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The content of "Strategy" can be said to cover a wide range of aspects. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

In the first volume, there are many references to a commander in terms of intelligence covertness:

Of course, these aspects are more quoted from examples known at the time:

Conceal your plan:

1. Marcus Porchius Cato believed that the Spanish city-states that had submitted to him would one day rely on their fortifications and regain their arms to fight. Therefore, he gave each city-state a separate table and told them to level the fortifications. If orders are not carried out promptly, there will be war. He ordered that this order should be distributed to all the city-states on the same day. If so, each city-state would assume that this watch was given to it specifically. If it were known that all the city-states had received the same order, it would inevitably be possible to collude in a boycott. (195 B.C.)

2. The Carthaginian general Shimilko wished to land in Sicily suddenly, but he kept the destination of the voyage secret, but gave each captain a sealed envelope with a chart indicating the route and the port of call, and ordered that no one should open the envelope in his hand as long as the ship was not separated from the flagship by a storm. (396 B.C.)

3. Gaius Laelius was sent to Siphax as an envoy, and he took with him a group of spies disguised as slaves and attendants. One of them, Lucius Statorius, had been to the area several times, and it seemed that he was recognized by someone in the enemy camp. In order to conceal his true social status, Laelius whipped him as if he were a slave. (203 B.C.)

4. Tarquin (the Proud) decided to kill the leaders of Gabi, but he did not want to entrust this intention to anyone, so he did not miss the messenger sent by his son to ask him for advice on this matter. He just strolled around the garden vigorously, breaking the stems of the tallest poppies with small sticks. The envoy received no reply, and when he returned, he had to report to Tarquin the younger as he had seen it with his own eyes. As a result, the son also understood how to deal with the Gabi people who picked on the head.

5. Gaius Caesar considered the loyalty of the Egyptians questionable, and he wanted to give the impression that he was indulging in alcohol all day long. When he went to inspect the city and its defenses, he pretended to be captured by the beauty of the place, and he was conquered by the customs and life of the Egyptians. While pretending to be in this appearance, he brought in reinforcements and occupied Egypt in one fell swoop.

6. When Ventideus was fighting against Pacolus, king of the Sabbat, he learned that there was a man from the province of Serhestika named Pharneus, who claimed to be an ally, but in fact revealed to the Sabbaths all the information about the armament of Ventidius' army. So Ventideus came up with a plan, pretending to be afraid of what he wanted to happen, but pretending to want it to happen when he was afraid of what happened. He feared that the legions stationed on the side of the Taurus Mountains in Cappadocia would cross the Euphrates before reinforcements were received.

So he earnestly sent the spy to counsel the Sabbatians as usual, and told them to cross the army of the Sabbatians near Tsogma, where the Euphrates River flowed into a deep riverbed. He asserted that if the Sabbatians had taken this path, he would have been able to take advantage of the favorable terrain of the hilly terrain to evade the Sabbatarians' shooters, but he was also concerned that the Sabbatarians would advance downstream in the open field. Deceived by this information, the Sabbatarians led their army around the downstream route, and spent about forty days preparing materials and building a bridge over the river, and because the bridge was built on the banks on both sides of the river that was quite wide, the cost of building the bridge was much more. Ventidius took advantage of this time to gather his forces three days before the arrival of the Sabbatarians, and immediately went into battle, defeating Pacolus and killing him. (38 B.C.)

7. Mithrida was besieged by Pompey, and he wanted to evacuate the next day. In order to conceal his attempts, he expanded the area where he could procure grain, even approaching the plains bordering the enemy's deployments. He also arranged for a meeting with many people the next day in order to dispel suspicions, and ordered more fireworks throughout the camp. Then, during the second shift at night, he withdrew with his troops close to the enemy's stronghold (66 BC)

8. Caesar Domitian Augustus - Emperor Germanicus wanted to suppress the Germanic people because they were already armed. But he knew that if they had known in advance that a commander like him was going to go, they would have been better prepared for war. He declared the purpose of his trip from Rome to be an investigation into the province of Gaul. In this way, he took the enemy by surprise and set the flames of war on fire, and in this way suppressed the fierce barbarian tribes, and thus ensured the peace there. (83 A.D.)

