Each of the nine grounds demands a distinct strategic prescription, specifying when to fight, halt, attack, join allies, plunder, march, use stratagem, or fight to the death.
By Sun Tzu, from L'Art de la guerre
Key Arguments
- Operational directives align to ground type (e.g., do not fight on dispersive; do not halt on facile; do not attack on contentious).
- Alliance management is tied to geography (‘intersecting highways’).
- On constrained or existential terrain, stratagem or immediate combat are mandated.
Source Quotes
11. On dispersive ground, therefore, fight not. On facile ground, halt not. On contentious ground, attack not. 12.
12. On open ground, do not try to block the enemy’s way. On the ground of intersecting highways, join hands with your allies. 13.
13. On serious ground, gather in plunder. In difficult ground, keep steadily on the march. 14.
14. On hemmed-in ground, resort to stratagem. On desperate ground, fight. 15.
Key Concepts
- On dispersive ground, therefore, fight not. On facile ground, halt not. On contentious ground, attack not.
- On open ground, do not try to block the enemy’s way. On the ground of intersecting highways, join hands with your allies.
- On serious ground, gather in plunder. In difficult ground, keep steadily on the march.
- On hemmed-in ground, resort to stratagem. On desperate ground, fight.
Context
xi. The Nine Situations — prescriptive doctrine matched to ground