Treatise on Armament Technology, Volume 76

Training Exercises: The Flag Capture Drill

At this point, the General brings out twelve multi-colored flags original: "五綵旗" (wucai qi). These represent the five elements and various directions, used for complex signaling. and plants them in front of the formations of both the left and right wings.

For each flag, the General appoints fifty brave and strong soldiers to guard the flag, and selects another fifty brave soldiers to capture the flag.

The left wing attempts to capture from the right wing, while the right wing attempts to capture from the left wing. When the sound of the drums begins, the capture attempt starts; when the sound of the horns begins, the exercise stops. Those who successfully take a flag are the winners, and those who lose a flag are the losers. Winners are rewarded, and losers are punished.

Through this exercise, the soldiers are taught the momentum of separating and uniting, the form of gathering and dispersing, the logic of victory and defeat, and the reliability of rewards and punishments.

The Method of Li Quan of the Tang Dynasty

Li Quan (李筌) was a famous military strategist of the Tang Dynasty, known for his work on the "Secret Principles of the White Planet."

The Manual of the White Planet’s Secret Principles Taibai Yinjing (太白陰經): a comprehensive Tang dynasty military manual covering everything from tactics to medical care and divination. states: At the end of the Spring and Autumn period, the various states merged into the Warring States. During this time, the rituals of martial instruction were increased and turned into games and entertainment, used for mutual competition and displays of prowess.

The Qin Dynasty later changed the name of these practices to Grappling Jiaodi (角抵): an ancient form of competitive wrestling or physical contest used to train soldiers in hand-to-hand combat..

Therefore, it is said: "Though a state may be large, if it loves war, it will surely perish; yet though the world may be at peace, if it forgets war, it will surely be in danger." This is a famous quote from the Methods of the Sima (Sima Fa), emphasizing the balance between militarism and preparedness. When the world has been pacified, the Spring Hunt... The text ends here, referring to the traditional seasonal military exercises disguised as hunting expeditions.