Treatise on Armament Technology, Volume 115
Page Five

Illustration of the Enemy Terrace

Enemy Terrace original: 敵臺 ditai; a defensive bastion or hollow watchtower that projects from the main wall, allowing defenders to provide flanking fire against enemies attacking the wall's base.

The diagram depicts a Small Fort original: 小堡 xiaobao structured to function as a unified defensive platform. In Ming Dynasty fortification theory, specifically those popularized by General Qi Jiguang, these terraces were essential for eliminating "blind spots" at the foot of the wall. By using three sides of a smaller enclosure to project outward, the defenders gained a wide field of fire. This particular woodblock print from the 1621 Wubei Zhi (Treatise on Armament Technology) by Mao Yuanyi shows the crenelated parapets and the internal courtyard or gate area, emphasizing the transition from simple walls to complex, interlocking defensive systems.