Military Strategy: Precious Compilation

Timber Obstacles: Prohibiting Advance

...tether inverted anchors or piles within whirlpools. This causes enemy ships to be drawn toward them and spin around a thousand times; the Three Schools of strategy call this the Ghost Drill guizuan original: 鬼鑽; a device or piling system that uses the natural force of a vortex to trap and disable a vessel. In total, with these ten methods, even if the enemy possesses boats and oars, how could they ever reach our shores?

If there is a fear that enemy soldiers will use Floating Jars fuying original: 浮罌; large ceramic vessels used as individual flotation aids or Floating Rings fuhuan original: 浮環; inflated skins or bamboo hoops used as lifebuoys to raid our ports and riverbanks, we should then construct barriers of wood and bamboo, or place Splitting Timbers huomu original: 豁木 upon the shoals and sandbars. This renders the enemy's flotation devices unusable.

If there is a fear that the enemy will pilot Flying Wings feiyi original: 飛翼; a type of light, high-speed assault boat or construct Pontoon Bridges fuqiao original: 浮橋 to span our river channels, we should then build Fire Shields huopai original: 火牌; floating incendiary barriers and Ramming Rafts zhuangfa original: 撞筏 to be released into the rapid currents. This prevents the enemy from deploying their bridges.

If there is a fear that the enemy will twist reeds and bundle rushes together to ferry across, we should then cut timber to create Forked-Hand Timbers chashou mu original: 查手木; timbers with protruding, hand-like spikes and Piercing Timbers chuanmu original: 穿木, or fashioned into Honeylocust-thorn Timbers zaojiao mu original: 皂角木; obstacles designed with jagged protrusions mimicking the sharp thorns of the honeylocust tree. Place these at the midpoint of the crossing to make their reed-craft unable to proceed.

If there is a fear that they will attach cables and lash poles together to cross, we should then lay horizontal timbers as River-Blockers lanhe original: 攔河 and link timbers together as River-Interceptors jiehe original: 截河. Position these before the enemy begins their crossing, ensuring that their equipment cannot reach our side.