PROLOGUE
Engine of Disruption
Fortune can bring about great changes in a situation through very slight forces.
—Julius Caesar, Roman leader and general
The battle that defined Julius Caesar as a great general and future Roman dictator for life was in Gaul, now modern-day France. He faced daunting odds. His army numbered 60,000 legionnaires, but he was deep in enemy territory and a Gallic force of 80,000 was entrenched in the impregnable hilltop fortress of Alesia.
Caesar first had his men build a wall to encircle and isolate the fortress. This wall was 12 feet tall, ran for 11 miles, and had battlements and fortifications at frequent intervals. When he realized that Gallic reinforcements would arrive and attack from behind, Caesar had his men ...
Get FRICTION: The Untapped Force That Can Be Your Most Powerful Advantage now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.