Lesson 1: Introduction

As the people gathered, Caden waited patiently with his hands folded behind his back.

The room was rectangular and he stood at the end of an oaken long table, which rested firmly upon the red carpet. The long curtains which decorated the windows held a dark shade of red as well and danced in the winds from outside. Behind Caden, a blackboard hung upon the wooden wall.

As they all had been seated around the long table, Caden cleared his throat and began. “Welcome,” he said, his blonde hair stirring in the wind, “For those who not know me, I’m Sa’ji’alantin Caden Ives. In the coming days, we will be looking at the art of Warfare. I reckon that the topic is quite essential, since these days seem to harbour few things else.

“This class will be introductory. In other words, I will not go into depth on any aspects yet rather scan through them all and give you a good overview of the basics.”

Caden glanced out the window as he continued. “The reason why I won’t go into details is that the subject is too broad to teach during such a short lap of time. I have spent five years studying the art of war, as I was a scholar in the field until my late foster father passed away. Despite the generous amount of time I could spend studying warfare, my skills are not perfected yet.

“I intend to make this class meet your individual wishes of knowledge. When you are given an assignment, feel free to ask questions, however silly they may feel to voice. In short, I will discuss certain aspects if anyone wants to know more about them.

“Your first assignment, if you may call it that, will be to introduce yourself to the group whom you are to study with, and tell us all if you already hold some knowledge in the field. If you have any questions right away, you may ask them now as well.”

Lesson 2 – Recruitment and Logistics

His back towards his students, Caden used a chalk to write two words on the blackboard. The words were ‘Recruitment’ and ’Logistics’.

Facing them all again, Caden put the chalk down, he eyed them all in silence before talking. “Did anyone think the soldiers of your army would happily take up arms and fight for you till their death, without payment or food, just because your cause is noble and could save many innocent’s lives?

“Think again, ladies and gentlemen. Why does the soldier risk his neck in the battlefield? Because of rewards, because of payment and because of promise of titles and land. Usually, the laws of a nation are very clear about military recruitment. The laws can say that all men must serve in the army for a period of their lives, and besides those, there are professional soldiers whose only life is the life in barracks and armour. The bonds which are valid for a man to fight, to really risk his neck, are therefore few besides the ones I mentioned earlier. The bond of traditions, greater cause and duty are rare, yet they do exist. The Aiel lives in Septs and their whole life is based upon survival and battle. Have you ever seen a corpulent Aiel who has refused to take up the spear for his whole life? There aren’t any out there as far as I know.”

Moving on, Caden underlined the second word. “Logistics broadly encompasses the aspects of supply, such as training, equipping, moving and feeding military forces. Warfare requires: horses, which need fodder; trained men, who need weapons, armour, arrows, and food; and the money to pay for them all.

“Without fodder for the horses, or food for the men, an army can quickly disintegrate, especially in enemy territory, or under adverse conditions of terrain, like deserts, mountains, forests, swamps, climate -extreme heat, cold, or rain- or pressure, like running away from the enemy. To be effective the army requires equipment, such as weapons and armour, and these must be maintained. For example, if an army includes a force of archers, provision has to be made for transporting a supply of arrows in wagons accompanying the army - the archers are not much use with just the arrows in the quiver they are carrying. One estimate of the number of arrows fired in a large-scale battle is 500 000.

“There is no assignment for this part of the class, however you are free to ask about anything regarding what I have said and go deeper into facts you choose.”

Lesson 3 – Army Forces

The next day, they all gathered again in the same hall they had used the day before. Caden pulled out his long sabre from his black sash and put it down, leaning it against the long table. As he rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, he narrowed his eyes against the dawn sunlight which beamed through the windows..

“Good morning,” he said, picking up the chalk to write at the blackboard. “Today we will look upon the different parts of the army. Without generalizing things too much, I can say that there are basically four main types of forces which it consists of.”

First, he wrote ‘Heavy Cavalry’ and ‘Light Cavalry’. Facing his students, he began.

