Editing Encirclement (section)

== History ==
Encirclement has been used throughout the centuries by military leaders, including generals such as [[Alexander the Great]], [[Sun Tzu]], [[Hannibal]], [[Julius Caesar]], [[Spartacus]], [[Khalid bin Waleed]],  [[Genghis Khan]], [[Yi Sun Shin]], [[Albrecht von Wallenstein|von Wallenstein]], [[Nader Shah]], [[Shaka Zulu]], [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon]], [[Helmuth von Moltke the Elder|von Moltke]], [[Heinz Guderian]], [[Gerd von Rundstedt|von Rundstedt]], [[Erich von Manstein|von Manstein]], [[Georgiy Zhukov|Zhukov]], [[George Smith Patton, Jr.|Patton]] and [[Qasem Soleimani|Soleimani]].

Sun Tzu and other military thinkers suggest that an army should be not completely encircled but instead given some room for escape. Otherwise, the "encircled" army's men will lift their morale and fight to the death. It is better to have them consider the possibility of a retreat.<ref>[[Sun Tzu]], [[The Art of War]], [[:s:The Art of War (Sun)/Section VII|Section VII: Maneuvering]], line 36.</ref> Once the enemy retreats, it can be pursued and captured or destroyed with far less risk to the pursuing forces than a fight to the death.