From a position of this sort, if the enemy is unprepared, you may sally forth and defeat him. But if the enemy is prepared for your coming, and you fail to defeat him, then, return being impossible, disaster will ensue.
When the position is such that neither side will gain by making the first move, it is called temporising ground.
With regard to ground of this nature, be before the enemy in occupying the raised and sunny spots, and carefully guard your line of supplies. Then you will be able to fight with advantage.
Be where your enemy is not.
The Art of War is self-explanatory.
Hence the experienced soldier, once in motion, is never bewildered; once he has broken camp, he is never at a loss.
If quick, I survive. If not quick, I am lost. This is death.
If not in the interests of the state, do not act. If you cannot succeed, do not use troops. If you are not in danger, do not fight.
Do not press an enemy at bay.
To capture an enemies army is better than to destroy it.
One who sets the entire army in motion to chase an advantage will not attain it.
So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak. Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing.
Unless you know the mountains and the forests, the defiles and impasses, the lay of the marshes and swamps, you cannot maneuver with an armed force. Unless you use local guides, you cannot get the advantages of the land.
Thus, though I have heard of successful military operations that were clumsy but swift, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays.
The value of time, that is of being a little ahead of your opponent, often provides greater advantage than superior numbers or greater resources.
If we know that the enemy is open to attack, but are unaware that our own men are not in a condition to attack, we have gone only halfway towards victory.
Ground which can be freely traversed by both sides is called accessible.
The one who figures on victory at headquarters before even doing battle is the one who has the most strategic factors on his side.
What enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is foreknowledge.
Hence the saying: The enlightened ruler lays his plans well ahead; the good general cultivates his resources.