The art of war recognizes nine different kinds of places: dispersive, facile, contentious, open, intersecting highways, serious, difficult, hemmed-in, and desperate locations.
When a leader is fighting on one’s own territory, this is a dispersive location.
When a leader has penetrated into hostile territory, but not yet very far, this is a facile place.
A place which is of great advantage to either site is a contentious location.
A location in which each side has clear movement is open ground.
A place which forms the key to three contiguous states, so that one who occupies the first has most of the empire at their command is a place of intersecting highways.
When forces have penetrated into the heart of a hostile country, leaving a number of fortified cities behind it, this place becomes serious ground.
Mountain forests, rugged steeps, marshes, all country hard to traverse are difficult places.
Places reached through narrow gorges and which can only be left from torturous paths, such that a small number may crush a larger force, this is hemmed-in ground.
A place from which we can only be saved from destruction by fighting without any delay is desperate ground.
From a dispersive location, fight not; on facile ground, halt not; in contentious places, attack not.
On open ground, do not try to block the enemy; in places of intersecting highways, make alliances.
In serious situations, plunder. In difficult places, keep steady movement.
In hemmed-in places, resort to strategy; in desperate locations, fight.
The skillful leaders of old know how to drive a wedge between the enemies’ forces, to prevent cooperation, hinder the good from rescuing the bad, and from officers from rallying their forces.
When the enemy is scattered, they were prevented from gathering; when their forces were united, they were yet kept in disorder.
When it was to their advantage, the clever leaders moved; when otherwise, they stopped.
When faced with a large enemy force who is in orderly array and ready for attack, begin by seizing something your enemy values, and they will become amenable.
Speed is the essence of war; take advantage of the enemy’s delay, take unexpected routes, attack unguarded locations.
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