Thursday 22 August 2019

Making Them Come To Us

The Hammer, CHAPTER EIGHT.

"'I'm giving them enough time to mobilize some of their strength, and not enough to gather all of it. Making them come to us in bite-sized chunks, as it were." (p. 435)

Who was that Roman? He had to fight three guys who together were too much for him so he ran away. They gave chase but at different speeds. When they were widely enough spaced, he stopped running, stood his ground and killed each of the three as they caught up with him.

I suppose that, if the enemy realize what Raj is doing, then they will avoid falling into his trap? Any human activity, even mutual mass slaughter, becomes a science when practiced full time.

2 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

What made the Squadrons barbarians in this context was that they had no idea how to use their advantages in both numbers and closer contact to sources of food. They kept attacking Raj and the Civil Government forces at times and places of HIS choosing, not theirs. The smart thing for Admiral Auburn to do would be to refuse battle, to block Raj at a time and place where he would be besieged. And then have the patience to let disease and starvation destroy the CG army.

The Squadrons had plenty of courage and even skill in the use of weapons, but they were ruined by hot headed rashness and inability to THINK rationally about a military problem.

Sean

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Another thought I had was that the best military forces of the Squadrons, meaning those which had actual, practical experience, were the forces led by the border barons on the southern frontier of the Squadron kingdom (defending against desert nomads and raiders) and the naval force sent to Stern island. But they were either absent or too far away to do the main Squadron force any good before rashly and prematurely attacking the Civil Government army.

Sean