fandomhigh | Diplomacy, Relationships & Tactics: the Art of War [Wednesday]

Today when the students arrived the desks were gone in favor of Ghanima's preferred set-up of rugs and pillows, the classroom having been redone in Fremen-style for the rest of the semester. In the center of the room was a pile of small red books, one for each student to take and keep.

"Good morning," Ghanima said once the majority of the class seemed to be settled. "Welcome back, I'm glad to see I did not frighten any of you off. Today we are starting with the first chapter, 'Laying Plans.'"

"War." Ghanima surveyed them sharply, making sure she had everyone's full attention. "The term calls to mind battlefields and generals. The most successful battles, however, are not fought with soldiers, but behind closed doors with words. They are the battles you never hear about, because there is no glory to them."

"There is the war of the sexes, the war between companies and corporations, economic wars, ideological wars, political wars, and wars between the social classes, all of which tend to start on a more basic level, and escalate to the stereotype. Whether you are wooing a romantic partner or a business rival, or meeting an enemy with your weapon drawn, the same principals hold true."

"The Art of War." Picking up a well-loved red book from her desk, Ghanima flipped it open to her marked page and began reading. "The art of war, then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one's deliberations when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining int he field. These are: One - The Moral Law. Two - Heaven. Three - Earth. Four - The Commander. Five - Method and Discipline." She snapped the book shut and placed it beside her.

"The Moral Law," she announced, hopping off her desk, "causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger."

"Heaven and Earth are metaphors for the conditions you face, which is slightly more applicable to physical confrontations. However, if you view each type of terrain as a mental condition, you will have a large advantage over your opponent," Ghanima said briskly as she walked through the rows, hands gesturing as she spoke. "Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons, whereas Earth comprises distances, great and small; danger and security; open ground and narrow passes; the chances of life and death."

"The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerely, benevolence, courage and strictness."

"By method and discipline, it is to be understood that it means the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions, the graduations of rank among the officers, the maintenance of roads by which supplies may reach the army, and the control of military expenditure."

"These five heads should be familiar to every general," she recited, eyes glowing bright for a moment. "He who knows them will be victorious; he who knows them not will fail."

"Now, when you take these five factors, you must decide how to apply them. Luckily for us, Sun Tzu provided seven ways you can weigh them before making your decision."

"First, which of the two sovereigns is imbued with the Moral law? Who has the army and the populace behind them? Because without the support of your people, you cannot win." Ghanima turned to face all of them as she leaned against a wall. "I cannot stress that point enough. Even if it is simply your friends, or the other members of your company, you will win nothing without the support of your 'troops', if you will."

"The others are more basic; which of the two generals has most ability? With whom lie the advantages derived from Heaven and Earth? On which side is discipline most rigorously enforced? Which army is stronger? On which side are officers and men more highly trained? In which army is there the greater constancy both in reward and punishment?

"Now, I'd like you to pair up, and discuss which of the five constant factors you feel to be the most important, and why."

[OOC: For those following along at home, I will be using this translation of Art of War for the semester.]

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"I am from a place called Tabor," Snow began to explain. "It is far from here, I think. No one else has ever heard of it. My parents ruled the kingdom and were loved by our people. But ten years ago, my mother grew ill and died. And then our kingdom was attacked by dark, unnatural forces. My father fought them and rescued their captive, a woman named Ravenna. She was very beautiful, and my father fell in love with her. She seemed kind enough, and I was glad for someone to help heal the pain in my father's heart. But she was in truth an evil sorceress. She killed my father and summoned her army to attack our castle. Everyone was killed, but me she kept, locked away in a tower. I don't know why she kept me alive all these years, but she will regret it when I am able to free my kingdom from her tyranny."

"I am sorry for the loss of your parents," Yeul said softly. "Will you use your time here to prepare for the fight ahead of you?"

She could see why a class such of this would have held appeal to Snow.

Snow nodded. "I think that is why the magpies led me here," she said. "When I escaped the tower, they led me to a magical portal. And that brought me here. I don't know how to get home yet, but I will make the most of my time here."

"I am sure the magpies," or the island, "will show you the way home when it is time," Yeul agreed. "Tell me, then, which of five factors mentioned in class today do you feel is the most important to free your people and reclaim your home?"

Edited 2013-09-11 23:02 (UTC)

Snow chewed on her lower lip for a moment, thinking it over. "The Moral Law is on my side," she said. "I think the people will support me as they did my father. They and the land have suffered greatly under Ravenna's rule. But that is just an accident of birth. I have never led an army, and I will need to prove to them that I am deserving of their support. I think it is the Commander that is most important. I have to be wise and brave and fair so that my people will believe in me."

"Yes," she said, nodding. "You will need all of that and more. Are you learning to fight as well as strategize?"

Yeul hesitated, then added, "You may also have to prove that not only are you to be trusted but that you are who you say you are. Have you the means to do so?"

"I'm taking the Hand-to-Hand Combat and Self-Defense class as well," Snow said. "And over the summer I learned to shoot a bow. I will take any class that will teach me how to fight."

She frowned a little at Yeul's second question. "No one has seen me for years," she said quietly. "But before I escaped, Ravenna imprisoned another girl near me. She told me that Duke Hammond and his son still live. They would know me." She hoped.

"When you are free to begin acting back in Tabor, make certain that they know you," Yeul suggested quietly. "And make certain that they and their people may be trusted to not sell you out. People who are scared often do things to save themselves. If you are not careful in re-establishing yourself, you could be in grave danger from your supposed allies as well as your enemies."

"The Duke and William were like family, and they still fight in my father's name. I will find them."

She paused for a moment, then asked, "Do you speak from experience?"

"I have seen many things," she replied seriously, her eyes solemn. "You will know your own situation better than I do, of course. I merely suggest that you be careful."

"I will be," Snow said. "There is so much at stake. When I escaped the tower I saw what Ravenna has done to Tabor. The land is dead, and the people are miserable. I want to undo all that."

Yeul nodded thoughtfully.

"Being that you hold the Commander as the most important, how will you handle the challenges of Heaven and Earth? Your people are tired and while their wills may be strong, their bodies must also be to fight for you. How will you give them strength?"

"I don't know," Snow admitted. "I still have much to learn. I want to give them hope, to show them all is not lost." She'd almost succumb to despair in the tower; she knew how heavy it could be.

"I know it might sound strange, but animals helped me," she said. "The magpies -- I told you how they led me to freedom. And a horse waited for me to take me further. My mother used to tell me stories about how the land is tied to its rulers. Maybe that is something I can use to make the people strong."

"Maybe it is," Yeul said, smiling. "I do not think it such a strange thing that the land may be tied to those who rule it. After all, it suffers when mistreated as well. Caring for your kingdom means all of it, from the ground to the people. It would make sense."

Diplomacy, Relationships & Tactics: the Art of War [Wednesday]

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