On the March

Even though Sun Tzu wrote "The Art of War" when wars were still fought by sending enormous forces clashing against each other in an open field, his principles still apply to modern combat in an urban environment. We still much prefer fighting from the high ground to fighting from low ground and usually prefer daytime to night. However, due to a technological advantage, conducting operations at night can oftentimes offer a distinct advantage. He also discusses how paying attention to the terrain and the environment can tell you a lot about what is waiting for you.

Sun Tzu also classifies terrain in a very similar way to our Unrestricted, Restricted, and Severely Restricted. He gives examples of what the leaders should do when they encounter each type of terrain. He then goes on to discuss the different levels of readiness at which an army can be. For example, they can have weak officers and strong soldiers, strong officers but weak soldiers, insubordinate officers, etc. Lastly, he stresses the importance of knowing the status and readiness of both your soldiers and the enemy before conducting an operation

The chapter entitled "Nine Terrains" is pretty similar in content to the first part of the "Terrain" chapter. It continues to discuss how knowledge of the terrain is crucial and a leader's actions are dependent on the terrain.