Records of Military Preparedness, Volume 79

System of Formations and Training

Training, Part 11

Instructing with Flags, Part 4

Methods of General Qi Jiguang, Part 1

Qi Jiguang Original Chinese: Qi Jiguang (戚繼光, 1528–1588). A legendary Ming dynasty general celebrated for his victories against "wokou" pirates and his reforms to the Great Wall. His military manuals, which emphasized rigorous discipline and coordinated drills, are the foundation for the methods described here. of our current dynasty.

If you wish to teach the methods of flag signaling . you must first train the ears and the eyes . Thus, I have composed the "Chapter on Training the Ears and Eyes" .

First: Clarifying the Flags and Drums. . The ears of every officer and soldier must listen only to the sounds of metal and drums . In Chinese military tradition, "metal" refers to bronze gongs used to signal a retreat or a halt, while drums signal an advance or attack. Their eyes must look only at the flags .

the banners . and the directional colors . The "Five Colors" (red, white, blue/green, yellow, and black) corresponded to the cardinal directions and specific units within the army's formation. From the commander-in-chief on down . regardless of what individual gives a verbal command . they must absolutely The text uses the word jue (決) to emphasize that verbal orders are to be ignored if they are not accompanied by the proper visual or auditory signals, preventing confusion in the heat of battle. [refuse to follow it].