Treatise on Military Preparations, Volume 45

...proceeds with the Removal of the Offering Dishes original: 徹豆 (chedou); the ritual clearing of the stemmed vessels containing food offerings. The music begins, and the Sacrificial Officials original: 掌祭官 (zhangjiguan) each remove the dishes. The music stops.

The Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices (Taichangqing): The high-ranking official responsible for the correct performance of state rituals and the management of the imperial ancestral temple. requests the Emperor to Drink the Wine of Blessing and Receive the Sacrificial Meat original: 飲福受胙 (yinfu shouzuo); a communal act where the Emperor partakes in the offerings, symbolizing the spirits' favor being bestowed back upon the ruler. For this specific act, the Emperor is exempt from prostrating. The Master of Ceremonies calls for all accompanying officials to bow twice. Once the announcements are finished, the Master of Ceremonies calls for the Sending off of the Deities.

The Minister requests a bow. The music begins as he directs the following:

• Bow
• Rise
• Bow
• Rise
• Stand upright

The music stops The ceremonial assistants echo these calls. The Master of Ceremonies then calls for the Observing of the Burning original: 望燎 (wangliao); the final stage where the written prayers and ritual silks are committed to fire to reach the spirit realm.

The Invocation Reader takes the prayer script, the Silk Bearer takes the ritual silks, and the Sacrificial Official takes the food offerings; they proceed to the designated location for the burning. The Minister requests the Emperor to proceed to the observation position.

As the fire is lit, the attendants kill a chicken and drain its blood into a bowl to pour as a libation to the spirits. When the fire is half-consumed, the Minister announces that the ritual is complete.

Accompanied by the imperial escorts, the Emperor is guided back to the Main Tent The following rituals—setting up the wine cup washing station, washing and wiping the cups, offering incense and wine, bowing twice before the spirits, and receiving the sacrificial meat without bowing—are omitted from the record hereafter.

The rituals for sacrificing to mountains and rivers encountered during a march are the same as this Banner Sacrifice, but the offerings vary by the rank of the spirit:

• For the Great Peaks, Strongholds, Seas, and Waterways Great Peaks, Strongholds, Seas, and Waterways (Yue Zhen Hai Du): The highest-tier natural deities, including the Five Sacred Mountains and the Four Seas., the Great Sacrifice original: 太牢 (tailao); the highest grade of offering consisting of an ox, a sheep, and a pig is used.
• For the next rank of spirits, the Lesser Sacrifice original: 少牢 (shaolao); an offering of a sheep and a pig is used.
• For the rank below that, a Single Victim Sacrifice original: 特牲 (tesheng); a single pig or sheep is used.

If the army is marching at high speed, only wine is used for these offerings.