Conviction

     To achieve greatness, best the odds, outdistance opponents, and stretch the bounds of impossible, motivation comes from within. The belief that something is right fortifies resolve and cements that value into one's being. Classically, medieval saints (or heretics, depending on the angle), hold amazing grips with motivational conviction. Burned at the stake yet remaining staunch professors of their faith. Only conviction can bring forth a willingness to suffer under expectant death.
     However, suffering is not the only circumstance that reveals conviction. Muslim expansion from 600-1000 A.D. could not have been accomplished without the fervored zeal exhibited and embraced by millions as Islam quickly spread through the Near East. No empire can grow without the convictions of its leader or the armies that follow him.
     In a larger sense though, conviction is expressed when one operates under distress but remains steadfast with the ideology that brought on the troubles. The inner belief provides a purpose of resistance since courage, not cowardice, is the valued character trait. Courage and conviction are valued outside of the world's religions though. The military prizes soldiers that have demonstrated loyalty and courage in the heat of battle to prove their conviction against the enemy. A convicted soldier will not easily turn aside from his nation’s mandate in the face of adversity and death.

     A prime example of this is the desertion rates of WWI with the death-trap trenches. Men charged machine guns and faced death but rarely turned aside and revealed cowardice. French desertion in 1917 was kept hidden from Germans, and once Germans began to desert, the Allied forces had already breached the heavily fortified first lines of defense. This may be the easiest type of conviction to picture since it is so readily upheld in Western society to date. Photographs, early videos, and extensive literature transport the reader into the conviction that their nation's ancestors experienced.
     General MacArthur summed up the conviction each soldier must hold individually to uphold the the army's defense of the nation as a whole.

"I could see those staggering columns of the First World War, bending under soggy packs, on many a weary march from dripping dusk to drizzling dawn, slogging ankle-deep through the mire of shell-shocked roads, to form grimly for the attack, blue-lipped, covered with sludge and mud, chilled by the wind and rain, driving home to their objective, and for many, to the judgement seat of God.
I do not know the dignity of their birth, but I do know the glory of their death. They died unquestioning, uncomplaining, with faith in their hearts, and on their lips the hope that we would go on to victory. Always, for them: Duty, Honor, Country; always their blood and sweat and tears, as we sought the way, the light, and the truth."

     These harrowing words perfectly emphasize the sacrifice of conviction, demanding the respect of those who hold true despite all efforts of resistance. An admirable trait for men to possess and a formidable one in ones foes.

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Agatha Tyche

Strategy

     Plans are useful. They allow the formation of organized efforts to constructively achieve goals. Without them life would just drift aimlessly by since nothing beneficial could exist with purposeful order. As such, strategy has coincided with man's interactions and exploits.
     The first illustration of advantages of strategy comes from Philip II of Macedon (Alexander the Great's father) who took Theban military techniques learned from his time captive there, modified those weapons, and obliterated opposition. His techniques so improved the design of warfare that those styles remained triumphant for two centuries until the Roman legion engineered a better formation. However, Macedon's strategizing didn't stop with military innovation, plans to invade Persia existed nearly ten years before Alexander the Great accomplished it. Conquering the neighboring Greek states gave the Macedonian's battle experience, a secure home base, and a larger allied force to meet the foe. Everything was planned.
     The Chinese are well known for the construction of the Great Wall to keep out the invading Mongolian Huns. While the sheer size of the wall establishes an effective border, the construction time was several centuries, with improvements gradually added on. The planning is there, but the strategy could have been better oriented even given the resources and available manpower.
     The best examples of purposeful, organized, implemented strategy must come from the Romans that lived lives so organized that they fascinated the Greeks. Polybius became so convinced of Roman superiority, he wrote several books explaining the Roman system to convince the Greeks of their oppressors' righteous control over all men.

     The Hadrian wall was constructed a the narrowest point north that the Romans controlled on the Isle of Great Britain. Seventy miles long and representing the northern border of the Roman empire for almost 300 years, the stone wall physically changed the landscape of the terrain it covered.
     The Romans shored up the inside of the wall with a slope of dirt, further reinforced with stone structures. The outside of the wall that the attacks would face had a sheer slope that would need to be climbed under artillery barrage. If the hill was scaled, a fifteen to thirty foot wall defended by trained soldiers remained to be overcome. And if all that was accomplished, the nearest garrison sent cavalry reinforcements along with up to a thousand men. Garrisons and granaries for supplies were located in forts spread between every two to five miles along the wall. Remember, this is the farthest reach of the Roman empire, 1800 km (1100 miles) from Rome.
     Thus in essence, offensive attacks needed to climb a 45-60 degree hill, scale a 15-30 foot wall, fight off several hundred soldiers in the immediate vicinity, hold off cavalry, and dig in to resist inevitable reinforcements from the nearest garrisons. All this would only accomplish the satisfaction of the first line of defense in Roman-controlled England. The vallum, rocky hills that restricted trade to garrisoned gates in the wall, reduced the possible routes a southerly invading army could attack the countryside. The army would be channeled to the forts and barracks scattered throughout the country side with provisions ready for mobile warfare or siege.
     The Romans were military prepared for any possible attack their barbarous enemies could attempt. This is a summary of the major joints of strategy involved in the construction and defense of Hadrian's wall. Portions of this defensive system still stand today, neglected nearly sixteen hundred years.
     The Romans understood their own strengths and limitations. Taking advantage of travel roads, previous battles, and local geography, a defensive perimeter hindered attackers while aiding defenders. A regular rotation of troops kept soldiers fresh and morale high. Trade flourished behind the security of the wall, giving popular support to its upkeep. Extra security features were established behind the wall to account for any flaws or successful breaches that would either check the enemy shortly or provide sufficient time to allow reserves to enter the area.
     When strategizing in life, determine your strengths. Take advantage of your resources and circumstances. Account for your flaws and have secondary procedures prepared to alleviate possible failures. Most importantly stay vigilant as those that grow lazy in the watch suffer the hardest defeats.

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Agatha Tyche