readx;?? The chapters of "A Brief Introduction to the Art of War" are probably similar to "Strategy", but in many ways, "A Brief Introduction to the Art of War" is much richer than "Strategy" in terms of introducing some of the author's understanding and insights. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

And "A Brief Introduction to the Art of War" has one point that "Strategy" cannot compare, that is, in "A Brief Introduction to the Art of War", the military brief description of the Romans is largely introduced.

This may not be a good content that many people think, but there is no doubt that as a military classic, such content can be considered in line with the subject matter.

And as can be seen in some of the descriptions in the later English translations, even the translators found these descriptions to be very meaningful:

In Book II, Vegetius discusses the organization of the legions and their officers, the ancient system of promotions, and the formation of the legions in battle. I found that the Roman practice of requiring soldiers to save money was in line with the practice of the American ** Corps today, and that the registration of guards and guards was still in use at that time, and that the Roman system of guard duty differed only slightly from our internal affairs guidelines.

As can be seen from the description of the field band, it turned out to be the pioneer of using it as a decorative pomp in the United States today. According to Vegetius, the Legion's success was due to its weaponry and machinery, as well as the bravery of its soldiers. A legion had 55 ballistae [a throwing machine] for throwing javelins, and 10 catapults [a mechanical catapult] drawn by bulls for throwing stones. Each regiment was equipped with bridging equipment, and there were many "canoes strung together by long ropes or chains." In addition, "no matter what kind of service was required, the camp had the strength and conditions to build a well-fortified castle". The work of training craftsmen is to prepare them for the fulfillment of all the duties now performed by the various service branches of the army.

......

The "Brief Introduction to the Art of War" has a more detailed description of the content of the Roman military.

According to the corresponding content and time speculation, these contents should be mainly the military equipment of the Romans around the third century AD.

Introduction:

His Majesty was well aware of the details of the various military decrees of his ancestors, and was therefore very handy in using them. This can be seen in one victory after another and triumph. The success of the business is indisputable proof of the skill. However, your Majesty the Emperor, who is calm and invincible, you still have to use your humble bearing to seek examples and materials from various ancient texts, even though many of your exploits in recent years have long overshadowed the glory of antiquity. So so, when I decided to give His Majesty a brief account of all this in this volume of mine, it was not so much for the sake of teaching as for the sake of the situation, and my deep respect for you made me toss and turn, and was terrified.

What could be more magnificent than to be the master and leader of mankind, and the conqueror of all barbarian races, to devote himself to the study and method of the whole army to the continual search of new contents?or is it better for you to issue a decree describing all that you have done in yourself? and, on the other hand, to disobey the commission of such a great emperor seems to me a crime and deserves to be punished. Because I obeyed, but in a peculiar way I felt that it was reluctant, and if I refused, I was afraid that it would be even more disrespectful. Your Majesty's boundless magnanimity has given me great courage to undertake this most adventurous enterprise.

In fact, as your loyal servant, I have long ago presented you with a little book on the recruitment and training of new soldiers, for which I should not be condemned.

Now, now that I have been worried that there will be no punishment for my work, I can do it directly and boldly as I am told.

Judging from the content of the introduction, it is very likely that there were some special reasons for the appearance of the "Brief Introduction to the Art of War" at that time, and as for what such reasons were, there is no more definite argument in later generations.

In terms of content, as described in the introduction, the length of Book II describes the military system of the Romans to a large extent:

1. The army [as the great writers and poets of the Roman people called in their writings, were composed of weapons and men, and were divided into three main parts: cavalry, infantry, and sailors.] The cavalry unit was called the flank [alae] because the wings, which resembled a flying bird, covered the formation from the left and right. Nowadays it is also called the "Flag Carrying Team" because the riders wave the flag, and now this kind of flag is also called "Tongue of Fire" [Note: "Tongue of Fire" is called a small flag. ]。 There is another type of cavalry, called the Legion Cavalry because it belongs to the legion, and the so-called knights wearing leggings [ocreati] are examples of the Legionary Cavalry.

The sailors also consisted of two parts: one part of the ship was called Librna [Note: Both the Russian-English translations take a transliteration of this word, followed by the Chinese translation, the reason for which is found in the third section of Book 5 of this book.] ], and the other part was armed sailing ships [for cruisers]. Cavalry defended plains, sailors defended seas and rivers, and infantry held high grounds, cities, flats, and cliffs. It follows that the country needs the infantry the most, because it guards the largest territory, and this huge contingent consumes the least.

