Classic of Military Training, Volume 21: Formation and Drill Regulations

Training with Instructional Banners, Part 1

Regarding the spacing and density of the ranks: when the vermilion flag is waved and the horns sound, the left and right wings must each return to their original positions. Whether moving forward, backward, to the left, or to the right, there must not be a discrepancy of even a few inches original: "尺寸" (chichi), literally "feet and inches," referring to the need for absolute precision in formation alignment..

The Classics state: "To disperse is to model the patterns of Heaven; to gather is to represent the stability of Earth" Fa tian, xiang di (法天象地): A cosmological concept in Chinese thought where military formations mimic the round, shifting nature of the sky (Heaven) and the square, solid nature of the land (Earth).. In this manner, the troops merge three times and separate three times, gathering and then dispersing. Those who fail to follow the prescribed method are guilty of a military offense and must be held accountable according to martial law.

Thereupon, the Great General brings out twelve five-colored banners These colorful flags typically represented the Five Elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water) and were used to visually distinguish different units and signals. and plants them in front of the formations of the left and right wings.

For each banner, fifty brave warriors are ordered to guard the flag, while another fifty are selected to seize it. Those from the left wing attempt to seize the banners of the right, and those from the right attempt to seize those of the left.

When the drums roll, the seizing begins; when the horns sound, the movement stops. Those who capture a banner are the victors, and those who lose one are the defeated. Rewards are granted to the winners and punishments to the losers. The momentum of separation and merging, the patterns of gathering and dispersing, the logic of victory and defeat, and the administration of rewards and punishments—all these are taught through these exercises.