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Much of the "Brief Description of the Art of War" is about what the author believes, or has become some of the experience of the Roman army at that time, after all, Flavius Vegetius Renatus was himself a commander with considerable combat experience and a governor who sat in one place. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

Therefore, in this respect, some of the contents mentioned in the "Brief Introduction to the Art of War" were of great help to the military combat regulations of the Roman army in a certain period.

In addition to some of the contents introduced above, the following content can be said to be coherent:

Sixth, some people who have studied military affairs considerably believe that armies are usually more dangerous when they are transferred than when they are in direct combat. In the engagement, everyone is armed with all their weapons, the enemy is on the opposite side of you, you can see clearly, and both sides are fully prepared before going into battle. However, when the troops are transferred, the sergeants are generally lightly armed, their attention is not so concentrated, and they will immediately appear panicked in the event of a surprise attack or a predetermined ambush. Therefore, the commander should be very careful and careful in anticipating the eventuality of the situation, and try to avoid being attacked on the march, and if it does happen, it will be easier to defeat it without being damaged.

Therefore, the commander should first have an accurate topographical map of the battlefield (itineraria), which not only indicates the number of steps (distance) taken from one place to another, but also enables the officer to accurately understand the road conditions at a glance. Highlight the scale-down paths, all the intersections, the mountains, the rivers. This is very important. It is generally accepted that every prescient general carries with him a map of the provinces in which he is fighting, and these maps are not just marked with a few marks, but are indeed carefully drawn up. With such a map, it is not just possible to choose the direction based on the inference of ideas, but also to see exactly the direction of the road they are going to travel from the map. In addition, the commander should grasp every detail, personally consult and inquire carefully from a respected wise man who is familiar with the terrain. In order to determine the degree of authenticity, it is necessary to collect information on a wide range of areas, and to ensure that the materials in possession are accurate.

Also, when there is a danger of going the wrong way, it is important to find a suitable guide who is familiar with the road beforehand, and someone should watch them and explain to them that there are two options: either you will be rewarded or you will be punished. If they can understand that they can't escape, as long as they do their job well, they will be rewarded, and betrayal means a dead end, and if they can understand this, they will be very useful people. It must also be judged that these guides are experienced experts who have done this business. It is necessary to avoid putting everyone in a desperate situation because two or three people make mistakes. It should also be remembered that the inexperienced hillbilly is sometimes very talkative, always trying to believe that he knows a lot of things that he doesn't actually know.

The most important precautionary measure is to be tight-lipped, and not to let any outsiders know where the troops are going and where they are going. Strengthening secrecy during conquests is the best way to ensure security. Therefore, the ancients worshipped the statue of the Minotaur in the legions. This means to show that the general is going to hide his plans as deep down as this minotaur monster in the labyrinth ** that is simply inaccessible.

In fact, it is safer to move along a path that the enemy considers the most unlikely. Of course, since the enemy's scouts would have heard about the movements of our troops, or had merely guessed, they might have witnessed them, and sometimes there were a few escapees and betrayers. It is then necessary to decide immediately what means should be used to thwart their attempts or what countermeasures to take.

Before the commander prepares to lead his troops into the march, it is advisable to send the most loyal, elven, and meticulous men on the finest horses to inspect the terrain ahead, to find out the whole terrain in front of him, to the left and right, and to avoid the areas where the enemy may be ambushing. Scouts are stronger at night than during the day. Once captured by the enemy, some of these personnel may betray.

The vanguard should be cavalry, with infantry following behind, and the baggage, beasts, baggage, chariots and horses in the center, and a part of the cavalry and infantry in the rear, ready to repel the attacking enemy. When the army marched forward, it was true that the enemy sometimes attacked from the front, but more often from behind. The baggage was well covered by the armed troops, as the enemy in ambush would often attack the baggage brigades from both sides. Particular attention should be paid to those parts of the marching column that were expected to be vulnerable to enemy attack, and they should be reinforced by excellent cavalry and light infantry, as well as infantry archers, in order to repel enemy attacks. Even if the enemy wants to encircle the entire force, then be prepared to counterattack from all directions.

In order not to cause major casualties in the event of such a surprise attack and the resulting chaos, the sergeants should be reminded to remain calm and to prepare their weapons. This is because suddenness in difficult times can be shocking, and as long as what happens is conceived or foreseen, it does not cause panic. Ancient writers have particularly emphasized that if a wounded baggage soldier (as is sometimes the case) becomes frightened and the beast screams and begins to show uneasiness, the combat troops should never be frightened, and their ranks should not be stretched out beyond the normal distance, nor should they be unprovoked in a heap, so as not to interfere with their own actions and provide an opportunity for the enemy.

That's why they also carry their flags like regular soldiers when transporting their baggage. The baggage soldiers, now known as the "Galiaris", selected experienced and competent men from among them, and distributed them nearly 200 pack animals and a number of drivers. Prepare enough fodder for them so that everyone knows which flag a certain part of the baggage should be carried on. The warriors who walked in front had to keep a certain distance from the baggage, so that in the event of an engagement, the baggage would not be lost due to the dense ranks.

