Chapter 7 Chapter Six Qi Jiguang - The Lonely General

A generation of famous general Qi Jiguang passed away on January 17, 1588 in the Gregorian calendar. According to the lunar calendar, it was December 12, the fifteenth year of Wanli.If the emperor had learned of this news, it was probably due to the work of the secret police in Dongchang, because there is no mention of this matter in the official government files. Three months ago, Qi Jiguang's name was raised in the imperial court for the last time.A supervisory censor suggested that the deposed general should be employed.This suggestion made the emperor very displeased, and the proposer was fined for three months as a show of light punishment.Qi Jiguang is the most talented general in this dynasty. Three years after he was impeached and dismissed from office, he still cannot forgive Yu Wanli. The reason is that his relationship with Zhang Juzheng is too close.

But looking at the experience of the military generals of this dynasty, it seems that Qi Jiguang's misfortune is not limited to Qi Jiguang alone.It can even be said that even though Qi Jiguang's death did not receive the honor he deserved, the attention he received during his lifetime still greatly surpassed that of other generals.His friend, another famous general Yu Dayou, like Qi Jiguang, has the grand plan to rebuild the military power of the dynasty, but he has been repeatedly impeached and reprimanded, and it is difficult to reward his ambition.Several other high-ranking generals, Lu Tong was detained first, and then reprimanded; Tang Kekuan was detained and released, ordered him to perform crimes and meritorious deeds, and finally died for the country outside the Great Wall.Qi Jiguang's generals Hu Shouren, Wang Rulong, Zhu Yu, Jin Ke and others were also punished by dismissal or border defense.The only exception was Liu Xian, who was at the same time as him. Although he was repeatedly impeached, he was able to stand still.This is not because the imperial court is particularly fond of him, but because he has the heavy responsibility to suppress the "savage barbarians" in Sichuan. This war has been protracted, and no more suitable person can be found to replace him in command.After Liu Xian's death, his son Liu Ting was hailed as the son of Kuaozao, and he became a famous general in the Wanli Dynasty. .

These sympathetic encounters are common and inevitable in this dynasty.To trace the origin, we must also start with the relationship between civil officials and generals in this dynasty. In a nutshell, military commanders leading troops in battle are fundamentally incompatible with the governing principles of civilian groups.When social and economic development cannot be balanced, conflicts intensify, and political mediation is ineffective, it usually leads to war.Sometimes severe natural disasters cause large-scale famine, and the people will resort to violence in the face of the threat of death.But the civil servants of our empire have always regarded maintaining balance in all aspects as the premise of governance. If something involves the use of force, it is a symbol of failure for them.They have an unbreakable conception that from the state down to the individual, power cannot be used as authority.If a region has any special economic interests, it should be suppressed rather than promoted.As for natural disasters enough to cause wars, it is especially ignorant and nonsensical, because from a moral point of view, everything in the world can be shared, and the riots of the disaster victims are caused by the bad nature of villains.

But as far as military generals are concerned, their training and war experience have developed a temperament that is completely different from that of civilian officials.They need to have accurate selection ability and determination, and the focus is to achieve practical results without avoiding extremes; to charge forward, they need to concentrate all their strength and strike violently at the enemy's key points; to retreat and defend, they must consider the danger of the terrain and the perfection of fortifications. If you want to defend, you must give up resolutely; if you win the battle, you must focus on expanding the results of the battle, without hesitating about other issues.Under normal circumstances, they regard the lives of themselves and their subordinates as chips in the gambling field, and they can put all their eggs in one basket when necessary.However, most civil servants regard the golden mean as the principle of life, and flaunt stability and peace.In the eyes of civil officials, the great achievements made by warriors with swords and arrows are nothing but bloody courage. Even if they defeat the enemy, they are only short-lived and partial successes.

On the issue of maintaining the army's supplies, it also showed the imperial government's ethos of emphasizing civility over military affairs.Letting the military organize and manage rear services by themselves is out of the question; even under civilian jurisdiction, it is considered contrary to the principle of balanced governance to allocate warehouse locations according to strategic needs.This atmosphere also makes it impossible for soldiers to obtain normal social status after they are discharged from the army.The fundamental policy of the dynasty in governing the peasants is to keep them simple and ignorant. A soldier returning home from the army is equivalent to adding another unemployed vagrant, because the skills and living habits he learned in the army have been difficult to adapt to the rural conditions. Life, the complexity of things will increase as a result.The problems arise when officers are discharged from the military.In other countries, a retired officer is usually treated with due respect, and if he holds civil office, his administrative experience will ensure his competence.However, the opposite happened. The rigor and precision that our officers have cultivated in their long-term training are useless after they are discharged from the army.He will find that, outside the army, what is valued is serene appearance, fine speech, eloquent eloquence, and unimpeded wit. ——All in all, it was the exact opposite of what he had already acquired.

This kind of diametrically opposed concept made civil officials not only despise military officials spiritually, but also often made unreasonable accusations against senior generals in actual combat.If the generals make a decisive decision and command the troops to quickly enter the battle, they are greedy for meritorious service and eager to kill; if they wait for a favorable opportunity, they are hesitant to go forward and play with the enemy to support the bandits.Soldiers plundered the people, and the officer in charge would naturally be punished. However, the background of the incident was often that the army's salary was owed for a long time.The military pay is controlled by civilian officials, but in the event of an accident, they can be paid by the generals without taking responsibility.

Perhaps because of the domineering feudal towns of the Tang Dynasty, this dynasty has tended to emphasize civility over military affairs since Hongwu.After about a hundred years, the civil service group has entered a mature stage, and their social status has risen to the highest point in history; in other words, the social status of military officials has dropped to the lowest point in history.The reason for this deformity is that the political organization of this dynasty is unified, and the ideological basis of the unity is the way of Confucius and Mencius for two thousand years.If the military is allowed to maintain an independent and strict organization and compete with the civilian group, it is impossible for this unified rule to grow, develop, and reach its peak as expected.Now that this kind of system has been established, even if the generals go through life and death and make outstanding achievements repeatedly, their social influence may not be worth a wonderful and large article.

