Blade Maidens: Closed Fist, Open Hand – 20

“Retreat.

Do not fall into the same trap as centuries’ of corpses. It is not cowardice. It is not dishonor. Retreat is a tactical decision, nothing more, nothing less.

It lies upon your shoulders to accept this.

On the field of battle, it is easy to lose sight of the importance of this duty. You may look to hold onto hope of victory. Some angle of attack you had not yet considered. Or perhaps you simply want to make your foes bleed as much as possible, to pay for crossing Malican blades.

These are the whims of a child, a fool not fit for command. Better suited to die in the mud and muck of the front lines so that their death might purchase the lives of more useful Malican cohorts.

If the battle has turned against you, then depart the battle. Secure your lines, make pursuit a costly endeavor for your enemies, and live to fight the next day. Trapped fortifications, sacrificial deployments, whatever must be done. If it will save more lives than it will require to undertake, then the decision is a simple one.

Retreat leaves no stain on your honor, and allows you to reclaim your victory elsewhere. A pointless death will sully your name, and your line’s, far beyond the day of battle.

Remember this.”

– A passage from General Lucian Martas’ “On Reasonable Combat”, a renowned text of Malican tactics.