having followed the raiding party negligently and not having searched the ambushes well, has unexpectedly fallen into the hiding place. And so that such a thing may not happen, it is necessary for you, O general, to take great precaution and to search the hollow and hidden places by means of cavalrymen having swift horses and precise knowledge of the places. 16.4 And around dawn to divide the army in two, if it is large in number and is numbered at three thousand, and to send the baggage train and the herds of horses being brought along from a distance to a fortified place, but the battle formations must be prepared in this way because of the enemy's unexpected ambushes. And let the first have one of the more notable generals as a leader and the third part of the force under you, and let it march behind the tourmarch, but you with the main battle formation follow the first, also having the rearguard following behind you with a few horsemen, so that, if it should happen that the enemy lays an ambush for you and stations the greater part of their fighting men in ambushes and attacks the tourmarch following them, the first battle formation moving in front of you may receive him by coming to his aid; then, with war having broken out with it and the enemy being scattered in the battle and breaking their formation, finding them scattered you will overpower them. 16.5 But if the enemy have not prepared for such an ambush, but are hurrying to sally forth and plunder the lands, one must, before it dawns, hide the formations of the army under you in suitable places, so as not to be detected by the enemy, and in such hiding places to hold out until the third or even the fourth hour of the day, until the enemy ride out for plunder; and with these getting far from the emir's battle formation, which is left with a few men and not having a multitude of people, to attack it. 16.6 And to send three battle formations ahead in a line abreast to initiate the war; but you, with another three or even four battle formations, following the first ones, to follow closely; and when the first battle formations begin the hand-to-hand combat, as you see your own men fighting, so also provide aid. 16.7 And first, to send forward the battle formations following you on either side to engage the enemy and, from the ends, if possible, and to attack from the flank and to fight hand-to-hand; then also you yourself, if necessary, to join the battle, if indeed the force under you has not become superior. But, as we said, with the emir's battle formation being left with a small force, it will not be able to withstand the army under you numbering about three thousand. 16.8 But these things, as experience teaches, we set forth; but you must be disposed to the urgent need and circumstance of the moment. For tradition does not determine it, but as the help of God will strengthen, the outcome of the war follows. But if you are with only your own theme, O general, and the army under you is small, likewise you must make the pursuit of the enemy's raiding party safely from afar, so as not to be recognized by them, and to make the attack only against those who ride out into the villages and are scattered, as has been shown above. 17.t Concerning the enemy overrunning our lands with a great force and of preparation with hiding places 17.1 But if the entire gathering of the enemy, both of horsemen and of foot soldiers, with a great and heavy force, having gone out into our lands both overruns and plunders and intends to both penetrate deeply and to search them, and if it happens that the Roman army is also assembled at the same time, and the enemy hear of their presence, they provide great security for their own force, not allowing anyone to be scattered in the villages without a guard, but rather they contrive to set ambushes against our force, and to seize

