I have spent several weeks reading up on the Three Kingdoms period in China, as well as the American Civil War.
This is in preparation to propose an animated series about wars fought by Muhammad and his friends. In space!
I was always intrigued by claims that Muhammad was a master war tactician. When I was a kid, I searched for any and all information I could find on war tactics employed by the Muslim prophet.
In Badar, the first major war between Muhammad and the Meccan Quraisy, Muhammad utilised knowledge of terrain, resource control and superior morale of his 313 troops to fight the thousand-strong Meccan army.
In Uhud, the Muslim lost, because the archers moved from the hills and allowed a classic flanking maneuvre to kill a lot of Muslim soldiers.
In Khondak, it was classic trench warfare as Medinah was besieged by a huge Meccan army. Since most of that army was their elite cavalry, digging in trenches neutralised their advantage. Everyone became infantry.
In the Battle of Khondak, Medinah's natural terrain also played a major part in the Muslim's victory. It is reminiscent of the Battle of Gettysburg, hundreds of years later, when warfare changed to defensive rather than offensive. This all foreshadowed the terrible trench warfares of the First World War.
One thing that was vital in all these ancient wars was information and communication. The first thing you need to do in order to fight a war is not to buy a gun, but a walkie talkie. Knowledge is power.
Makes for interesting animated series or comic books, no? One set in space, so I don't get bombed by terrorists, of course.
