Equity Drain (Sun Tzu 2:6) (Ephesians 5:15-20; Matthew 25:1-13; Philippians 4:10-20)

If you do not provision troops out there,
You’ll shift the hardship home and wreak despair
On people – those who form a country’s base,
Whose food is heaven – to them in any case.

So those who rule should thus respect this fact,
And sparing be on homeland as they act
To move against an enemy in war;
And strategize lest they must call for more.

When army’s substance goes, is drained away,
Their wealth exhausted, bankers come to say,
“Our strength’s depleted, wealth is all consumed;
Finance dried up, taxation must resume”.

Then levies and exactions heavy are,
And village impositions don’t go far;
For dire need can’t from a stone draw blood;
Hard-pressed they’ll be to generate a flood –

Of resource, for so little’s in the bin;
Their strength is low; exhaustion has set in;
The labor pool is drained; their wealth is gone;
To seize the substance left now would be wrong.

The heartland homes would then be stripped and bare;
The central plains impoverished, so care
Must show itself to peasants and to squires,
Lest miracle-restoring’s then required.

If that’s your way of equity, a loss
Of seventy percent will be the cost
To those remaining home, of what they have;
Such dissipation-loss is hard to salve.

Of money raised, the loss is six in ten;
Destruction’s high for governments who send
Matériel supplies into the fight,
So equity that’s raised flows out of sight.

So ruler, government, or public purse,
Whichever way you view it, that’s the worst
Of feeding troops from home – reduce the cost
By living off the land – and cut your loss.

Matériel is different – send from home;
For chariots get broken; horses roam
Or get exhausted; armor, helmets, spears,
And lances need replacing – body gear –

Like shields for arms and legs, and overall,
Must fit the soldiers – fat, or short, or tall;
Draft animals like oxen which can pull
The heavy wagons of supplies when full.

So think about resource, source of supply;
Equipment you can’t pick up on the fly;
Provisions you can get in foreign lands;
Your starting stance – and later where you’ll stand.

“Be being filled” the phrase that’s used by Paul;
Like fighter-plane in flight receiving all
Its fuel without returning to its base;
Don’t let exhaustion stop you in your place.

You’ll need internal resource for the fight;
Provision, daily bread, so don’t be tight;
But rather think ahead – ten virgins’ oil –
Where’s your supply for those engaged in toil?

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