Re: Who will be the Captain General over all of the forces of the light during TG (quick survey) - Edit 9
Before modification by DomA at 05/10/2009 05:50:00 AM
Military-wise, I'd say it's rather obviously Mat, but he'll need field commanders/advisors like everyone who survives among the Band's leaders, Logain, Rhuarc, the Captain-General of the Green, Ituralde, Bashere, Agelmar etc. - and even LTT.
Personally, I think Mat can out general Demandred and LTT. His experience of warfare is certainly vastly greater (LTT and Demandred have been generals for decades at most - in practice maybe for just a decade and as Shadow-leader knowing how to use Shadowspawn in battle it's even less for Demandred - and they had to re invent everything and make it up as they go, and their tactics were widely different from what they have at their disposal now. Demandred is even at a disadvantage:
- The "primitive" tactics he has seen at work so far since awakening are a pale shadow of what Mat, with his completely unique deep knowledge of the "Golden Age" of third Age warfare (from the TW to the WOHY) can do. Demandred could seriously underestimate Mat, or "the shepherd".
- Demandred is probably working from the assumption that Taim's forces would be vastly better skilled than Rand's inner circle and Logain's Asha'man come the LB, and the WT taken care of. The Shadow's stupid attack on the Algerin manor might have undone much of this now LTT has already passed nifty weaves and more might be coming. And even if Logain is no more than average or less on greater strategy/tactics, Mat has such a deep knowledge of military matters to fairly easily learn how he can adapt and use WOS OP stuff pass by LTT to Logain and the inner circle (that can be spread to the rest of the BT and to Egwene's forces before TG). in battle, and Mat may even gain before the end insight from LTT about Demandred's strategies and tactics, just has happened with Sammael, which resulted in him and Bashere working out Rand's plans to defeat Sammael... while Demandred won't have anything like the same, especially if he counted on facing LTT and his tactic/strategies and his foe turns out to be rather Mat, with hundreds of Generals or more in his head, with a solution at the ready to counter any surprise....
- At the moment, the Light is already re learning mixed gender warfare, while the Shadow has only trained males (and EXTREMELY arrogant Black sisters who think they know everything and that Taim's faction will have a lot of fun working with at the last minute).
- Demandred might think the Light beside the Borderlands doesn't know anymore how to fight Shadowspawn, but again Mat has vast knowledge from the Trolloc Wars.. and there's LTT.
So give Mat a good support staff of field generals including saidar/saidin advisors trained a bit by LTT (Logain and the top Asha'man; Cadsuane, Adelorna and co.) add the fact the Light is learning to work together while the Shadow tend to go in a zillions directions and mistrust/rival one another, and it's Demandred who might be at a serious disadvantage facing Mat (not even factoring in the mix of deep arrogance and deep anger he would feel having to face a non-channeler wh expecting Rand/LTT). Of course if Rand/LTT is out of the game or close and Mat doesn,t have him when he must fight Demandred, if Egwene pulls one way and Logain another, and Tuon a third, and the channelers and many other armies don't let Mat take globally charge of the forces of the Light and coordinate them/design strategies, that's a completely different picture.
If the Light stays divided and Mat doesn't get the channelers in time or at all, Demandred will crush him like a bug.
If the Light unites, LTT passes enough field knowledge to the Asha'man and AS in time and Mat is put in charge with a series of extremely competent field commanders under him...
Personally, I think Mat can out general Demandred and LTT. His experience of warfare is certainly vastly greater (LTT and Demandred have been generals for decades at most - in practice maybe for just a decade and as Shadow-leader knowing how to use Shadowspawn in battle it's even less for Demandred - and they had to re invent everything and make it up as they go, and their tactics were widely different from what they have at their disposal now. Demandred is even at a disadvantage:
- The "primitive" tactics he has seen at work so far since awakening are a pale shadow of what Mat, with his completely unique deep knowledge of the "Golden Age" of third Age warfare (from the TW to the WOHY) can do. Demandred could seriously underestimate Mat, or "the shepherd".
- Demandred is probably working from the assumption that Taim's forces would be vastly better skilled than Rand's inner circle and Logain's Asha'man come the LB, and the WT taken care of. The Shadow's stupid attack on the Algerin manor might have undone much of this now LTT has already passed nifty weaves and more might be coming. And even if Logain is no more than average or less on greater strategy/tactics, Mat has such a deep knowledge of military matters to fairly easily learn how he can adapt and use WOS OP stuff pass by LTT to Logain and the inner circle (that can be spread to the rest of the BT and to Egwene's forces before TG). in battle, and Mat may even gain before the end insight from LTT about Demandred's strategies and tactics, just has happened with Sammael, which resulted in him and Bashere working out Rand's plans to defeat Sammael... while Demandred won't have anything like the same, especially if he counted on facing LTT and his tactic/strategies and his foe turns out to be rather Mat, with hundreds of Generals or more in his head, with a solution at the ready to counter any surprise....
- At the moment, the Light is already re learning mixed gender warfare, while the Shadow has only trained males (and EXTREMELY arrogant Black sisters who think they know everything and that Taim's faction will have a lot of fun working with at the last minute).
- Demandred might think the Light beside the Borderlands doesn't know anymore how to fight Shadowspawn, but again Mat has vast knowledge from the Trolloc Wars.. and there's LTT.
So give Mat a good support staff of field generals including saidar/saidin advisors trained a bit by LTT (Logain and the top Asha'man; Cadsuane, Adelorna and co.) add the fact the Light is learning to work together while the Shadow tend to go in a zillions directions and mistrust/rival one another, and it's Demandred who might be at a serious disadvantage facing Mat (not even factoring in the mix of deep arrogance and deep anger he would feel having to face a non-channeler wh expecting Rand/LTT). Of course if Rand/LTT is out of the game or close and Mat doesn,t have him when he must fight Demandred, if Egwene pulls one way and Logain another, and Tuon a third, and the channelers and many other armies don't let Mat take globally charge of the forces of the Light and coordinate them/design strategies, that's a completely different picture.
If the Light stays divided and Mat doesn't get the channelers in time or at all, Demandred will crush him like a bug.
If the Light unites, LTT passes enough field knowledge to the Asha'man and AS in time and Mat is put in charge with a series of extremely competent field commanders under him...