[Chang Yu says: "The general has confidence in the men under his command, and the men are docile, having confidence in him. Thus the gain is mutual." He quotes a pregnant sentence from Wei Liao Tzŭ, ch. 4: "The art of giving orders is not to try to rectify minor blunders and not to be swayed by petty doubts." Vacillation and fussiness are the surest means of sapping the confidence of an army.]
[1] "Aids to Scouting," p. 26.
Chapter X. TERRAIN
[Only about a third of the chapter, comprising §§ 1-13, deals with "terrain," the subject being more fully treated in ch. XI. The "six calamities" are discussed in §§ 14-20, and the rest of the chapter is again a mere string of desultory remarks, though not less interesting, perhaps, on that account.]
1. Sun Tzŭ said: We may distinguish six kinds of terrain, to wit: (1) Accessible ground;
[Mei Yao-ch’en says: "plentifully provided with roads and means of communications.">[
(2) entangling ground;
[The same commentator says: "Net-like country, venturing into which you become entangled.">[
(3) temporising ground;
[Ground which allows you to "stave off" or "delay.">[