The serious consequences of this system and atmosphere have long been proven by facts.The military failure of this dynasty is well known to everyone, but the extent of its corruption is unexpected.The northern frontier is invaded by Alta every year, and the people and property taken away are too numerous to count. When Qi Jiguang was transferred to Zhejiang in 1555, the southeast coast was also repeatedly ravaged by Japanese pirates.While pessimism and confusion prevailed in the coastal provinces, a band of 50 to 70 pirates performed a miracle.After they landed, they went deep into the hinterland, killing people and stealing goods everywhere, as if entering a land without people, they actually passed Beixin Pass in Hangzhou, entered Shexian County in Anhui via Chun'an, approached Wuhu, made a big circle around Nanjing, and then went to Moling Pass to Yixing, and then returned to Wu Jin.Although they were wiped out later, it is said that as many as 4,000 people were killed or wounded by them.Nanjing is the accompanying capital of this dynasty, and it is recorded that there are 120,000 troops stationed there.Such military actions should also be called rare in the history of world wars.

Faced with such an anxious situation, Qi Jiguang's task was by no means limited to simply defeating the Japanese pirates.He first wanted to organize a new type of army.From his military book "New Book of Ji Xiao", we can see how to implement his army building plan in an orderly manner: announce the method of recruiting troops, stipulate the number of monthly salaries, formulate the principles for assigning private positions, clarify the responsibilities of officers and soldiers, design teams, The organization of sentries and bureaus, the unification of weapon specifications, the issuance of communication equipment such as flags and golden drums, etc.The core part of the army building plan is to establish iron-like military law.The spirit of military law lies in "collective responsibility", that is, the so-called "joint sitting method". The officers and soldiers of the first team and the first sentry must guarantee each other that they will go forward bravely in battle and will not retreat.If one person retreats, one person will be beheaded, if the whole team retreats, the captain will be beheaded, if the captain dies and the whole team retreats, the whole team will be beheaded.

"Ji Xiao New Book" covers a wide range of content, and even records a method of making dry food.However, the appearance of this work just reflects from another angle that the military training orders at that time did not have fixed principles, and a school specializing in military technology was never established.If there were written materials necessary for the army, such as troop manuals, battle outlines, organization tables, logistical supply diagrams, and military law provisions, then they were either not implemented or were out of line with the status quo. That's why Qi Jiguang included them in his book. Make provisions and explanations tirelessly.

In this case, no matter what Qi Jiguang's personal intentions are, it is impossible for the new army he organizes to not be personal, so people justly call it "Qi's Army".It is worth noting that this new army is still Qi Jiguang's personal army 30 years after its establishment.This naturally contradicts the principle of balance in the civil service group.In the minds of civil servants, Qi Jiguang's army is not a dry city of the country but a threat to the country. In addition, he has a very close relationship with Zhang Juzheng, so he must be severely impeached. In the middle of the 16th century, Japan, an island country, could seriously threaten the safety of the provinces along the East China Sea. This phenomenon is difficult to understand.It is logical that the soldiers of this dynasty should attack Japan across the sea.Because Japan at that time was not only sparsely populated, but also had not formed a unified regime for decades, civil wars continued frequently, and laws and regulations disappeared.This dynasty is a highly centralized country, ruled by a very well-organized civil servant group, the central command of the local government is like an arm, and disobedience rarely occurs.At the same time, our empire nominally had the largest standing army in the world at that time, numbering as many as 2 million.But this hypothetical logic does not apply in reality.The military system of this dynasty stipulates that the standing army is provided by 2 million "military households", and each household has one male, which remains unchanged from generation to generation.The purpose of setting up military households is not only to ensure the source of officers and soldiers, but also to ensure that "civilian households" will not be harassed by conscription due to war mobilization.From the beginning of this system, abuses followed.Most of the civilian households were incorporated into military households by coercion; even if they were voluntary, they were often based on expediency. As time passed, the original promises could not be kept.Therefore, as soon as the guards of various garrisons were established, there were endless incidents of soldiers fleeing and changing nationality.After more than a hundred years, many of the land in the guards were mortgaged and sold by military households.In addition, for many years, except for the northwest border, most of the areas have been peaceful, so the actual number of soldiers in a guard is often far less than the prescribed number, and in the most degraded guards, only the prescribed number Two or three percent.Moreover, these limited soldiers were often used by officers as laborers for construction and transportation, or they were kept at home as