There was a king in 300AD; lets call him Vendor-king to avoid any "battles". He believed he would get the best of the advice if he appointed several marshals instead of few. His reasoning was not flawed, he thought that considering all the options and eliminating the bad ones is the way to go. The king lost an important battle during those times, I think you have guessed the reason-he was listening to his marshals when the war was going on, and couldn't take strategic wartime decisions.
Why do I need a VMS? -Well, I'm not too intrigued ...

