Diagram of the Five-Group Formation of the Miscellaneous Military Schools

original: 雜兵五家形陣圖 — Zábīng wǔjiā xíngzhèn tú

The term Miscellaneous Military Schools (original: 雜兵家 — zábīngjiā) refers to a tradition of Chinese tactical thought that synthesized various classical strategies—such as those of Sun Tzu and Wu Qi—into versatile, practical systems for the battlefield. The "Five Groups" or "Five Families" likely refers to the modular division of a force into five distinct tactical units.

Five-Army Camp of the Miscellaneous Military Schools

The illustration depicts a tactical military diagram representing the layout of a "Five-Army Camp" (original: 五軍營 — wǔjūnyíng). The diagram is arranged in a 5x5 grid. The central position is occupied by the command center, while the surrounding 24 positions are filled with unit symbols. Each symbol consists of a central node with four radiating lines and a directional flag indicating the orientation of the unit facing outward from the center.

original: 營 — yíng

Vocabulary used in this section: Five-Army Camp (original: 五軍營), a modular camp structure; and Camp (original: 營), here referring specifically to the central command post.

Diagram of the Five Formations of the Miscellaneous Military Schools

Diagram of the Four-Corner Formation of the Miscellaneous Military Schools

This diagram depicts a sophisticated tactical layout. The Four Corners (original: 隅 — yú) are designed to bridge the gaps between the four cardinal directions (Front, Rear, Left, and Right). In Chinese cosmology and military science, the "corners" (the diagonals) were often seen as vulnerable points that required specialized "Miscellaneous" troops to defend. The illustration shows a nested square formation with a central flag positioned within a dotted inner square, surrounded by an outer square of circles representing individual soldiers. L-shaped squads are placed at the corners to reinforce the perimeter.