Sun Tzu said: There are nine kinds of ground in warfare: dispersed, frontier, contested, accessible, intersecting, deep, difficult, enclosed and deadly.
Fighting on your own territory is dispersed ground. Entering the enemy’s land but not far in is frontier ground. Land beneficial to whoever seizes it is contested ground. Areas open to both sides are accessible ground. Land bordered by multiple states, where early arrival wins alliances, is intersecting ground. Deep inside enemy territory with many enemy cities behind you is deep ground. Mountains, forests, barriers and marshes are difficult ground. Ground with narrow entry and winding exits, where a small enemy force can block your army, is enclosed ground. Ground where only swift combat brings survival is deadly ground.
On dispersed ground, do not fight. On frontier ground, do not halt. On contested ground, do not attack. On accessible ground, keep your ranks connected. On intersecting ground, form alliances. On deep ground, seize supplies. On difficult ground, march straight through. On enclosed ground, use stratagems. On deadly ground, fight desperately.
Note
Sun Tzu defines nine battlefield grounds based on location and terrain, each with exclusive tactics. Rules cover combat, marching, alliances, supplies and stratagems; generals must adopt matching strategies for each ground type to survive and prevail.
A great military strategist and thinker in ancient China, who lived in the late Spring and Autumn Period. He authored The Art of War, the world’s earliest and most influential military classic. His strategic thoughts have been widely applied in military, politics and management worldwide.
Nine grounds
Classification of battlefields based on location and terrain.
Terrain tactics
Exclusive strategies for each type of ground.
Alliance & supply
Key moves on intersecting ground and deep enemy territory.
孫子曰：用兵之法，有散地，有輕地，有爭地，有交地，有衢地，有重地，有圮地，有圍地，有死地。諸侯自戰其地者，為散地。入人之地而不深者，為輕地。我得則利，彼得亦利者，為爭地。我可以往，彼可以來者，為交地。諸侯之地三屬，先至而得天下之眾者，為衢地。入人之地深，背城邑多者，為重地。山林、險阻、沮澤，凡難行之道者，為圮地。所由入者隘，所從歸者迂，彼寡可以擊吾之眾者，為圍地。疾戰則存，不疾戰則亡者，為死地。是故散地則無戰，輕地則無止，爭地則無攻，交地則無絕，衢地則合交，重地則掠，圮地則行，圍地則謀，死地則戰。
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