“Cavalry is a mounted force, and the heavy cavalry is the most dominant of the four, since it owns considerable shock value. Heavy cavalry basic weaponry is lances, swords, chainmail hauberk and helmets and can beat light infantry because the cavalry can ride the unprotected soldiers down,” he said underlining Heavy Cavalry on the blackboard with his chalk. “Light cavalry is less armoured and owns more mobility. Also, mounted archers, men who are skilled to a degree with the bow that they can use it from the horseback, fall under this category.”

Writing again, two more words could be seen; ‘Heavy Infantry’ and ‘Light Infantry’. “These last two categories refer to non-mounted forces of different weaponry. The heavy infantry refers to pikemen and spearmen. This group is, given that they are in formation, very effective against heavy cavalry. Light infantry consists of bow- and crossbow-soldiers, however archers of this group usually wields longbows. Archers are most effective against heavy infantry, since the slow pikemen are easiest to hit. Would there be an ambush, or that the cavalry doesn’t get away in time, the archers are effective against them as well.”

“To make all this easy for you, these four categories can be generalized further into cavalry, pikemen and archers. And these three elements are all needed for the army. To summarize, cavalry is best against archers, pikemen are best in formation against cavalry, and archers takes care of the pikemen.

“And to finish it up, we have the uncommon soldier who carries sword and shield, which is vulnerable to both cavalry and archers, hence the rarity of them. Their only advantage is that they are quite mobile and could cause damage upon pikemen formations.

Caden stopped and looked out over the faces of his students. “And what about the channelers?” he scribbled ‘Channelers?’ and raised an eyebrow. “Aes Sedai and Asha’man can only channel to defend themselves in combat, due to their oaths. They are best at long range and can only channel against things they can see. Therefore they need an elevated point of view.”

“Your assignment is; to figure out ways to defeat channelers in the battlefield, by using the different parts of the army I mentioned earlier. Also consider aspects like terrain and weather. Which way would you think to be the best one? And have in mind, that all channelers do not live under the influence of the three oaths. The Atha'an Miere Windfinders and the Aiel Wise One’s have no sort of compunction about using the One Power in battle, not to mention the Seanchan’s Damane, which are solely trained to kill with saidar. If I’m being unclear, just tell me so.”

Lesson 4 - Formation and Terrain

Moving on, Caden cleared the blackboard with a damp cloth and wrote 'Formations' and 'Terrain'. Opening a book, he scanned some pages briefly before letting his voice be heard again.

“Now comes a part which there are no strict rules for, but merely suggestions and references to your own common sense,” he said leaning against the long table with one hand and resting the other one upon his hip. “One formation commonly used in battles of larger scale consists of five parts. In the middle there is the largest, main force consisting mostly of cavalry. Around this formation could be a left and right ‘wings’, a ‘vanguard’ in front, and a ‘rearguard’ behind. Someone has to watch the supply carts as well, naturally. The army won't survive without supplies. Personally I’d have my light infantry on one side, given the chance it is protected by the terrain there if a surprise attack would be coming on that side. One wing, I’d use for heavy cavalry as well, since they are fast, they can serve well as a surprise force directed upon weaknesses in the opponent’s line of defence. Also, they might be able to get around the enemy and attack from behind, or upon a flank. According to me, the pikemen would serve best in the vanguard and rearguard.

“If we were to disregard the mentioned formation for a larger army, infantry could be formed in one long wall or deployed in a ring or crescent for greater defensive strength. A position held in depth would have a solid formation with no hollow inside. Three of the main problems of warfare are the vulnerability of small forces that are not organised, the weakness of the pursuit of defeated forces, and the importance of a reserve force. Only tactical and strategic solutions can deal with these problems. And in order to form a strategy, you must be familiar with the terrain.

