going out. 1.5 And to send out faithful and most experienced men to watch over them, to see if they are guarding their posts well and vigilantly. 1.6 And the assigned sentinels should depart in full number and not lacking, and they should not abandon their stations, in which they were ordered to watch and guard the roads, nor linger in the same small posts, but to change their locations and move elsewhere, so that by lingering for a long time in the same places, they are not recognized and become vulnerable to the enemy. 2.τ Concerning the fire-beacons and scouts 2.1 The usefulness of the beacon-watchers is necessary; and the general must take great care of these as well and set up the fire-beacons in suitable places, so that, whenever a movement of the enemy occurs, the sentinels may become aware of it through the fire-beacons, and the general may know in advance of the enemy's departure and what road they intend to take, and the country-dwellers, being informed by them and by the cave-spies, may flee to the fortresses with their cattle. 2.2 In the borderlands of the Armenian themes, since the Armenians do not perform the duty of the watch well or securely, it is necessary to maintain the long-established practice in the watches of the Armenians, and to select and enroll suitable men, receiving pay levied from the army, in place of those of that army who were obliged to serve in the watch liturgy, and likewise the assigned ration each month, and to rotate them every month and through them to guard the roads securely by which the enemy comes out. 2.3 But since even these men with pay and rations, being Armenians, do not perform the duty of the watch well, it is necessary to learn of the movements of the enemy forces from the scouts who are sent out, and to select noble and brave trapezitai, whom the Armenians call tasinarioi, and to enroll them in registers and to set leaders over them, who in addition to bravery also have much experience of the roads and the lands of Syria, and to send these men out continuously to go down into the lands of the enemy and to raid and harm them, and if they are able anywhere to capture some of the enemy and bring them to the general in charge, so that through them he may learn of the movements and plans of the enemy. 3.τ Concerning the movement of the enemy and the pre-occupation of difficult terrain 3.1 When the general is informed of the movements of the enemy, he himself must gather and arm his own people, and proceed to the borders, and gather all the infantry toward the road along which the enemy will rush to come out. And if they learn that the enemy is coming out with a small force, let him hasten to meet them and fight them with the infantry and the cavalry, if indeed he has been able to gather and form up the army of foot soldiers. 3.2 And since war with foot soldiers is more suitable in narrow passes and difficult terrain, it is necessary to pre-occupy and hold the higher parts of the mountains with them, and on both sides, if the position of the place is suitable, to draw up the infantry battle lines; and in places where it is fitting for a battle of cavalry to take place, cavalry should be with the foot soldiers, so that the enemy, hearing of such a preparation and occupation of the narrow passes, may either check the impetus of their attack or be defeated with God's help. Where the position of the place is not suitable for launching an attack from both sides, but from one, likewise that higher part must be pre-occupied. 3.3 But in places where the unsuitability of the location prevents the attack of the battle from being made from a high hill, but the road is somewhat uphill and rough, having also streams, and as a result is found to be very narrow, it is necessary likewise to prepare the battle line of the foot soldiers from the higher places and the road

