How to defeat an opponent from the classical era

The Grand Admiral's staff once showed him a this reconstruction of a group of eight dancers performing an 18th century dance to music from Handel, one of the greatest composers of that era, with bot the chamber orchestra and dancers dressed in period costume, and asked him how he would defeat a navy from such a society.




After watching the clip Thrawn replied that this was a society which structured life like a piece of clockwork or a game played by elaborate but fairly rigid rules.

"If you are stronger," he said, "Play the game largely by their rules: you will win, and they will surrender and as long as you honour the terms of the surrender, so will they."

"But if you are weaker, do what they will not expect. Break the rules, perhaps by breaking their line of battle. They will not be able to quickly devise a response."

They showed him  an account of Rodney's tactics at the Saints and Nelson's at Trafalgar.

"Like this?" they asked.

"Exactly so" the Chiss replied.



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