Such people can be active and calm in wars, but they cannot accomplish great things. If they want to accomplish great things, they must have excellent intelligence to make them motivate them to produce great things. However, this type of person rarely has outstanding and independent intelligence.
The third type of people who are prone to excitement and irritability are not very comfortable with normal real life, and even less comfortable with war. The biggest advantage of this kind of people is that they have momentum, but this kind of momentum will not last long. Such emotionally easily excited people, if they have the courage and honor to guide them, their emotional characteristics are often very useful when they hold lower positions in war. The reason is very simple, because military campaigns commanded by lower-level officers often last for a short period of time. They often only need to make a bold determination and cheer up their spirits. A fierce and fierce rush is just a matter of minutes, while a fierce battle takes a whole day, and a battle situation takes a whole year or even several years.
It is very difficult for this kind of people to remain calm when they are emotional. They often lose their minds. This kind of personality is very unfavorable for commanding operations. However, if you think that this kind of agitated personality will never be a strong performance, that is not in line with the facts. People of this type are usually more noble people and also have strong self-esteem. There is no lack of this kind of feeling in them, but this kind of feeling has not had time to work, so most of them feel regretful afterwards. If they learn the methods of self-control through exercise, introspection and experience, and realize that they should still keep calm when they are emotional, then they may become very strong people.
Finally, it is the kind of person who is rarely excited, but has an unusually deep feeling. Compared with the former, this kind of person is like the relationship between the heart of the fire and the flame. If we compare the difficulties in military operations to behemoths, then this type of person is the best at using its giant power to push it away. Their emotional activity is like a huge object in motion, although the speed is relatively slow, it is irresistibly advancing.
Although this kind of person is not as easily dominated by emotions as the former kind, and will not regret it afterwards like the former, it is also unrealistic to think that they will never lose their composure and will not be influenced by blind passion. . Once they lose the noble pride that produces self-control, or when the pride is not strong, they will also lose their composure and be dominated by blind passion. This situation can often be seen in the great figures of barbaric nations, because barbaric nations have a poorly developed intelligence and passion is always easy to gain the upper hand. Of course, among civilized nations or very educated classes, there will also be such a phenomenon: some people are swayed by strong passions, just as poachers in the Middle Ages were dragged through the jungle by people chained to deer.
Therefore, we want to emphasize that the strong people do not refer to the passionate people alone, but the people who can maintain their inner calm even in the most exciting moments. Although such people are very excited, their beliefs are like a compass on a sailing ship that is tossed in a storm, which can accurately point the direction.
The so-called firmness is commonly referred to as having a character, that is, being able to stick to one's own beliefs, regardless of whether such beliefs are derived from other people's or one's own opinions, or based on certain principles, opinions, inspirations or the results of intellectual activities Out. However, if the opinions themselves change frequently, there is no chance for their firmness to show. The constant change of opinion is not necessarily the result of the influence of the external world, it may be the result of the continuous activity of his intelligence, of course, this also shows that this kind of intelligence itself is not stable enough. If a person is constantly changing his opinions every moment, even if the reason for the change comes from himself, it cannot be said to have a character. We can only call those who have very stable beliefs as people with personality. The reason for their stable beliefs is either because the beliefs are deep-rooted and very clear, and they are not easy to change; or because, like people with indifferent emotions, lack of intellectual activity , The belief has no basis for change; or because there is a dominant principle in reason, the will activity is very clear, so that he refuses to make any changes in his views.
However, in war, people will get many strong impressions in terms of feelings, and their understanding and insights are unreliable. Therefore, human war activities have more reasons for them to leave the original field than activities in other fields. He has a habit of thinking and doubts the opinions of himself and others.
Whether it is a painful or dangerous tragic scene, it is easy for people to have feelings overwhelming rational understanding. When all phenomena are blurred, it is very difficult to draw deep and clear insights. Therefore, the change of opinion It is understandable and forgivable. In wars, we can often only rely on speculation and conjecture as the basis for action, so the differences of opinion are greater here than anywhere, and opinions that conflict with personal beliefs will continue to emerge. Even people with very slow intelligence can hardly be immune to these impressions, because these impressions are not only very deep and vivid, but also always have an effect on changes in feelings.