9. Claudius Nero should destroy Hasdrubal and his forces before he joins forces with his brother Hannibal, which is crucial. However, Nero lacked confidence in his own troops and was eager to join forces with his colleague, Levius Salinato, who had been tasked with commanding the campaign. At the same time, in order not to let Hannibal, who was camped on the opposite side, see his movements, Nero selected 10,000 very strong warriors to stay, and ordered the temporary commander who remained to send guards and sentry guards as always, and light the same number of lights, so that the camp would look the same as before, so that Hannibal would not be suspicious and rashly attack the few troops left behind. When Nero secretly marched to Umbria to join Livius, he was not allowed to expand his tent lest the Carthaginian commander learn of his arrival. Once Hasdrubal knew that the consul's forces were already united, he would definitely avoid the battle. In this case, Nero was taken by surprise by his reinforced army and won. Before Hannibal could get the news, Nero had already returned to deal with Hannibal. In this way, Nero used the same plan to defeat two of the most resourceful Carthaginian generals. (207 B.C.)

10. Themistocles persuaded his men to repair the walls that had been ordered to be demolished by the Laceidemones as soon as possible. He told the messenger sent by Sparta to inquire about the matter that he would personally put an end to this suspicion. He really got to Sparta. When he arrived, he pretended to be ill and delayed for a long time, and when he realized that his tricks had aroused suspicion, he claimed that the Spartans had heard utter nonsense, and asked them to send a number of eminent men to Athens to check the fact that the fortifications were being intensified. At the same time, he wrote privately to the Athenians, asking them to detain all those who went there until all the walls were repaired. Then he could tell the Spartans that Athens had indeed strengthened the fortifications and that the dignitaries they had sent could return, on the condition that they first put him back. The Spartans readily agreed, for they did not want to kill him alone and cause many people on their side to be killed. (478 B.C.)

11. Lucius Fulus brought his army to an unfavorable position. He decided not to show his panic, lest the others be stunned. He adjusted his direction slightly, as if to make a long-distance detour to attack the enemy. In this way, he finally reversed his marching route, and his troops were unwittingly freed.

12. When he was in Spain, he was asked what you were going to do tomorrow, and he replied: "If my shirt can tell you, I will burn it at once." (B.C.)

13. When Marcus Licini Crassus was asked when he was going to pull out, he replied: "Are you worried that you won't hear the trumpet?"

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Spying on enemy plans:

1. Scipio Afriganus took advantage of the opportunity to send an envoy to Siphax and ordered the tribune and the captain of the hundred, who were tasked with spying on the king's troops. In order to make it easier to find out the deployment of the barracks, they deliberately let go of a horse. Pretending to chase the horse, they took the opportunity to run through most of the fortified camps. When they reported back the results of the reconnaissance, the war ended with the burning of the barracks.

2. When fighting against the Etruscans, the Roman commander was ignorant of the various methods of reconnaissance, and Quintus Fabian Maximus ordered his Etruscan brother Fabian Siso, who was Etruscan, to change into Etruscan clothes and go deep into the Chimini Forest. Previously, our troops had never been there. He carried out his task with great care and dedication, and after crossing the forest, he found that the Umbrians of Cameri were not hostile to the Romans, and he persuaded them to agree to an alliance. (310 B.C.)

3. When the Carthaginians realized that Alexander's power had grown too great to pose a threat to Africa, they sent a strong freeman named Hamilcar Rodinus to flee to the king in disguise as an exile, and did everything possible to curry favor with the king and gain his trust. Upon his success, Rodinus immediately revealed the king's plan to his companions. (331 B.C.)

4. It was these Carthaginians who sent men who had been living in Rome as envoys for a long time to protect their intelligence.

