Treatise on Military Armament, Volume 101

The Battalion Commander’s Identifying Flag

The Battalion Commander’s identifying flag is five feet square. It features borders with slanted corners and is decorated with a tasseled tip and pheasant feathers. The pole stands eighteen feet high, and the flag is suspended from the very top of the pole.

Battalion Commanderoriginal: 營將 (yíngjiàng). An officer of middle rank during the Ming dynasty who commanded a "ying" (battalion or camp). In the hierarchy of the "Wubei Zhi," this officer is superior to the "bazong" (Company Commander) and thus possesses a larger and more ornate standard.

Identifying Flagoriginal: 認旗 (rènqí). Literally "recognition flag." These served as the "GPS" of the pre-modern battlefield, allowing soldiers to find their units and helping generals track the movement of different battalions through the smoke of combat.

Tasseled Tiporiginal: 纓頭 (yīngtóu). A tuft of dyed horsehair attached to the base of the spearhead on the flagpole.

Pheasant Feathersoriginal: 雉尾 (zhìwěi). Long, striking tail feathers of a pheasant used as a status symbol. While the Company Commander's flag lacked these, the Battalion Commander's flag uses them to increase visibility and signify higher authority.

Wubei Zhioriginal: 武備志. Compiled by Mao Yuanyi in 1621, this is the most comprehensive military encyclopedia in Chinese history, spanning 240 volumes and covering everything from strategy to weapons and banners.

[Illustration: A woodcut diagram of a military standard. The flag is square with a flame-like decorative border. The top of the tall pole is capped with a spear point, a dense tassel, and two long, trailing pheasant feathers that extend upwards and outwards.]