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Strictly speaking, Suvorov was one of the most famous Western generals before the Napoleonic Wars, but strictly speaking, like Napoleon, his military way of thinking has not really survived. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

Even Suvorov himself wrote "The Science of Winning", but strictly speaking, "The Science of Winning" is essentially very different from the traditional military book, and "The Science of Winning" is not so much a military masterpiece as a "Infantry Drill Code" of the "Gun Platoon Period".

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Strictly speaking, there are many classical military classics in the West, but the main ones that can really have an impact are the "A Brief Introduction to the Art of War (On Military)" and strategy from the Roman Empire's war system.

During the period of the Great Qin Empire, where Zhang Jiashi lived, neither of the two Western classical military works appeared, which should be said that there was a great distance between their authors and the year in which Zhang Jiashi lived.

The Stratagem was written by the ancient Roman statesman and military theorist Sextus Julius Frontinus (c. 35-c. 103 A.D.). Sextus served as consul of the city of Rome, governor of the province of Britain, governor of the province of Asia, etc., and he wrote a lot of military works during his lifetime, but most of them have been dispersed, and the only surviving book is the book "Strategy".

There are few historical records of the details of Frontinus' life. In 70 AD, Frontinus became the prefect of the city. Later, he was elected consul three times. At the end of his term as the first consul, he was sent to Britain as governor of the province.

According to Tacitus's Histories, Frontinus maintained the good style of his predecessor, Petillius Sirearis, in this position, and he was able to handle difficult emergencies with ease. He organized and directed the suppression of the strong and belligerent Silur uprisings in Wales, and immediately began the construction of a road in the conquered area, after which the road was named. The Boulevard Julius is still preserved to this day.

There are also few records of his family and place of birth. His surname was Julius and he served as director of the aqueduct of the city of Rome. In ancient times, this position was only available to the dignitaries of the state. According to this, he most likely had the blood of an ancient Roman nobility. In Rahman's The Art of Surveying, there is a fragment of a treatise on land surveying that is said to have been written by Frontinus, revealing the teaching of the Alexandrian School of Mathematics, and in particular mentioning the prosperity of the city of Alexandria, where it seems likely that he was educated.

In 70 AD, Frontinus became the prefect of the city. He was elected consul three times, first in 73 A.D., again in 98 A.D., and third in 100 A.D. At the end of his first term, he was sent to Britain as governor of the province. Tacitus tells us that Frontinus maintained the tradition of his predecessor, Petilius Sirearis, in this position, and that he was able to cope with difficult emergencies when he was needed. He organized and directed the suppression of the strong and belligerent Silur in Wales, and by virtue of his unwavering and righteous nature, he immediately began the construction of a road in the conquered area, which he named the Julius Avenue, the course of which is still faintly recognizable, and some of the ancient pavement can still be seen today.

Frontinus was governor of Britain from 75 AD to 78 AD and returned to Rome until 78 AD, and then until 98 AD, and the situation for him for 20 years is blank. However, this period, from the age of 43 to 62, was the period during which he wrote a large number of works. His book The Art of War was written in 78 AD, after his return to Rome from Britain. His Stratagem, as for it, was written between 84 and 96 AD. During this period, he also served as a soothsayer, a position he did not succeed until his death in 103 AD, when Pliny the Younger.

During his tenure as director of the aqueducts, he made a name for himself in water management and wrote the book On the Water Supply of the City of Rome. He was appointed at a time when the post had long been wantonly ruined by his predecessors, who had corrupted their manners, and Frontinus corrected their abuse of power and over-favoring a few. He selected and appointed talents, personally conducted in-depth investigation and research, advocated reform, practiced strict economy, was loyal and prudent, performed his duties, and did his best. He declared that the convenience, comfort, and safety of the people were the goals he pursued with all his might. As a result of his efforts, the water conservancy facilities were improved, the city was cleaned, even the air became pure, and the cause of the plague was eliminated. Although the above-mentioned "The Problem of Water Supply in the City of Rome" is a work on the hydraulic engineering facilities of ancient Rome, it also portrays Frontinus as a loyal public servant.

The ancient Roman scholar Pliny the Elder left us with a quote from Frontinus: "A valuable life will be immortal." Frontinus himself was an exemplary embodiment of this maxim.

In Oppenheim, Germany, a remnant of a monument was found, which is said to have been built by his daughter Yulia Frontina, who was still alive at the time, and was erected around 84 AD. In the area called Vitra Castella in ancient times, an inscription dedicated to Cupid Juno and Minerva was found, which shows that Frontinus had suffered a serious illness at that time. A section of lead pipe found near the Avenue of Tibur bears the inscription Sextus Frontinus, from which some episodes of the life of this revered figure can be learned.

Many of Frontinus's writings are of a technical nature. As for his work on military theory, this is mentioned by himself in the preface to the book Stratagem, and is also confirmed by the accounts of his contemporary, Elion, and three centuries later, Vegetius, author of The Roman Military System (also known as A Brief Introduction to the Art of War). His works on military theory, such as The Art of War, have been scattered, although it is likely that Vegetius absorbed some parts of them into his own writings.

Written after the defunct Art of War, the "Strategy" was intended to supplement the narrative of strategically successful examples of war, to illustrate the laws of military science, and to enable generals to have a full understanding of these laws in order to improve their ability to plan and carry out similar combat operations.