ἐπακολουθοῦντος τῷ κούρσῳ καταμελήσαντος καὶ μὴ τοὺς λόχους καλῶς ἐρευνήσαντος, ἀδοκήτως τῷ ἐγκρύμματι περιπέπτωκε. Καὶ ἵνα μὴ τοιοῦτον γένηται, δεῖ σε, ὦ στρατηγέ, πολλὴν τὴν ἀσφάλειαν ποιεῖσθαι καὶ ἐρευνᾶν τοὺς κοίλους τῶν τόπων καὶ ἀποκρύφους διὰ καβαλλαρίων ἵππους ἐχόντων ταχεῖς καὶ ἀκριβῆ εἴδησιν τῶν τόπων. 16.4 Καὶ περὶ τὸ διάφαυμα διχῆ διελεῖν τὸ στράτευμα, εἴγε εἰς πλῆθός ἐστι καὶ εἰς τρεῖς ἀριθμεῖται χιλιάδας, καὶ τοὺς μὲν παριππαράτους καὶ τὰς ταγὰς τῶν ἵππων ἐπιφερομένους μήκοθεν ἀποστέλλειν ἐν ὀχυρῷ τόπῳ, τὰς δὲ παρατάξεις οὕτως δεῖ παρασκευάσαι διὰ τὰς τῶν πολεμίων ἀδοκήτους ἐνέδρας. Καὶ ἡ μὲν πρώτη ἐχέτω ἀρχηγὸν τῶν ἀξιολογωτέρων στρατηγῶν καὶ τὸ τρίτον μέρος τοῦ ὑπὸ σὲ λαοῦ, καὶ ὄπισθεν μὲν τοῦ τουρμάρχου ὁδοιπορείτω, σὺ δὲ μετὰ τῆς μεγάλης παρα τάξεως ἐπακολούθει τῇ πρώτῃ ἔχων καὶ τὸ σάκα ὄπισθέν σου μετ' ὀλίγων ἱππέων ἐπακολουθοῦν, ἵνα, εἰ συμβῇ κατὰ σοῦ ἐνεδρεῦσαι τοὺς πολεμίους καὶ τοὺς πλείονας αὐτῶν μαχίμους ἄνδρας εἰς λόχους καταστῆσαι καὶ ἐπελθεῖν τῷ αὐτοῖς ἐπακολουθοῦντι τουρμάρχῃ, δέξηται τοῦτον ἐπιβοηθοῦσα ἡ πρώτη καὶ ἔμπροσθέν σου περιπατοῦσα παράταξις· εἶτα, πολέμου μετ' αὐτῆς συρραγέντος καὶ τῶν πολεμίων διασκορπιζομένων ἐν τῇ μάχῃ καὶ τὴν τάξιν λυόντων, εὑρὼν αὐτοὺς διεσκεδασμένους ὑπερισχύσεις αὐτῶν. 16.5 Τῶν δὲ πολεμίων πρὸς τὴν τοιαύτην ἐνέδραν μὴ παρασκευασθέντων, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ ἐκδραμεῖν καὶ τὰς χώρας ληΐσασθαι κατεπειγομένων, χρὴ πρὸ τοῦ διαυγάσαι τὰς τάξεις τοῦ ὑπὸ σὲ στρατεύματος εἰς ἐπιτηδείους τόπους ἀποκρύψαι, πρὸς τὸ μὴ τοῖς πολεμίοις φωραθῆναι, καὶ ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις ἐγκρύμμασι καρτερῆσαι ἄχρι τρίτης ὥρας ἢ καὶ τετάρτης τῆς ἡμέρας, ἕως ἂν οἱ πολέμιοι πρὸς λείαν ἐξελάσωσι· καὶ τούτων πόρρω γινομένων τῆς τοῦ ἀμηρᾶ παρατάξεως, μετ' ὀλίγων ἀνδρῶν καταλιμπανομένης καὶ μὴ πλῆθος ἐχούσης λαοῦ, κατ' αὐτῆς ἐπελθεῖν. 16.6 Καὶ τρεῖς μὲν ἔμπροσθεν παρατάξεις ἀποστεῖλαι ἰσομετώπους προσβαλεῖν πόλεμον· σὲ δὲ μεθ' ἑτέρων τριῶν ἢ καὶ τεσσάρων παρατάξεων ταῖς πρώταις ἑπόμενον πλησίον ἐπακολουθεῖν· καὶ ἡνίκα αἱ πρῶται παρατάξεις τῆς ἐκ χειρῶν μάχης ἄρξονται, καθὼς ὁρᾷς τοὺς οἰκείους ἀγωνιζομένους, οὕτω καὶ βοήθειαν παρέχειν. 16.7 Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν τὰς ἔνθεν κἀκεῖθέν σου συνεπομένας παρατάξεις προαποστεῖλαι τοῖς πολεμίοις συναφθῆναι καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἄκρων, εἰ δυνατόν, καὶ ἐκ πλαγίου προσβάλλειν καὶ ἐκ χειρὸς μάχεσθαι· εἶτα καὶ σὲ αὐτόν, εἰ χρή, συμβαλεῖν, εἴπερ ἄρα μὴ ἐπικρατέστερος ὁ ὑπὸ σὲ λαὸς γέγονεν. Ἀλλὰ μετ' ὀλίγου λαοῦ, ὡς ἔφημεν, τῆς παρατάξεως τοῦ ἀμηρᾶ καταλιμπανομένης, οὐ δυνήσεται ἀντισχεῖν περὶ τὰς τρεῖς χιλιάδας τὸ ὑπὸ σὲ ἀριθμούμενον στράτευμα. 16.8 Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μέν, ὡς ἡ πεῖρα διδάσκει, ἐκτίθεμεν· σὲ δὲ πρὸς τὴν κατεπείγουσαν τοῦ καιροῦ χρείαν τε καὶ περίστασιν διατεθῆναι δεῖ. Οὐ γὰρ ἡ παράδοσις δίδωσιν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐνισχύσει βοήθεια, ἡ τοῦ πολέμου ἔκβασις ἐπακολουθεῖ. Εἰ δὲ μετὰ μόνου τοῦ ἰδίου θέματος ὑπάρχεις, ὦ στρατηγέ, καὶ ὀλίγον ἐστὶ τὸ ὑπὸ σὲ στράτευμα, καὶ ὡσαύτως δεῖ σε μετ' ἀσφαλείας πόρρω τὴν τοῦ κούρσου τῶν πολεμίων ἀκολούθησιν ποιεῖσθαι, πρὸς τὸ μὴ παρ' αὐτῶν ἐπιγνωσθῆναι, καὶ κατὰ μόνων τῶν εἰς τὰ χωρία ἐξελαυνόντων καὶ διασκορπιζομένων τὴν ἐπίθεσιν ποιεῖσθαι, καθὼς ἀνωτέρω δεδήλωται. 17.τ Περὶ τῶν μετὰ πολλῆς δυνάμεως ἐπιτρεχόντων πολεμίων τὰς χώρας ἡμῶν καὶ τῆς μετὰ ἐγκρυμμάτων παρασκευῆσ 17.1 Εἰ δέ γε τὸ τῶν πολεμίων ἅπαν ἱππέων τε καὶ πεζῶν ἄθροισμα μετὰ μεγάλης καὶ βαρείας δυνάμεως τὰς ἡμῶν χώρας ἐξελθὸν ἐπιτρέχει τε καὶ ληΐζεται καὶ ἐμβαθῦναί τε καὶ διερευνήσασθαι ταύτας διαμελετᾷ, εἰ τύχῃ δὲ καὶ τὸ ῥωμαϊκὸν κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν καιρὸν στράτευμα ἐπισυνηγμένον εἶναι, καὶ τὴν τούτων παρουσίαν ἀκουτισθῶσιν οἱ πολέμιοι, ἀσφάλειαν μὲν πολλὴν τοῦ ἰδίου λαοῦ ποιοῦνται, μὴ ἐῶντές τινας φυλακῆς ἄνευ ἐν τοῖς χωρίοις διασκορπίζεσθαι, ἐνέδρας δὲ μᾶλλον κατὰ τοῦ ἡμετέρου λαοῦ ἐξεργάζεσθαι μηχανῶνται, καὶ καταλαβεῖν