If we ... strip the engagement of all the variables arising from its purpose and circumstances, and disregard the fighting value of the troops involved (which is a given quantity), we are left with the bare concept of the engagement, a shapeless battle in which the only distinguishing factor is the number of troops on either side.

These numbers, therefore, will determine victory. It is, of course, evident from the mass of abstractions I have made to reach this point that the superiority of numbers in an engagement is only one of the factors that determine victory. Superior numbers, far from contributing everything, or even a supstantial part, to victory, may actually be contributing very little, depending on the circumstances.

In this sense superiority of numbers admittedly is the most important factor in the outcome of an engagement so long as it is great enough to counterbalance all other contributing circumstances. It thus follows that as many troops as possible should be brough into the engagement at the decisive point.

A comprehensive theory of combat based upon a comparison of the relative numerical combat powers of two opponents, in which combat power for each was calclated as follows:

P = N x Q x V