The native tribes thus sought to level the playing field by getting their hands on as many guns as they could, both by taking them off the bodies of settlers they killed in raids, and by trading with unscrupulous merchants. The rifle, especially repeating rifles like the iconic Winchester lever-action carbine, tipped the scales sharply against the Native Americans' archers (who until then had enjoyed a significant advantage in rate of fire) beginning shortly before the American Civil War. It's a well-established tenet of military strategy that your adversary needs weapons to make war. Something that came to mind when I read your question was an English saying that actually has the opposite connotation to your own: "selling guns to the Indians". Others simply assert than any tactic is justified if it leads to victory-or contrarily, that any mode of conduct that leads to defeat deserves censure. Some of these sayings justify adopting dishonorable tactics if one's enemy has already done so. What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. It signifies nothing to play well if you lose. There are, on the other hand, many common English proverbs that justify taking whatever advantage one can in real or figurative warfare: In addition, a couple of proverbs emphasize honorable dealing as a practical (or perhaps spiritual) advantage:Ī clear conscience is like a coat of mail. The former emphasizes the value of fair dealing for its own sake the latter suggests that dealing justly with enemies before the outcome is decided leads to a more lasting peace afterward. He that makes a good war makes a good peace. The only two proverbs I could find in the Facts on File Dictionary of Proverbs (1983) that seem directly relevant to "Present salt to your enemy" are ones I have never heard used in the wild: I’m curious to know if there are counterpart English sayings, maxims, or expressions portraying the meaning to the same effect. With that said, we use the saying, “Present salt to one's enemy” as the metonym of fair play, gentleman-ship and sportsmanship, we call it 武士道 - Bushido - in other words, Samurai Spirit sometimes, though I don't mean every Japanese has observed or observes it. He firmly believed the war should be won in the battle field, not on the sideline such as supply rout or logistics. However, Uesugi never shut off the supply rout of salt to Takeda for the cause of engaging fair play. Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin actually crossed swords once for all on the sandbar at the confluence of Chikuma River and Sai River, which is famous for the name of the showdown on the Kawanaka-jima sandbar. This proverb came from the historic episode that Uesugi Kenshin (1530–1578), the Middle Ages warlord of Echigo Country which faces to the Japan Sea, therefore is abundant with salt resources kept supplying salt to his rival, actually enemy, Takeda Shingen (1521–1573), the warlord of Kai Country, mountainous country adjacent to Echigo, which lacks in salt essential to human existence during long lasting and consuming wars that lasted eleven years (1553–1564) between them, with 5th fatal campaigns. We have a popular Japanese saying, “敵に塩を送る” - literally, “present (supply) salt to one's enemy”, meaning ‘play fair and square, not taking advantage of the weak point of your rival.’ It’s different from an act which serves the interest of the enemy by the basic spirit.
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