5. Marcus Cato, who was at a loss for his plans to intercept the enemy during his time in Spain, ordered three hundred soldiers to attack the enemy's garrison at once, capture a prisoner from the enemy group, and bring him back to his camp. After being tortured, the man revealed all the secrets of the other side. (195 B.C.)

6. During the war with the Cimbris and the Teutons, the consul Gaius Marius wanted to test the loyalty of the Gauls and Ligurians. He sent them a letter stating that the other envelope, which was still sealed, was not to be opened until the appointed time. Subsequently, he requested that the original be taken back before the scheduled time. He discovered that all the seals had been torn apart, and he understood that hostilities were brewing. (104 BC)

The generals also had other ways to obtain information, and they did not rely on any outside help, but were all cautious on their own, carefully observing and obtaining information, as evidenced by examples:

7. During the Etruscan War, the consul Emilius Paulus was about to drive his army to the plain near the city of Véturonha when he noticed a large flock of birds flying out of the forest in the distance, as if frightened. There were two reasons why he wondered if there might be an ambush there: first, the birds were frightened and flew out, and second, there were so many birds flying out at once. He sent several scouts to investigate, and found that there were 10,000 Bosis waiting to attack the Romans. So he sent his legions to crush the enemy from a direction he had never expected.

8. In a similar case, Tisamenus, the son of Orestes, heard that the enemy had occupied the hill (a natural fortress) in front of him, and sent several men to investigate the situation. The man sent back to report that his suspicions were unfounded, and the procession continued on its way. But when he saw a large flock of birds flying up from behind the suspicious hill at the same time, and all of them were no longer falling, he concluded that there must be an enemy ambush there. So he led his team in a detour, and finally avoided those who had set up an ambush waiting for him to enter the urn.

9. Hannibal's brother Hasdrubal knew that Levius's army had joined Nero's army (although Nero and Levius did not camp separately in order to conceal their true feelings). Because Hasdrubal found that the horses had become thin and the men had sunned from the long journey, it was a natural result of the march. (207 B.C.)

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Choosing a mode of combat:

1. Alexander the King of Macedon had a strong army, and he always liked to choose the way to fight in an open position.

2. Caesar had an army of experienced veterans during the Civil War, and he knew that the enemy army was untrained recruits, so he always tried to open up for battle.

3. Fabian Maximus, in his battle against Hannibal, who was carried away by his victory, was determined to abandon any adventurous decisive battle and concentrate on holding on to Italy. With this strategy, he won the nickname of a moderate faction and a great general. (217 B.C.)

4. The Byzantines avoided the danger of a decisive battle with Philip, and even abandoned their territorial defenses in favor of the castle, but eventually withdrew because Philip had lost the patience for a protracted siege. (339 B.C.)

5. During the Second Punic War, when Publius Scipio was advancing on his feet, Gisco's son Hasdrubal distributed his army among the cities of Spain. As a result, Scipio withdrew his army to the winter camp in order not to distract his forces from storming many cities. (207 B.C.)

6. As Xerxes approached, Themistocles believed that the Athenians could neither fight by land to defend their territory nor endure sieges, and therefore advised that their wives and children should be sent to Trojan and the other city-states, abandoning the cities and moving the battlefield to the sea.

7. Pericles used the same tactics when he fought against the Spartans in the same city-state. (431 B.C.)

8. While Hannibal was still in Italy, Scipio transported his army to Africa. This forced the Carthaginians to recall Hannibal. In this way, Scipio shifted the war from his own territory to the enemy's territory. (204 B.C.)

9. When the Spartans built a fortress on Desilia (an Athenian citadel), they often raided from there. The Athenians sent a fleet to harass the Peloponnese, forcing the Spartans to recall the Spartan troops stationed in Desilia. (413 B.C.)

10. When the Germanic peoples, as was customary, attacked us from forest pastures and concealed bunkers, and then took refuge in the depths of the forest safely, Julius Caesar Domitian Augustus advanced the empire one hundred and twenty miles, which not only changed the nature of the war, but also knocked out the enemy's shelter and subdued the enemy. (83 A.D.) (To be continued.) )

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