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Just as the duelist who finds his adversary's point menacing him

with certain death, and his own guard astray, is compelled to

conform to his adversary's movements, and to content himself with

warding off his thrusts, so the commander whose communications

are suddenly threatened finds himself in a false position, and he

will be fortunate if he has not to change all his plans, to split

up his force into more or less isolated detachments, and to fight

with inferior numbers on ground which he has not had time to

prepare, and where defeat will not be an ordinary failure, but

will entail the ruin or surrender of his whole army." [2]

Then you will be able to fight with advantage.

4. Ground which can be abandoned but is hard to re-occupy is

called entangling.

5. From a position of this sort, if the enemy is unprepared, you

may sally forth and defeat him. But if the enemy is prepared for

your coming, and you fail to defeat him, then, return being

impossible, disaster will ensue.