Chapter 18 Section 11 Qi Jiguang, a famous anti-Japanese general and his military training treatises "New Book of Ji Xiao" and "Records of Military Training"

Qi Jiguang was an outstanding military strategist, famous anti-Japanese general and national hero in the Ming Dynasty.The "New Book of Ji Xiao" and "The Real Record of Military Training" written by him are famous military books based on military training. They have high military value and are highly valued. They have had an important impact on the development of military science after the Ming Dynasty. . Qi Jiguang, courtesy name Jingyuan, nicknamed Nantang, later named Mengzhu.His ancestral home is Dingyuan (now Anhui).Born in Luqiao Town, Jining, Shandong, on the first day of October in the seventh year of Jiajing (AD 1528).When Qi Jiguang was 17 years old, his father Qi Jingtong died of illness. He took over his father's position as the commander of Dengzhou Guard.In the thirty-second year of Jiajing (1553 A.D.), he was promoted to be the commander of the Department of Defense in Shandong, and he was in charge of the three battalions and 24 guards.At that time, the Japanese feudal lords did their best to support the Japanese pirates in plundering the coastal states and counties of China. Illegal gentry and profiteers also colluded with the Japanese pirates, and the Japanese pirates in Zhejiang and Fujian became increasingly serious.After Qi Jiguang took office, he made every effort to rectify the troops, strict military discipline, strict training, rectify the coastal defense, survey the terrain, get familiar with the weather and tide, and find out the law of Japanese pirates' activities. The situation in Shandong's coastal defense has greatly improved.In the thirty-fourth year of Jiajing (1555 A.D.), Qi Jiguang was transferred to the capital of Zhejiang Province. The next year, he was promoted to be a general (below the deputy commander-in-chief), guarding Ningbo, Shaoxing, and Taizhou (the seat of the government is now Linhai County, Zhejiang Province). Fully prepare for the Japanese.In the thirty-eighth year of Jiajing (AD 1559), in order to reverse the situation of the defenders being arrogant and lazy, Qi Jiguang personally went to Jinhua and Yiwu to recruit 4,000 strong farmers and miners, and formed an army based on the "Yue Family Army" as an example. , with the newly created "Mandarin Duck Formation" (see Figure 14) for training, the army was so powerful that it was known as the "Qi Family Army".In the 40th year of Jiajing (1561 A.D.), when Qi Jiguang led his army to fight against the Japanese in Taizhou, he won nine battles and nine victories.The following year, the old lair of the Japanese pirates in Hengyu (the waters outside Ningde City today) was destroyed.Qi Jiguang was appointed as the deputy general.In the 42nd year of Jiajing (AD 1563), he joined forces with Yu Dayou to attack the Japanese pirates in Pinghaiwei, Fujian, and was promoted to the general soldier of Fujian.In February of the following year, he led thousands of troops to attack the Japanese pirates with the defenders of Xianyou City (now Xianyou County, Fujian Province), and broke the siege of Xianyou.Afterwards, he moved to Fujian and Guangdong. By the 45th year of Jiajing (1566 A.D.), the Japanese invasion in the southeast coast was basically calmed down, and the sea area was clarified.Qi Jiguang made outstanding achievements in defeating the Japanese.

In the second year of Longqing (AD 1568), Zhang Juzheng, an academician, invited the imperial court to transfer Qi Jiguang to the north, and the Prime Minister Jizhen, Changping, and Baoding towns trained troops.In the 16th year of the town, the frontier defense was rectified, the Great Wall was rebuilt and expanded, a hollow enemy platform was created, martial arts were set up, soldiers were trained, a combined army of chariots, infantry, cavalry, and luggage was organized, and the most advanced Frang machine, Shotguns and rockets propelled by the recoil of gunpowder and gas, the frontier defense was ruled, and Jimen feasted.Qi Jiguang was promoted to the crown prince Taibao (an official who counsels the crown prince) and Zuo Dudu.Later, he was awarded the title of Shaobao (together with Shaoshi and Shaofu, they are called the three young masters, and they are generally the titles of high officials).After being excluded, he was transferred to Guangdong in the eleventh year of Wanli (1583 A.D.).Soon he was framed and dismissed, and returned to Dengzhou.He died of illness on the eighth day of December in the fifteenth year of Wanli (January 5, 1588 AD).Qi Jiguang was strict in running the army and had outstanding achievements. The poem "Three hundred and sixty days in a year, most of them are on horseback" is a portrayal of his hard work in safeguarding national security.More importantly, he left behind two famous military books, "New Book of Ji Xiao" and "Records of Military Training", which are closely integrated with theory and practice.

