If you are situated at a great distance from the enemy, and the
strength of the two armies is equal,
The _T‘ung Tien_ reads 夫通形均勢.
it is not easy to provoke a battle,
Ts‘ao Kung says that 挑戰 means 延敵 “challenging the enemy.” But
the enemy being far away, that plainly involves, as Tu Yu says,
迎敵 “going to meet him.” The point of course is, that we must not
think of undertaking a long and wearisome march, at the end of
which 是我困敵銳 “we should, be exhausted and our adversary fresh
and keen.”
and fighting will be to your disadvantage.