“Again, Subedei and Genghis, by destroying the fields before their enemy’s gates, created an environment the enemy believed could not be crossed, and then crossed it, crushing the superior Persian force in detail. They then put the entire region to the sword, which tended to prevent the sort of problems the Americans saw, but that was a different time. Slim used much the same approach in his battles along the Irriwady shore where he was facing a highly capable, proven dangerous enemy. One that had previously beaten him, badly, on the same terrain, I might add.” The young man laid down the chalk and wiped his hand on a rag held by the prosthetic. “One wonders if the generals of that time studied Subedei as well,” he added with a grin.

“But…” the female ensign said.

“Yes, Ensign Van Krief?” he said, mildly.

“What happens if the enemy is smart enough to overcome your indirect approach?” Amosis Van Krief asked. The ensign was just below medium height with short blond hair, a hard, triangular face and a broad, strongly muscled body. She also had bright blue eyes and very nice legs, which the instructor was careful not to comment upon or even appear to notice.

“In that case,” the young man smiled lopsidedly, “you’d better have one hell of a go-to-hell-plan. Because you only use this approach when you don’t have a choice; when your forces are inferior or of parity. It’s always better, if you have a steam hammer, to crack the walnut that way. The problem is, you usually don’t have a steam hammer. Cracking the nut when you don’t appear to have the strength requires subtlety.”