Only those principles and viewpoints that guide actions from a higher angle can produce clear and profound products; while the views on the current situation are based on general principles and viewpoints. It is not so easy to stick to the conclusions reached after careful consideration and not to be affected by the current views and phenomena that are constantly emerging. There is often a great distance between specific situations and general principles, and this distance cannot be connected by a series of clear inferences. A certain degree of self-confidence is necessary here, and a certain degree of suspicion is also good. What helps us at this time is a guiding principle. We don't have to consider the principle itself, as long as it helps us think about the problem. This principle is to stick to your original opinion when indecisive, and never give up, unless there is another very clear belief to persuade us to give up it. We must firmly believe that the reliability of the principles tested in practice is relatively large. When the impression of temporary phenomena is very strong, don't forget that the authenticity and reliability of these phenomena are relatively small. If we can believe and stick to our original beliefs when we are unable to make a decision, then our actions will have the kind of firmness and consistency that people call individuality.
Calmness plays a very important role in promoting firmness. This is obvious, so most of the strong people are also very strong people.
When talking about firmness, we can't help mentioning one of its perversions-stubbornness.
In some specific situations, it is indeed difficult to distinguish between firmness and stubbornness, but it does not seem to be very difficult to determine the conceptual difference between them.
Stubbornness is not an intellectual problem. What we mean by stubbornness refers to the refusal to adopt better insights. If it comes from intelligence, it is somewhat contradictory, because intelligence is a cognitive ability. Stubbornness is an emotional problem. It is a problem of stubbornness and intolerance of different opinions. It stems from a special selfish psychology. The greatest joy of life for such people is to use their own spiritual activities to control themselves and others. If stubbornness is not slightly better than vanity, we will call it vanity. Vanity is only satisfied with the appearance, while stubbornness is satisfied with the substance.
Therefore, if the rejection of different opinions is not because of better beliefs, not because of trust in higher principles, but because of resistance, then firmness becomes stubborn. As we affirmed before, although this definition is not of much practical use to us, it can prevent us from seeing stubbornness as a strong expression of firmness. Although stubbornness is very close or even similar to firmness, there is a difference between the two in essence, and stubbornness is by no means a strong manifestation of firmness. Very stubborn people have very little personality due to lack of intelligence.
After understanding the qualities that an excellent commander should possess in war, which contain both emotional and intellectual qualities, let’s talk about another characteristic of military activities, although this characteristic is not the most important. However, its status and function must not be underestimated. It is related to intelligence and has nothing to do with emotions. This is the relationship between war and terrain.
The relationship between war and terrain always exists. We cannot imagine that a well-trained regular army does not conduct military operations in a certain space. In addition, this relationship is also of decisive importance. It can affect or even completely change the effects of all forces. "One man is the one who is in charge, but one man is not open", this is the truth. The relationship between war and terrain involves the smallest features of a local area on the one hand, and the widest space on the other.
The relationship between war and terrain gives military activities distinct characteristics. In human social life, there are other activities related to terrain, such as gardening, agriculture, residential construction, water conservancy engineering, mining, hunting and forestry, etc. The space for these activities is very limited and can be calculated fairly accurately. . In war, the commander’s activities can only be carried out in a limited space. It is impossible for this space commander to see it completely with his eyes. Even if he tries his best, he cannot explore clearly. Moreover, the space will change frequently, making it even more difficult to figure out. ; Although generally speaking, this is also the case with the other party. However, first, the difficulties shared by both sides are still difficulties. Whoever can overcome it with wisdom and action can put himself in a more advantageous position; second, only under normal circumstances can the difficulties of both sides be the same. Yes, this is not always the case in specific situations. The reason is that in specific situations, the defender is usually more familiar with the terrain than the attacker.
