<font size="1">A protracted battle will blunt weapons and dampen ardor.
If troops lay siege to a walled city, their strength will be exhausted.
If the army is exposed to a prolonged campaign, the nation's resources will not suffice.
When weapons are blunted, and ardor dampened, strength exhausted, and resources depleted, the neighboring rulers will take advantage of these complications.
Then even the wisest of counsels would not be able to avert the consequences that must ensue.
Therefore, I have heard of military campaigns that were clumsy but swift, but I have never seen military campaigns that were skilled but protracted.
No nation has ever benefited from protracted warfare.
-Sun Wu
Sun Tzu: The Art of War
Rogue Jedi Holocron</font>
<hr>
What could one say to quickly describe the campaigns of the New Republic? In the words of the ancient human strategist, Sun Wu, whose words were contained on the Ossan Rogue Jedi Holocron, quick and clumsy. Human societies less ancient than Wu had believed that overwhealming force was absolutely essential to the sucess of a campaign--but only those who had possessed said overwhealming force.
Now, following the New Republic merger with the New Alliance, there could be no doubt in Gash Jiren's mind that such an overwhealming force had been placed at his disposal. But what of more preliminary, legendary tacticians? Of General Garm Bel Iblis, and Peregrine's Nest? Of those who'd waged war upon the Imperial threat without such a massive armada of warships, and succeeded?
It seemed that warfare had taken a turn towards obscenely huge armadas, excessively large divisions, and extreme violence and confrontation.
And with all that, excessive losses and death.
For the New Republic fought fast, but took the losses proportionate to it's huge size. And that was simply unacceptable.
Subtltly had taken a backseat to militant posturing and the throwing-about of huge numbers of resources, while those commanders with talent and skill were relegated to blue-milk runs in Unknown Region exploration. Those with the ability to coherently direct hundreds of vessels without bungling overly were supplied with positions such as "High Admiral"--Gash's own rank.
Truly, what skill did the New Republic naval commanders have? Oh, perhaps, Xylon Hexyra possessed a pechant for grand strategy, and Gash himself was able to command his enourmous Second Division fleet well enough to capture even the Naboo Sith Order's Eclipse Star Destroyer. Joren Logan seemed adept enough at taking control of entire worlds.
But how many worlds had been saved from the comfortable seat of a Supreme Chancellor? Few. True victories were made and forfeited on the operational, or even small-tactical levels. And in that respect, the New Republic had been badly spoiled by years of possession of such a prosperous fleet.
And they would recieve training in that respect.
As would Gash.
Before him, in the innermost chamber of the Super Star Destroyer Tachyon, loomed the darkly majestic world Kyranus. The next target of New Republic military occupation, the government of which was quite an active proprietor of evil, or at least misguided or unintentional evils.
And in the Kyranus system, the wargames would begin.
<hr>
<font size="1">"They have asked me, in my advancing age, for what reason my mind had turned to command of units so much smaller than that I had access to. For, they say, if I might face 200 warships, why bring 200 to face them when I might bring 300 and utterly crush them?
What these fools fail to realize is that in military conflict, one's losses in military conflict are proportional to the size of one's force. For the larger the force, the more burdensome it is upon it's commander, and the more less-experienced sub-commanders and soldiers must be used. Thus, unless one has a perfectly-trained force, a smaller force may be in order.
Therefore, if I bring those 300 ships against the 200, I might crush the enemy, but do so only at the cost of 150 of my own. But perhaps if I bring 200 against the 200, I will be able to more particularly command each part of it, and the 100 less-experienced officers and soldiers will be absent; so, I may defeat the enemy while losing a smaller fraction of my forces. Yet, even if I lose the same fraction, I lose only 100 ships--the fifty I do not lose, and the fifty which never fought at all, may be directed to a different battle!
-Gash Jiren
"The Science of Command"
Rogue Jedi Holocron</font>
OOC: I hate putting OOC in here, but I know someone will @#%$ on me for this. So, to clarify; NO, the Sun Tzu quote will NOT go towards the 5000 words.
