On dispersive ground, therefore, fight not. On facile ground, halt
not. On contentious ground, attack not.
But rather let all your energies be bent on occupying the
advantageous position first. So Ts‘ao Kung. Li Ch‘üan and others,
however, suppose the meaning to be that the enemy has already
forestalled us, so that it would be sheer madness to attack. In
the 孫子敘錄, when the King of Wu inquires what should be done in
this case, Sun Tzŭ replies: “The rule with regard to contentious
ground is that those in possession have the advantage over the
other side. If a position of this kind is secured first by the
enemy, beware of attacking him. Lure him away by pretending to
flee—show your banners and sound your drums—make a dash for other
places that he cannot afford to lose—trail brushwood and raise a
dust—confound his ears and eyes—detach a body of your best troops,
and place it secretly in ambuscade. Then your opponent will sally
forth to the rescue.”