the commander will either postpone the battle or pretend that there is a large army in the city, so that the enemy will begin to curse at us, while wondering whether our army is not ready to leave the city, or when the enemy begins to plunder, or begins to retreat, and their ranks are thrown into confusion, then our elite troops can suddenly rush out of the city and rush at them by surprise.

A long march would tire the sergeants, and the cavalry would be tired from riding for too long, so it was necessary to prevent the soldiers from being forced to go into battle from exhaustion. If you want to fight after the arduous trek, you will definitely lose your soldiers. What good is it for an exhausted team to be well arranged? This was also taboo to the ancients. The ancients avoided such action, and the army itself, both ancient and present, believed in it. However, some of our Roman generals were often unable to distinguish between right and wrong, and their lack of experience made them take this lightly. The two armies faced each other, on one side they were tired and haggard, and on the other side they were vigorous and energetic, and it was self-evident who won and who lost. (To be continued.) )

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