The Art of War - Khamkoo

engagement. And therefore, when marching, a Captain ought to double
his diligence, and the first thing he ought to do, is to have all the country
through which he marches described and depicted, so that he will know
the places, the numbers, the distances, the roads, the mountains, the
rivers, the marshes, and all their characteristics. And in getting to know
this, in diverse ways one must have around him different people who
know the places, and question them with diligence, and contrast their information,
and make notes according as it checks out. He ought to send
cavalry ahead, and with them prudent Heads, not so much to discover
the enemy as to reconnoiter the country, to see whether it checks with
the places and with the information received from them. He ought also
to send out guides, guarded (kept loyal) by hopes of reward and fear of
punishment. And above all, he ought to see to it that the Army does not
know to which sides he guides them, since there is nothing more useful
in war, than to keep silent (about) the things that have to be done. And
so that a sudden assault does not disturb your soldiers, you ought to advise
them to be prepared with their arms, since things that are foreseen
cause less harm. Many have ((in order to avoid the confusion of the
march)) placed the wagons and the unarmed men under the banners,
and commanded them to follow them, so that having to stop or retire
during the march, they are able to do so more easily: which I approve
very much as something useful. He ought also to have an awareness
during the march, that one part of the Army does not detach itself from
another, or that one (part) going faster and the other more slowly, the
Army does not become compacted (jumbled), which things cause disorganization.
It is necessary, therefore, to place the Heads along the sides,
who should maintain the steps uniform, restraining those which are too
fast, and hastening the slow; which step cannot be better regulated than
by sound (music). The roads ought to be widened, so that at least one
company can always move in order. The customs and characteristics of
the enemy ought to be considered, and if he wants to assault you in the
morning, noon, or night, and if he is more powerful in infantry or cavalry,
from what you have learned, you may organize and prepare yourself.
But let us come to some incident in particular. It sometimes happens
that as you are taking yourself away from in front of the enemy because
you judge yourself to be inferior (to him), and therefore do not want to
come to an engagement with him, he comes upon your rear as you arrive
at the banks of a river, which causes you to lose times in its crossing, so
that the enemy is about to join up and combat with you. There have been
some who have found themselves in such a peril, their army girded on
107