When the troops are marching, the way of escorting them should be changed according to different terrains. For example, in open fields it is usually cavalry rather than infantry that strikes, while in forests, hillsides or swampy areas more care should be taken to prevent infantry attacks. In particular, it is necessary to avoid the phenomenon of disjointed or sparse queues due to lax management, where some people rush forward and others slowly swallow and fall behind. And the enemy will not hesitate to insert into these gaps.

Accordingly, experienced overseers, lieutenants, or tribunes should be appointed who could slow down the impatient and motivate the overly lazy to move as quickly as possible. In fact, those who walked too far in the head were often left to run forward without turning back when attacked, and those who fell far behind their own ranks could be either routed by the enemy's forces or crushed by their own despair.

It should also be understood that the enemy will covertly set up ambushes at locations they deem advantageous, or will openly attack and engage directly into battle. In order to prevent such a covert ambush from causing harm, the commander should be concerned about it, and it is necessary to thoroughly study everything beforehand. If an ambush is itself surrounded, it is also very dangerous, even more dangerous than the danger it has prepared for the other side.

If the enemy attempts to attack directly on the hillside, a small squad should be sent to seize the high ground, so that the approaching enemy will see that they are at a low level, and will not dare to continue their advance, because they can see that there are armed troops defending them in front of them and on the high ground. If the road is not narrow, then some sergeants should be sent to carry axes, and no matter how difficult it may be, it is better to widen the road than to be in danger by trying to take a good road with less effort.

We should also familiarize ourselves with the habits of our enemies: when they usually attack, whether at night or at dawn, or when they are good at attacking tired opponents who are resting, and try to disrupt their habits. At the same time, we have to find out whether their main force is infantry or cavalry, whether they are javelin pitchers or archers, whether they are superior in numbers, and whether they are well-armed. We should try to make everything work in our favor and harmful to the enemy. It is also necessary to carefully consider when it is better to set out, day or night, how far away we are from the places we are anxious to go, and on the way to try to secure water in the summer and avoid impassable marshes or streams of great volume in the winter. On such difficult roads, the troops are likely to be surrounded (or even annihilated) before they reach their intended destination.

If the above points are sufficient to reflect the extent to which we have mastered the improvisation and the art of war, then whether we can seize the favorable opportunities created by the enemy's inexperience and mistakes is also a crucial matter. We must do our best to see everything and draw all the betrayers and runaways from the enemy's stronghold to our side. Through these people, you can know exactly what the enemy is thinking at the moment and how to act next. We should keep cavalry and light infantry ready at all times. As the enemy disperses in search of the fodder and food they are short of, surprise them and defeat them with extreme intimidation.

7. Negligence in crossing rivers often leads to great disasters. If the current is fast, if the river is wide, it is likely to be the burial place for the baggage soldiers, and sometimes some of the more sluggish warriors will inevitably die here. Therefore, a shallower beachhead should be sought, and once found, the cavalry, equipped with fine horses, should be divided into two rows, leaving some distance between the two rows to allow the passage of infantry and baggage. The second platoon is to hold back the water, and the first platoon is responsible for rescuing those who have been swept away or swept down by the current and transferring them back to the unit. If the river is too deep for infantry or cavalry to wade through, but if the water passes through a relatively flat place, ditches can be dug to allow the river to flow through many tributaries, and it will be easier to wade through.

If the river is navigable, then it is possible to pass by driving piles in the water and laying planks on them, and if it is necessary to cross the river urgently, then try to connect the empty barrels and put rectangular logs on top of them, which can also become a channel. The light cavalry bundled their armor and weapons on them so as not to get wet, and they themselves swam across the river with their horses with the reins of the bundles.

However, it was generally agreed that a better option would be for the troops to carry some canoes in vehicles, that is, slightly wider boats hewn from a single tree trunk. Due to the germplasm of the wood itself and the thin and long hull, this canoe is very lightweight. At the same time, prepare some panels and nails in advance. If so, a temporary bridge will soon be built. Since the bridge is connected by ropes specially prepared for this purpose, it is not necessarily less solid than a stone arch bridge in a short time.

Since the enemy often ambushes and raids at such crossings, armed guard squads should be deployed on both sides of the river to prevent attacks on troops divided by the river to the left and right. But a more reliable and safer measure is to put the fence in place beforehand (i.e., repair the fortifications). When the enemy really attacks, we will be able to rely on this facility to withstand the invading enemy from both sides of the strait and save our troops from damage. If the bridge was to be used not only for one-way crossing, but also for return, or even for the delivery of provisions, wide trenches had to be dug at both ends of the bridge, embankments had to be constructed, and sergeants had to be assigned to guard them. These sergeants were to hold the fortifications at both ends of the bridge until the situation here allowed them to withdraw.

