“Using ‘all means’ I understand,” said Maera “What do you mean by ‘every conceivable sacrifice’?”
“What if the only way to stop the Narthani resulted in one-fifth of the island’s people dying?”
Maera paled and put a hand to her face. “One-fif . . . that would be . . . good God, over a hundred thousand people!”
“Would the clans be willing to pay that price?” asked Yozef.
Maera shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ve never considered something that horrific. Give me a moment.”
She sat quietly for several minutes, her arms hugged to her body, as she chewed on her lower lip. Then she put her hands on her lap and with a firm jaw looked at Yozef. “If the alternative was for the Narthani to win, then I think we would be willing to make that ultimate sacrifice.”
“Why do you think that would be the ultimate sacrifice?” Yozef asked quietly, with a sad expression.
Maera stared for several seconds, her eyes narrowing as she took in her husband’s face. “I see where you’re going. You’ll keep increasing the sacrifice until you find where I say to stop, the level of sacrifice I don’t believe my people are willing to pay.”
Yozef only nodded.
“Then I think it would depend on the individual, which is the same for any level of sacrifice. There are those who would capitulate to the Narthani under threat to even one member of their family. Others would resist even if everyone were to be killed.”
“But the whole of the Caedelli?” Yozef asked “What would most do and what would be the combined will of the people?”
“I think . . . ” Maera paused. “It would depend on whether there was hope. If we had a chance of victory, then the whole of the people would fight on. As long as there was hope. Is this what you foresee? That sacrifices beyond what most have imagined might be required?”
“It’s possible. I just wonder if the hetmen coming to the conclave have any concept of what may come, and if they do, what will their reactions be? Should I say things like I just said to you or not?”
“I’m not wise enough to answer, Yozef. I don’t know if anyone is. However, maybe this isn’t the time to say these things. The situation isn’t dire enough to make such decisions or judgments. For now, I would advise waiting. Maybe the Narthani will leave on their own. Maybe the clans can come up with a plan to drive them off the island. Maybe God will intervene. I don’t know, just wait.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” said Yozef. “I just wanted to hear someone else say it.”
“Remember, Yozef, everything that might go wrong doesn’t rest on you. And don’t assume some of the hetmen don’t already foresee what you think only you can foresee. Maybe they don’t speak of it aloud, but similar thoughts have surely gone through the minds of the better hetmen, including my father.”
Yozef grunted. “In other words, quit agonizing and just do what you can.”
“Your words,” said Maera with a definite sniff, “but good advice. Now let me read again what you’ve gotten so far for Father.”
Maera picked up the sheets once more, leaned back and toward the lantern to get full light, and began reading.
* * *
On War
War is the total commitment to defeat an enemy using whatever means and making whatever sacrifices are deemed necessary. War is compelling an enemy to do your will. Blood is the price of victory. Nothing is accomplished without risk. War is a trinity of violence, chance, and reason. War is totality. Anything else is fantasy, if victory is the goal.
The ultimate goal must be clearly defined. Once that is done, then the necessary steps can be identified.
The three parts to fighting a war are: strategy, tactics, and logistics.
Strategy: Strategy is defined by the goal and involves planning before battles.
Tactics: The actions used to implement a strategy, especially how men are used in battles.
Logistics: Providing men with food, ammunition, medical care, transportation, and anything else required to fight battles.
Strategy is future oriented, tactics deal with the here and now. Strategy is the art of using battles to win a war. Tactics are the art of using men in battle.
For example, the defeat of an enemy is a strategy that may take many battles, while the details of using men in battle are tactics. Supplying everything that’s needed is logistics.
A war may involve many battles, but remember that only the last battle is decisive.
Planning:
Careful planning of strategy and tactics is essential, but the perfect plan is a fantasy. No plan survives first contact. You must be ready to abandon a plan if necessary, and any plan must take into account the enemy’s ability to frustrate it. None of these principles are to be followed without reasoning whether or not they are appropriate for each individual situation. Rigid adherence can be as bad as ignoring a principle. Principles are more what to avoid than what to do. Theory must never be used in place of judgment but used as an aid.
General Principles:
1. When absolute superiority is not attainable, you must produce a relative one at individual points by making use of what you have and defeat the enemy in detail. However, be aware that this weakens other positions and puts the rest of your force at risk.
2. Do not divide your force in the face of an equal or superior enemy (do not risk defeat in detail).
3. Keep the initiative. It is better to be the ones deciding on battle conditions than to let the enemy do it.
4. In the face of the same information, audacity is better than timidity.
5. Surprise the enemy at every opportunity. The essence of surprise is the security of your position and intentions and the speed at which you act. Security and reconnaissance are opposite sides of the same coin. All warfare is based on deception.
