Throw your soldiers into positions whence there is no escape and they will prefer death to flight

“Throw your soldiers into positions whence there is no escape, and they will prefer death to flight. If they will face death, there is nothing they may not achieve.”

“The Art of War by Active 6th Century B.C. Sunzi.” Gutenberg.Org, https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/132. Accessed 16 July 2021, loc. 124.

Let it be known that in a one-on-one contention where self-defense is the goal, you are always facing death. The question is whether an escape has been left open to you or not. It is interesting that Sun Tzu suggests the general himself to place his men in these dire straits in order to solicit the kind of desperate violence needed for advantage.

On_desperate_ground_fight In_desperate_position_you_must_fight For_it_is_precisely_when_a_force_has_fallen_into_harm_s_way_that_is_capable_of_striking_a_blow_for