The Art of Imperial Strategy: Victory Without Fighting

The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. The worst policy is to attack cities. Siege warfare is a disaster; it drains the treasury, dulls the army’s spirit, and breaks the state.

When I observe the strategy of Cyrus the Great, I see a general who understood these principles perfectly. The Assyrians and Babylonians who came before him were foolish. They attacked cities. They destroyed temples. They deported populations. They created “Dead Ground” and “Contentious Ground” everywhere they went. They ruled by force, and thus they were always fighting.

Cyrus chose a different path. He chose the path of Formlessness.

The Empty Fort Strategy

The note on Cyrus the Great’s Policy speaks of “religious tolerance” and “pluralism.” The scholars call this “humanitarian.” I call it Deception. All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.

Cyrus did not return the Jews to Jerusalem because he loved their God. He returned them because he needed to secure the Key Ground. Judea is the intersection of the world. It is the gateway to Egypt. To hold it with a Persian army would require thousands of men, long supply lines, and constant vigilance against rebellion. This is expensive. This is “attacking the city.”

Instead, Cyrus used the Jews. By presenting himself as the “Anointed of the Lord” (Messiah), he turned a conquered people into a grateful garrison. He rebuilt their Temple with Persian gold. Why? Because a garrison that believes it is serving its own God will fight to the death, while a garrison that serves a foreign king will flee at the first sign of trouble. He secured the flank of his empire without shedding a drop of Persian blood. This is the height of strategy.

Shaping the Enemy

The skillful leader subdues the enemy’s troops without any fighting; he captures their cities without laying siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom without lengthy operations in the field.

The Persian Imperial Strategy of controlling trade routes through client peoples is exactly this.

• The Assyrians: Tried to break the enemy’s will through terror. (Inefficient).
• The Persians: Shaped the enemy’s will through interest. (Efficient).

By allowing the Jews to keep their laws, their Sabbath, and their distinctiveness (Jewish Identity Formation), Cyrus ensured they would remain separate from the surrounding nations. He created a “buffer state” that was culturally inoculated against alliance with Egypt or Babylon. If the Jews assimilated, they might join a regional coalition against Persia. By keeping them distinct (“Holy”), he kept them isolated. By keeping them isolated, he kept them dependent on Persian protection.

He made the Jews “strong” enough to hold the road, but “weak” enough to need the King. Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak. Cyrus made the Jews feel strong (Chosen People) so they would serve his strength.

The Use of Spies and Intelligence

He who gathers intelligence from men is certain of success. The note on Imperial Trade Control mentions that trade routes provided “intelligence about economic and political developments.” Merchants are the best spies. A trade network is an intelligence network. By controlling the crossroads of Judea, Cyrus had his finger on the pulse of the Mediterranean. He knew the price of grain in Egypt and the movement of ships in Greece.

The “Rabbi” and the “Scribe” were not just religious figures; they were administrators of the imperial order. The Ezra and Nehemiah Reforms—the strict record-keeping, the genealogies, the exclusion of foreigners—this is the bureaucracy of control. It ensured that the “client” remained pure and loyal.

Personal Reflection

War is a grave matter of the state. It must not be commenced without due consideration. The Americans today are like the Assyrians. They have great weapons, but they do not understand strategy. They invade, they occupy, they try to force their “democracy” on others. They create resistance. They exhaust their treasure.

They should learn from Cyrus. True power is invisible. It does not look like a soldier standing on a corner with a spear. It looks like a priest praying in a temple that you paid for. It looks like a merchant traveling on a road that you built. The Persians conquered the world by letting the world think it was free. This is the Tao of Empire. To rule, yet appear not to rule. To control, yet appear to liberate. Victory without fighting.