【Sea and River Chat】In ancient times, why did people always fight desperately to capture cities instead of taking a detour?
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At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Zu Dashou held his position along the Daling River for three months without any reinforcements or supplies. He was also besieged in Jinzhou for a full year. On both occasions, Zu Dashou persisted in his defense until the point where his troops were forced to eat each other in order to survive, before finally surrendering – causing heavy losses to the Qing forces. So the question is, why did ancient armies, when attacking cities, always choose to fight to the end rather than taking a detour?
Generally, urban constructions are built at strategic locations at intersections; bypassing them would mean having no road available or facing excessive distances that make it inconvenient
Fearing that the retreat will be cut off, in case of defeat, there will be no way to withdraw.
In ancient times, there were no high-speed roads, no well-connected highways; you had to find alternative routes. Zhuge Liang needed a guide even to fight Meng Huo; if he wasn’t careful, he would end up back at his own base. Good heavens! Why fight any more wars?
With inadequate logistical support and poor communication, after taking many detours, one runs out of ammunition and supplies. In the past, it was emphasized that supplies should be prepared ahead of deploying troops
There is an example of Huo Qubing leading his cavalry straight to the royal palace without any logistical support.
There is another wartime example of underdeveloped communications. Generally, hitting the enemy forces in the middle gives a 100% chance of success. But Fu Jian of the Former Qin had just withdrawn some of his troops to wait for the Jin forces to cross the river and meet their doom. It’s possible that the ideological work wasn’t done properly; someone shouted, “We’ve been defeated, let’s retreat!” and as a result people trampled on each other in their haste to escape. The Jin army didn’t even need to fight – Fu Jian’s own soldiers killed one another in the chaos.
Such cities must be strategic locations. Besides, if you have to take a detour, then what’s the point of fighting at all?