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the cavalry general-第6部分
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object。'4' But if the ground nowhere admits of cover; your best course
is to form your files'5' into ranks one behind the other; and wheel
them round so as to leave intervals between each file; the troopers
nearest the enemy in each file will keep their lances erect; and the
rest low enough not to show above。
'3' Cf。 Polyaen。 II。 i。 17; of Agesilaus in Macedonia; 394 B。C。 (our
author was probably present); IV。 iv。 3; of Antipater in Thessaly;
323 B。C。
'4' Lit。 〃steal your troopers。〃 See 〃Cyrop。〃 V。 iv。 48。
'5' Lit。 〃form your decads (squads of ten; cf。 our 'fours') in ranks
and deploy with intervals。〃
To come to the next topic: you may work on the enemy's fears by the
various devices of mock ambuscades; sham relief parties; false
information。 Conversely; his confidence will reach an overweening
pitch; if the idea gets abroad that his opponents have troubles of
their own and little leisure for offensive operations。
But over and beyond all that can be written on the subject
inventiveness is a personal matter; beyond all formulasthe true
general must be able to take in; deceive; decoy; delude his adversary
at every turn; as the particular occasion demands。 In fact; there is
no instrument of war more cunning than chicanery;'6' which is not
surprising when one reflects that even little boys; when playing; 〃How
many (marbles) have I got in my hand?〃'7' are able to take one another
in successfully。 Out goes a clenched fist; but with such cunning that
he who holds a few is thought to hold several; or he may present
several and appear to be holding only a few。 Is it likely that a grown
man; giving his whole mind to methods of chicanery; will fail of
similar inventiveness? Indeed; when one comes to consider what is
meant by advantages snatched in war; one will find; i think; that the
greater part of them; and those the more important; must be attributed
in some way or other to displays of craft;'8' which things being so; a
man had better either not attempt to exercise command; or; as part and
parcel of his general equipment; let him pray to Heaven to enable him
to exercise this faculty and be at pains himself to cultivate his own
inventiveness。
'6' Cf。 〃Cyrop。〃 IV。 ii。 26; VII。 i。 18。
'7' {posinda}; lit。 〃How many?〃 (i。e。 dice; nuts; marbles; etc。); cf。
the old game; 〃Buck! buck! how many horns do I hold up?〃 Schneid。
cf。 Aristot。 〃Rhet。〃iii。 5。 4。
'8' 〃Have been won in connection with craft。〃 See 〃Cyrop。〃 I。 vi。 32;
〃Mem。〃 III。 i。 6; IV。 ii。 15。
A general; who has access to the sea; may exercise the faculty as
follows: he may either; whilst apparently engaged in fitting out his
vessels; strike a blow on land;'9' or with a make…believe of some
aggressive design by land; hazard an adventure by sea。'10'
'9' A ruse adopted by Jason; 371 B。C。 Cf。 〃Hell。〃 VI。 iv。 21。
'10' Cf。 the tactics of the Athenians at Catana; 415 B。C。 Thuc。 vi。
64。
I consider it to be the duty of the cavalry commander to point out
clearly to the state authority the essential weakness of a force of
cavalry unaided by light infantry; as opposed to cavalry with foot…
soldiers attached。'11' It is duty also; having got his footmen; to
turn the force to good account。 It is possible to conceal them
effectively; not only between the lines; but in rear also of the
troopersthe mounted soldier towering high above his follower on
foot。
'11' Or; 〃divorced from infantry。〃 In reference to {amippoi}; cf。
Thuc。 v。 57; 〃Hell。〃 VII。 v。 23。
With regard to these devices and to any others which invention may
suggest towards capturing the foeman by force or fraud; I have one
common word of advice to add; which is; to act with God; and then
while Heaven propitious smiles; fortune will scarcely dare to
frown。'12'
'12' Or; 〃and then by the grace of Heaven you may win the smiles of
fortune;〃 reading with Courier; etc。; {ina kai e tukhe sunepaine}。
Cf。 〃Cyrop。〃 III。 iii。 20。
At times there is no more effective fraud than a make…believe'13' of
over…caution alien to the spirit of adventure。 This itself will put
the enemy off his guard and ten to one will lure him into some
egregious blunder; or conversely; once get a reputation for
foolhardiness established; and then with folded hands sit feigning
future action; and see what a world of trouble you will thereby cause
your adversary。
'13' S。 15 should perhaps stand before S。 13。
VI
But; after all; no man; however great his plastic skill; can hope to
mould and shape a work of art to suit his fancy; unless the stuff on
