Treatise on Armament Technology, Volume 23: Collection of Sacred Meetings — Warfare — Banners and Standards IV

The diagram above illustrates the "inner sanctum" of the military command post. While the previous page focused on large flags used for long-distance signaling, this layout focuses on the coordination of the commander's immediate staff and the musical instruments used to regulate the pace and morale of the troops.

Attendantsoriginal: 執事 (zhíshì). General term for officers or attendants tasked with performing specific ritual or administrative duties within the command formation.

Command Arrowsoriginal: 令箭 (lìngjiàn). Elaborate arrows, often decorated with small flags, delivered by messengers as a physical token of the general's authority to verify that an order is authentic.

Listenersoriginal: 耳 (ěr, literally "Ear"). Likely refers to specialist scouts or signaling officers stationed to listen for incoming signals from other units or to monitor the movements of the enemy through sound.

Command Flagoriginal: 令旗 (lìngqí). Smaller, more portable flags used by the central command to signal specific maneuvers—such as advancing or wheeling—to the various battalions within sight.

Inspectorsoriginal: 巡視 (xúnshì). Military police or provost marshals who patrolled the ranks to ensure discipline was maintained and that signaling commands were being followed correctly.

Small Cymbalsoriginal: 小鈸 (xiǎobá). Percussion instruments used in conjunction with drums. In the Ming military, specific rhythms on the cymbals often signaled the "halting" or "gathering" of troops.

The presence of flutes (笛, dí) and drums (鼓, gǔ) indicates that this formation is not merely for combat, but also for the "Sacred Meetings"—disciplined ceremonial assemblies where music served to synchronize the movements of thousands of soldiers simultaneously.