servants. Consistent with this deteriorating situation is the supply system.The military supply and political participation of this dynasty are one yuan.The army's rations and supplies come from the side supply of the local government.It stands to reason that the Ministry of Household Affairs is the center of the country's finances and should coordinate the overall situation, but in fact it is similar to a large accounting organization that only supervises the cashiers of various agencies and local governments on the accounts.Each local government directly transports supplies to nearby military units, military districts, and logistics organizations above the middle level in accordance with the prescribed amount.A prefecture may send grain and silver to a dozen different small units; a guard may also receive grain and silver from more than a dozen prefectures and counties.Once this method becomes custom-made, it becomes so intertwined that no advanced unit can rationally reorganize the supply points and supply lines to meet the changing needs of the situation.As a result, the supply is not sufficient to occur from time to time.Just imagine, if more than a dozen units supply fixed quantities, it is inevitable that some units cannot pay the full amount due to unexpected circumstances; while other units are not obliged to make up the shortfall, even if they have such an obligation, they will not pay the full amount. It is not necessarily possible to have such an ability.Therefore, more than a hundred years after the founding of the country, the written regulations have long been inconsistent with the actual details.Even if there are partial adjustments, at best they will only be effective temporarily and will eventually be stretched. If you look up the official history books, it is clearly recorded in the books that the supply of the whole country has been coordinated and distributed by the central government, but the actual implementation depends entirely on the subordinate agencies that do not belong to each other.The supply relationship between the local government and the local army has been described above. Even the transportation of grain to Beijing is very peculiar.The so-called cao grain refers to the grain collected from land taxes collected from most prefectures and counties in the south and transported to Beijing through the Grand Canal.According to the express regulations, water transport is carried by professional sergeants, and the sergeants transported are called Yunjun.The entire transport army has 120,000 officers and soldiers, and 12,000 grain transport ships.However, this huge team does not have a coordinating logistics organization to make careful arrangements so that it can operate in an orderly manner.The grain ships directly received the grain and rice paid by the taxpayers on the waterfront of the south of the Yangtze River, and then set off to transport northward.A grain ship is managed by a junior officer and is directly responsible to the central government.Before the grain was delivered to the Zhangjiawan warehouse near Beijing, the personal freedom, life, property, and even wives and children of all officers and soldiers on board the grain ship were equivalent to the collateral to ensure the safety of the transportation.Because there is no better way to manage effectively than this.As for the manufacture of grain ships, it also showed the characteristics of laxity and lack of organization.These grain ships have a statutory lifespan of 10 years, after which they need to be rebuilt.There is a "shipyard" along the Huaihe River, which is the largest shipbuilding place in the country, and its peak output is more than 700 ships per year.However, this so-called shipyard is actually made up of 82 small shipyards, each with its own manager.Although there is an organization similar to the General Management Office, it does not have the authority to uniformly dispatch manpower and materials, let alone an effective technical division of labor. Needless to say, organizational incompetence will inevitably lead to backwardness in equipment.This dynasty did not lack skilled craftsmen in this area, but they were all gathered in the imperial city to manufacture exquisite armor for the emperor's Imperial Guard.Ordinary field troops can only wear cotton jackets made of small iron sheets, or "paper armor" made of paper tendons.As for the weapons used by the soldiers, most of them were manufactured and handed over by prefectures and counties in various places as part of the endowment. The quality is not excellent, and the specifications are not standardized. The above-mentioned backwardness made the combat effectiveness of the field army of the dynasty almost comparable to that of the rural militia.Consistent with this situation is the selection of generals.In the eyes of those in power, the quality that a general should possess is bravery and boldness rather than clarity of mind.Liu Ting mentioned above was nicknamed "Liu Dadao". According to exaggerated descriptions, the iron sword he used weighed 120 catties and could "rotate like flying" on a horse.Juniper, who died with Liu Tingtong in the Battle of Liaodong, was even more rude and reckless.He took the lead in battle, but once defeated, he would destroy his weapons and armor to vent his anger, and constantly claimed that he had to commit suicide or become a monk, without the demeanor of a calm and calm general.Therefore, this person was called "Crazy Du" by Nurhachi. The appointment of military officers is mostly in the form of "shiyin" and inherits the father's career.The procedure for appointment is quite complicated. Generally speaking, the descendants of senior generals need to be downgraded by a few ranks, while junior officers do