which he works be first prepared and made ready to obey the
craftsman's will。 Nor certainly where the raw material consists of
men; will you succeed; unless; under God's blessing; these same men
have been prepared and made ready to meet their officer in a friendly
spirit。 They must come to look upon him as of greater sagacity than
themselves in all that concerns encounter with the enemy。 This
friendly disposition on the part of his subordinates; one must
suppose; will best be fostered by a corresponding sympathy on the part
of their commander towards the men themselves; and that not by simple
kindness but by the obvious pains he takes on their behalf; at one
time to provide them with food; and at another to secure safety of
retreat; or again by help of outposts and the like; to ensure
protection during rest and sleep。
When on active service'1' the commander must prove himself
conspicuously careful in the matter of forage; quarters; water…supply;
outposts;'2' and all other requisites; forecasting the future and
keeping ever a wakeful eye in the interest of those under him; and in
case of any advantage won; the truest gain which the head of affairs
can reap is to share with his men the profits of success。
'1' Al。 〃on garrison outpost duty。〃
'2' Reading {phulakon}; or if with Courier {thulakon}; 〃haversacks;〃
i。e。 〃la farine; le contenant pour le contenu。〃
Indeed; to put the matter in a nutshell; there is small risk a general
will be regarded with contempt by those he leads; if; whatever he may
have to preach; he shows himself best able to perform。
Beginning with the simple art of mounting on horseback; let him so
train himself in all particulars of horsemanship that; to look at him;
the men must see their leader is a horseman who can leap a trench
unscathed or scale a parapet;'3' or gallop down a bank; and hurl a
javelin with the best。 These are accomplishments which one and all
will pave the way to make contempt impossible。 If; further; the men
shall see in their commander one who; with the knowledge how to act;
has force of will and cunning to make them get the better of the
enemy; and if; further; they have got the notion well into their heads
that this same leader may be trusted not to lead them recklesssly
against the foe; without the help of Heaven; or despite the auspices
I say; you have a list of virtues which will make those under his
command the more obedient to their ruler。
'3' Or; 〃stone walls;〃 〃dykes。〃
VII
If prudence may be spoken of as the one quality distinctive of true
generalship; there are two respects in which a general of cavalry at
Athens should pre…eminently excel。 Not only must he show a dutiful
submission to the gods; but he must possess great fighting qualities;
seeing that he has on his borders a rival cavalry equal to his own in
number and backed by a large force of heavy infantry。'1' So that; if
he undertake to invade the enemy's territory unsupported by the other
forces of the city'2'in dealing with two descriptions of forces
single…handed; he and his cavalry must look for a desperate adventure;
or to take the converse case; that the enemy invades the soil of
Attica; to begin with; he will not invade at all; unless supported by
other cavalry besides his own and an infantry force sufficient to
warrant the supposition that no force on our side can cope with him。
'1' The reference is doubtless to the Thebans。 Unfortunately we do not
know; on good authority; how many troops of either arm they had in
the field at Leuctra or at Mantinea。
'2' Lit。 〃without the rest of the city;〃 i。e。 the hoplites; etc。
Now; to deal with this vast hostile array; if only the city will
determine to sally out en masse to protect her rural districts; the
prospect is fair。 Under God; our troopers; if properly cared for; are
the finer men; our infantry of the line are no less numerous; and as
regards physique; if it comes to that; not one whit inferior; while in
reference to moral qualities; they are more susceptible to the spur of
a noble ambition; if only under God's will they be correctly trained。
Or again; as touching pride of ancestry; what have Athenians to fear
as against Boeotians on that score?'3'
'3' See 〃Mem。〃 III。 v。 3; where it is contended that in pride of
ancestry Athenians can hold their own against Boeotians。
But suppose the city of Athens determine to betake herself to her
navy; as in the old days when the Lacedaemonians; leagued with the
rest of Hellas; brought invasion;'4' and is content
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