Chapter 87: Maneuvering Room

The legendary Zhou general Sun Tzu defined strategy, bing-fa'', as a set of rules to help make decisions about possible situations and decisions that a person might encounter on the battlefield and off. Personally, I prefer to define the concept somewhat more broadly: A strategy is the set of approaches one takes towards a goal that one has selected.''

''On a gameboard, the goal is to defeat the opposing player. At war, the goal can vary, from conquest to defense to punitive measures or other such possibilities. But the strategy is how one goes about implementing those goals. On a gameboard or at war, the strategy might be aggressive or defensive, offensive or reactive, straightforward or subtle. At play, my strategy might be to capture as many pieces of my opponent's as possible, or to outmaneuver them so that I can capture the enemy's key pieces without a protracted struggle. At war, the possibilities are even more numerous; I might have the goal of conquest, in which case, occupying and seizing control of the enemy's territory is my strategy—or, alternatively, I might strike at the head directly, aiming at the enemy leader with the intent of capture in order to force a surrender and settlement. In either case, the goal is served and possibly fulfilled.''

''But the goal is the why and what, and the strategy is the greater how and the when and where, and it is important to never lose sight of that distinction. You do not have a battle just because you wish to have a battle; no, battles are done in service of a greater strategy, and while stirring tales of heroism might seem like incentive to some, oftentimes it is better to not fight at all, or only fight on one's own terms. Many of the ruminations on dragon combat in these pages are seen by many as glorifying such battles, and I will certainly agree that there is glory and honor in fighting when necessary. And that is key.  When Necessary. But if it is not necessary, then it is just a waste—and there is no honor in that. To win without fighting should be the strategy any commander worthy of being followed should aim for, and to preserve their forces for another day.''

—The Wing And The Ax, Queen Marshal Astrid Haddock I, undated draft, Waterford University Archives

Foreshadowing
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Epigraph Tie-In

 * The epigraph talks about goals and the strategies to pursue those goals. The chapter shows the following:
 * Hiccup has the goal of keeping his friend Duke William safe, and comes up with having him stay on Berk temporarily until a more permanent solution is found.
 * Mac Bethad has the goal of keeping Berk from attacking him due to the injustice of what Dagur and the Berserkers did to Glenfinnan, and decides that punishing the Berserkers and having them pay weregeld will stay Stoick's hand.
 * Stoick has the goal of making sure Dagur and the Berserkers receive more punishment than being censured and having to pay weregeld for what they did to Glenfinnan. He thinks of several potential strategies before dismissing them as having severe long-term consequences contrary to his goals.

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