Clearing his throat before continuing, he scribbled 'Terrain' on the blackboard. “Terrain is important to the outcome of battles because of the role it plays in shaping unit formations and combat alternatives. Heavy cavalry needs flat open ground to perform its charge in, while light units are usually more effective in rough terrain. Ideal formations are rare - forces have to conform to geography and what the enemy are doing. Obstacles, like forests and hills, can be used to secure a flank against enemy attack, while having an obstacle on your line of retreat can be disastrous if you lose the battle,” he said, gravely. “its easy to drown in rivers when you are in panic and wear armour, trust me. Terrain could be improved by cutting down trees, digging ditches, and building field fortifications.

“Now for your assignment. Again we will discuss the channelers. Where in the formation of five parts would you like to have them, and why? And also, regarding the wall, ring and crescent, name one terrain or situation each would be useful for."

Lesson 5 – Offensive and Defensive Tactics

Caden clapped his hands together. “Well, last lesson for the day, then we begin again tomorrow. Now we are going to look at different tactics. I’m going to divide them into two groups,” he said writing two words on the blackboard, “Offensive and Defensive.”

Turning around to his students he began, “To begin with, in the category of offensive tactics, we have the charge. This attack usually refers to cavalry, but in desperate situations, when there is no other way towards success, even the pikemen could have to give up their role as defenders and run against the enemy. However, charging pikemen seldom survive. If you are in command of footsoldiers and armed militia without horses, the charge is a good choice as well,” he said and looked around to see if everyone understood. “During a charge it is of greatest importance that the charge remains in a solid unit, and that they attack while still running. If the charge is scattered, it will be dead before long, and if they slow down, the defenders will gain the initiative, giving the same result.

“To move on you have the double flank charge, or the pincher attack. It is hard to execute with perfect timing, but the idea is that heavy cavalry attack both flanks of the enemy. The reason why the timing has to be next to perfect, is that otherwise, one of the charges will be meeting the full force of the enemy. If well executed, this attack can decide whom prevails.

“The all out assault,” he continued, pausing for the students to take notes. “This is perhaps the simplest form of attack, but it is the hardest to be successful with. This works if your army is superior in quality to your opponent. Any army may actually try to use all out assault, since this tactic can put pressure on all points of the enemy line and if you can crack a section of his line, you can pressure him so that he cannot react easily to shore up his endangered sector. The disadvantages are that you are thin as well and the same thing can happen to you! Also, an enemy cavalry army will be able to concentrate on one flank of your army. Be careful if trying to use this tactic against a mounted opponent.

“Now, for the defensive tactics."

Caden ran a hand through his blonde hair and poured himself some water. His throat was beginning to get dry. ”First we have the Withheld Flank. This is a desperate manoeuvre for a badly outnumbered army. The idea is simply to, while all other parts of your army is at battle with the enemy, to hold one flank back. This part of your force will move threatingly along the outside of the battlefield. This will cause worry for the enemy, as he must be ready to defend himself from the threat or, deal with it. You are trying to get the enemy to commit to an attack, and thus overextend himself, leaving him vulnerable to a counterstroke. Advantages are that by keeping a flank back, it could force the enemy to go after it, and then you should have an advantage at one or more other points on the battlefield. If he commits to attacking the withheld flank, you can then concentrate on his other flank or centre.

“It is a little bit hard to follow me, I understand that. But the key to this tactic is distraction and timing. If the enemy goes after the withheld flank, he will have to divide his forces, leaving some other part of his army more venerable. Since the enemy’s numbers are greater, they will probably fall for this. The refused flank will only be there to buy time, and won’t actually give real fight until the desired moment.

“You can use the same sort of tactics with your main force, this time however, you should be at better odds with your enemy. The Withheld Centre is the term for it then. When facing an all foot enemy army, or an enemy that you feel may fall for it, a withheld centre could allow you to win the battle very quickly. The enemy will be tempted to ignore your withheld centre and to concentrate on the force it is currently battling, allowing you to then smash the enemy's own centre with a vicious massive charge of your own heavy cavalry. The shock value of such a charge will be devastating for your enemy. This is best used when you have some good quality mounted units in your main force to quickly close with your surprised opponent's main force. Though if the enemy can overwhelm one or both of your own flanks in time to meet this charge, it won't matter what your own centre does, have that in mind.

