When the general is weak and without authority; when his orders are
not clear and distinct;
Wei Liao Tzŭ (ch. 4) says: 上無疑令，則衆不二聽，動無疑事，則衆不二志 “If
the commander gives his orders with decision, the soldiers will not
wait to hear them twice; if his moves are made without vacillation,
the soldiers will not be in two minds about doing their duty.”
General Baden-Powell says, italicising the words: “The secret of
getting successful work out of your trained men lies in one
nutshell—in the clearness of the instructions they receive.”[177]
Assuming that clear instructions beget confidence, this is very much
what Wei Liao Tzŭ (_loc. cit._) goes on to say: 未有不信其心而能得其
力者也. Cf. also Wu Tzŭ ch. 3: 用兵之害猶豫最大三軍之災生於狐疑 “the
most fatal defect in a military leader is diffidence; the worst
calamities that befall an army arise from hesitation.”
when there are no fixed duties assigned to officers and men,
吏卒皆不拘常度 “Neither officers nor men have any regular routine”
[Tu Mu].
and the ranks are formed in a slovenly haphazard manner, the result is
utter _disorganisation_.