Generosity

Disciplines > Warfare > Principles > Generosity

Principle | Effect | Invoking | Analogy | See also

Principle

Be kind to them so they are kind in return.

Effect

If you are generous towards you enemies then their experience of you may well be opposite to what they were told, where you may well have been portrayed as heartless barbarians.

In the face of your kind concern, they will likely develop good feelings towards you, and in doing so will tell others on their side, spreading the word of your good name. As a result, they may fight with less vigor and will give in more easily, secure in the knowledge you will treat them fairly.

Also, when your troops are captured, there is greater chance of them being treated well.

Invoking

When you defeat them, be magnanimous, sparing lives and tending to the injured. When you capture them, be civil and treat them well and with dignity.

With care, you can use brainwashing techniques to convert them to your version of the truth.

Analogy

In negotiation, concede on a point that is of moderate importance to them. Then see if they give you something in return.

Example

Alexander the Great, after conquering a new country would be conciliatory, worshiping at the local temples and seeking only to leave his own people in charge.