6. The harder the training, the easier the fighting.
7. Do not run out of options. Never place yourself where there is only one course of action.
8. Impede the enemy’s lines of communications and supplies without endangering your own.
9. Concentrate at decisive points.
10. Mobility of forces and rapid movement expand options and limit the enemy’s.
11. Be first to the battlefield.
12. Always factor in the enemy’s strength.
13. Maintaining the discipline to follow the leaders’ orders is essential.
14. A central authority is critical to carry out both strategy and tactics.
15. It is more important to outthink than to outfight.
Faults of a Leader:
1. Recklessly committing to fight without weighing balances and consequences.
2. Being afraid for his own safety.
3. Letting emotions make decisions, instead of reason.
4. Worrying about honor. There is no honor in war, only victory or defeat. To worry excessively about honor is to foster defeat.
5. Too much solicitude toward his men. Decisions must be made that will lead to men’s deaths. Attempting to prevent any deaths will only lead to more.
In addition, leaders must be men of ability and not only because of birth or influence. Even a hetman should not lead men into battle if there are other men of more ability.
The balance of forces:
1. If you have ten times the enemy’s strength or more, surround them and they will probably surrender.
2. If you have three to five times the enemy’s strength, attack if it will achieve a goal worth any losses.
3. If your strength and your enemy’s are equal, engage to hold in place but not to defeat, unless the enemy makes a mistake.
4. If your strength is less than the enemy’s, evade and look for opportunities where the balance is more in your favor.
5. If your strength is much weaker than the enemy’s, retreat and live to fight another day.
Defense versus offense:
1. You can prevent defeat by defense, but victory usually requires you
to attack.
2. Defense is inherently the strongest, but to win, you must force the enemy to attack where you have the advantage.
3. If you entrench behind strong fortifications, you compel the enemy to seek a solution elsewhere.
Do not force an enemy into a corner. Leave your enemy a retreat avenue. To get an enemy to do what you want, you must put him in a situation even more unpleasant than what you want him to do; otherwise, he will wait for things to improve. If you determine to leave no retreat for the enemy, you must have an unassailable position and be willing to take losses inflicted by a desperate opponent.
* * *
Maera read the pages once again quickly, and then, without looking up, read them the second and third times slowly, the last time making notes in the margins. After the last read, she sighed and looked at Yozef.
“Part of me now wishes I hadn’t read this.”
“What do you mean?” Yozef asked in surprise.
“I haven’t experienced any of the fighting itself, though God knows I’m aware of the consequences and I’ve talked with eyewitnesses and read reports, but what you wrote . . . somehow it makes it more real. The cold rationality of what you lay out as principles. Although I’ve no doubt they’re all logical and needed, now I envision men doing these exact things. I also imagine you doing them, or worse, having them done to you by the Narthani.
“Enough of my reaction, though. Father was right. The other hetmen need to read this. And not just hetmen, but any Caedelli in a leadership position. However, therein lie problems. You say that even a hetman should not lead in battle if there are more skilled men. I don’t know how many hetmen will agree or follow your words. You’ll risk some hetmen ignoring the rest by telling them they shouldn’t lead. I worry about the same effect where you warn about leaders who might fear for themselves. To even mention the possibility that a hetman might be afraid will antagonize some of them. As for honor, I know of a couple of hetmen for whom honor is like life. Most of the rest of what you wrote either seems logical to me, or I can’t judge. You might consider removing the most contentious parts.”
“No,” said Yozef. “If I start taking out parts, there’s no stopping it. Culich wanted what I could remember, and this is it. Plus, those parts are real concerns. The clans will have to learn them as soon as possible, so they might as well start now. We can only hope the parts they ignore will not be too damaging before they learn or accept them.”
“All right then, I’ll smooth out some of the language for you. Your Caedelli is quite good, but there are a few grammar details I’ll correct, and I’ll suggest different wording in a few places.”
Two days later, Yozef sat with Culich, Vortig Luwis, Pedr Kennrick, and Denes Vegga. The four men had read On War and were full of questions.
“Yozef,” said Denes, “there seem to be contradictions. You write that planning is essential but should be abandoned without hesitation if necessary. In another place, it says to concentrate your force to have numerical superiority, then warns of the danger of doing so.”
“And how do you decide what is a ‘decisive point’ to concentrate your men?” complained Luwis. “How can a leader know for certain how strong an enemy is until a battle is joined?”
Yozef sighed, fully aware of contradictions. “The hetman asked me to write what I remembered about military theory, and that’s what you have. I’ve always said that I wasn’t trained to be a military leader, and I only know what I’ve read. I’m sure there is more I didn’t recall, and these principles are from different writers. It’s more important to realize that nothing can substitute for the judgment of the leader who has to make decisions quickly. These are only guides. The good leader has to evaluate each situation individually. Unfortunately, the best teacher is experience in taking actions that involve life-and-death decisions.”
“I’m sorry, Hetman,” said Luwis, addressing Culich, “but while some of this is only common sense, I don’t see how useful other parts are.”
