The best strategist & A specific example.?

Question

Who, in your opionion is the best strategist (war) of all time. Why and give specific examples of there tactics.

Answer 1

Zhuge Liang of China


"Before the Battle of Red Cliff, Zhuge Liang went to visit the Wu camp to assist Wu strategist Zhou Yu. Zhou Yu, who saw Zhuge Liang as a threat to Wu, assigned Zhuge Liang the task to make 100,000 arrows in ten days or face execution. Zhuge Liang, however, swore he would finish this seemingly impossible task in three days. He requested 20 large boats, each manned with many straw men and a few soldiers. Before dawn, Zhuge Liang ordered his soldiers beat war drums and shout orders, to imitate the noise of an attack.

Zhuge sat with Lu Su inside one of the boats drinking wine. The Wei soldiers, unable to see in the dark, fired many volleys of arrows at the sound of the drums. The straw men were soon filled with arrows, and Zhuge Liang returned to Wu having fulfilled his promise."

Answer 2

Admiral Lord Collingwood.
(with Nelson at Trafalgar, and fleet commander after Nelson was shot)
He planted forests of oaks, knowing "that it took 2,000-3,000 oaks to build a ship like Victory.
He was concerned that the British had enough oak to replenish the ageing fleet when the time came.
Collingwood acquired land in the Cheviots at College Valley in Northumberland, and created forestry plantations there."

Military resource planning 100 years ahead. I'd like to see anyone be more strategic than that.

I'm not sure even the Grat Wall of China was planned not expecting a benefit inside that time.

If you want a slightly more conventional answer, perhaps General von Moltke (the elder). He attributed a large part of his success in defeating Austria in six weeks in 1866 and destroying the French regular army in seven weeks in 1870 to his use of railways. Afterwards, he often advised, "Build no more fortresses, build railways."

Logistical planning. Not as sexy as battles and strategems.
Vastly more critical.