“Static Defence, a balanced defence able to fight effectively all along the line. Any type of army can use this tactic. With this tactical formation, you are able to take advantage of a weak enemy wing, quickly switching over to the offence if the advantage looks tempting. Then again, the enemy can pretty much concentrate where he wishes and you will be unable to effectively respond.

”Well those are some examples, if you want to, I can give you more. Now, over to your last assignment for the day. I need you to either configure a tactic of your own, or if you feel like it, you can also configure channeler tactics for the battlefield.”

Lesson 6 – Siege

The next day, Caden awaited his students again, leaning against a wall while reading a thick book with dark leather covers. He was dressed fully in black, with shirt and breeches absorbing the dawn light. When they were all gathered he put away the script and nodded in greeting to them all. “Good Morning. This will be the last day for you all in this class. I hope you are rested and ready. We begin with sieges today….”

Caden had some difficulty finding the little piece of chalk he had been using the day before, though when he found it, he wrote ‘Sieges’ at the top of the blackboard. “The castle is one of the dominant images we have of warfare. Fortifications in these times make local defence strong and strengthen the independence of local lords from central government. Castles and strongholds not just a military position, they are also the home of a lord, a centre for administration, and a place of refuge for ordinary people in time of war.

“In most cases,” he continued while walking fourth and back slowly, “a siege consists of little more than a larger army cornering a smaller force inside fortifications. The besieger can try and attack the fortifications, but this will often be risky – as the assault can fail - and expensive, in terms of dead attackers. The most common tactic is to try and starve the besieged force out. This takes time, and given the expense of maintaining a large besieging force over many weeks or months, the siege will often be lifted because the besieging commander runs out of food to feed, or money to pay, his troops. The besiegers face a formidable task, as they have to take on places that are expertly built to keep people out. But a good reason to persevere is that there isn’t that many fortified places.

“And the reason for that,” he said and lifted a finger, “is due the huge expense of building such places.”

Picking up the chalk again, he stood by his blackboard. “The best method of taking a castle is to use one's wits, to get inside by making a reasonable deal, or by means of a clever ruse, or a judicious bit of treachery. Failing that, one had no choice but to attempt a siege. One's army then has to sit down outside the castle, blocking all entry and exit, and pound away at its defences. Moats and ditches can be filled in with bundles of wood or earth; walls can be smashed with battering rams, undermined by tunnels, or bombarded by great catapult stones; the defenders can be picked off by archery, flames or hunger.

“Here are the methods of attack during a siege,” he said and began to write. “Threats or clemency. This might work if you know how to build arguments and have a way of convincing people about the truth in your words. And an aspect to this is the reputati0on you have as a besieging commander. If you are reputed to honour contracts and stand by your word, the besieged force will probably show less reluctance to surrender. However, if you are renown for butchery beyond remorse no matter what the defenders do, they will most likely disregard any aspect of surrender.

"Then after that,” he said then, and began to write the next methods, “comes the blockade, where you don’t let water or food into the besieged castle. And then through poison. A good way is to poison the wells the castle use, it can be done with some time of digging. Another way is to send scavengers like rats and dead animals over the walls of the castle. That way, you might be able to start an epidemic,” pausing he made sure the people in the room were still with him. “Now, only the drastic measures are left. Break down the walls by using picks, rams and stone throwers. You might want to consider sapping, to let specialized units dig underneath the walls of the stronghold, and thus force the walls to collapse upon themselves. And then finally scaling the ladders up to the waiting enemy on top of the walls.”

Caden took a step to the side. “And now the methods of defence,” he said and wrote a few new words. “First comes the preparations. You should block all gates leading in, clear terrain and prepare the battlements. Then, if you are lucky, you can wait for a relief force to arrive. During the siege I recommend to raid and attack the besiegers during the cover of darkness. This is to boost morale and discipline in one’s army, and to ease boredom. If you cannot hold of the attackers, you will have to retreat into inner defences, like a keep inside the castle or the like.”

