The battle may begin even before the physical collision. The psychological moment is an important part of the battle, and this is often ignored. Psychology is an invisible killer. The victim is aware of the devastating effects when it is too late. Now we want to talk about the 10 most terrifying psychological tricks.
1
Sacred shields
Everyone knows that the Egyptians worshiped cats and considered them sacred animals. However, not many people know that it once played against them. The Persians attacked. The Egyptians, ready for battle, did not expect to see an army that had shields with cats depicted on them. The Persians also had dogs, sheep, ibises, and cats. The Egyptians refused to attack the Persians because of their beliefs. This is a good example of the use of psychology in warfare and how dangerous it can be.
2
Vlad the Impaler
This man was one of the worst tyrants in history. In history, there are few cases of such cruelty with which he killed people. Even many of the most famous rulers for their cruelty did not commit such crimes. He formed a whole "forest" of people planted on wooden peaks. Victims died for hours on them. He placed them at the edge of his territory so that the soldiers who decide to invade his lands would understand what cruelty they would face. The sight was terrifying: the smell of blood, rotting flesh, death. Such a demonstration of the ruthlessness of Vlad Tepes was enough to stop many people from attacking on its territory.
3
Reputation
Hannibal’s passage through the Alps was not just an incredible military feat, but also an effective argument in the conduct of psychological warfare. This allowed him to appear as a legendary, almost god-like creature, possessing the power that an ordinary mortal cannot dream of.
Tales of his transition created him a reputation as an invincible warrior, which inspired fear in people. Thanks to fame, you may not even have to fight, because people will simply try to avoid clashes.
Another example of how reputation helped scare off enemies is the threat of Alexander the Great to invade Sparta. He described in great detail what he would do if he won. In response, only one word was sent to him: "if." Alexander decided not to invade Sparta, although his forces were much greater, and he was one of the greatest military leaders in history.
4
Empty fort strategy
General Zhuge Liang used this strategy against Syma during the Three Kingdoms period. Zhuge was stuck in a small fort, he had only 100 people at his disposal. He was hunted by Syma, who had a huge army capable of defeating him in a matter of minutes. Zhuge ordered his people to hide and open all the gates of the castle. In fact, he invited Syma to his place. Liang himself sat in a prominent place and played a Chinese musical instrument. Sima, seeing this, considered it a trap. He could not believe that in front of him was a powerful Zhuge Liang, who was ready to simply allow himself to be killed or taken prisoner. Syma ordered his army to retreat so as not to be ambushed. In fact, no ambush was prepared.
5
Throw the last pig
Tactics were used during the siege of Carcassonne, which at that time lasted for almost 5 years. The defenders were starving and were already on the brink. They understood that they would soon be defeated, so they needed to come up with a plan of action in order to scare off enemy forces. They decided to feed the last pig with leftover food. Then they threw this pig over the wall. The attackers came to the conclusion that their enemies still have a lot of food if they can throw a fat pig. They realized that they were not moving forward, so they packed up and left.
6
Kobukson
The turtle ship was not like any other ship in history. He was slower but stronger; his defense was impenetrable. It was impossible to get on this ship - it was covered with spikes; it could not be rammed - rather, it rammed you. No one entered the battle with this ship; instead, they all simply took to flight.
Kobukson was used by the Koreans in the fight against numerous Japanese invasions. Admiral SongSing, using these ships, defeated the fleet, the number of which was 100 times larger. On the bow of the ship was the head of a dragon, but this is not just decoration. She emitted smoke, and a gun was installed in her mouth. A dragon-headed ship, destroying many ships alone, terrified enemies.
Read the fascinating article on the biggest naval battles on thebiggest.ru.
7
Immortality
The strength of the Persian army was partly in their reputation: it was believed that their wars were immortal. In fact, this was not so. The thing is that during the battle, when the soldier was dying, he was replaced by another, and his body was removed from the battlefield. This created the illusion that they were immortal. The army with which you are fighting, but its strength does not change, inspires you with the idea that wars are immortal. Why, then, fight in this hopeless battle? Instead, it’s smarter to just run away.
8
Winged hussars
Polish soldiers who entered the battle in a unique way: they had wings attached to their bodies, which, in the heat of battle, made them look like they were half a bird. The psychological effect was that the feathers whistled at speed and this inspired fear in the opponents.
9
Carnix
Karniks is a wind instrument of the Iron Age Celts. It was used by them to scare their enemies before the battle. The Gauls used it, for example, in the battle against the Romans. The tip of the instrument has always been in the shape of an animal. The sound of hundreds of carnixes confused the enemy army and aroused fear.
10
Suicide army
There is nothing more intimidating than seeing the front line of an enemy army decapitate itself. This carries a simple message: firstly, as they report that they are not afraid to die; secondly, it shows the strength of the commander, who can make his soldiers decapitate themselves. This inspires the opposite side - their enemies are capable of something that a normal person cannot do. In fact, Gujan used the criminals on death row for this. The Chinese believed that in the afterlife they would receive compensation for the sacrifices made during their lifetime.
Posted by: Arthur_Petrov