Dwilight University/Military Studies/A General's Role in War
Written on March 14, 2010 while in Springdale City.
Essay
Purpose of War, General, and Marshals (Introduction)
War is a means to a political end. The goal should not be forgotten when devising a strategy or a tactic. Strategy must be the means to the political goal. Tactics must be the means to the strategic goal. A general creates the strategy with the counsel of the marshals. The marshals devise tactics while being able to advise strategically. A general should provide clear strategies to his marshals. If the strategy is not clear, the fault of failure rests upon the general. If the strategy is clear, the fault of failure rests upon the marshals. A general should be calm and rational and not erratic in thought. A marshal should retain the same qualities.
Proper Means
A key element of achieving the political goal is to outwit the enemy, not outfight the enemy. If you are weaker, avoid direction confrontation. If you are weaker, you must raid their lands and avoid direct confrontation. If you are weaker, you must divide their armies and pick off the weaker sections, ignoring their strong points. Focus on the enemy's weaknesses; avoid their strengths. If you are a stronger invading force, you must think unconventionally like the enemy. You must be flexible and adaptive to the changes of war so as to outwit and not outfight your enemy. Strategy is focused on the outwitting of the enemy. Tactics are focused on the outfighting of the enemy. Marshals should understand both for their immediate command and for the counsel of the general.
Ultimate Means
A key element of war is the morale of the controlling influence on government. Those able to change the government, controller of the political goals, are able to take control and change the military means and the political goals. Thus, if they begin to oppose the war, they will begin to use their controlling influence to change the government to end the means to achieving the goal, thus ending a method of achieving the goal. This is why the weakening of enemy noble morale is significant, worsening the more influential the noble. And in the same vein, this is why its important for a general to maintain a high war morale among nobility, especially the more influential nobles.
Knowledge
A general must have knowledge. Knowing enemy movements, army compositions, general and marshal tendencies, economic situation, military infrastructure etc. is key to preparing a proper plan. Scoutings and spies are the usual method for this. Spies cannot be trusted though, as they can turn double easily. If you can have spies and double spies, use them; just don't trust them closely for the dishonourable beings they usually are. As a general must have knowledge, he must deprive the enemy general of knowledge. To deceive your enemy is to outwit your enemy. One must be careful to be honourable in their deceptions. If an enemy general draws the wrong conclusion from poor information gathering on their part, all the better. To directly lie to the opposing general is to be dishonourable. If the general receives information from one of his spies, and your double spies, that is untrue, he should have known better than to trust a spy.
Use of Lessons (Conclusion)
To use each of these lessons alone is like using a stick against your enemy, but using these together is like using a bundle of sticks against your enemy. One must remember the goal of the war and strive to achieve it, not repeat a past strategy senselessly. One must remember that outfighting your opponent is not the most efficient manner of acquiring the political goal. One must outwit the enemy in achieving the goal. One must seek to weaken enemy morale while increasing one's own. To have a weak morale is to have the political goal and its means removed, and the war lost with the goal. In achieving the outwitting of the enemy in order to achieving the weakened enemy morale, one must have knowledge to plan and act, while depriving the enemy of the knowledge for them to plan and act.