not need to be downgraded.From the middle of the dynasty, the situation changed slightly. Since Liu Daxia, Shangshu of the Ministry of War, approved the implementation of military examinations, anyone who aspires to become an officer can obtain an advanced rank as long as he passes the examination.But in fact, it can be said that there are very few people who pass the exam to become an officer and rise to a senior general.Moreover, this kind of examination for military students focuses on whether they are proficient in swords, guns, bows and horses. The written examination presided over by civil officials requires only a rough command of writing and never involves military science.The "Martial Arts" held in various places also use Confucian classics as the main teaching content, and the teaching progress is based on the principle of "the total teaching time is no more than 200 words per day". Few of the high-ranking generals trained in this way have the strategizing strategy.In fact, this is exactly what the civil official group expected.Since most of the generals belong to brave men, it is of course necessary to appoint civilian officials as governors and governors, and let them command military officers at all levels.Under the governor-general there are also "military preparation envoys" or "sea defense roads". They are called supervisors, but they actually have the power to dispatch offense and defense.In terms of military and political affairs, the appointment and removal of personnel, supplies, and transportation are all presided over by civilian officials. The design of this military system is obviously not focused on dealing with the full-scale invasion of the enemy country, and at the same time it is not intended to attack the enemy country in a full-scale manner.In the battle known as the "Civil Change" in 1449, the orthodox emperor was captured by Oach, which has exposed the fatal weakness of the military system.However, such an incident that shocked the whole country still failed to attract due attention and reform.The disarmament continued, and the military organization continued to decline.As long as the civil servants remain calm during their tenure, all plans for the transformation of the army can be shelved.It wasn't until the middle of the 16th century that the Japanese pirates became so powerful that they not only repeatedly broke through the southeast coastal defenses that were regarded as impenetrable, but also drove straight in, ignoring the defenders as nothing. Only then did the civil officials in the center wake up and realize that this incompetent military system would endanger the entire Empire and their personal safety.If you are poor, you want to change, reform has become inevitable, and the initial stage of reform is still to choose a senior general with creative spirit. He must have foresight in strategy and be proficient in various tactics. The Japanese pirates who ravaged the southeast coast were different from ordinary pirates.Most of the pirates are mobs, and as soon as the purpose of plundering property is achieved, they will rush away.But Japanese pirates are not.After they landed, they usually established bases and sometimes besieged cities.Not all of the members are from Japan, but there are often quite a few Chinese.Under normal circumstances, the Chinese still occupy the majority among them and can serve as senior leaders. The reason for the invasion of Japanese pirates has an inseparable relationship with international trade.This dynasty prohibits non-governmental maritime trade. Although there is a clear law, it cannot be fully implemented in practice.The smuggling trade along the southeast coast has a long history, and many adventurers of different nationalities flock here.The largest ships used by these adventurers were 100 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 7 inches thick, exceeding the scale of Chinese warships.According to records, during the heyday of these adventurers, more than 1,200 large and small ships were operating on the coast of China every day.Its trading area is like a crescent moon from the Japanese islands to the Gulf of Siam.On inland islands out of reach of the Chinese government's sea patrolling forces, they have designated ports for the smuggling trade.Since there was no court that could resolve various disputes over contracts and claims between buyers and sellers, more than a dozen powerful Chinese ship owners acted as arbitrators with the backing of force, and thus were gradually regarded as the authority of the sea and became the leader of the pirates. These pirate leaders were so prestigious that they colluded with the local gentry and even got married.They openly repaired ships along the coast, and ordered the villagers to accept their summons.This maritime authority, though still in its infancy, must, if allowed to develop, threaten our government, which is based on an agricultural economy. The unscrupulous activities of pirates forced the government to take tough countermeasures.However, once the conflict broke out, our political and military weaknesses were exposed.Senior commanders have no way of knowing the actual number of soldiers under their command, nor can they figure out how many warships are available for deployment.Before the troops set off, junior officers had to extort money and supplies from local rich households.Once a battle broke out, some troops simply fled. Although some troops dared to fight, due to the tactics of sticking to the dense formation, it often resulted in the consequence of "one man loses, ten thousand people collapse".On the contrary, the epic battle appeared in the scene of defending the hometown organized by the hastily assembled militia and students from all over the