An anecdote (1) about Chandragupta Maurya indicates he learnt that attacking margins is a better battle strategy than attacking the center, and that this insight came from a hot dish (possibly hot rice, may be a hot cake). I'm looking for a genuine reference for this anecdote, but I haven't been able to come up with any. I have found one possible reference for this anecdote (2), but this is inaccessible. 

Does anyone know of a reputable (academic or folklore book) reference for this anecdote?

References:
(1) [issuu.com][1]
(2) [Kauṭilya and the Arthaśāstra][2]  


  [1]: https://issuu.com/daraniv93/docs/chanakya
  [2]: https://books.google.com/books?id=v3iDAAAAMAAJ