In your opinion - Who is/was the most sucessful miltary leader of all time?

@HannibalAteMeOut Doesn't have to be killing

@HannibalAteMeOut Survival is a success - and in certain environments that means you need to be better at killing than the people trying to kill you.

But the high point of generalship is creating a situation where your opponent is in a hopeless position and the fighting stops [i]without[/i] any killing.

[quote]The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.[/quote]
-Sun Tzu

@QuixoticSoul Thomas Cleary's translation of the Art Of War starts with an interesting parable about three brothers who are healers. The most famous of whom admits that the least famous brother is the best healer because he prevents sickness from happening in the first place. Its an interesting read.

@SW-User military without killings, when did that ever happen?
@QuixoticSoul very well said, but usually when we're talking about a strong or successful military we're referring to who's most feared, who occupied most places etc.
I guess any military leader who didn't resort to violence even if that seemed the most obvious thing to do is successful to me. I just don't know any to name.

@HannibalAteMeOut I said that killing does not have to be how you measured success. However you measure it, it is up to you.