country. On the Japanese side, the samurai who acted as pirates came from Yamaguchi, Bungo, Osumi, Satsuma, Hakata Bay, Tsushima and the Goto Islands.They have neither a unified leadership nor a long-term combat purpose.At first, they had a hope in the air, thinking that the joint military action with the Chinese pirates could force the Chinese government to open foreign trade, and their leaders could also be recruited and won the rank of general of the navy and army.These hopes were finally dashed after an operation launched by Governor Hu Zongxian.Hu Zongxian used Zhao'an as a bait to capture these pirate leaders, and then sent their heads to Beijing to claim credit.This measure can only arouse the Japanese aggressors to invade on a larger scale, and make the repeated invasions in the future even more devoid of political significance, the sole purpose of which is to rob goods. Although these Japanese pirates lack unified leadership at the top, the organizational strength at the bottom cannot be ignored.Although it is killing people and getting goods, it also shows the rigor of the Japanese lower class social structure.According to eyewitness records, regardless of combat or camp, the small leader of the Japanese pirates can impose extremely strict discipline control on the subordinate soldiers.The tactics of each small group of troops are consistent, which also shows that they are not mercenaries recruited hastily.They continued to defeat the numerically superior Chinese official army with outnumbered enemies, while the Chinese peasant rebellion generally lacked this ability. These pirates landed on ships that could carry about a hundred people.During a large-scale invasion, 30 to 50 ships were often assembled, with as many as several thousand people.At the height of their ferocious flames, 20,000 people can hold military positions in the occupied area.Under coercion and lure, many local residents also joined their ranks, and some of them were later escorted to Japan as slaves.Their looting was not limited to gold, silver and jewels, but they also seized riverboats and other commodities as needed and possible.There is a record that they collected cocoons in large numbers and ordered the women to reel the silk.This situation is not much different from that of the occupying forces organizing production locally. In the early days of the invasion, they were almost invincible, mainly due to their superior tactics and sophisticated weapons.They can use double knives extremely skillfully, and keep in close contact with their nearby partners, echoing each other and fighting together.Quite peculiarly, their command signal was the folding fan in the hands of the platoon leader.When the two sides came into contact, the squad leader and platoon leader waved the folding fan upwards, and their subordinates raised the blade.When the opponent's attention is attracted by this action, they suddenly reverse the blade and cut head-on.The length of this kind of double knife is only 5 feet, but when wielded by a skilled user, the light of the knife makes "the upper and lower sides are completely white, and the person cannot be seen", and can kill the opponent within a radius of one foot and eight feet.Other common weapons are bows and javelins.According to records, "the Japanese bamboo bow is eight feet long, and the bow is danced on its silk, and the arrow is shot. ... The arrowhead is two inches wide, ... close to the body, and no one will miss it." The javelin thrown "doesn't need a pole. Sudden and sudden throwing, so unexpected."As for firearms, they didn't seem to pay much attention to them.Although Qi Jiguang said that the blunderbuss came from Japan, there is no record that the Japanese pirates used this weapon effectively.The artillery they occasionally used also appears to have been captured in China as trophies. The basic tactic of the Japanese pirates is to send small troops of less than 30 people into the villages, and the progress of these small troops must be under strict mutual care.The signal of synergy is the shuddering sound of the conch.These invaders were good at using local guides, dispatched sharp soldiers and scouts skillfully, deployed troops in a hierarchical manner, and caused confusion and confusion among Chinese officials and troops by means of feigned attacks and driving refugees to the front of the team.The Chinese officers and soldiers are simply unable to deal with this set of tactics. Even the troops with the highest morale, their countermeasures are nothing more than rushing into the enemy's line with blood and courage. They have no effective formation, and lack the support of flanks and follow-up troops. It is inevitable to fail often.In the two provinces of Southern Zhili and Zhejiang, there are so many rivers and lakes that when the officers and soldiers retreated, they ran like wolves, and many people were trampled or squeezed into the water to death.Once, Governor Hu Zongxian was also pushed into the water during the retreat and almost drowned. In addition, Japanese pirates also adopted another tactic when encountering a large army of officers and soldiers, that is, to take a defensive position first to reduce the enthusiasm of the officers and soldiers, or create a terrorist atmosphere to make the officers and soldiers fall into a psychological disadvantage, and then wait to attack.The following record by Qi Jiguang can be used as an illustration: "In the remaining years of hundreds of battles, I saw that the thieves were in danger, sitting and waiting for my teacher, and only at dusk, when I was lazy, I rushed out; or when the troops were mixed, they chased them. He can use his vigor to hold the initial front. He also has a helmet decorated with gold and silver horns and