On open ground, I would keep a vigilant eye on my defences.
As Wang Hsi says, 懼襲我也 “fearing a surprise attack.” The
_T‘ung Tien_ reads here 固其結 (see next sentence).
On ground of intersecting highways, I would consolidate my alliances.
The _T‘ung Tien_ reads 謹其市, which Tu Yu explains as “watching
the market towns,” 變事之端 “the hotbeds of revolution.” Capt.
Calthrop translates 固其結 by the same words as 合交 in § 12:
“cultivate intercourse.”