The Stratagem has been handed down in four volumes, the first three of which were written by Frontinus, and the author of the fourth is unknown. In addition, there are several examples of alterations and random additions in these four volumes. This is the conclusion reached by the German translator of the book "Strategy" Gundemann after investigation and by absorbing the research results of modern German scholars Wahtzmutt and Wolfen.

According to Goodman, the first three volumes of the Stratagem were written between 84 and 96 AD, and that the fourth volume is a work of the early second century, probably by a rhetorician later in Frontinus. According to Wahtzmut, it was a work of the fourth and fifth centuries, written by the leaders of the games, and that they were written by the leaders of the games for the purpose of writing speeches or polemics and collecting examples suitable for their needs. Wolfen agrees. There are also those who disagree with Wahtzmut, arguing that, judging by the linguistic rhetoric of Book IV, the author should be an officer of Frontinus's contemporaries. In any case, there is no doubt that the first three volumes and the fourth volume are distinctly different and not by the same author.

In this regard, Wahzmutt and Wolfen point out that Frontinus had planned the book in the preface: the first volume deals with examples of tactics used before the start of war, the second with examples of tactics used in the war itself, especially in helping to subdue the enemy, and the third with examples of tactics used in siege and its release.

The table of contents of the chapters of the first three books corresponds to this plan, but the fourth book does not deal with historical stratagems, but on the moral aspects of soldiers, which is very different from the plan in Frontinus's preface.

In "Strategy," the author systematically summarizes and sorts out the historical examples of operations he has collected from other works to expound military theory, and analyzes the issues of how to win battles and how to make better use of the results of battles. In his opinion, in order to successfully carry out a war (battle), it is necessary to prepare carefully, to correctly choose the place and time of engagement, to be good at arranging battle formations, and to try to break up the enemy army. An important feature of Frontinus's work is that it expounds the military technology of the time with a large number of instructive historical examples, emphasizing the close relationship between military theory and historical experience. Frontinus's writings are a valuable document for the study of military thought in the era of the ancient Roman Empire.

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The Brief Description of the Art of War was written by the author Flavius Vegetius Renatus, whose birth and death years are not accurately recorded, and the only thing that can be confirmed is that his main activity date was around the 4th century.

According to the information preserved by the Roman writers Cato the Great, Augustus, and Emperor M.U. Trajan, he wrote the military work "The Roman Military System". The book discusses the formation, equipment, training, and methods of warfare of legions in ancient Rome. The book began to make an impact in the late Middle Ages. With the decline of hoplites and the rise of infantry, Vegetius's writings gained widespread attention and were regarded as classics in European military circles for centuries. He is also well-known as the author of the book.

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In a sense, "Strategy" can be said to be the first written book of military concepts with Western thinking.

The author himself can be said to be quite satisfied with his work:

I have a personal interest in military science, and have worked systematically on its rules, and I feel that although I am only beginning in this work, I have worked hard for it and believe that it can be accomplished.

I also feel that it is my duty to give a brief synthesis of the activities of the generals, the shrewd know-how of the Greeks in the word "strategy," in order to accomplish the mission which has already begun. In this way, commanders become familiar with many examples of thoughtful and forward-looking content, which helps them develop their own capacity to plan and practice such activities. In addition, a general who can compare his strategy with proven success stories will not have to worry about the success or failure of his scheme.

I am well aware, and do not deny, that, on the one hand, historians have dealt with this issue in their explorations, and on the other hand, writers have written more or less about all the famous historical examples. But I think I should be able to provide a convenient help to those who are busy. It is tiresome to look for individual examples in the vast expanse of historical texts, and those who are adept at compiling strange texts often lead the reader into a jumble of facts, leaving them at a loss.

What I will diligently strive for is nothing more than to provide readers with appropriate historical examples based on the propositions stated, as if questioning, and proceeding from actual needs. In order to facilitate their sifting and proper classification by topic, I have divided them into three volumes. Book 1 provides examples of tactics used prior to the start of the engagement, Book 2 lists examples related to the engagement itself and had an impact on the complete subjugation of the enemy, and Book 3 deals with siege and siege strategies. On the basis of the above three volumes, I have grouped the examples for each volume.

I would like to implore forgiveness with this work of mine, and my pleas are not unfounded. I hope that readers will not blame me for my negligence when they find out that I have omitted certain historical examples, because who can read through all the documents that have been handed down to this day, written in two languages?

Many of these things I deliberately ignore the past, and there is a reason why I am the same, and anyone who has read the works of other authors who have written on the same topic will surely be able to understand the reason. Moreover, it would be easy for them to add such examples to each category. I have written this book, as in all previous writings, not for the sake of fame and fame, but for the benefit of the public, so that if someone is able to supplement my writings, I will consider them to be a help, not a reproach.

If some readers think that these volumes are very suitable, I hope that they will be careful to distinguish between the different meanings of "strategy" and "strategy", even though they are very similar in nature. Commanders should be classified under strategy if they are characterized by foresight, clarity of purpose, courage and determination; The latter is usually characterized by skillfulness and shrewdness, which takes effect before the enemy flees or is to be destroyed;

The following is a list of strategies for pre-war operations, which can be instructive to commanders. (To be continued.) )

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