tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post5326641042072036723..comments2024-03-29T13:09:31.522+01:00Comments on Defence and Freedom: Sun Tzu: the Art of War (V): EnergyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-66569615644490059772020-10-21T16:20:18.320+02:002020-10-21T16:20:18.320+02:00I concede you have a point. I concede you have a point. KRThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10725091310284220350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-88263100534572079352020-10-20T12:01:45.074+02:002020-10-20T12:01:45.074+02:00That's not what the translation says. The tran...That's not what the translation says. The translation says leading an army is the same as leading A FEW MEN. It does not say large or small army.S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-51158610844823967332020-10-19T11:13:47.019+02:002020-10-19T11:13:47.019+02:00The coordination problem in ancient China could me...The coordination problem in ancient China could mean that what they report as battles were several loosely connected engagement by rather independent "armies". While the roads were more narrow in China, they were also more numerous, allowing fast movement in several independent groups. Field fortifications might have been less of an issue, because in some conflicts the wheelbarrows were used to erect barriers. This combination of riverine transport and wheelbarrow road network makes China different from the European context where throughout history roads were broader for two- and fourwheeled transport and maritime transport played more of a role. This everyday transport creates different conduits for conducting campaigns. So maybe Sun Tzu us right within a Chinese context where the command of large and small armies, many or few men, only via messengers and signals didn't differ much.KRThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10725091310284220350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-84030137705053709392020-10-19T00:36:03.109+02:002020-10-19T00:36:03.109+02:00On the other hand, battlefields in Southern China ...On the other hand, battlefields in Southern China were extremely segmented and sloped. It's unlikely that armies of 10,000+ were properly coordinated there.<br />Large armies are furthermore impractical for marches, even assuming rice as basic food and no substantial work effort for camp fortifications. The unpaved roads of the time were narrow (especially in the hilly and mountainous South) and thus had little capacity.S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-6209521762085781512020-10-18T16:45:12.551+02:002020-10-18T16:45:12.551+02:00Numbers in Chinese culture do carry meanings beyon...Numbers in Chinese culture do carry meanings beyond their numeric value. 5 is an often repeated number for the base elements of a concept. Sun Tzu lived with a different knowledge system than we do today and he fitted his observations and thought into a shape that at least strived to confirm with notions held by his contemporaries. Similarly, Clausewitz was one of many authors who tried to extend the en vogue terms of physics to his field.<br /><br />Reported numbers of troops employed by the Chinese are very high. I doubt they are true, but nevertheless it probably meant that command by signals was more highly developed in China than in other parts of the world and a commander would usually manage what he couldn't inspect, whether it was a small or large army by Chinese standards. KRThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10725091310284220350noreply@blogger.com