Question about quote that appears on The Art of War
What's up! I figured i'd post one of my questions here since you guys are infinitely more qualified in this topic than i.
I've been reading the Art of War, more specifically the 1910 version by Lionel Giles. During the "Laying Plans" chapter, Sun Tzu says:
>The art of war, then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one’s deliberations, when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field.
>These are: (1) The Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth; (4) The Commander; (5) Method and discipline.
The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger.
According to the book, this gets complemented by a guy called Tu Yu, who quotes another dude called Wang Tzŭ, who says:
>"Without constant practice, the officers will be nervous and undecided when mustering for battle; without constant practice, the general will be wavering and irresolute when the crisis is at hand."
My question is, what exactly did Wang Tzŭ want the officers to "constant practice" exactly?
To clarify my question a little more, I imagine that officers would be the ones leading their troops, so did he mean officers should constantly practice their individual combat skills, or they should constant practice their commanding and leadership skills? Or maybe both?
Is there any historical context that i'm missing?