VII.
BATTLE TACTICS.
Son the Master said:—
For the most part, military procedure is as follows.
The General receives orders from his Lord; assembles the forces, and settles the order of encampments.
There is nothing more difficult than Battle Tactics. Their difficulty lies in the calculation of time and distance, and the facing of sudden emergencies.
To take a circuitous route, and give the enemy an advantage, and then, whilst drawing him out and starting after him, to arrive before him, is to be a master of the art of marching.
So to do is well; but beware of arriving after the enemy, and finding him in position.
Employing our whole force at one time in order to gain advantage over the enemy, we may not have time enough to gain our object. If, with the same object, we push on with the main force only, we may lose the transport. Discarding helmet and armour; stopping neither day nor night; marching double distance; and finally contending with the enemy at a distance of a hundred leagues; leads to the capture of three generals. Since the strong men arrive first, and the tired drop in rear; only one tenth of the forces arrives.
A forced march of fifty miles to secure an advantage, may result in failure to the leader of the vanguard; for only half his men will arrive.
After a forced march of thirty leagues to secure an
