So once there was a lake, bordered by three kingdoms. There was an island in the centre of the lake, which all three kingdoms claimed to own, and there were countless minor skirmishes on and around the island as the kingdoms vied for control. Eventually, the kingdoms agreed to a single battle to settle the issue once and for all. The first kingdom sent a party of ten armored knights, with their squires. Not to be outdone, the second kingdom sent twenty-five knights, each with a squire. The third kingdom had fared badly in the battles, so they sent a single, elderly knight with his squire.
On the night before the battle, the knights of the first kingdom drank and caroused while their squires sharpened their swords. The second kingdom's knights also drank and partied, while their squires prepared their armour. The third kingdom's knight sharpened his sword and polished his armour himself, while his squire hung a cooking pot over a fire with a loop of rope.
On the morning of the battle, the first and second kingdom's knights were too hungover to fight, and the elderly knight was so tired from preparing his gear that he couldn't be roused in time, so it was agreed that the squires would fight instead. The battle raged well into the afternoon, and in the end when the dust settled, the squire from the third kingdom remained - battered, bruised, but victorious.
This all goes to show that the squire of the high pot and noose is equal to the sum of the squires of the other two sides.