Denes disagreed. “I understand Ser Luwis’s questions, and I share some of the concerns. I’ll need to study this more and let each part be compared to what I’ve experienced or situations I’ve imagined I might find myself in.”
“I’ll agree with Denes on the point that we need to think more about this,” said Culich. “All three of you give this more thought and share what Yozef has written with a few other men in leadership positions. We’ll talk more before the conclave.”
“How did they receive what you wrote?” asked Maera, when Yozef returned to their quarters.
“No surprises. Some doubts about the usefulness, especially from Luwis. Denes wasn’t enthused by any of it, although he’s taking it seriously. He’ll absorb much of it. As for your father and Kennrick, I don’t know. Neither gave much of any opinion, though my sense is they‘ll consider it. In all, it’s about the best I could expect. I just hope it’s useful and helps prevent the worst mistakes without causing any.”
“Well, you did what Father asked, so I assume you’ll be off to Abersford?”
“Yes,” said Yozef, “I wanted to leave today, but I’m tired. I’ve told Carnigan and Balwis we’ll leave tomorrow morning after eating. A day to get there, three days working with the shops and projects, then back here. I should be back in five days, six at the most. I hope it’s the last trip to Abersford to complete the move.”
CHAPTER 14: STRIKE AT THE HEART
Akuyun Villa, Preddi City
General Okan Akuyun’s meeting with subordinates in his family’s villa was unusual, but so was the situation. One of his teeth had become too decayed to save and had to be extracted. Because the Preddi medicant, a fervent convert to the Narthani God, Narth, would perform the procedure, he recommended repairing two other teeth with minor cavities. The medicant had also suggested using some of the limited supply of the new substance ether, captured in a raid on a Mittack coastal abbey, along with a Caedelli medicant who explained its use.
The surviving Preddi medicants and the Narthani medical staff were excited about the potential of ether, though none knew where it came from or how to make it. They put finding out on a priority list, once the island was firmly under Narthani control. In return, the knowledge of drilling and filling tooth cavities with mercury alloys had already transferred in the other direction and spread across the island.
While Akuyun felt tempted to use ether for the unpleasant session in store, Rabia discouraged the ether being tested on the mission commander, her husband, because the medical staff didn’t have enough experience to know about any side effects.
The medicant had carried out the procedure the previous day, and Akuyun was still unsteady on his feet. Rabia failed to convince him to take two days’ rest at home. He compromised by agreeing to limited meetings if the other men came to the villa, instead of his going to the headquarters building in Preddi City.
The meeting this day was small. Only Aivacs Zulfa and Sadek Hizer joined Akuyun in the courtyard so he could enjoy the sun. All staff members and family had been warned to stay well out of hearing of the three men sitting at a garden table.
“You’ve had time to discuss options,” asserted Akuyun carefully, his jaw visibly swollen. “Let’s hear the plan the two of you have agreed on for eliminating some of the Caedelli hetmen.”
“I’ll let Aivacs summarize,” said Hizer. “His men will carry out the operations, with the help of my agents in place.”
“The plan depends on Sadek’s agents,” said Zulfa, “both for information and in several cases to guide my men through the countryside, for which we have little, if any, details. Our previous attempts on the Stent and Hewell hetmen failed, so we both agree that for this to be a serious attempt, we need more planning and to use more than one or two agents-in-place. I was in favor of six- to eight-man teams, then Sadek gave good arguments for more, and we settled on twenty men. Enough to account for injuries and handle the number of guards likely to be present, but not so many men as to be too
noticeable.”
Zulfa pulled a single-sheet map of Caedellium out of a pouch, turned it around to General Akuyun’s view, and pushed it toward him.
“The main factors in selecting targets are our perception of the importance of any individual hetman and his clan and the hetman’s location. Since the teams can’t be running around trying to find the hetmen, we have to rely on hitting them at their residences in the capitals. Clans with inland capitals are different propositions than those on the coast. The latter allow the most straightforward operational plans. The strike team will land at a remote location not too far from the city. Our agents will meet them, provide detailed maps and information on what to expect as far as security, and guide the team to the target. The agents won’t take part in the strike and will blend back into the population.
“The lack of up-to-date information will mean that a strike may be aborted at any point, if the agents or strike leaders determine it’s not feasible. We don’t see these as suicide missions; our men will have reasonable chances of getting out in the end.
“The teams will also not come ashore without the proper go-ahead from the agent. For example, every targeted hetman might not oblige by being in the expected place in the capital on the day of the attacks. We need to carry out all attacks on the same night, so there will be no warnings by semaphore to the other hetmen until the next morning. If a hetman is absent or surrounded by unexpected levels of security or for any other reason the details change about the target’s availability, then the agent will signal the ship that the strike is scratched.
Heavier Than a Mountain (Destiny's Crucible Book 3) Page 17