Leaning against the table, Caden fingered his piece of chalk as he looked to each of them in turn. “Now for your little task,” he said and dropped the chalk to the table, crossing his arms. “I want you to come up with one or two more things that can be done during a siege. It can be either a method of attack or one of defence.”

Lesson 7 – Pillage, Plunder and Ransom

Drinking some more water, Caden returned to the blackboard. “There is a backside to the glorious picture of an army marching against the enemy with the banners high and spirits lifted. In fact, war is an ugly and wicked business. And the worst thing is the mentality which seeps into the soldiers and leaders in war.

“For example, even if the agreed upon pay isn’t forthcoming on a regular basis, the troops can be kept loyal with sufficient opportunities to pillage the countryside and populated places like towns or villages,” he said, running a hand though his hair before writing ‘Pillage’ on the blackboard. “Pillage is a natural part of war, though it is important for the commander to not let his soldiers get carried away at these opportunities. Men who hold swords often think they have rights they normally don’t when they meet commoners during a long campaign. Murder, rape and arson are possibilities not at all unlikely”

“Do, keep an eye, on your soldiers,” he said in a low voice before continuing. “There is a lottery aspect to pillage, because rich opportunities do not always present themselves during a campaign. But a share of the pillage can make even a common soldier rich beyond his fondest dreams. The commander leading the army should discourage the troops from pillaging while in friendly territory, which is why everyone dealing with campaigns are eager to ‘take the war to the enemy’. Once on the lands of the enemy, pillage is encouraged. This not only demoralizes the enemy’ population, but it make your troops happy and give you the opportunity to skip a pay day and get away with it.”

Pausing briefly, he wrote ‘Plunder’ and turned back to face his students. “Plunder is another matter. This is organized pillage, undertaken when there is a lot of wealth concentrated in one place and the nobles or commanders want to make sure they get their cut. Towns and castles are the most likely places to plunder, as anyone with wealth would look to such heavily fortified places as a safe location to keep their money and valuables.”

“Taking walled towns or castles usually involve a long and costly siege, like we just discussed in the former lesson. What keeps troop morale up during these dreary and dangerous processes is the prospect of looting the town or castle. Any big treasures have to be shared with the head of the army, but the common soldiers are customarily allowed to grab anything else and, in general, enjoy themselves for a few days. If the town surrender before an actual assault take place, the terms usually include the payment of a large sum of money. While the army will not be allowed to loot the place, they will get a portion of this payment. Sometimes the besieging general can refuse to accept surrender unless his troops are allowed to do some looting anyway. It all depends on what shape his soldiers morale is in. Not being allowed to plunder a town is usually a big disappointment.

“Ransom is a little harder, and riskier, to come by,” Caden said and wrote ‘Ransom’ on the blackboard. “The custom is to take commanders and nobles alive, if possible. The captive’s family will willingly pay a ransom to get their man back. The amount of the ransom depends on the wealth of the family and is, to a certain extent, negotiable. Captives are not that difficult to take alive, since full plate armour for instance protects the wearer from a lot of battlefield damage and often, all you have to do was knock him down and disarm him. The fellow is usually quick to surrender at that point. The problem is, to take a captive, you have to fight, win and survive a battle.”

Caden walked to the long table and leaned on it with his fists. “There is no assignment for this part of the class. However feel free to voice questions.”

Lesson 8 – The Use of Spies

Slowly striding in a circle around the long table, Caden gave voice to his next lesson.

“The wisdom which enables the wise ruler and good general to strike and conquer, and achieve victory unforeseen, is foreknowledge. And this foreknowledge cannot be gained though experience or prayers. It can only be obtained through other men. The dispositions and deployment of the enemy are ascertainable through spies and spies alone,” he strode to the blackboard and raised his chalk to write. “That’s why spies are used in war. You can sort the different kinds of spies into four classes.”

As he spoke he wrote the classes in a list. “Local spies, internal spies, converted spies and lastly surviving spies.”

