The Advantages of Capital

Capital is, simply, resources.

The advantage of capital is attrition.

The reason Sima Yi refused to engage Zhuge Liang in a decisive battle was that he knew his manpower and supply lines far outmatched his opponent’s.

As long as you outlast them, you’re guaranteed to win.

Historically, battles like Red Cliffs and Thermopylae succeeded by exploiting the resource-rich side’s vulnerabilities—or by leveraging timing or terrain—to instantly flip an advantage into a disadvantage.

If Cao Cao had marched his 810,000-strong army and challenged Sun Quan to a one-on-one duel, or if Xerxes had led his 500,000 troops and dared the Spartan king to single combat—what else would that be but brainless abandonment of his own advantage?