ABSTRACT
Whenever you mobilize the army and send it forth on campaign, if they encounter wetlands and marshes, or terrain where the levies are ruined, you should employ a double pace and extended marches to quickly pass through. You must not remain in them. If there is no alternative, if you are unable to get out at once—perhaps because the road is long and the sun setting—and you must pass the night in them, you should move to terrain shaped like a turtle's back. In every case you should then establish a circular encampment on high ground where the terrain slopes away on all four sides so as to be 98able to withstand enemy attacks from every direction. This will prevent being endangered by floodwaters, and you will also be prepared against being encircled by enemy raiders. A tactical principle from the Ssu-ma Fa states: "Pass through wetlands, cross over damaged roads, and select ground for encamping configured like a turtle's back."
