Treatise on Armament Technology, Volume 71

Page 5

Sixteenth: Should the banners, flags, or ceremonial axes be lost, the entire squad shall be executed. original: 旌旗節鉞 (jingqi jieyue). These items were not just tools but symbols of the Emperor's authority and the unit's honor; their loss was considered a total failure of the unit's integrity.

Seventeenth: Those who, when facing danger, do not rescue or protect one another, or those who allow strategic mountain passes or river crossings to be lost during battle, shall be executed.

Eighteenth: It is forbidden to spread false rumors to deceive the troops, or to speak recklessly of yin and yang, divination, ghosts, or spirits. Furthermore, those who compose or sing songs that unsettle the hearts of the men shall be executed. In traditional Chinese military thought, morale was fragile; superstitious talk or "doomsday" songs were viewed as psychological sabotage.

Nineteenth: Any soldier who, without cause, screams in alarm or flees, or who speaks wildly of "smoke and dust" (approaching enemies) where there is none, shall be executed. original: 烟塵 (yanchen); literally "smoke and dust," a standard military term for the signs of an approaching enemy force.

Twentieth: Regarding the abandonment of units, weapons, or equipment through negligence: those who see such items and do not pick them up, or those who pick them up but fail to hand them in, shall be punished according to the severity of the crime.

Twenty-first: If the forward units leave behind weapons, money, or goods while advancing, the rear units that find them on the road must collect them. Upon arrival at the camp or stockade, they must present these items to the commanding officer so they may be identified and returned to the original owners. original: 營寨 (yingzhai); the fortified camp or temporary military base.