03.007 If the general cannot control his temper...

If the general cannot control his temper and sends troops to swarm the walls, one third of them will be killed, and the city will still not be taken. This is the kind of calamity when laying siege to a walled city.

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POV

I have seen this situation happen too many times
n the hi-tech marketplace
where the results of "one on one" confrontation
between two large corporations is so bad that
there is not winners or losers, just survivors.

Sometimes, surviving is winning,

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{* CARDINAL999 *}

"In the Field of Observation, Fortune Favors the Prepared (and the Bold)."

"The stillness in stillness is not the true stillness; only when there is stillness in motion does the universal rhythm manifest." - Old Daoist Text

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"If the general cannot control his temper and sends troops to swarm the walls, one third of them will be killed, and the city will still not be taken. This is the kind of calamity when laying siege to a walled city."-Sun-tzu.

This principle teaches about what the general should avoid. If the general is angry and loses his temper, then its possible that this angriness can cloud his judgement. He can therefore risk the lives of his men by doing something very foolish.

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In non-war application, an ingrained idea can be like a walled city. Somebody once said "it is very difficult to persuade somebody of something if their livelihood depends on them not being persuaded."

Cardinal's high tech point is a good example. If trying to sell to a company, you may have a great product the client needs, but if there is a key decision maker that feels they lose if your solution is adopted, then you have a problem.

You could be months into the sales cycle when you finally realize you can't convince this person and should have been focusing on other clients instead. Don't let your ego/illusions get you into trouble.

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A General that is unable or unwilling to control their temper is a danger to his troops.

Anger is a very dangerous emotion in and of itself. However, when the person that might be angry is leading men who are themselves well armed, this is often not a good mix.

A General that is easily angered can be tricked into making mistakes more often than a General who remains sanguine under even the most stressful situations.

Committing men to battle is a most serious thing and men should not be placed in harms way simply as a method to alleviate the pent up anger of the CO.

Most of us realize that in nearly every instance, besieging a city, be it walled or not, is nearly always the wrong approach to victory. However, a General easily moved to anger is arguably more likely to attempt to enage in urban warfare without properly weighing the costs versuses the advantages.

-BingFa

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POV

Attacking cities are direct confrontation.

Direct confrontation can often become personal. Personal attacks can be emotional. Avoid being emotional with adversary. Focus on being objective. Start the offensive with an indirect attack. Strike where they least expect it. Avoid strength. Attack weakness.

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Respectfully Yours,


{* CARDINAL999 *}

"In the Field of Observation, Fortune Favors the Prepared (and the Bold)."

"The stillness in stillness is not the true stillness; only when there is stillness in motion does the universal rhythm manifest." - Old Daoist Text

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As a leader, you MUST have a tight grip on your emotions. Loosing your cool can cost you more than anything else.

Gonzo

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Sun Tzu said, "If the general cannot control his temper and sends troops to swarm the walls, one third of them will be killed, and the city will still not be taken. This is the kind of calamity when laying siege to a walled city."

If the general lacks patience and puts his troops into action before he has made thorough calculations, it is probable that the opposition will have designed its defenses to meet the actions of this type of emotional leadership.

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If the general cannot control his temper and sends troops to swarm the walls, one third of them will be killed, and the city will still not be taken.

To launch a successful attack on a walled city , sun tzu did say that you need to make preaparations, the mounds , protective armors. And making all these takes time . Therefore if the general is enticed to attack before all these is ready, he will not be able to launch a successful attack , furthermore he loses a portion of his troops unnecessarily.

Iban

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let's not even consider what happened to get a fool of a general who would do something so stupid as waste his men like this in power. but i think that a man in any situation (or woman) must control their temper so that they can make the best descision. losing your temper is also foolish when your in power because your men will respect you less. respect is everything when you lead an army. a general is respected for winning and losing as few men as possible. i beleive this is pointed out elsewhere in the work. and he cannot have respect if he gets his own men killed.

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"If the general cannot control his temper and sends troops to swarm the walls, one third of them will be killed, and the city will still not be taken. This is the kind of calamity when laying siege to a walled city."

Fortifications heavily modify the odds of an assault. A siege is a long operation, there are examples in history of sieges lasted years.....and a direct assault of the city walls to quicken the surrender of defenders could be even worse.
There are usually better alternatives.

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This sounds like a warning. Those, who defend walled city, have certainly advantage. This is the point where your opponent is strong and should be rather avoided.

Suggestion? Nowadays, when there are no walled cities you should know what are the strengths of your opponent. And avoid fighting at this time.

Use that time for building advantages, allies and for negotiations.

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MonteChristo
And there is only blue sky above us.

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quote:

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If the general cannot control his temper and sends troops to swarm the walls, one third of them will be killed, and the city will still not be taken. This is the kind of calamity when laying siege to a walled city.

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Dan

"Never let morality stop you from doing what is right." Character from the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov

"Never let the righteous stop you from doing what is moral." SunZulu

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03.007 If the general cannot control his temper...

If the general cannot control his temper and sends troops to swarm the walls, one third of them will be killed, and the city will still not be taken. This is the kind of calamity when laying siege to a walled city.
Sawyer’s Translation
If the general cannot overcome his impatience but instead launches an assault wherein his men swarm over the walls like ants, he will kill one third of his officers and troops, and the city will still not be taken. This is the disaster that results from attacking fortified cities.

Whether ill tempered or impatient the outcome is similar. One should look at the situation and not let his/her emotions ruin their chances for victory. Utilize your assets for careful planning and preparation should not go to waist. If your plans are not playing out as predicted. You can always retreat and re evaluate the situation. If you loose control and rush in because of ill temper or impatience you will loose 1/3 of your forces and still loose the battle.

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If the general cannot control his temper and sends troops to swarm the walls, one third of them will be killed, and the city will still not be taken. This is the kind of calamity when laying siege to a walled city.

Rage clouds judgement, clouded judgement leads to stupid decisions. You could get pissed off and smash you fists against a wall for hours. The final product, broken bones and a perfectly solid wall.

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