Thread by @ThyConsigliori

John Minford, #SunTzu 8: 21 "The Skillful Warrior does not rely on the enemy's not coming, but on his own preparedness. He does not rely on the enemy's not attacking, but on his own impregnability."

Before we tackle today's lesson, a review is in order. Not here, but by you. Master Sun's chapter 4, verses 1 - 9 lay out the precise logic we face again, today. When you can, you really DO want to go back and review those verses, and possibly my commentary on them.

The masterful student always seeks these ties, and seeks to review context then, and context now, and place the lesson as deeply into mind, heart, and soul as possible. Let's look at the context for today's lesson.

We've been studying gain and harm. We've been studying how to employ false gain as an irresistible allurement to your enemy, to spur him into attacking where you are strong and where he'll be defeated. Today's lesson is a natural follow on to that message.

It is also a perfect transition to our coming lessons on the five great failures of generals. In the coming verses, the five great weaknesses will each fail to live up to today's counsel. It is a perfect transition. And it reiterates one of Master Sun's greatest principles.

Never so much as contemplate offense, if you have not established your defense. There can be NO question as to Master Sun's preference. Cover first, attack second. What, precisely is defense? It is the readiness to be attacked and not lose, and to cause your attacker great harm.

Oh the debates I used to waste my time on with fellow historical swordsmen over this point. My reading of the European manuals informed precisely the same conclusion. Perfecting your guards, your wards, your defensive posture is VASTLY more important than perfecting your strikes.

When building a sword fighting system, you want to establish the smallest number of effective guards, protecting the openings in your stance. Since every ward leaves something open, you want to be able to flow from one ward to the next, covering the most vulnerable opening.

The key term is actually - and we have discussed this before! - strategic defense. Your defensive capability will empower you to withstand attack. Then, attack after attack, you enemy will expose himself to his own openings more and more. Poised and ready, that's when you attack.

The most awesome example of this I know of in history is Fortress Britain, staving of the 3rd Reich. There would never have been a D Day if Britain had first fallen. The little island was able to stave off the greatest attacking force in modern history by its defensive readiness.

As we've also discussed, what if Hitler had learned Napoleon's lesson, and never attacked Russia? He might have covered his openings, and not been so vulnerable to the Allied Forces combined attack. I think we'd still have won, but the history perfectly illustrates the principle.

We see precisely the same principle at play right now with our national budget. No, none of us conservatives enjoy our debt soaring. But, @POTUS simply has done what he had to do to reinforce our depleted military. Defense first. We can attack the deficit another day.

@POTUS I've shared that I'm reading Jocko Willink's incredible book - I cannot TOO strongly recommend it - Extreme Ownership. In detailing his experience in Ramadi, Iraq, this principle was absolutely the driving force behind their victory.

@POTUS Willink's principle: Cover and Move, which he considers to be the ultimate definition of teamwork, demonstrates Master Sun's advice perfectly. A part of the team establishes a "safe zone" where they can lay down covering fire and empower forward movement. Rinse and repeat.

@POTUS Finishing up on swordwork, my perpetual dream is a partner who will just attack, attack, attack my every opening, and who has the joy of knowing I will never counter-attack. This is practice, not sparing, not fighting. I dream to perfect my wards. Striking is easy.

@POTUS Let's apply Master Sun's principle of strategic defense to our #MAGATeams. If you chose to become a leader, and select a mission, you must then recruit your first follower, one who agrees with your selected mission and commits to join you in its execution.

@POTUS The most important pledge the two of you can share is that of mutual defense. You must promise to always be there, covering each other's six. Imagine something insane. You decide upon a civil disobedience strategy, where one of you will likely be arrested.

@POTUS Your friend must be ready to show up at the police department and bail you out, or vice versa. Now, not so extreme, you must decide upon a social strategy where, when either of you hears gossip about the other, your method of countering that gossip is in place.

@POTUS And this is even simpler. Each of you will at times be discouraged, tired, the rest of life will flare up and make it feel like the mission is impossible. You must simply commit to sharing such moments honestly, and commit to be there as true support, covering each other's needs.

@POTUS I promise, you'll be amazed at the power, the spiritual force, strength, and resilience this pact of mutual defense will give you. Just remember the principle, make yourself invulnerable first. Impregnable to attack, you cannot be defeated. Defense first.

@POTUS 220 verses completed, 202 to go.

To return to previous sections in our #WarForAmerica2020 and #SunTzuForMAGA series, don't forget to head over to @WarForAmerica21. You'll find the digital table of contents for this series, there. Please retweet each entry you enjoy.