"We will all be dead soon," predicted centurion Millius, looking over
the ramparts at the barbarian army surrounding Rome in the year 536 C.E.
He had good reasons to feel discouraged, since Romans were outnumbered
30 to 1 by the attackers.
The shortest way from discouragement to self-confidence
General Belisarius shook his head. "If
we use our forces cleverly, we will prevail," he replied. History tells
us that the General was right, since he succeeded in defending Rome with
5,000 veteran Roman legionnaires against the attack of 150,000
barbarians.
The heavy losses inflicted by Belisarius on the
attackers made them give up the siege of Rome three weeks later. 90.000
barbarians lost their life during their failed attempt to conquer Rome.
When they retreated, Belisarius pursued them across Italy and finished
off most of the survivors.
How to turn a
desperate situation into a resounding victory
How did the General manage to turn a
desperate situation into a resounding victory? Belisarius' strategy has
been profusely studied by historians. The principles of action applied
by the Romans in 536 C.E. can be recommended to anyone facing a major
crisis.
First
Belisarius took immediate measures to stabilise
the situation. When he heard that attackers were approaching, his
legionnaires worked day and night to reinforce battlements and dig deep
ditches to protect the foot of the ramparts. In addition, a thick chain
was drawn across the river in order to prevent enemy ships from entering
the city.
Second
He allocated minimum resources to cover
essential necessities. The General assigned each of his lieutenants with
a small group of legionnaires to defend a particular area of the
ramparts, giving instructions that no man should ever leave his post
under any circumstances. Belisarius knew that he had to maintain his
line of defence intact, since otherwise, Rome would fall into the
attackers' hands.
Third
The General concentrated his forces on
fighting the most urgent danger. He picked up an arch himself, drew the
first arrow, and ordered the Romans to aim at the closest attackers. The
rain of arrows soon decimated the barbarians, making them retreat and
allowing Belisarius to focus on the next problem.
Fourth
Belisarius maintained his calm, shifting his limited resources from one
pressing emergency to the next. He kept his presence of mind in the
middle of the dead and wounded, identifying the most urgent problem to
be addressed at each moment. By moving his remaining forces quickly from
one critical point to the next, the General multiplied their
effectiveness.
Fifth
As soon as he perceived an opportunity, he
took the initiative. Each time that Roman archers repelled an attack
making enemies flee, Belisarius ordered to open the gates and had his
cavalry pursue the barbarians, causing heavy losses amongst them.
For
1400 years, Belisarius' strategy has proved its effectiveness on
innumerable occasions. Stabilising your situation, addressing your most
pressing problems, keeping calm, shifting your resources as needed, and
taking initiative are the key principles to turn around difficult
situations. Belisarius' wisdom contains lessons that we all can apply in
our own lives.
For more information about rational living and personal development, I refer you to my book The 10 Principles of Rational Living
[Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com]
[Image by Alaskan Dude under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us]