What Jingoes Don’t Understand

Warfare is like hunting.  Wild animals are taken by scouting, by nets, by lying in wait, by stalking, by circling around, and by other such stratagems rather than by sheer force.  In waging war we should proceed in the same way, whether the enemy may be many or few.  To try to simply overpower the enemy in the open, hand to hand and face to face, even though you might appear to win, is an enterprise which is very risky and can result in serious harm.  Apart from extreme emergency, it is ridiculous to try to gain a victory which is so costly and brings only empty glory. ~Maurice’s Strategikon, Book VII