The term means that a military general who is leading his soldiers fighting enemy in a faraway place has the right not to heed the orders from the king. That saying is historically acknowledged as a basic principle for balancing powers between the king and the military commander, and between an order from the king and one from a general. The reasons are threefold. First, warfare requires unique skills, and the king may not have the expertise. Second, the king who is not on the frontline may not know the situation of the battle. Third, the spatial distance between the king and the general makes it impossible for a timely communication of information. In addition, the situation on the battlefield is constantly changing. Any hesitation or delay in decision-making might risk losing an opportunity for victory. The point of this principle is to give frontline commanders sufficient discretion for the sake of winning victory for the benefit of the country.