48. 交地吾將謹其守衢地吾將固其結
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.”
49. 重地吾將繼其食圮地吾將進其塗
On serious ground, I would try to ensure a continuous stream of supplies.
The commentators take this as referring to forage and plunder, not, as one might expect, to an unbroken communication with a home base. One text, indeed, gives the reading 掠其食. Cf. [§ 13]. Capt. Calthrop’s “be careful of supplies” fails to render the force of 繼.
On difficult ground, I would keep pushing on along the road.
Capt. Calthrop’s “do not linger” cannot be called a translation, but only a paraphrase of the paraphrase offered by Ts‘ao Kung: 疾過去也 “Pass away from it in all haste.”