Stuart wrote:I was actually trying for a very awkward comment by Lee. This is a man who was regarded as something close to a saint by his peers, who was rarely if ever argued with and was used to being obeyed without question - and, by the way, had a bad temper which he didn't always keep under control. Now, he's had his professional competence trashed by a captain who is also black and female who has then proceeded to question everything he stood and fought for. Yet, he is also a fair-minded and honest man who has to admit that she's right on pretty much all counts. So he was trying to control his temper and be conciliatory. In many ways he's as adrift socially and culturally as he is militarily and he simply doesn't really know what to say. So he's trying to defend himself and yet fit in with the culture that now surrounds him. So I was aiming at awkward and disjointed.
I see what you're saying, but I think there's a catch.
When Lee sounds awkward and confused, the reader may not be able to tell whether it's because he
is confused, or because the author did something wrong. You might want to play up Lee's disorientation a little more to make it more clear that he's feeling out of his depth. Though as long as the scene is written from an outsider's viewpoint, that may be impossible, I suppose.
lichtbringer wrote:Mhm, I don't think the 8th circle fits to Hitler. He wasn't corrupt in the sense as you can expect from an absolute dictator. A genocidal douchebag yes, but not corrupt as Herman Görring Style.
Corrupt isn't necessarily the right word for the kind of politicians who wound up in the Malebolge (the Eighth Circle). According to Dante, the Malebolge consisted of ten circular canyons that sinners were trapped in. The canyons, from outermost to innermost, contained:
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Panderers and seducers (Hitler doesn't belong here; he was neither a pimp nor a Casanova).
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Flatterers (Hitler probably doesn't belong here)
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Simonists (No relation; this was the sin of selling church offices. Hitler doesn't belong here)
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Astrologers and diviners (Hitler did a lot of business with astrologers, but wasn't one himself. So no).
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Grafters (Blackmailers, cheating businessmen, corrupt officials. Hitler might belong here; he was involved in a few blackmailings, and his regime was very corrupt even if he didn't keep the money).
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Hypocrites (Dante only identified religious hypocrites, though, so Hitler doesn't qualify)
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Thieves (Hitler probably doesn't belong here)
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Decievers (Those who give bad advice for personal gain; Hitler
definitely could go here).
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Schismatics (People who promote discord for personal gain, especially in the Church. Hitler could go here).
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Falsifiers (People who tried to make false things appear true, such as counterfeiters, alchemists, and chronic liars. Hitler told a lot of lies, so he could go here).
So Hitler could easily be in any of the three innermost circles of the Eighth Bolgia, where he would be tormented by a selection of being on fire, big angry demons with swords, or horrible plagues.
Yes Subutai was a genius in that area. He could adapt well but as you said he would have his problems with snippers and long range attact weapons. But an other question is, does an actual oldtimer general need to have at the state-of-art-warefare when invading heaven? It isn't that the Host is a modern army. On the other hand if you have a commander who isn't aware of all possibilties he can screw up military moves. Like moving his men into an artillery target area.
Why bother pulling up oldtime generals when we have plenty of newtime ones who fully understand the abilities of their own armies? For example, one huge factor that's changed in just the past few hundred years is that artillery has become the main killer, especially when air support is considered as artillery.
Someone like Subotai would probably seek to maneuver his front line units (infantry or mechanized "cavalry" for maximum effect against the enemy in direct combat) when they should be concentrating on drawing the enemy into the kill zone of his artillery. The artillery would be held in reserve for large set-piece attacks against a fixed position. Because until quite recently, artillery was not the dominant factor in field battles. Infantry and cavalry were.
Now, our ancient general might do a good job of maneuvering the front line troops, but that's not the point; he'd still be doing it wrong. And he'd still be placing his soldiers at more risk by exposing them more heavily to close combat against enemies that are far stronger and tougher than any normal human soldier.