five-color filaments, which look like gods and ghosts, to frighten morale. He often holds bright mirrors, is good at sharpening knives and guns, and shines in the sun to win soldiers. Eyes. Therefore, if we fight for a long time, we will be timid." Therefore, to sum up the above situation, no matter how much the official document emphasizes that this war was encircled and suppressed by the government's officers and soldiers, it was actually Chinese laymen fighting against professional Japanese soldiers. Qi Jiguang started to organize his new army. The source of soldiers was not from military households and guards, but from volunteers recruited in the interior of Zhejiang Province.Since the government has a deep understanding of the seriousness of the situation, it has to approve his plan to form a new army, and impose new taxes as the cost of recruitment and training.For this kind of support, Qi Jiguang warned the soldiers in his lectures that they should be grateful.He said: "When you are a soldier, even if it is windy and rainy, you will not be able to afford three cents a day. The money is collected by the people in your locality. You are not farming at home. You think about the hardships and hardships of farming at home, even if you think about how easy it is to eat money today. You don’t need to farm and work, and you have raised it for a year, but I hope you will win once or twice. You don’t want to kill thieves to protect them , What's the use of raising you? Even if the military law slips through the net, the sky will kill you with a fake hand!" The persuasion of moral obligation, coupled with the inherent religious beliefs of the masses, enabled Qi Jiguang to establish iron discipline among his recruits.Although the above-mentioned "sit-and-sit method" cannot be carried out often without compromise, its intimidating power of killing one to make an example is enough to make it difficult for troops to be defeated before a strong enemy.The principles of reward and punishment he formulated were not entirely determined by the outcome of the battle.Even if there is a big defeat, those who have meritorious service will still be rewarded; on the contrary, even if there is a big victory, those who are weak in combat and deserted will still be punished.In one of his memorials, he mentioned a battle in 1562: he ordered his troops to seize a stone bridge occupied by Japanese pirates. The first attack failed, and all 36 officers of the first post were killed.The second whistle followed, and half of the personnel was lost.At this time, the remaining officers and soldiers attempted to retreat.Qi Jiguang, who was supervising the battle at the scene, kept the offensive going, and finally broke the enemy's formation and won a complete victory.And this victory became one of the most memorable events in his life. Although this strict discipline is a necessary guarantee for victory, its cruelty is also really chilling.Soldiers were punished by cutting off their ears to urinate when they left the army, and according to legend, Qi Jiguang's second son was executed without hesitation for violating military laws.Such harsh punishments may have deviated from common human feelings, but Qi Jiguang's policy of governing the army finally formed a strong army. Later, he was transferred to the general army of Jiliao. The 3,000 soldiers he brought from the south stood still for hours as if it hadn't rained. However, strict discipline is only one aspect of the policy of governing the army; on the other hand, morale must be boosted.A soldier's self-esteem and self-confidence play an important role here.An army that is often defeated by the enemy cannot talk about self-esteem and self-confidence. The belief in victory depends on ability and technology, and ability and technology come from hard training at ordinary times. Qi Jiguang's training methods were dictated by experts.These valuable experiences have not been written in the past because they were not valued by others.It was not until Yu Dayou made a brief exposition, but Qi Jiguang wrote all the details into an exercise book. The main focus of practicing techniques can be said to use the principle of "dialectics" to decompose movements.Every movement has two relative aspects: two parts of the body with and without cover; one posture has two factors of movement and stillness, front and side; if there is attack, there is defense at the same time.All in all, where there is yin, there is yang, and where there is yang, there must be yin.For example, the practice of melee weapons is also similar to boxing or dance. Any posture can be broken down into three stages, that is, it starts with a short rest and changes, continues and stops. In Qi Jiguang's terminology, It is "start-when-stop".These postures have various bizarre names according to their different forms, such as dragon riding posture, fairy guiding the way, iron ox plowing the field, Taigong fishing posture and so on.Using these movements, it is required that "both left and right come with Pai La" and "the last hair comes first".As for a duel with the enemy in actual combat, apart from proficiency in mastering the above basic postures and principles, the most important thing is to feint, that is, to strike eastward and westward unexpectedly. Before Qi Jiguang, what was valued in the army was personal martial arts, and soldiers who could wield weapons like flying were heroes in the hearts of the public.Boxers, thugs, salt owls, monks and Miao people from all over the country were recruited into the army.It was not until they were repeatedly defeated by organized Japanese pirates that the authorities realized that the success or failure of a battle is not entirely determined by individual martial arts.When Qi Jiguang