Yet not only would the force so sent be in danger until it returned of an attack by a superior force, but the main body from which it was detached would be thereby weakened; furthermore, the information might have been incorrect--it might have been originated and given out by the enemy, in the hope that it would cause such a diversion of force.
Every operation in war entails a risk more or less great; and if no risks were to be taken, it would be better not to go to war.
It is true that some wars have been undertaken in which the preponderance of force was so great that there was very little doubt of the actual outcome, and very little risk taken by one of the two parties.

Such wars, however, have been very few; and they were hardly wars in the usual sense, any more than the beating of a little boy by a big boy could properly be called a "fight." Reference may again be made here to Table I on next page, which shows the way in which fights between unequal forces proceed, and the advantage of fighting the separated parts of an enemy rather than the united force.

We can see this clearly if we note that, if two forces each aggregating 1,000 were in each other's vicinity, and if the entire force _A_ was able to engage half of _B_, or 500, it would whip half of _B_, and have 841 remaining, with which to engage the other half (500) of _B_.

Reference to the end of the third period in this table shows also that if a force of 789 engages a force of 523, it will have 569 left, after the other has been reduced to zero.

So, a force of 1,000 that engages two forces of 500 separately, will have more than 500 left, after the others have both been reduced to zero: whereas, if it engages both, when they are united, both sides will be gradually reduced to zero, remaining equal all the time.
TABLE I -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |Col.|Col.|Col.|Col.|Col.|Col.|Col.|Col.|Col.|Col.| | | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |----------------------------------------------------------------------------| |Value of offensive power A|1000|1000|1000|1000|1000|1000|1000|1000|1000|1000| | at beginning B|1000| 900| 800| 700| 600| 500| 400| 300| 200| 100| |Damage done in 1st A| 100| 100| 100| 100| 100| 100| 100| 100| 100| 100| | period B| 100| 90| 80| 70| 60| 50| 40| 30| 20| 10| |Value of offensive power A| 900| 910| 920| 930| 940| 950| 960| 970| 980| 990| | at end of 1st period B| 900| 800| 700| 600| 500| 400| 300| 200| 100| 0| |Damage done in 2nd A| 90| 91| 92| 93| 94| 95| 96| 97| 98| | | period B| 90| 80| 70| 60| 50| 40| 30| 20| 10| | |Value of offensive power A| 810| 830| 850| 870| 890| 910| 930| 950| 970| | | at end of 2nd period B| 810| 709| 608| 507| 406| 305| 204| 103| 2| | |Damage done in 3rd A| 81| 83| 85| 87| 89| 91| 93| 95| | | | period B| 81| 71| 61| 51| 41| 31| 20| 10| | | |Value of offensive power A| 729| 759| 789| 819| 849| 879| 910| 940| | | | at end of 3rd period B| 729| 626| 523| 420| 317| 214| 111| 8| | | |Damage done in 4th A| 73| 76| 79| 82| 85| 88| 91| | | | | period B| 73| 63| 52| 42| 32| 21| 11| | | | |Value of offensive power A| 656| 696| 737| 777| 817| 858| 899| | | | | at end of 4th period B| 656| 550| 444| 338| 232| 126| 20| | | | |Damage done in 5th A| 65| 70| 74| 78| 82| 86| | | | | | period B| 65| 55| 44| 34| 23| 13| | | | | |Value of offensive power A| 591| 641| 693| 743| 794| 845| | | | | | at end of 5th period B| 591| 480| 370| 260| 150| 40| | | | | |Damage done in 6th A| 59| 64| 69| 74| 79| 85| | | | | | period B| 59| 48| 37| 26| 15| 4| | | | | |Value of offensive power A| 532| 593| 656| 717| 779| 841| | | | | | at end of 6th period B| 532| 416| 301| 186| 71| 0| | | | | |Damage done in 7th A| 53| 59| 66| 72| 78| | | | | | | period B| 53| 42| 30| 19| 7| | | | | | |Value of offensive power A| 479| 551| 626| 698| 772| | | | | | | at end of 7th period B| 479| 357| 235| 114| 0| | | | | | |Damage done in 8th A| 48| 55| 63| 70| | | | | | | | period B| 48| 36| 24| 11| | | | | | | |Value of offensive power A| 431| 515| 602| 687| | | | | | | | at end of 8th period B| 431| 302| 172| 44| | | | | | | |Damage done in 9th A| 43| 52| 60| 69| | | | | | | | period B| 43| 30| 17| 4| | | | | | | |Value of offensive power A| 388| 485| 585| 683| | | | | | | | at end of 9th period B| 388| 250| 112| 0| | | | | | | |Damage done in 10th A| 39| 49| 59| | | | | | | | | period B| 39| 25| 11| | | | | | | | |Value of offensive power A| 349| 460| 574| | | | | | | | | at end of 10th period B| 349| 201| 53| | | | | | | | |Damage done in 11th A| 35| 46| 57| | | | | | | | | period B| 35| 20| 5| | | | | | | | |Value of offensive power A| 314| 440| 569| | | | | | | | | at end of 11th period B| 314| 155| 0| | | | | | | | |Damage done in 12th A| 31| 44| | | | | | | | | | period B| 31| 16| | | | | | | | | |Value of offensive power A| 283| 426| | | | | | | | | | at end of 12th period B| 283| 111| | | | | | | | | | | |etc.| | | | | | | | | |Total damage done by A| 717| 789| 800| 700| 600| 500| 400| 300| 200| 100| | B| 717| 574| 431| 317| 228| 159| 101| 60| 30| 10| -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It is interesting to note how this simple fact is the key to most of the operations of strategy and tactics; how--the mechanical tools in the way of ships and guns and torpedoes having been supplied--the key to their successful use is simply to take advantage of all opportunities of isolating one part of the enemy's force from the rest, and then attacking one of the parts with a force superior to it.