The Laws of Invincible Leadership by Ryuho Okawa

Author:Ryuho Okawa [Okawa, Ryuho]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 978-1-942125-37-2
Publisher: IRH Press
Published: 2017-11-09T05:00:00+00:00

~ F I V E ~

Use Surprise Tactics When the Odds Are Against You

Examples of Historical Victories

The use of a surprise tactic is one way that a dark horse has a chance of winning in a battle or competition against a stronger foe. We can find a fine example of this in Japanese history during the Genpei War, when the Minamoto Clan was on the verge of complete defeat at the hands of the Taira Clan, which was very close to conquering all of Japan. But a military genius, Yoshitsune Minamoto, emerged and turned the tides of war.

One of his notable battles was the battle of Ichinotani, a region located in the present-day district of Sumaku in the city of Kobe. Geographically speaking, the site of this battle was a narrow strip of land at the foot of very steep mountains, sandwiched between high slopes and the coastline. The Taira Clan had set up a large base in this location.

The Taira forces greatly outnumbered Yoshitsune’s forces, spelling sure defeat if Yoshitsune launched his small army from the direction of present-day Osaka. So Yoshitsune devised a surprise tactic which he is now very famous for, the downhill attack on Hiyodorigoe. Traveling down from atop the steep mountains, he launched an attack upon the Taira clan’s forces from their rear. The Taira forces hadn’t foreseen the possibility of an assault from the direction of such steep cliffs and were caught completely off guard.

Yoshitsune’s forces, which consisted of just a few dozen cavalrymen, rode down the steep slopes, infiltrated the base from the rear, and set fire to the central command. Seeing their central command on fire sent a shock throughout the enormous Taira army, and everyone fled in all directions.

And while the base was in panic and chaos, Yoshitsune simultaneously had a small allied army move in from the front of the base. This was how Yoshitsune succeeded at surrounding Taira’s army on both sides, and so was able to prevail over the Taira clan.

Yoshitsune’s strategy was a surprise attack and, in a sense, it was also a detour tactic. Instead of launching the attack from the front, Yoshitsune took a path around the mountains so he could attack the enemy from the rear, which allowed him to take the enemy completely by surprise.

This same strategy was used by the kingdom of Wei after the age of Zhuge Liang during the war of the Three Kingdoms in ancient China to defeat the strong kingdom of Shu. The Wei army marched through mountainous paths that no one would have thought of ever traveling through and charged down steep cliffs upon the enemy forces, just as Yoshitsune’s calvarymen did later. The Shu forces were quite large, but the Wei army attacked the Shu forces’ main stronghold, successfully forcing Liu Chan, the heir to the throne, to surrender.

So in summary, the Wei army took a detour, launched a surprise attack, and conquered the stronghold, defeating the powerful kingdom of Shu that Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei had formerly founded through brilliant military strategy and leadership.

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