Which is better, scattered troops, or an unsubmissive standing army? My teacher says that scattered troops can be collected in time as they are of submissive nature.
Not so, says Kautilya: an unsubmissive standing army is better as it can be made submissive by conciliation and other strategic means; but it is not so easy to collect in time scattered troops as they are engaged in their individual avocations.
—Kautilya, in the Arthaśāstra, 7.9:21-25
