[Ts’ao Kung says: "Make for fresh water and pasture, where you can turn out your animals to graze."]
and camp on hard ground, the army will be free from disease of every kind,
[Chang Yu says: "The dryness of the climate will prevent the outbreak of illness."]
and this will spell victory.
- When you come to a hill or a bank, occupy the sunny side, with the slope on your right rear. Thus you will at once act for the benefit of your soldiers and utilise the natural advantages of the ground.
- When, in consequence of heavy rains up-country, a river which you wish to ford is swollen and flecked with foam, you must wait until it subsides.
- Country in which there are precipitous cliffs with torrents running between, deep natural hollows,
The latter defined as "places enclosed on every side by steep banks, with pools of water at the bottom."]
confined places,
[Defined as "natural pens or prisons" or "places surrounded by precipices on three sides—easy to get into, but hard to get out of."]
tangled thickets,
[Defined as "places covered with such dense undergrowth that spears cannot be used."]
quagmires