trained this new army, he not only required the soldiers to be skilled in technology, but also paid full attention to the coordination of various weapons in small units. Each infantry squad was equipped with long weapons and short weapons at the same time.When engaging in battle, a spear with a total length of more than 12 feet is an effective attack weapon, but its limitation is that it must keep a considerable distance from the enemy.If the enemy cannot be stabbed to bring him within gun-barrel distance, the weapon is immediately worthless.Therefore, Qi Jiguang made the following configuration for an infantry squad: 1 captain, 1 fireman, and 10 soldiers.These 10 fighters have 4 armed with spears as the main force of the attack.There are four more soldiers in front of it: the soldier on the right holds a large rectangular pentagonal rattan card, and the soldier on the left holds a small round rattan card, all made of rattan.After that, two soldiers held "wolf whisks", that is, big moso bamboo with branches and leaves, about one penny and three feet long.After the spearman, there are two soldiers carrying "镋拉条". "镋配" is in the shape of a mountain, made of iron, seven or eight feet long, and a rocket is placed in the depression at the top, that is, an arrow with a firecracker attached. After being ignited, it can go straight to the enemy's line. This kind of configuration is called "Mandarin Duck Array" because of its left-right symmetry.The main task of the soldier holding the square shield on the right is to maintain the acquired position and stabilize the team's position.The soldier on the left holding the round rattan card should crawl forward and throw a javelin behind the card to lure the enemy soldiers away from the favorable defensive position.If the lure is successful, the two soldiers behind will sweep the enemy to the ground with wolf sticks, and then let the partner with the spear jump up and stab the enemy to death.The last two soldiers holding sharp handles are responsible for protecting the rear of the team, guarding the flanks, and supporting the partners in front if necessary, forming the second line of attack force. It can be clearly seen that this 12-man infantry squad is an organic group. The success of the predetermined tactics depends entirely on the division of labor and cooperation of the soldiers, and there are few opportunities for individuals to stand out.Because of this, the chief general Qi Jiguang took the trouble to repeatedly affirm the importance of close cooperation among the team members, and used one reward and punishment as a guarantee of discipline.Of course, this kind of tactical regulation is not static. When the enemy's situation and terrain permit, the whole team can be divided into two and form two horizontal teams to fight the enemy; it is also possible to deploy the two palladium hands in the back as usual, and the eight in the front. The soldiers lined up in a row, and the spearmen were arranged between the rattan players and the wolf gunners. Using rattan cards, moso bamboo, and iron forks as standard weapons shows that Qi Jiguang's troops are still not out of the peasant atmosphere.But it would be unrealistic to think that he did not understand the efficacy of firearms.He used firearms in actual combat, explained the pros and cons of firearms to generals, and mentioned the importance of firearms in his memorial.But throughout Qi Jiguang's life, he still used the above-mentioned mandarin duck formation as his main tactic.This is not because he is conservative, but involves many complicated factors that are not easy to solve. The suggestion to modernize the tactics in an all-round way was once put forward by the famous general Yu Dayou.He accurately pointed out that the specialty of the Japanese pirates is that they are proficient in land warfare, but their water warfare skills are inferior.Yu Dayou advocated that the Japanese pirates should be wiped out at sea with effective warships and artillery, without giving them a chance to land at all.In terms of tactical principles, it is also clearly pointed out in his book: "There is no other way to fight at sea. A big ship is better than a small ship, a big gun is better than a small gun, many ships are better than a few ships, and many guns are better than a few guns." He gave the governor In his report, he once requested that half of the army's military expenditure be used to equip the navy.But even though Yu Dayou's prestige and achievements are very outstanding, these useful suggestions have never been adopted, so his ambitions have not been fulfilled, and he has died of hatred. However, it is impossible for Yu Dayou himself to understand that his proposal, the issues involved and the consequences to be caused have gone beyond the issue of armaments and involved politics.He asked to personally lead "hundreds of Fujian vast ships and tens of thousands of soldiers." If this becomes a reality, the finances of the relevant provinces will be centrally managed from the income and expenditure among small units.Correspondingly, the personnel of these logistics agencies must be increased, and the sloppy work style must be swept away to ensure the accuracy of specifications and figures in order to achieve the expected administrative efficiency to match modern military technology.And the institutions with which they deal must be equally practical.However, our vast empire is in essence nothing more than an agglomeration of countless villages, where etiquette and morality replace law, and covering up illegal behavior is considered honest and general.There has never been a written regulation that can be complied with in the relationship between various institutions.俞大猷当然更不可能预见到，在未来的好几个世纪之内，上面这些情况在我们这个以农业经济为基础的国家里竟不能发生根本的改变。