At the present stage, our country is pursuing a military strategy of active defense. In this regard, some friends believe that it is because the enemy is strong and we are weak, and there is no other way but to defend.
Is this really the case? Not really!
In fact, the so-called active defense is not just defense or blind retreat, but when the fighter appears, it is quick to attack and directly attack the Yellow Dragon, and completely solve the incoming enemy, so as to exchange smaller investment for greater results. In other words, the so-called active defense is not a form of combat, but a strategic tactic. This is the combination of attack and defense advocated by Clausewitz in "The Theory of War".
Clausewitz
We know that offense and defense are the two basic forms of warfare in combat, but in the 19th century, the European military theory community, often in the study of offense and defense, is simply either studying offense or studying defense, more mechanical. Clausewitz, on the other hand, combined the two, pointing out that "there is defense in attack, and there is attack in defense", and put forward the idea of offensive defense. This is what we call active defense today.
Clausewitz points out: "Defense is not a simple form of warfare, but a shield made up of clever strikes. That is to say, when we are fighting, we should hold a shield in one hand and a sword in the other, and while defending with a shield, we should use the sword to fight back at the right time, and this kind of counterattack is a skillful counterattack, and you must use your intelligence to make up for your lack of strength. Another key point is that the idea of revenge must be used as the basis for defense.
In fact, Clausewitz's idea of offensive defense was not imagined by him sitting on the sidelines, but came from a great war. This was the Russo-French War of 1812.
Road map for the Russo-Franco-French War
In June 1812, Napoleon personally led a 600,000-strong army to attack Russia in three ways.
The north road points to Drissa, the middle road to Verno, and the south road to Minsk. Napoleon wanted to capture the Tsar in Verno through blitzkrieg, but the Tsar had already retreated from Verno. Napoleon then led his army to continue the pursuit, and at Smolensk, the French and Russian armies once again engaged in fierce fighting, and the Russian army took the initiative to retreat. Napoleon had managed to take Smolensk, but found that it was an empty city.
The pursuit continued, and on September 7, 1812, the French and Russian armies engaged in a major battle at Bonodillo, and the French army was still unable to annihilate the main Force of the Russian Army. Because the Russian army has retreated to Moscow.
After the Russian army retreated to Moscow, many Russian generals at that time made a proposal to insist on sticking to Moscow, but Marshal Kutuzov analyzed that the enemy's strength at that time was still very strong, so he forced everyone to abandon Moscow and clear the field.
Therefore, on September 14, 1812, when Napoleon led his army to occupy Moscow, after occupying Moscow, Napoleon was very proud, so he sat and waited for Kutuzov to send emissaries to negotiate, but Kutuzov never sent emissaries.
Napoleon
At this point, Napoleon began to be anxious, because winter was coming soon. So he took the initiative to send emissaries to find Kutuzov, and Napoleon's emissaries saw Kutuzov and said, "Our emperor has said that we can give you peace." Kutozov smiled and said, "Peace? I think the war has just begun! ”
When Napoleon heard this, he was shocked and quickly ordered a retreat. But at this time, Kutuzov led his army to counterattack and retaliate.
In Kutuzov's active defensive war, by the time Napoleon withdrew from the Russian border, only more than 20,000 of his 600,000 troops remained. Thus began the road to the downfall of the Napoleonic Empire, which was the great energy of offensive defense.
Grand Marshal Kutuzov
Some people say that all countries in the world today are engaged in a pre-emptive strategy, such as the US military and the Russian army, and active defense is a late-strike attack.
In this regard, Clausewitz's offensive defense ideas also provide us with practical enlightenment.
In Clausewitz's time, his country, Prussia, facing Napoleon's France, was a weak state that could only serve as a defensive party. So, Clausewitz says, "If the attacker invents a new and effective method, the defender must change his method." That is to say, offensive defense has a specific content, and it is necessary to find a way to deal with the attacker's defense.
In the Second World War, fascist Germany invented blitzkrieg and blitzkrieg, when people talked about flashing and discoloration, and in the face of the enemy's powerful attack, no one seemed to be able to stop it. However, the Allies eventually found some very effective defenses, such as air defense, tank defense, defense in depth, etc., and took effective defensive measures to finally block the German-Italian-Japanese fascist attack.
It can be seen from this that defense can be continuously developed, which is what we often say, "the devil is one foot high, and the road is one foot high." ”
Clausewitz believes that there are two basic forms of defense: one is lasting attrition. It is through the consumption of strength that the balance of power is slowly transformed into a defensive side. Another way is to annihilate by force. If the defender's strength is strong in itself, once the attack begins, it can annihilate the opponent in a defensive battle.
For example, in the 60s of the last century, the quiet environment of our country was very harsh. Faced with the pre-emptive predicament of a powerful state against us, Chairman Mao was very comfortable with this. Chairman Mao said: "This is nothing remarkable, it is nothing more than walking around the earth, you come to me, I come to you." ”
Mao Zedong
It is like the Franco-Russian War in the early eighteenth century, napoleon led the army to Moscow, and then Kutuzov led the army to the Russian border, and those who walked in were not necessarily victorious, and those who withdrew were not necessarily defeated.
Of course, the success of active defense is conditional, not that active defense can definitely win. So what is the real offensive defense?
Clausewitz said, "What is offensive defense?" It is necessary to prepare all means as much as possible, an army capable of good warfare, a commander who does not wait for the enemy innumerable hearts and fears but acts actively and calmly, there are fortresses that are not afraid of any siege, and finally, there must be a strong people who are not afraid of the enemy and make the enemy afraid. ”
Then, according to the analysis, there are three basic conditions for offensive defense: The first is to have a certain material basis. For example, the victory of the pistol and the sword is the axiom of history; the second is to have flexible strategy and tactics. For example, your wisdom can make up for your lack of strength; the third is to have a tenacious fighting spirit. For example, never admit defeat.
Only by doing this can we truly realize the so-called active defense and offensive defense.
I wonder what everyone thinks about this? This article is very theoretical and boring, so I want to like it for friends who can read it here!
If you like this content, you can pay attention to the review of the previous article to decide the war is the general or the politician? The answer subverts your perception, and many people think wrong!