The Sovereign's Command
The war against the neighboring state has reached a critical juncture. You stand in the royal pavilion, bowing before the Sovereign. He points a long, jade-encased fingernail at a map spread across the table.
"General," he commands, his voice brooking no argument. "You are to march immediately upon the city of Hua-pi. Lay siege to it and crush their resistance. I want their walls breached by the new moon."
You know the terrain. Hua-pi is heavily fortified and surrounded by difficult country. Sun Tzu teaches: "In war, the general receives his commands from the sovereign," but he also warns that there are "commands of the sovereign which must not be obeyed" if they lead to ruin.
To march directly on Hua-pi requires passing through a narrow gorge known as the 'Dragon's Throat.'