When a chieftain is fighting in his own territory, it is dispersive
ground.
So called because the soldiers, being near to their homes and
anxious to see their wives and children, are likely to seize the
opportunity afforded by a battle and scatter in every direction.
“In their advance,” observes Tu Mu, “they will lack the valour of
desperation, and when they retreat, they will find harbours of
refuge.” The 者, which appears in the _T‘u Shu_, seems to have been
accidentally omitted in my edition of the standard text.