When the general is weak and without authority; when his orders are not clear and distinct; when there are no fixed duties assigned to his officers and men, and the ranks are formed in a slovenly, haphazard manner, the result is utter disorganization.
When a general, unable to estimate the enemy's strength, allows an inferior force to engage a larger one, or hurls a weak detachment against a powerful one, and neglects to place picked soldiers in the front rank, the result must be a rout.
These are the six ways of courting defeat - neglect to estimate the enemy's strength; want of authority; defective training; unjustifiable anger; nonobservance of discipline; failure to use picked men - all of which must be carefully noted by the general who has attained a responsible post.
The natural formation of the country is the soldier's best ally; but a power of estimating the adversary, of controlling the forces of victory, and of shrewdly calculating difficulties, dangers, and distances, constitutes the test of a great general. He who knows these things, and in fighting puts his knowledge into practice, will win his battles. He who knows them not, nor practices them, will surely be defeated.
-The Art of War
James Clavell channeling Sun Tzu
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