"The Cutting-Off Way: Indigenous Warfare in Eastern North America, 1500-1800" by Wayne Lee is a good read that describes a similar kind of warfare. It doesn't necessarily prove (nor does it set out to prove) that all non-industrial warfare followed this model but it does provide decent evidence for population-limited societies generally preferring deadly ambush to pitched battle.

For those interested, the relevant section looks like Title 8 Section II Article 196. Here's an html copy of the official MPF English translation: https://pdba.georgetown.edu/Constitutions/Brazil/brtitle8.ht...