Wubei Zhi (Vol. 49)

...they have not yet departed. Now, in a single township, there are two or three forts; within a single fort, there are four or five Likely referring to separate factions or families within a single structure.. In the morning, an official order 檄 (xí): A formal summons or military proclamation used to convey urgent instructions. is sent down, stating, "The forts should be merged"; by evening, a report 牒 (dié): An official document or dispatch, often used for reporting status to superiors. is returned, stating, "The forts have already been merged."

By merely seeking shelter, one loses the strategic advantage of the terrain; by allowing marshes to become clogged, one loses the "veins" original: "脉" (mài). Referring to the topographical "pulses" or energy lines of the land, essential for both drainage and defensive positioning. of the earth. Those forts that truly should be abandoned are indeed called "merged." Yet, those that should be preserved—because their design 規制 (guī zhì): The formal standards for construction and organizational design. saves labor, or because the local climate and access to flowing springs are perfectly convenient—are also merely called "merged."

As days follow one another and months pass, the years become the norm, yet across generations the forts are not actually changed. How then can they truly be merged?

When supervising construction 督修築 (dū xiū zhù): The official oversight of building and repairing defensive walls and structures., they say: "This fort cannot be relied upon, but perhaps that one can." When supervising the gathering of the people for protection 督保聚 (dū bǎo jù): The administrative task of ensuring the local population moves inside the walls during a crisis., they say: "For now, let them stay scattered guarding their huts; it will not be too late when the time of danger arrives."

When children and women flee to Fort A, while bags and chests 橐籯 (tuó yíng): Traditional terms for money bags and storage chests, representing a family's portable wealth. of valuables are at Fort B; when livestock are kept in that place while fodder and grain 芻粟 (chú sù): Essential supplies; dried grass for animals and grain for people. are in this fort—how can such a place be defended?

Therefore, if one desires a firm defense, nothing is better than a decisive merger. If one desires a decisive merger...