"Ji Xiao Xin Shu" was written by Qi Jiguang when he was fighting against the Japanese in the southeast coast. From the records in Volume 2 of "Qi Shaobao Chronicles Qi Bian", it can be seen that the book was completed in the thirty-ninth year of Jiajing (AD 1560).It was the first month of spring, creating a formation of mandarin ducks, and writing "Ji Xiao's New Book".The book originally consisted of 18 volumes, with the first volume being the first volume.There are Xu Menglin's engraved editions from the 23rd year of Wanli in Ming Dynasty (1595 A.D.), engraved editions of Shulin Jiangdianqing Mingyatang, Fu Shaoshan engraved editions of Ming Dynasty, as well as various manuscripts and engraved editions since the Qing Dynasty, and series of books such as "Mohai Jinhu" are also included. The 14-volume version includes Li Chengxun's engraved edition in the 16th year of Wanli (AD 1588), the engraved edition in the 21st year of Wanli (AD 1593), and the engraved edition in the 17th year of Chongzhen (AD 1644), which are different from the 18-volume edition. After "Ji Xiao's New Book" came out, it was valued by North Korea and Japan at that time.In the 22nd year of Wanli (AD 1594), North Korea used it as a textbook when it established a training capital.Japan has printed editions such as the ninth year of Kanzheng (AD 1798).

"Ji Xiao New Book" comprehensively reflects Qi Jiguang's thoughts on military training and teaching warfare, and specifies the requirements for various military training, just like modern regulations.To sum up, there are roughly the following points.One is to attach importance to the selection of troops. "Ji Xiao's New Book Shu Wu Pian" says that soldiers must be selected, and "urban slippery people" and "cunning people" cannot be selected, but "country and honest people" must be selected; the soldiers selected must be physically fit Feng Wei, high martial arts, hard work and great strength, capable and clever, these four are indispensable; according to the characteristics of the selected soldiers, corresponding weapons should be issued.The second is to strictly manage the army.Clarify the duties and responsibilities of military officers and soldiers at all levels, and make consistent orders from top to bottom; punish corrupt officials, tricky officials, and tricky soldiers;The third is strict training.Training must start from actual combat, and resolutely oppose false tactics and putting on airs; officers and soldiers are required to train according to orders, only listen to golden drums, and only see banners ("Orders"); we must pay attention to daily cultivation.The fourth is strict military discipline.Anyone who "cuts down trees, tramples on people's land, burns people's houses, commits adultery and steals, cuts off the dead heads of dead soldiers, kills captive men, defiles captive women, even kills civilians falsely pretending to be thieves... ... If there is a crime, it will be punished by military law" ("Prohibition").The fifth is fair rewards and punishments. "If it should be rewarded, it is the enemy who usually wants to harm me. They will be rewarded for meritorious service, and they will be supported and cared for in times of adversity. If they violate military orders, they will be my own children and nephews. ;Sixth, the general must be proficient in martial arts.A general must not only have a literary and military strategy, but also be proficient in skills. "How can skills be the only thing that soldiers should learn, and the general disdains learning?" defeat the enemy.

"Ji Xiao New Book" fully reflects Qi Jiguang's thought of daring to reform and create new weapons. "Equipment is not good, and it is a pawn to the enemy; if you have no way to fight, you can only drive it and punish it. It is fish and meat." ("Long Soldiers") Under the guidance of this kind of thought, Qi Jiguang fought against the Japanese in the southeast coast. At that time, he actively organized his subordinates to develop new weapons and achieved important results. The following types are only recorded in the book.One is the earliest reprint of "Zhihe Niao Gun Medicine Prescription" (this prescription was obtained from Japanese pirates during the Anti-Japanese War).Made from 1 tael of nitrate, 1.4 points of sulfur, and 1.8 points of willow charcoal, the three accounted for 75.75%, 10.6%, and 13.65% respectively. It was basically in line with the propellant powder used in matchlock guns in the world at that time. The symbol of the transition of gunpowder, since then, when it comes to gunpowder, all kinds of military books have reproduced this side.The second is that the book gives a detailed account of the structure and manufacturing methods of the newly created matchlock guns such as Francophones and shotguns at that time.The third is that the book also records the details of firearms such as the newly created blunderbuss, cannons, smoke sprayers, flying sprayers, fire bricks, fire demons, and fire honeycombs, as well as cold weapons such as wolf sticks (xianxian). Manufacturing method.Fourth, the book records new content such as the structure, performance, equipment, and preparation training of large Fuchuan, medium-sized Haicang ships, and small Cangshan ships.Its level of detail and completeness is actually inferior to other military books of the same period.