The name "exercitus" derives from its own basic job, cohort training [exercitium], which makes it never forget why it was called it.

Infantry is also divided into two categories: auxiliary units and corps. Auxiliary forces are generally sent by tribes with alliance [socii] or treaty [foederati] ties. The valor and fearlessness that characterised the Romans was often and mainly embodied by regular legions. The word "legion" is derived from e-ligers [selection], and the meaning of the word itself requires that recruiters must possess the virtues of loyalty and diligence. It is generally said that the number of people who are selected into the auxiliary forces is smaller, and the number of people who enter the corps is much higher.

2. The Macedonians, Greeks, and Dardanes, in general, were arrayed in a phalanx, and each phalanx had to deploy 8,000 armed sergeants. The Gauls, the Celtic Iberians, and even most of the barbarians often used 6,000 armed soldiers per phalanx in battle. Roman legions generally had 6,000 warriors on military duty, sometimes more.

Now I will express what differences are made between corps and auxiliary units according to my own opinion.

The auxiliary units came from different places when they went to the battlefield, they were not the same in number, they had no prior contact with each other, they were not well trained, they were not familiar with each other, and their customs were different. They differed in their methods of warfare and used different weapons. If the differences between the units that fought together before the engagement were too great, it would not be so easy to win. Moreover, since the movements and processions of all the sergeants in the battle must be carried out according to the same signals and orders, it is difficult to carry out these orders in a coordinated manner if they have never been together in the past, let alone acted together in a very tacit manner. However, even such a team can achieve noticeable results in less than a year as long as they are forced to undergo intensive training with various subjects every day. Auxiliaries always belong to the battle queue of the corps as light troops, and are more of a rapid support force than primarily a coordinating role in engagement.

The legion itself had a number of heavily armed, fully formed brigades, that is, the main army, sword and spearmen, reservists, and a vanguard similar to light infantry, that is, a team of javelin pitchers, archers, slingers, and ballistas, as well as its own legionary cavalry. They carried out the same orders, united in fraternity, in a coordinated manner in the construction of camps, in the training of troops, in engagement, in all respects as one, without the need for any external support, and such legions were usually capable of defeating any enemy of any force. The great Roman Empire was proof of this, and it was these legions that fought bloodily and defeated countless enemies, selected and sometimes the situation provided the opportunity to engage them.

3. Some units are still called legions, but the strength of the legions has decayed because of contempt for the past. In the past, people were awarded for their bravery and skill, but now they are based on intrigue and trickery, and sergeants were promoted because they were able to endure hardships and stand hard work, but now they are for favoritism. Furthermore, after the commander-in-chief's attendants had completed their term of service, they were issued with certificates of service and sent home, leaving vacancies.

Some were too infirm to serve and should have been discharged, while others had deserted or died by accident. If so, not to mention every month, but also every year, there are not many young recruits to fill the gap in the legion. Therefore, no matter how large the original force was, it has begun to shrink in terms of personnel. There is another reason why the number of legions is getting smaller and smaller, and that is that they have difficult tasks, heavy weapons, heavy responsibilities, and strict discipline. Many people are rushing to jump ship to the auxiliary forces, also because the labor there is easy, and there are more opportunities to win awards.

The famous old Cato, who was invincible in battle as a soldier, and who often led his own army during his time as consul, decided that only by writing a military book could he seek greater welfare for his country. The reason is that heroic deeds can only be remembered in one generation, and what can be written for the benefit of the country can be passed down through the ages. Many others followed Cato's example, especially Frontinus, whose work was greatly praised by St. Minturajan. I will make sure that my teachings and instructions to them are concise and accurate.

Maintaining an army, whether you're exhausted or lazy, pays the same cost. The supreme Emperor Augustus [Note: The word "Augustus" originally had a religious connotation, meaning "one whom the gods revered", and later became the title of head and emperor of the Roman Empire. The word "Augustus" here refers to the emperor to whom the book is presented. In 284 A.D., Diocletian ascended to the throne and changed the name of the head of state to the "Domina Special System" [i.e., the monarchy].

