Treatise on Armament Technology, Volume 76

Tactical Formations and Training: Flag Training 2

Regarding the formations: the units must be able to turn so that the rear becomes the front, and the front becomes the rear. When advancing, there must be no frantic rushing or colliding; when retreating, there must be no panicked flight. Engage the enemy with standard forces, and seize victory with surprise maneuvers. original: "以正合、以奇勝" (yi zheng he, yi qi sheng). This is a fundamental principle from Sun Tzu’s Art of War. "Zheng" (standard) refers to the direct engagement that fixes the enemy in place, while "Qi" (extraordinary) refers to the flanking or unorthodox moves that secure the win.

The soldiers must listen for the sounds of the instruments and watch the signal flags, suddenly uniting and suddenly separating. To ensure this, repeated and clear instructions sanling wushen (三令五申): literally "three orders and five explanations," a traditional term for the rigorous process of ensuring every soldier understands their commands before a maneuver begins. must be issued.

When the White Flag original: baiqi (白旗) is dipped and the drums sound, the left and right wings shall unite simultaneously. When the Vermilion Flag original: zhuqi (朱旗) is dipped and the horns sound, the left and right wings shall separate simultaneously. Whether uniting or separating, the troops must never abandon the central ground.

• The left wing faces the Yang the outward or sunny side and rotates to the right.
• The right wing faces the Yin the inward or shaded side and rotates to the left.

Then, both left and right return to their original stations.

When the White Flag is waved and the drums sound, the left and right wings shall disperse like "rising clouds and scattering birds," filling the valleys and spreading across the plains; however, they must not lose the proper spacing or density of their units. When the Vermilion Flag is waved and the horns sound, the left and right wings shall each return to their original positions, with the front, back, left, and right aligned perfectly without the error of a single inch.

In dispersion, they model themselves after Heaven representing the vast, formless, and all-encompassing nature of the sky; in gathering, they model themselves after the Earth representing the solid, unyielding, and fixed nature of the ground.

In this manner, there are three cycles of uniting and separating, and three cycles of gathering and dispersing. Those who do not follow these methods shall have their officers and soldiers punished; one must strictly adhere to military orders.