How do you turn total defeat into total dominance? In this two-part deep dive, Hope and Brian unpack how Prussia’s humiliating loss in 1806 sparked one of the smartest comebacks in military history—the creation of the German General Staff.

From the chaos of the Napoleonic Wars to the innovations of the Industrial Revolution, discover how a new kind of soldier emerged: the “white-collar warrior.” Trained in math, maps, and modern management, these officers used railroads, telegraphs, and brainpower to make the Prussian army the envy of Europe.

Then meet Helmuth von Moltke the Elder—the quiet genius who turned education and technology into strategy, and built the machine that made war think.

Smart, fast, and funny—this episode proves that sometimes the sharpest weapon on the battlefield isn’t the bayonet…it’s the brain behind it.