Wubei Zhi (Vol. 47)

...at each gate, if the watchmen using clappers and bells find that a battlement guard duofu original: 杔夫; infantry assigned to the crenelated sections of the wall. is fast asleep and not keeping watch, or if the lanterns at the battlement openings have gone out . they should immediately . strike . the signal . for that watch . flag . The next . morning . they shall report . to the General . Patrol . Officer's . quarters . to petition . for an investigation . In the meantime, they should still . proceed . to wake . the guard . and light . the candles . It is not . permitted . to arbitrarily . shout at . or beat them . or to "sell the law" original: 賣法 (maifa); a term for corruption, such as taking bribes to overlook a duty or administering punishment outside of official regulations. . but one must report . for a formal investigation .

Appointing Patrol Officers

When establishing patrol duties . there is a particular . fear . of negligence . or oversight .. For every . gate . separately . select . two . military . officers . Provide each . with . horses . and establish . watch . boards . and watch . arrows original: 更牌 (gengpai) and 更箭 (gengjian); physical tallies or "check-in" tokens that proved an officer had physically reached a specific post at the correct time. . For example, if the officer from the East Gate patrols to the South Gate during the second watch, the East Gate officer delivers the first-watch arrow to the officer stationed atop the South Gate tower for verification and receipt. The South Gate officer then immediately hands over the second-watch board to the East Gate officer as proof of the exchange. The rounds proceed in this rotating fashion. The next morning, these items are sent to the General Patrol Officer's quarters for inspection. If it is discovered that officers are handing over the boards and arrows privately i.e., meeting halfway or sending a subordinate instead of patrolling the full distance. and are not personally conducting the patrol and inspection...

The text concludes mid-sentence, suggesting the next page will detail the punishments for officers who falsify their patrol records.

Technical Terms:

• Appointing Patrol Officers: 設巡官 (she xunguan)
• Battlement Guard: 杔夫 (duofu)
• Keeping Watch / Lookout: 嘹望 (liaowang)
• General Patrol Officer: 總巡官 (zong xunguan)
• Patrol: 巡邏 (xunluo)
• Watch Board: 更牌 (gengpai)
• Watch Arrow: 更箭 (gengjian)
• Negligence / Oversight: 疎虞 (shuyu)