If troops lay siege to a walled city, their strength will be exhausted.
If the army is exposed to a prolonged campaign, the nation's resources will not suffice.
When weapons are blunted, and ardor dampened, strength exhausted, and resources depleted, the neighboring rulers will take advantage of these complications.
Then even the wisest of counsels would not be able to avert the consequences that must ensue.
Therefore, I have heard of military campaigns that were clumsy but swift, but I have never seen military campaigns that were skilled but protracted.
No nation has ever benefited from protracted warfare.
-Sun Wu
Sun Tzu: The Art of War
Rogue Jedi Holocron</font>
<hr>
What could one say to quickly describe the campaigns of the New Republic? In the words of the ancient human strategist, Sun Wu, whose words were contained on the Ossan Rogue Jedi Holocron, quick and clumsy. Human societies less ancient than Wu had believed that overwhealming force was absolutely essential to the sucess of a campaign--but only those who had possessed said overwhealming force.
Now, following the New Republic merger with the New Alliance, there could be no doubt in Gash Jiren's mind that such an overwhealming force had been placed at his disposal. But what of more preliminary, legendary tacticians? Of General Garm Bel Iblis, and Peregrine's Nest? Of those who'd waged war upon the Imperial threat without such a massive armada of warships, and succeeded?
It seemed that warfare had taken a turn towards obscenely huge armadas, excessively large divisions, and extreme violence and confrontation.
And with all that, excessive losses and death.
For the New Republic fought fast, but took the losses proportionate to it's huge size. And that was simply unacceptable.
Subtltly had taken a backseat to militant posturing and the throwing-about of huge numbers of resources, while those commanders with talent and skill were relegated to blue-milk runs in Unknown Region exploration. Those with the ability to coherently direct hundreds of vessels without bungling overly were supplied with positions such as "High Admiral"--Gash's own rank.
Truly, what skill did the New Republic naval commanders have? Oh, perhaps, Xylon Hexyra possessed a pechant for grand strategy, and Gash himself was able to command his enourmous Second Division fleet well enough to capture even the Naboo Sith Order's Eclipse Star Destroyer. Joren Logan seemed adept enough at taking control of entire worlds.
But how many worlds had been saved from the comfortable seat of a Supreme Chancellor? Few. True victories were made and forfeited on the operational, or even small-tactical levels. And in that respect, the New Republic had been badly spoiled by years of possession of such a prosperous fleet.
And they would recieve training in that respect.
As would Gash.
Before him, in the innermost chamber of the Super Star Destroyer Tachyon, loomed the darkly majestic world Kyranus. The next target of New Republic military occupation, the government of which was quite an active proprietor of evil, or at least misguided or unintentional evils.
And in the Kyranus system, the wargames would begin.
<hr>
<font size="1">"They have asked me, in my advancing age, for what reason my mind had turned to command of units so much smaller than that I had access to. For, they say, if I might face 200 warships, why bring 200 to face them when I might bring 300 and utterly crush them?
What these fools fail to realize is that in military conflict, one's losses in military conflict are proportional to the size of one's force. For the larger the force, the more burdensome it is upon it's commander, and the more less-experienced sub-commanders and soldiers must be used. Thus, unless one has a perfectly-trained force, a smaller force may be in order.
Therefore, if I bring those 300 ships against the 200, I might crush the enemy, but do so only at the cost of 150 of my own. But perhaps if I bring 200 against the 200, I will be able to more particularly command each part of it, and the 100 less-experienced officers and soldiers will be absent; so, I may defeat the enemy while losing a smaller fraction of my forces. Yet, even if I lose the same fraction, I lose only 100 ships--the fifty I do not lose, and the fifty which never fought at all, may be directed to a different battle!
-Gash Jiren
"The Science of Command"
Rogue Jedi Holocron</font>
OOC: I hate putting OOC in here, but I know someone will @#%$ on me for this. So, to clarify; NO, the Sun Tzu quote will NOT go towards the 5000 words.