8. Now that I have described the things to be guarded against during the march, I will now turn to the setting up of the camp where the army should stay. In wartime, armies may not often encounter castles guarded by walls for temporary rest or long-term garrison. On the other hand, it would be too reckless and too dangerous for an army to stay in a place where there are no fortifications. Sergeants tasked with preparing food often had to go to different places to collect money, so they were vulnerable to attacks by an enemy who was in ambush. The other side had darkness as a cover, and the soldiers could not sleep all night, especially the cavalry horses were often scattered across the pastures. These are the times when the other side is able to carry out a surprise attack.

It is not enough to set up camp in a place of acceptable general condition, but it must be the best in the vicinity, otherwise we will suffer losses by omission to occupy the best place for the enemy. Attention should be paid not to get too close to harmful water sources and too far from good water sources in summer, not to look for places where there is a lack of fodder and firewood and places that are prone to flooding in the event of sudden storms, and not to camp on steep cliffs or on impassable roads, because it is difficult to break out of the siege in case of siege by the enemy. It is better to have javelins and arrows thrown by the enemy from a slightly higher place not to fall.

After all these measures have been taken carefully and carefully, it is possible to set up square, round, triangular or rectangular camps according to the characteristics of the terrain. In fact, don't be too particular about the form of the camp, but pay attention to the practicality. However, it is generally believed that a length of more than a third of the width is more attractive. The size of the camp should be measured by geodesic personnel, who know how to do it and have an idea of the number of troops in the army. If it's too narrow, the guardians will feel congested, and if it's wider than necessary, they'll be too scattered. Military experts have proposed three ways to build a city.

First of all, when you only need to camp overnight, or when you only need to occupy an improvised camp on the way, you can lay out rows of shoveled turf and cover the soil. But it is necessary to fence it around, that is, to make denser wooden stakes, or to cloth animal traps.

If the soil is too loose to shovel the turf, try to enclose a fortification similar to a (brick) wall, and quickly dig a trench 5 feet wide and 3 feet deep, and then build an earthen embankment on the inside of the trench so that the troops can rest in it. This is the second method.

If a camp is to be stationed for a long time, whether in summer or winter, against two battalions of the enemy, it must be very cautious and require greater effort. Each hundred-man squad was given a measured space to camp according to the distribution of the Overseers and the rank and file commanders. They laid away their shields, placed their baggage around their banners, and scarred swords around their waists to dig trenches of 8, 11, and 13 feet of width. If you are afraid that the enemy will be too strong, there are also those who dig trenches up to 17 feet wide. Usually the trench width assembly is odd. Then the earth embankment was built, and in order to prevent the mound from collapsing, it was reinforced with wooden stakes, tree poles, and tree sticks.

Pheasant moats should be built on the earthen embankment, and arrow windows should be built, just like real city walls. The work was supervised by the captain of the hundred, who took turns every 10 feet of digging, so that the trenches would not be shallow, narrow, or otherwise mistaken because of the laziness of some men. The attentive tribunes would go from place to place, and the most diligent of them would not leave until the project was completed. In order to prevent a surprise attack on those who were working, all cavalry and infantry not working (all privileged men of higher ranks) were to stand in full armor in front of the trench, ready for battle, and to repel the enemy if he really attacked.

Secondly, there is also the big thing, which is to find a place in the camp to put up the flag. In the eyes of soldiers, there is nothing more respectful and greater than their flag.

After that, tents were to be set up for the commander and his retinue, and tents were to be arranged for the tribunes, and water, firewood, and fodder were to be prepared for them by the miscellaneous soldiers assigned for this purpose. Battalions are then assigned to legions, auxiliaries, cavalry, and infantry according to rank.

Each hundred-man squad was to designate 4 cavalry and 4 infantry to serve as night guards. Considering that it is difficult for a person to be on duty all night at all times, the night guard is divided into 4 shifts, and the time on duty at night does not exceed 3 hours per shift. All the sentries were taken to work according to the trumpets of the division and laid off according to the sound of the horns. The tribune should select the most suitable and experienced people to check the outposts, so that they can detect what is wrong and report it in time. These people are called "sentinels". Nowadays this has become a military position, called the patrol officer. The cavalry on guard at night were to be on duty outside the camp walls. During the day, if the camp is set up, some sergeants go to duty early in the morning, others go to work in the afternoon, depending on the fatigue of the men and horses.

One of the commander's first tasks was to keep a close eye on whether the troops were encamped or in the city, and to ensure that the grazing of livestock, the transport of grain and other grains, and the supply of water, firewood, and fodder were safe from enemy attacks. The only way to do this is to choose the right places along the way of our convoys and to deploy them in fortifications, in cities, or in walled fortresses. If there are no ready-made old fortifications along the way, then a suitable site should be chosen, small forts (cams) should be quickly constructed, and wide trenches should be dug to surround them.

Ra (camp) is a nickname for a borrowed word. In these small forts, which served as guard posts, a certain number of infantry and cavalry were to be stationed, and their task was to keep the roads for us to carry food and straw unimpeded. When the enemy learns that there are opposing forces in front of and on their right and left, they may not necessarily make up their minds to come to these places.

(This paragraph should be described in the English translation, because the writer uses a unit of length that is supposed to be in the Roman system.) (To be continued.) )

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