Turning back to face the students he began to describe the different classes. “Local spies. Using them means to employ the services of the inhabitants of a district. When you tread in the enemy’s country, win people over by kind treatment, and use them to gain knowledge.

“Inward spies. To use this kind of spy, you have to make use of some officials, nobles or commanders of the enemy. The best ones to try this with is degraded officials; criminals who have undergone punishment but still hold power; also staff of the leading class can be a good choice. Also you might want to approach men who are aggrieved at being in subordinate positions, or others who are anxious to see their side defeated in order that they may have a chance of displaying their ability and talents. And then we have the standard turncoats who always want to have a foot in each boat. Naturally, there is a necessity of great caution when dealing with inward spies.

“Converted spies. This means to get a hold of the enemy’s spies and use them for your own purpose. To achieve this you will have to offer heavy bribes and plentiful promises. You also have to detach them from the enemy’s service and including them to carry back false information as well as to spy in turn on their own nation.

“Surviving spies, finally, are those who bring back news from the enemy’s camp, but not only after being captured, but also the man or woman who manages to infiltrate and reach far beyond the enemy’s lines,” he said, lifting a finger. “This is the ordinary class of spies, who should be a regular part of the army. This kind of spy must be someone of keen intellect, though in outward appearance a fool. He might have a shabby exterior, yet own a will of iron. He must be active and endowed with physical strength and courage. Accustomed to all forms of dirty work, he should own ability to endure hunger and cold, and to put up with shame and ignominy.”

Caden paused to drink some water. “This spy is the form of soldier who should be rewarded with the greatest amount of gold. And it is better to use your spies more than less. But before you use them, you must be sure of their integrity and the extent of their experience and skill. And whether the mission is to storm a city or to assassinate an individual, the spy needs to find out some specific facts. Around the enemy commander, there are people like attendants, doorkeepers, sentries and right-hand-men. Your spies must always be commissioned to ascertain these.

“And it is thanks to the surviving spies you can recruit local and inward spies.

"My question is, where can you find such men or women, who do you think can live up to all these expectations? In which social classes do you think you can find such skills? And why?"

Lesson 9 – Leadership

“Now, it’s time for your final lesson,” Caden said as he erased the script on the blackboard with the damp cloth. “Warfare is also very dependant on the quality of leadership.”

Writing ‘Leadership’ on the board, Caden faced his students and folded his hands behind his back. “Many military leaders obtain their positions because of their social standing, not their military track records. In comparison to when such a leader holds the authority, good leaders will quickly reorganize their armies, distribute what good subordinate leaders there were more effectively, and run their army on a more efficient basis.

“There are numerous qualities which are desired of a good leader. Firstly, commitment.” He said and scribbled ‘Commitment’. “The serious promise to press on, to get up no matter how many times you are knocked down. When leading an army, you have to give everything and a little more. After commitment comes…”

He wrote ‘Communication’ on the black board. “The goal of effective communication is action, not just what you say and write, but how well it is done and how well you are understood. Effective communicators must also focus on their audience and possess the ability to listen and hear. Without good communication between the leader and his subordinates, victory will be unreachable.”

Turning again he wrote ‘Competence’. “A leader's ability to think it, plan it and do it. The soldiers must trust the fact that you know what you are doing. Whatever weaknesses you posses, you must keep them for yourself. If they see you bleed, morale and loyalty will plummet.”

‘Courage’ was the next quality. “The power to let go of the familiar and forge ahead into new territory. Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace. Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared. Because courage is fear when it has said its prayers. And no men follow a coward.

“And…” Caden stopped and took a deep breath, looking at the faces before him. “I can go on forever trying to explain qualities a leader should, and should not have. We all can visualize a good leader, like a role model who knows exactly what should happen next and what should be done. I can bring my notes on this subject and write all the pages upon this little black board. Yet instead I will make you fill the empty spaces.”

Caden strode to the long table and ran a finger over the oak. “Your final exam will be to state three qualities a leader of armies should have. Explain why you have chosen this quality and how it affects leadership during warfare. Good luck.”