"Ji Xiao's New Book" also comprehensively reflects Qi Jiguang's emphasis on the use of weapons and the formation of formations that can take advantage of the strengths of various weapons.It believes that after soldiers have excellent weapons, they must also be trained in how to use them. If they can't use sharp weapons, it means they don't have sharp weapons.When training the use of weapons, orders must be unified.If soldiers are familiar with orders and are proficient in the skills of using weapons, then their combat effectiveness can be brought into full play.In the book, there are detailed descriptions of cold weapons such as knives, guns, sticks, and wolf whisks, as well as the use of various firearms such as Franglers and shotguns.When describing how to use the shotgun, he also proposed the "three points and one line" shooting method of looking at the back-lighting star with the eyes, using the back-lighting star to look at the front-lighting star, and using the front-lighting star to target the person being hit. This is very popular in our country. It was the first time.Qi Jiguang required soldiers not only to use all kinds of firearms and long-handled and short-handled cold weapons, but also to change the method of use according to the needs of the combat situation, so that long weapons can also be used as short weapons for body protection, and short weapons and javelins can also be used as long weapons. Weapons hit the enemy.In addition, it also emphasizes the collocation and use of various weapons, so that it can be long to protect the short, and short to protect the long, and exert a comprehensive effect of killing the enemy.The mandarin duck formation created by Qi Jiguang and its decomposed two-wu formation, three-talent formation, and the diamond-shaped sentry formation composed of mandarin duck formations are the best land combat formations for the use of various weapons.At the same time, the sailor battalion he trained included warships of various sizes, medium and small, light and heavy artillery and matchlock guns, various incendiary and explosive firearms, long-handled combat weapons, short-handled guard weapons, long-range weapons and protective equipment. The best water combat formation to use together.The discussion of these issues in other military books of the same period did not reach the level of "Ji Xiao Xin Shu".

"Records of Military Training" was written by Qi Jiguang after he went to the north to preside over military training. The nine volumes of the main text were completed in the fifth year of Longqing (AD 1571), and the six volumes of miscellaneous collections were completed in the early years of Wanli.There are currently Xingjie printed editions in the twenty-fifth year of Wanli (AD 1597), printed editions in the second year of Tianqi (AD 1622), Xu Naizhao printed editions in the 23rd year of Daoguang in Qing Dynasty (AD 1843), and other kinds of movable type books, manuscripts, and prints. This book, many series of books are also included. Although "Records of Military Training" and "New Book of Ji Xiao" are both written by Qi Jiguang, they are based on different objective conditions such as enemy situation, weather, geography, garrison facilities and folk customs. There are also many differences in key points. The two are like Chunlan and Qiuju, each with its own merits.

"Records of Troop Training" comprehensively reflects Qi Jiguang's thought that the training of troops is focused on the training of generals.There are two main arguments.One is to choose a person with good moral character as a general.Because the general is the leader of an army, their actions will affect the whole army. They must be selected to be "honest and honest, and to do practical things with sincerity". Modesty, respect for officials, and being able to "sacrifice one's life" as a general ("Practice Ninth").The second is to educate generals in the art of war. "The law of war is like the prescription of medicine. It must be read and learned. But wise people will naturally push it. If you learn from it, you will be able to win every battle and become a famous general. There is no one who doesn't practice. One method, one does not know a word, does not go through one event, but can open and close and change, and can be used infinitely." ("Lian Jiang Ninth") In order to allow generals to learn the art of war systematically, Qi Jiguang advocated the establishment of "Wu Xiang" (i.e. Art of War school), study culture, study military books, practice "all kinds of martial arts of the three armies, long and short utensils", and master the outline of other skills on the basis of "proficient in one or two skills" ("General Theory of Reserve Training").

"Records of Troop Training" comprehensively reflects Qi Jiguang's thought of attaching importance to individual soldiers and battalion training.It is believed that the training of individual soldiers is the basis of army training, and the training content is martial arts, courage, eyes and ears, and hands and feet.Although the tasks of chariot soldiers, cavalry soldiers, infantry soldiers, and supply soldiers are different, the basic content of training must be repeated.Military training is to conduct military drills and the techniques and tactical use of weapons and equipment for selected soldiers; training courage is to let soldiers pass the training on the playground so that they can build up their vigor, be courageous and united, and focus on killing thieves ; training ears and eyes is to train soldiers to "listen only to the sound of golden drums, eyes only to look at the color of the flag" and follow various regulations; Fight the enemy soldiers and put them to death.On the basis of individual training, team, sentry, battalion and battalion coordinated combat training is carried out.Through these trainings, we can finally achieve the goal of "uniting the differences into the same, gathering the few to form the many, uniting the few to form the crowd", "all people are of one mind", "all people are one force", so as to achieve the actual effect of "defending oneself and killing thieves and making meritorious service".

"Records of Military Training" further developed Qi Jiguang's ideas of updating weapons and equipment, improving the defense facilities of the Great Wall, and creating an army of vehicles, infantry, cavalry, and transport.After Qi Jiguang went to Jizhen to preside over the military training, he made further use of the latest achievements in firearms manufacturing. In addition to improving various weapons such as shotguns, Flang machines, tiger squat guns, and 镋 (tang 流) palladium, he also remade the invincible army gun and created the The fast gun and the mechanical device "steel wheel fire" that detonated landmines developed rocket technology, created stone cannons according to local conditions, rebuilt the battlements along the Great Wall, created hollow enemy towers, and created a series of weapons equipped with shotguns and Francophones. It is a combined army in which the Lord's chariot battalion, infantry battalion, cavalry battalion, and supply battalion work together (see the author's book in this series for details).This kind of synthetic military plug can destroy powerful enemies and make Jimen feast.An all-powerful military strategist like Qi Jiguang, who has both brilliant military achievements and two military works handed down to the world with hundreds of thousands of words, is not only rare in the military history of China, but also rare in the world at that time.