Shih
| Shih | |
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Description
"A hand open in welcome, or clenched in a fist, remains a hand."
A wise warlord understands that warfare is about more than battles and armies. He must know the strengths and weaknesses of his own lands and men, and those of his enemies. Wars are fought in the hearts and minds of men, just as much as on blood-soaked battlefields. A wise warlord considers his government, trade, foreign influence, and much else besides when contemplating the outcome of his actions. In this way, he is better placed to see advantages in the chaos, and use them. His followers will also know this, and be willing to fight all the harder for a successful man: the cost of recruiting troops will fall, and their morale will improve.
The Sengoku Jidai was an extremely violent and unstable period of Japanese history, but, like all times of stress, it produced great men: Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu are rightly regarded as the three most influential figures of this time. Each shaped the events that lead to the eventual unification of Japan, and each understood that there was much more to warfare than merely fighting. Nobunaga built roads to increase trade and movement for his armies; Hideyoshi disarmed the peasants to prevent uprisings; and Ieyasu banned Christianity and stopped foreigners from entering the country, removing a potentially disruptive influence for good. It was foresight and leadership that enabled them to rise above the other daimyos.
Requires
- Arts:
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