Treatise on Armament Technology, Volume 81

Military Training System: Drill and Practice Methods

Page 3

When the standard flag original: 標旗 Biaoqi; the commander's personal flag used to direct movements is deployed with haste, the cavalry original: 馬兵 Mabing from the central division shall move out to engage. They are to shoot their bows while advancing, continuing until they have passed in front of the infantry original: 步兵 Bubing.

Soldiers wielding the double-bladed staff original: 夾刀棍 Jiadaogun; a staff weapon with blades on both ends must focus their strikes: they shall only stab at the enemy’s face or the belly of the horse. Those carrying great clubs shall strike only at the horse's head. The objective is not to capture a live horse; if you strike the horse down, there is no need to worry about the enemy rider not being killed. In this period, horses were highly valued as spoils of war. This instruction explicitly commands soldiers to prioritize killing the animal to ensure the rider is neutralized, rather than risking the formation to capture the mount. Every soldier must focus solely on striking and hacking forward; they are strictly forbidden from stopping to behead the enemy Ming dynasty military rewards were often based on the number of enemy heads presented. This command ensures soldiers do not break formation or stop the momentum of the charge to collect trophies for personal merit.. The goal is simply to force the enemy into a total retreat.

When the drums stop, listen for the sound of the signal horn original: 率𨦀 Shuaihua; a specific brass horn used for assembly. At this sound, every man must recognize his own patrol and squad original: 哨隊 Shaodui to regroup as one. Do not rely blindly on the signal horn if you are separated from your unit.

The infantry shall follow their respective units and retreat directly when the signal? is given. Next, the cavalry shall return through the three gates located at the center and corners. Once each unit reaches its designated station original: 信地 Xindi; a pre-assigned defensive position, the music shall cease. When the gong sounds, the men shall dismount. When it sounds again, they are to sit on the ground and rest.

If it is reported that the enemy is attacking again as before, the troops shall charge out from one gate or all four gates. However, they are not permitted to charge all at once; they must wait for the superiors to observe the situation and provide the command.