He put Maximian in charge of the western part of the empire, stationed in Milan in northern Italy, and himself in the eastern part of the empire, in Nicomediaa in Asia Minor [present-day Izmit, Turkey], both of whom were called "Augustus". In 293, each of the two co-rulers appointed an assistant, called "Caesar" [vice-emperor], to govern parts of the region. This formed the "Four Emperors Co-governance System". At the same time, it was stipulated that "Augustus" would relinquish his powers and give way to "Caesar" after the expiration of his 20-year term, and that the two "Augustus" would adopt their subordinate "Caesar" as their adopted sons and marry their daughters to "Caesar", in order to maintain hereditary rule by blood marriage and prevent illegal usurpation and palace coups.

This system of multiple emperors ruling together lasted for a long time. The same is true of the following phrase "When the emperor accepted the title of Augustus, he was the representative of the will of God in his perfection...... If, by your will, the strong order of the whole army and the armed forces is revived, and the flaws of your predecessors are remedied, it will be of great benefit not only to the present age, but also to the century to come.

4. All historians agree that every consul who went out on a campaign against the enemy, regardless of the number of troops of the opponent, never led more than two legions, and at most was accompanied by the auxiliaries of several allies. This is a reflection of the Legion's well-trained and confident confidence in themselves. In their opinion, two corps was quite enough for the needs of any war. I will describe the formation of the regiments in ancient times in accordance with the norms of military law.

I should not be blamed if the narrative is a little obscure or not so fluent, because the topic itself is too difficult. Therefore, this account should be read over and over again, with great concentration, in order to fully understand it and keep it in mind. Undoubtedly, if an emperor can grasp the essence of the art of war, so that his army, no matter how small or small, can be good at warfare, then his country will be invincible in the world.

5. In this way, if we can select young recruits who are both brave and strong, and who can continue to train daily for four months or more, we will be able to obey the decree of our invincible monarch, and be fortunate enough to form our legions under his leadership.

Once the sergeants have an indelible mark on their skin, they can be registered, and they are asked to take an oath, which is called the military oath. They are to swear in the name of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, in the name of His Majesty the Emperor, who is to be respected and revered by mankind in particular, besides God. As soon as the emperor accepted the title of "Augustus", he was the perfect representative of God's will, and his subjects should be loyal and adored to him, and they should serve him with all their might.

Whether it is ordinary people or soldiers, as long as they determine who rules according to God's will, they will serve God as if they were serving Him. If so, the soldiers swore that they would do everything the emperor had ordered them to do, that they would always stick to their posts, and that they would die for the good of the Roman Empire.

6. One corps has ten brigades. The First Brigade is superior to the other brigades in terms of the number and quality of personnel. The men who were incorporated into this brigade were excellent in terms of origin and education. It bears the Eagle, the main banner of the Roman legions, as well as the flag of the entire legion. It is a commemorative symbol of the image of the emperors, that is, the real sacred military flag. With 1,150 infantry and 132 armored cavalry, this brigade was known as the "Cohorsmiliaria".

It is the main body of the legion, and when it is time to go into battle, the formation is lined up from it. The second brigade consisted of 555 infantry and 66 cavalry, and was called the "Cohorsquingentaria". The 3rd Brigade also had 555 infantry and 66 cavalry, and it was usually required that the men of this brigade be particularly strong because of their position in the center of the formation. The fourth brigade consisted of 555 infantry and 66 cavalry. The Fifth Brigade also consisted of 555 infantry and 66 cavalry, and the Fifth Brigade had to be composed of strong and strong sergeants, because the Fifth Brigade was on the left flank, corresponding to the First Brigade on the right flank. These five brigades make up the first platoon.

The Sixth Brigade consisted of 555 infantry and 66 cavalry, and the young recruits assigned to the Sixth Brigade were expected to be elite forces, as it was positioned in the second row behind the Eagle Banner and the Imperial Image.

The 7th Brigade consisted of 555 infantry and 66 cavalry. The 8th Brigade, consisting of 555 infantry and 66 cavalry, was to have dreadnought warriors in its formation, as the 8th Brigade was in the center of the second row. The 9th Brigade consisted of 555 infantry and 62 cavalry. The 10th Brigade also consisted of 555 infantry and 62 cavalry, and was usually composed of good fighters, as it was placed on the left flank in the second row.

The entire corps consisted of ten brigades, with a total of 6,100 infantry and 730 cavalry. There is no case in a regiment with less than this post, and sometimes if there is an order to build more than one thousand-man brigade, the number of recruits will be greater than the above.

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From the above description, we can clearly see the establishment of the core of the Roman military system at that time - the legion, which is of great help for the study of Roman military. [To be continued.] ]