This kind of special difficulty can only be overcome with a special intellectual endowment, which in a very narrow term is terrain judgment. The so-called terrain judgment is the ability to quickly form correct geometric concepts in the face of any terrain, so as to quickly and accurately determine the position. Obviously, this is a function of imagination. On the one hand, we must rely on the naked eye, and on the other hand, we must rely on intelligence. Intelligence uses its understanding from science and experience to make up for the lack of the naked eye, and connects some pieces of vision into a whole through imagination. However, we must combine this The whole is presented alive in the mind to form a complete picture, that is, to draw a map in the heart, and make it stay in the heart for a long time, so that its various parts are no longer fragmented, all of which can only rely on what we call imagination This kind of intelligence can be realized. If a genius poet or painter hears that we let his goddess' imagination play such a role, he shrugs his shoulders and says, wouldn't it mean that a clever young hunter can also have great imagination? Then, we will admit that the imagination we are talking about here is only used in a very narrow range, and it is only the function of the least imagination. However, no matter how weak this function is, it is ultimately the function of imagination. Without the slightest imagination, it is difficult to visually and clearly imagine the various fragments of the object as a formally connected whole. We admit that extraordinary memory is a great help to imagination. However, is memory a relatively independent spiritual force, or can it be included in the imagination that can better consolidate the memory of the terrain? We are noncommittal, because in some relations, these two spiritual forces are indeed difficult to separate.
It is undeniable that exercise and understanding play a very important role in imagination. The famous military director of Luxemburg Pisse Gul said that he was not very confident in this aspect at the beginning, because every time he was sent to a distance When taking the password, I always get lost.
Of course, the higher the position, the more opportunities to use this talent. Suppose, hussars or chasers must be good at recognizing roads when conducting reconnaissance. For this, they usually only need a little judgment and imagination; then the commander must have a good grasp of the geographical situation of the province and even the whole country, and know the road, river and The characteristics of the mountains are clear, but this does not mean that he does not have the ability to judge the topography of a local area. Although he can get a lot of help from various intelligence, maps, books and memoirs in familiarizing with the general terrain, and can get help from staff in understanding the details of the terrain, he has excellent ability to quickly and clearly judge the terrain. , Can make his entire military operation easier and more confident, so that he can be confident, less dependent on others.
If this ability can be attributed to the function of imagination, then this is almost the only contribution made by the unruly goddess that requires imagination in military activities. In addition, imagination is not so good for military operations, but also Rather, it is harmful.
So far, we have discussed the various manifestations of the intellectual and emotional power required by people for military operations. Intelligence is a major force no matter where it is. No matter how simple military operations are on the surface, people who do not possess outstanding intelligence will not be able to achieve outstanding results in military operations.
Based on the above point of view, people would not regard the very simple force transfers and many similar actions that have occurred thousands of times, such as detouring enemy positions, as the result of a high degree of intelligence.
People are always accustomed to opposing outstanding and innocent soldiers against those who are good at thinking, those who have creative genius, those who are full of ideals, and those who have been educated and talented. This opposition is not without reality. According to it, however, this does not mean that the talents of soldiers are only manifested in courage, nor does it mean that they do not need some other special intelligence and talents to become outstanding warriors. Here, once again, it is not uncommon for some people to lose their ability to move when they are promoted to a higher position whose talents are not commensurate with them. Here, we also want to explain that the outstanding achievements we are talking about refer to those achievements that can make people gain a reputation in his position. Therefore, in the war, commanders at all levels must have the corresponding intelligence and at the same time enjoy the corresponding reputation.
The commander-in-chief is the commander who directs the entire war or a theater. There is a big difference between him and the commander at the next level. The reason is simple. Because the latter is subject to more specific leadership and supervision, there are few opportunities for independent intellectual activity, and the scope is much narrower. This often leads people to think that only people in the highest positions have extraordinary intelligence, and that commanders at the lower levels only need to have ordinary intelligence. People have seen that those commanders who have served in the army for a long time with gray hair and are second only to the commander-in-chief are intellectually poor because they have only engaged in one aspect of activities for a long time. People may think that they are a little dull, so they admire them. At the same time of their courage, they often ridiculed their simple minds. We do not intend to defend such brave people, because doing so will neither improve their reputation nor bring them any happiness. We just want to explain the truth so that people will not mistakenly think that there is only courage in war but nothing. Intelligence can also achieve a brilliant record.