the cavalry general-第8节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





numerous　they　are；　the　more　blunders　they　commit。　They　must　needs



scatter　of　set　purpose＇9＇　in　search　of　provisions；　or　through　the



disorder　incidental　to　a　march；　some　will　advance　and　others　lag



behind；　beyond　a　proper　limit。　Blunders　like　these；　then；　our　hipparch



must　not　let　pass　unpunished　（unless　he　wishes　the　whole　of　Attica　to



become　a　gigantic　camp）；＇10＇　keeping　his　single　point　steadily　in



view；　that　when　he　strikes　a　blow　he　must　be　expeditious　and　retire



before　the　main　body　has　time　to　rally　to　the　rescue。







＇9＇　｛epimeleia｝。　Cf。　〃Cyrop。〃　V。　iii。　47。







＇10＇　Lit。　〃or　else　the　whole　of　Attica　will　be　one　encampment。〃　As　at



　　　　the　date　of　the　fortification　of　Decelea　（413　B。C。）；　which



　　　　permanently　commanded　the　whole　country。　See　Thuc。　vii。　27。　Al。



　　　　Courier；　〃autrement　vous　n'avez　plus　de　camp；　ou　pour　mieux　dire；



　　　　tout　le　pays　devient　votre　camp。〃







Again；　it　frequently　happens　on　the　march；　that　an　army　will　get　into



roads　where　numbers　are　no　advantage。　Again；　in　the　passage　of　rivers；



defiles；　and　the　like；　it　is　possible　for　a　general　with　a　head　on　his



shoulders　to　hang　on　the　heels　of　an　enemy　in　security；　and　to



determine　with　precision＇11＇　the　exact　number　of　the　enemy　he　will



care　to　deal　with。　Occasionally　the　fine　chance　occurs　to　atack　the



foe　while　encamping　or　breakfasting　or　supping；　or　as　the　men　turn　out



of　bed：　seasons　at　which　the　soldier　is　apt　to　be　unharnessedthe



hoplite　for　a　shorter；　the　cavalry　trooper　for　a　longer　period。＇12＇







＇11＇　See　〃Anab。〃　II。　v。　18；　〃Cyrop。〃　III。　iii。　47；　IV。　i。　18。



　　　　｛tamieusasthai｝；　〃with　the　precision　of　a　controller。〃







＇12＇　Cf。　〃Hell。〃　II。　iv。　6；　VII。　i。　16。







As　to　vedettes　and　advanced　outposts；　you　should　never　cease　planning



and　plotting　against　them。　For　these　in　their　turn；　as　a　rule；　are　apt



to　consist　of　small　numbers；　and　are　sometimes　posted　at　a　great



distance　from　their　own　main　body。　But　if　after　all　it　turns　out　that



the　enemy　are　well　on　their　guard　against　all　such　attempts；　then；　God



helping；　it　would　be　a　feat　of　arms　to　steal　into　the　enemy's　country；



first　making　it　your　business　to　ascertain＇13＇　his　defences；　the



number　of　men　at　this；　that；　and　the　other　point；　and　how　they　are



distributed　throughout　the　country。　For　there　is　no　booty　so　splendid



as　an　outpost　so　overmastered；　and　these　frontier　outposts　are



especially　prone　to　be　deceived；　with　their　propensity　to　give　chase



to　any　small　body　they　set　eyes　on；　regarding　that　as　their　peculiar



function。　You　will　have　to　see；　however；　in　retiring　that　your　line　of



retreat　is　not　right　into　the　jaws　of　the　enemy's　reliefs　hastening　to



the　scene　of　action。







＇13＇　Or；　〃having　first　studied。〃　Cf。　〃Mem。〃　III。　vi。　10。















VIII







It　stands　to　reason；　however；　that　in　order　to　be　able　to　inflict　real



damage　upon　a　greatly　superior　force；　the　weaker　combatant　must



possess　such　a　moral　superiority　over　the　other　as　shall　enable　him　to



appear　in　the　position　of　an　expert；　trained　in　all　the　feats　of



cavalry　performance　in　the　field；　and　leave　his　enemy　to　play　the　part



of　raw　recruits　or　amateurs。＇1＇







＇1＇　Cf。　〃Cyrop。〃　I。　v。　11；　〃Mem。〃　III。　vii。　7。







And　this　end　may　be　secured　primarily　on　this　wise：　those　who　are　to



form　your　guerilla　bands＇2＇　must　be　so　hardened　and　inured　to　the



saddle　that　they　are　capable　of　undergoing　all　the　toils　of　a



campaign。＇3＇　That　a　squadron　（and　I　speak　of　horse　and　man　alike）



should　enter　these　lists　in　careless；　disorderly　fashion　suggests　the



idea　of　a　troop　of　women　stepping　into　the　arena　to　cope　with　male



antagonists。







＇2＇　Or；　add；　〃for　buccaneers　and　free…lances　you　must　be。〃







＇3＇　Lit。　〃every　toil　a　soldier　can　encounter。〃







But　reverse　the　picture。　Suppose　men　and　horses　to　have　been　taught



and　trained　to　leap　trenches　and　scale　dykes；　to　spring　up　banks；　and



plunge　from　heights　without　scathe；　to　gallop　headlong　at　full　speed



adown　a　steep：　they　will　tower　over　unpractised　opponents　as　the　birds



of　the　air　tower　over　creatures　that　crawl　and　walk。＇4＇　Their　feet　are



case…hardened　by　constant　training；　and；　when　it　comes　to　tramping



