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Management of Troops

Disciplines > Warfare > Wu Zi's Art of War > Management of Troops

Chapter | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also

Chapter

Second part : 4 : 1

Observed lessons

• Only if you have both military capabilities and civility can you command an army.
• You need to be both strict and flexible.
• Five abilities for leadership:
  1. Control: of the many soldiers.
  2. Preparation: so you are always ready.
  3. Commitment: entering battle without concern for one's own life.
  4. Caution: sustaining control even after winning a battle.
  5. Regulation: having minimum necessary rules.
• Speak of return only after the battle is won.

Discussion

Courage is not enough. A brave leader can easily get themselves or others killed. Leaders must have many qualities, a major one of these being self-knowledge and self-control. Another is to have the confidence and respect of one's troops, and a way to help this is not to send them to their deaths without good cause.

See also

Learning

http://www.chinese-wiki.com/Wu_Zi_Art_of_War