ἐξέλευσιν. 1.5 Ἀποστέλλειν τε πιστοὺς ἀνθρώπους καὶ ἐμπειροτάτους τοῦ ἐφορᾶν αὐτούς, εἴγε καλῶς καὶ ἀγρύπνως τὰ κατατόπια αὐτῶν διαφυλάττουσι. 1.6 Καὶ οἱ τυπωθέντες βιγλάτορες σῷοι τῷ ἀριθμῷ καὶ μὴ ἐλλιπεῖς ἀπέρχωνται, καὶ μὴ καταλιμπάνωσι τὰς στάσεις αὐτῶν, ἐν αἷς βλέπειν καὶ φυλάττειν τὰς ὁδοὺς ἐτάχθησαν, μήτε χρονίζειν ἐπὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς στασιδίοις, ἀλλ' ἐναλλάσσειν τοὺς τόπους καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ μεταβαίνειν, ἵνα μὴ ἐπὶ πολὺ χρονίζοντες τοῖς αὐτοῖς τόποις, διαγινωσκόμενοι εὐάλωτοι γίνωνται τοῖς ἐχθροῖς. 2.τ Περὶ τῶν καμινοβιγλίων καὶ κατασκόπων 2.1 Ἀναγκαία δὲ ἡ τῶν καμινοβιγλατόρων ὑπάρχει ὠφέλεια· καὶ χρὴ τὸν στρατηγὸν καὶ τούτων πολλὴν ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν καὶ ἐν ἐπιτηδείοις τόποις ἐφιστᾶν τὰ καμινοβίγλια, ὅπως, ἡνίκα κίνησις τῶν ἐχθρῶν γένηται, καὶ βιγλάτορες ταύτης αἴσθωνται διὰ τῶν καμινοβίγλων, καὶ ὁ στρατηγὸς τὴν ἐξέλευσιν τῶν ἐχθρῶν προγινώσκῃ καὶ ποίαν ὁδὸν ἐξελθεῖν μέλλωσι, καὶ αἱ χῶραι δι' αὐτῶν τε καὶ τῶν ἐκσπηλατόρων καταμηνυόμεναι τοῖς ὀχυρώμασι καταφεύγωσι καὶ τὰ τούτων θρέμματα. 2.2 Ἐν δὲ ταῖς ἄκραις τῶν ἀρμενικῶν θεμάτων, ἐπεὶ οἱ Ἀρμένιοι οὐ καλῶς οὐδὲ ἀσφαλῶς τὴν τῶν βιγλῶν ἐκτελοῦσι δουλείαν, ὀφειλόμενόν ἐστι φυλάττεσθαι τὸν ἀπὸ παλαιοῦ κρατήσαντα τύπον ἐν ταῖς βίγλαις τῶν Ἀρμενίων, καὶ ἀνθρώπους ἐπιλέγεσθαι καὶ ἀπογράφεσθαι ἐπιτηδείους, λαμβάνοντας μισθὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ στρατοῦ ἐπισωρευόμενον, ὑπὲρ ὧν ὁ τοιοῦτος στρατὸς τῇ τῶν βιγλῶν λειτουργίᾳ ὑπηρετεῖν ὤφειλεν, ὡσαύτως καὶ ἀννώναν ἑκάστῳ μηνὶ τὴν τετυπωμένην, καὶ ὑπαλλάττειν αὐτοὺς καθ' ἕκαστον μῆνα καὶ δι' αὐτῶν τὰς ὁδούς, ἐν αἷς οἱ πολέμιοι ἐξέρχονται, φυλάττειν ἀσφαλῶς. 2.3 Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ οὐδὲ αὐτοὶ οἱ μετὰ μισθοῦ καὶ ἀννώνας, Ἀρμένιοι ὄντες, καλῶς τῇ τῶν βιγλῶν ὑπηρετοῦσι δουλείᾳ, ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποστελλομένων κατασκόπων χρὴ τὰς κινήσεις τῶν φοσσάτων ἀναμανθάνειν, καὶ τραπεζίτας ἐπιλέγεσθαι γενναίους καὶ ἀνδρείους, οὓς οἱ Ἀρμένιοι τασιναρίους καλοῦσι, καὶ ἐν ματρικίοις ἀπογράφεσθαι καὶ ἀρχηγοὺς ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐφιστᾶν, οἷς πρὸς τῇ ἀνδρείᾳ καὶ πολλὴ ἐμπειρία τῶν ὁδῶν καὶ τῶν τῆς Συρίας χωρῶν πρόσεστι, καὶ τούτους διηνεκῶς ἀποστέλλειν τοῦ κατέρχεσθαι εἰς τὰς τῶν πολεμίων χώρας καὶ καινοτομεῖν αὐτὰς καὶ βλάπτειν, καὶ εἴ που δυνηθῶσί τινας κατασχεῖν τῶν πολεμίων καὶ πρὸς τὸν τὴν ἀρχὴν διέποντα στρατηγὸν ἀποκομίζειν, ὅπως δι' αὐτῶν τὰς τῶν ἐχθρῶν κινήσεις καὶ βουλὰς ἀναμανθάνῃ. 3.τ Περὶ κινήσεως ἐχθρῶν καὶ τοῦ προκατασχεθῆναι τὰς δυσχωρίασ 3.1 Ἀναδιδασκόμενος δὲ ὁ στρατηγὸς τὰς τῶν ἐχθρῶν κινήσεις, ὀφείλει καὶ αὐτὸς τὸν ἴδιον λαὸν ἐπισυνάγειν καὶ ἐξοπλίζειν, καὶ πρὸς τὰς ἄκρας παραγίνεσθαι, καὶ τὸ πεζικὸν ἅπαν ἐπισυνάγειν πρὸς τὴν ὁδὸν καθ' ἣν ὁρμήσουσιν οἱ πολέμιοι ἐξελθεῖν. Καὶ εἰ μὲν μετ' ὀλίγης δυνάμεως τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἐξέρχεσθαι ἀναμάθωσι, σπευσάτω προσυπαντῆσαι αὐτοῖς καὶ καταπολεμῆσαι μετὰ τοῦ πεζικοῦ λαοῦ καὶ τῶν ἱππέων, εἴγε τὸ τῶν πεζῶν στράτευμα συναγαγεῖν καὶ συστῆσαι δεδύνηται. 3.2 Καὶ ἐπεὶ εἰς τὰ στενώματα καὶ τὰς δυσχωρίας ἐπιτηδειότερός ἐστιν ὁ μετὰ τῶν πεζῶν πόλεμος, δέον ἐστὶ προκαταλαμβάνειν καὶ κατέχειν τὰ ὑψηλότερα τῶν ὀρῶν μετ' αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων μέρων, εἴπερ ἡ θέσις τοῦ τόπου ἐστὶν ἐπιτήδειος, τὰς πεζικὰς διιστᾶν παρατάξεις, ἐν οἷς δὲ ἱππέων ἁρμόζει πόλεμον γίνεσθαι, συνεῖναι τοῖς πεζοῖς καὶ ἱππεῖς, ἵνα τὴν τοιαύτην παρασκευὴν καὶ κατάσχεσιν τῶν στενωμάτων ἀκούοντες οἱ πολέμιοι ἢ τῆς ὁρμῆς ἐπισχῶσιν τὴν φορὰν ἢ καταγωνισθῶσι Θεοῦ συνεργίᾳ. Ὅπου δὲ οὐκ ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν μερῶν ἡ τοῦ τόπου θέσις προσβαλεῖν πόλεμον ἁρμόζει, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἑνός, ὡσαύτως κἀκεῖνο ὑπερέχον τὸ μέρος προκατασχεῖν δεῖ. 3.3 Ἐν οἷς δὲ τὴν προσβολὴν τοῦ πολέμου ἀφ' ὑψηλοῦ βουνοῦ τὸ τοῦ τόπου ἀνεπιτήδειον γενέσθαι διακωλύει, ἀλλὰ μικρόν τι προσανωφερής ἐστιν ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ τραχεῖα, ἔχουσα καὶ ῥύακας, καὶ ὡς ἐκ τούτων στενωτάτην καὶ αὐτὴν εὑρίσκεσθαι, χρὴ τὴν τῶν πεζῶν παράταξιν ὡσαύτως ἀπὸ τῶν ὑψηλοτέρων παρασκευάζειν καὶ τὴν ὁδὸν