over　rough　ground；　must　differ　from　the　uninitiated　as　the　sound　man



from　the　lame。　And　so　again；　when　it　comes　to　charging　and　retiring；



the　onward…dashing　gallop；　the　well…skilled；　timely　retreat；　expert



knowledge　of　the　ground　and　scenery　will　assert　superiority　over



inexpertness　like　that　of　eyesight　over　blindness。







＇4＇　See　〃Horse。〃　viii。　6；　cf。　〃Hunting；〃　xii。　2；　〃Cyrop。〃　I。　vi。　28



　　　　foll。







Nor　should　it　be　forgotten；　that　in　order　to　be　in　thorough　efficiency



the　horses　must　not　only　be　well　fed　and　in　good　condition；　but　at　the



same　time　so　seasoned　by　toil　that　they　will　go　through　their　work



without　the　risk　of　becoming　broken…winded。　And　lastly；　as　bits　and



saddle…cloths　（to　be　efficient）＇5＇　need　to　be　attached　by　straps；　a



cavalry　general　should　never　be　without　a　good　supply；　whereby　at　a



trifling　expense　he　may　convert　a　number　of　nonplussed　troopers　into



serviceable　fighting　men。＇6＇







＇5＇　＇｛khresima｝＇　L。D。　For　the　｛upomnema｝　itself　cf。　〃Cyrop。〃　VI。　ii。



　　　　32。







＇6＇　Or；　〃thus　at　a　trifling　outlay　he　will　be　able　to　render　so　many



　　　　non…efficients　useful。〃　Al。　〃make　the　articles　as　good　as　new。〃







But　if　any　one　is　disposed　to　dwell　on　the　amount　of　trouble　it　will



cost　him；　if　he　is　required　to　devote　himself　to　horsemanship　so



assiduously；　let　him　console　himself　with　the　reflection　that　the



pains　and　labours　undergone　by　any　man　in　training　for　a　gymnastic



contest　are　far　larger　and　more　formidable　than　any　which　the　severest



training　of　the　horseman　will　involve；　and　for　this　reason；　that　the



greater　part　of　gymnastic　exercises　are　performed　〃in　the　sweat　of　the



brow；〃　while　equestrian　exercise　is　performed　with　pleasure。　Indeed；



there　is　no　accomplishment　which　so　nearly　realises　the　aspiration　of



a　man　to　have　the　wings　of　a　bird　than　this　of　horsemanship。＇7＇　But



further；　to　a　victory　obtained　in　war　attaches　a　far　greater　weight　of



glory　than　belongs　to　the　noblest　contest　of　the　arena。＇8＇　Of　these



the　state　indeed　will　share　her　meed　of　glory；＇9＇　but　in　honour　of



victory　in　war　the　very　gods　are　wont　to　crown　whole　states　with



happiness。＇10＇　So　that；　for　my　part；　I　know　not　if　there　be　aught　else



which　has　a　higher　claim　to　be　practised　than　the　arts　of　war。







＇7＇　Cf。　〃Cyrop。〃　IV。　iii。　15；　Herod。　iv。　132；　Plat。　〃Rep。〃　v。　467　D。







＇8＇　Cf。　Eur。　〃Autolycus；〃　fr。　1；　trans。　by　J。　A。　Symonds；　〃Greek



　　　　Poets；〃　2nd　series；　p。　283。







＇9＇　Cf。　Plut。　〃Pelop。〃　34　（Clough；　ii。　p。　235）：　〃And　yet　who　would



　　　　compare　all　the　victories　in　the　Pythian　and　Olympian　games　put



　　　　together；　with　one　of　these　enterprises　of　Pelopidas；　of　which　he



　　　　successfully　performed　so　many？〃







＇10＇　〃To　bind　about　the　brows　of　states　happiness　as　a　coronal。〃







And　this；　too；　is　worth　noting：　that　the　buccaneer　by　sea；　the



privateersman；　through　long　practice　in　endurance；　is　able　to　live　at



the　expense　of　far　superior　powers。　Yes；　and　the　life　of　the



freebooter　is　no　less　natural　and　appropriate　to　landsmenI　do　not



say；　to　those　who　can　till　and　gather　in　the　fruit　of　their　fields；



but　to　those　who　find　themselves　deprived　of　sustenance；　since　there



is　no　alternativeeither　men　must　till　their　fields　or　live　on　the



tillage　of　others；　otherwise　how　will　they　find　the　means　either　of



living　or　of　obtaining　peace？＇11＇







＇11＇　Cf。　〃Econ。〃　v。　7。







Here；　too；　is　a　maxim　to　engrave　upon　the　memory：　in　charging　a



superior　force；　never　to　leave　a　difficult　tract　of　ground　in　the　rear



of　your　attack；　since　there　is　all　the　difference　in　the　world　between



a　stumble　in　flight　and　a　stumble　in　pursuit。







There　is　another　precaution　which　I　feel　called　upon　to　note。　Some



generals；＇12＇　in　attacking　a　force　which　they　imagine　to　be　inferior



to　their　own；　will　advance　with　a　ridiculously　insufficient　force；＇13＇



so　that　it　is　the　merest　accident　if　they　do　not　experience　the　injury



they　were　minded　to　inflict。　Conversely；　in　attacking　any　enemy　whose



superiority　is　a　well…known　fact；　they　will　bring　the　whole　of　their



force　into　action。







＇12＇　Or；　〃one　knows　of　generals；〃　e。g。　Iphicrates　at　Oneion；　369　B。C。



　　　　Cf。　〃Hell。〃　VI。　v。　51。







＇13＇　Lit。　〃an　absolutely　weak