现代化的技术和古老的社会组织断然不能相容，要不是新的技术推动社会组织趋于精确和严密，那就是松散的社会组织扼杀新的技术，二者必居其一。 这种为个人力量所不可抗拒的社会因素，使俞大猷的计划毫无实现的希望，相形之下，戚继光的方案就比较现实。他没有去触动整个的国家体制，而只是脚踏实地，做他职责范围内力所能及的事。他从1559年开始招募了3000名士兵。两年之后，兵员增加一倍，1562年更扩大为10000人。可是他的部队从来也没有一个后勤司令，也没有一个固定的军需处和兵工署。在整个国家机构之中，也没有委派过向他的部队作后勤供应的专职人员。他部队中的装备和武器，来源于各府县的分散供应。这种情况自然不能保持武器的质量。在戚继光的著作中，就明确提到各地所造的鸟铳铳管常有炸裂的危险，以致使士兵提心吊胆，不敢双手握铳以作精确的瞄准。有的火炮，铅弹与口径的尺寸不合；有的火炮，则导火线无法燃点。有鉴于俞大猷的壮志难伸和火器的实际情况，戚继光所拟订的战术仅仅把火器的应用限制在有限的范围内。他说：“火器为接敌之前用，不能倚为主要战具。”在练兵的后期，他规定12个人的步兵队配备鸟铳2枝，一局（相当于一连）的鸟铳手，必定要有一局的步兵“杀手”协同作战。 按照俞大猷使军队现代化的计划，要求兵精械利，把原来两个士兵的军饷供应一个士兵，以部队的质量来代替数量。戚继光的看法则不同。我们帝国的军队是一支全能性的军队，也是一支长久性的军队。它经常的任务是面对内部的叛逆而非外部的侵略者，具体地说，就是镇压内地农民和边区的少数民族。地区间的人口过剩、灾害频仍、农民的流离失所、官吏的苛刻暴虐，都可以迫使暴动随时发生，而以我国幅员之大，这种所谓造反作乱的地点也极难预测，所以这个任务就不是一支高效率的机动部队所得以完成的。在多数情况下，官军会被造反者死死吸住，造反者熟悉当地的地理民风，官军往往会因之陷入被动而使质量的优势无从发挥。因此，数量的多寡就成为决定胜负的因素。除此以外，俞大猷计划中所创建的精锐部队，他们领取优厚的军饷，又不能和社会上的其他部门对流，那么这样一个浮游在社会上的军事团体非但不能解决上述的社会问题，相反还会引起新的社会问题。再往下推求，俞大猷要求建立现代化的海军以拒敌于国门之外，作战的目的，则在消灭国际贸易，也和世界历史趋势相反。 戚继光的募兵原则是只收农民而不收城市居民。He considered people from the market place to be cunning and scoundrels.这种观点，虽然有它的片面性，但揆诸实际，在城市中有固定职业的人是极少自愿从军的。土兵为社会所普遍轻视，其军饷也相当微薄，城市中的应募者绝大多数只是把兵营当作解决食宿的救济所，一有机会就想另谋高就。这样的士兵如何能指望其奋勇杀敌以至效死疆场？所以戚继光订立了一条甄别应募者的奇特标准，凡属脸色白皙、眼神轻灵、动作轻快的人一概摈诸门外。因为这种人几乎全是来自城市的无业游民，实属害群之马，一旦交锋，不仅自己会临阵脱逃，还会唆使周围的人一起逃跑，以便一旦受到审判时可以嫁祸于这些言辞钝拙的伙伴。在这个标准下招收来的兵员，都属于淳朴可靠的青年农民，而“鸳鸯阵”的战术，也是针对这些士兵的特点而设计的。他曾明确地指出，两个手持狼筅的士兵不需要特别的技术，膂力过人就足以胜任。而这种狼筅除了扫倒敌人以外，还有隐蔽的作用而可以使士兵壮胆。 戚继光的求实精神还表现于使革新不与传统距离过远，更不大事声张。他的部队保留了古老而朴素的农村作风，有时也和卫所内来自军户的部队并肩作战。他们日常的军饷，大体和在农村中充当短工的收入相等，但另设重赏以鼓励士气，一个敌军的头颅，赏额高达白银30两。 Qi's army's record of victory is second to none.Beginning in 1559, this army has repeatedly said that it has attacked, cleared, confronted, and pursued, but has never been defeated by Japanese pirates in battle.除了部队的素质以外，主帅戚继光卓越的指挥才能是决定胜利的唯一因素。 戚继光周密而细致。在他指挥部队投入战斗以前，他习惯于把各种条件以及可能发生的情况反复斟酌。一些事情看来细小，却都在他的多方思量考虑之内，例如士兵在遇到敌人之前以小便为名企图脱队，或是情绪紧张而喉干色变。他还为火器规定了一个保险系数，有多少不能着火，又有多少虽能着火而不能给敌人以损害。他认为一个士兵如果在作战时把平日所学的武艺用上10％，可以在格斗中取胜；用上20％，可以以一敌五；要是用上50％，就可以纵横无敌。这种考虑丝毫也不是出于悲观怯懦，而是战场上白刃交加的残酷现实，迫使一位高级将领决不能姑息部下，也决不能姑息自己：在平日，他要求士兵作一丝不苟的训练，那怕伤筋断骨也在所不措；在临战前，他就要求自己绞尽脑汁，以期准确地判断形势。 在临阵前的两三天，戚继光就要求侦察连每隔两小时报告一次敌情。他使用的地图用红黑两色绘制，一目了然；如果有可能，他还让人用泥土塑成地形的模型。他的部队中备有每月每日日出和日没的时间表，当时虽然还没有钟表，但他用一串740个珠子的捻珠作为代用品，按标准步伐的时间一步移动一珠，作为计算时间的根据。能够作这样精密的考虑，就几乎没有任何因素不在他的掌握之中。 戚继光在1563年被任命为福建总兵，这是武官中的最高职衔。虽然如此，现实环境却很少允许他去制订整体的战略方针。可以说，他的部队始终只是一个战术单位。火器既不能起决定性的作用，南方的水田也使骑兵不能往来驰骋，所以无法创造出各兵种协同作战的复杂战术。就是在步兵战术的范围内，他也受到各种条件的限制。他所常用的战术是使用精锐突被敌人防御线中突出的一角。这些地方是敌人防御的重点，地形有利，极难攻破。但是他的部队总是以出敌意外的方式迅速接近敌阵，迫使对方在慌乱中仓猝应战，而使己方从不利转为有利。获得这样的战果，端赖于平日严格训练下所养成的坚毅精神和适应各种地形的能力。此外，以伏兵制胜敌人也为戚家军所独擅胜场，因为士兵的装备轻便，可以灵活地移动和隐蔽。 在作战中，总兵戚继光不惜初期接战的损失。经验告诉他，战斗无非是击破敌方的军事组织。如果以雷霆万钧之力。加于对方组织重点之上，则其配转运活的枢纽既被消灭，其全局必迅速瓦解。而对付倭寇这样的敌人，只要日本人就击败，中国方面的胁从者大多就会放下武器投降。 The repeated victories of the Qi family army made them famous, and this reputation made the local soldiers more motivated. They could conquer Japanese pirate strongholds that other officials and troops could not solve within months, and annihilate the enemy within a few hours. 戚继光作战的方针，一向主张占有数量的优势，速战速决。唯一的例外，则为仙游之役。当时仙游被围已一月，戚家军驰赴救援，血战于城外，双方坚持又逾二旬。至1564年1月倭寇大败而逃，戚继光穷追不舍，肃清了他们购根据地。这是一次决定性的战役，使整个形势发生了根本变化。日本各岛的来犯者，至此才承认在中国的冒险没有便宜可占，因而逐渐放弃了继续骚扰的念头。剩下的海盗绝大多数已属中国人，他们在浙江福建一带也难于存身，之后就流窜到广东境内。用不着多说，本朝的抗倭战争业已大功告成，剩下的残余海盗当然有待于继续荡平，不过这已经属于中国的内部问题而不是国际间的战争了。 在抗倭战争中功绩最为卓著的戚继光不是在理想上把事情做得至善至美的将领，而是最能适应环境以发挥他的天才的将领。他所以获得成功的要点，在于他清醒的现实感。他看清并适应了当时的政治，而把军事技术作为必要的辅助，这是在当时的环境里唯一可以被允许的方案。至于在一个以文人治国的农业国家之内，谁想要极端强调军事效率，提倡技术的发展，而导致军人和文官的并驾齐驱，哪怕他能举出无数动听的理由，在事实上也是绝对办不到的。 戚继光的功成名遂，在16世纪中叶的本朝可以算是特殊的例外。他之能够一帆风顺，固然是由于本身的卓越才能，但是得到一位有力者的支持也是必不可少的因素。这位有力者就是谭纶。此人在文官集团中是一个特殊的人物，进士出身，长期在东南滨海地区任职，累迁至福建巡抚。由于职务上的需要和个人的爱好，用兵之道竟然成了这位高级文官的专长。他常常以视察为名，随同部队亲临前线，有时会乘别人没有注意的时候突然出现于队伍的最前列。据说他有一次还实际参加战斗，弄得两肘沾满了鲜血。按照当时的规定，一个军事领导人的军功标准是部下斩获敌人首级的数字，而谭纶一生中所获得的总数则达21500。戚继光提出的募兵训练计划，得到谭纶的热烈赞赏和实际支持，源源供给戚继光的部队以足够的军需装备。戚继光之得任福建总兵，也主要出于他的推荐。1567年，谭纶升任蓟辽保定总督，负有防御京畿的重任。不久他就提议把戚继光调到他的辖区中担任最高将领，当然也不会出于人们的意料之外。 戚继光于1568年年初履新，在蓟州任职达15年之久。之后谭纶虽然因为内调兵部尚书而离开蓟辽并又死在尚书任内，但这已是在他和戚继光合作，把蓟州的武备大加整顿以后的事了。 本朝的军人长期处于文官的压制之下，即使是一位卓越的高级将领也无法展布其统筹全局的能力。他们的部属在各自的防区内同时接受知府、知县等地方官的指挥，而且不让他们经手供应给养。于是这些武将们唯一所能做到的事就是带领士兵亲身参与战斗。虽说得到谭纶的一力支持，因袭的各种成例也不断给戚继光增加棘手的问题。即以他的官职来说，在调任之初准备授他为“总理蓟州军务”。以一介武夫而总揽全区部队的指挥调度之权，当然会大于物议。 北方的边镇和南方的军区情况截然不同，其威胁来自边外的游牧民族。每当天时亢旱，蒙古的骑兵部队就会按照他们的成例犯边掠夺。他们的军事特点在于流动性和迅疾猛烈的冲击力量。在集中来犯的时候，一次可以动员10万名骑兵，当时俺答曾经把各部落联成一个大同盟，东西连亘2000里，使官军束手无策。 蓟州为华北九镇之一，防区为北京东北一带，按照规定的编制应有士兵8万人，战马22000匹。但是实际上并没有人能够确切知道现存的数字。在役的士兵，有的属于本镇所属卫所的“主兵”，也有从其他地方调来的“客兵”。后者的调防虽然带有永久性，但供应的义务却仍属原来的地区。还有一部分从内地卫所调来的士兵，他们的服役期只限于蒙古人犯边可能性最大的几个月。实际上他们也很少亲身服役，只要缴纳一定的银两可以雇人替代，而所缴的银数又和雇代实际所需的饷银不同。总而言之，全镇的人员和粮饷从不同的来源和以不同的方法获得，有的还只在账本上存在。这样，不仅他们的数量难以弄清，他们的质量也是一个疑问号。 这种松散的组织和军需上的缺乏统一，看来不全是出于无意识的安排。一个办事效率极高的将领常常会以自己的意见作为各种问题的总答案，用我们古人的话来说，就是跋扈专擅；而这样一个将领手握重兵在京畿据守，也常常造成一个朝代的终结。所以戚继光改进武备的一切努力，都必然遇到重重的阻碍，其中的绝大部分来自文官集团的意志，而这种意志又有历史传统的成例作为背景。 但是很幸运，谭纶和戚继光的意图受到一位中枢重臣的赏识。此人就是张居正。 张居正在戚继光北调的前几个月才出任内阁大学士，之后还要经过一番周折，才成了本朝第一位政治家。然而他在入阁之初就有重整军备的雄心，蓟州是最能吸引他注意力的一个军区。戚继光莅任不久，就发觉他自己只需要专心于军备而不必参与政治。因为凡是应当安排的事，都已经由总督和大学士安排妥帖；如果事情连他们都无法安排，当然也不必多费唇舌。 以大学士的身分，张居正不仅没有权力公然颁发指令，甚至不能公开讨论制度的改组。他所采用的方式是用私人函件授意亲信如此如此地向皇帝提出建议。这些建议送到内阁票拟，他就得以名正言顺地代替皇帝作出同意的批复。他进入文渊阁以后的第一个皇帝是一个昏庸的君主，对国事既不理解也不关心；第二个皇帝则是小孩子和他的学生。环境和才能加在一起，造成了张居正的权威。但是他还是需要小心从事。帝国的官僚政治已经发展到登峰造极，成千成万的官僚，在维护成宪的名义下保持各方面的平衡，掩盖自己不可告人的私利。要公然宣布改组军事制度，就等于邀请别人对自己攻击。因此张居正不得不采取这种迂回的方式。反正皇帝站在他这一边，不论别人是否识破真相，只要举不出违背成宪的理由，则公开的攻讦和私下的流言都可以不在话下。 蓟州军镇的军备改革，按照这样的程序顺利地进行。最初，戚继光建议把北方各镇10万名士兵交给他训练3年，由于计划过大，在政治上和技术上都有许多不易解决的问题，因而未能实现。但是中枢政府批准了他的另一项建议，即把他在浙江所训练的一部分士兵调至蓟州，最初员额为3000人，以后扩充为2万人。张居正对戚继光极度信任，企图赋予他以这一军区统筹全局的权力，所以才拟议设立“总理蓟州军务”的官衔，以和其他各军区的“总兵”相区别。无奈这一官衔在本朝史无前例，各种议论就纷至沓来，乃不得已而作罢。这一计划不能实现，张居正找出了另一种办法，即把蓟州辖境内的其他高级将领调往别镇，以免遇事掣肘。这时谭纶又建议该区的文官不得干预军事训练，并且主张戚继光在3年的练兵期内可以不受监察官的批评。后者显然又为文官们制造了违反成宪的口实，引起猛烈反对。皇帝的朱笔批示接受了兵部和都察院的建议，要求监察官明白练兵的重要，责成他们“和衷共济”，并把他们对蓟州防区的巡视限为每年一次；对谭纶和戚继光则希望他们“稍宽以文法，乃得自展”。事实上，凡是故意和戚继光为难的文官，后来都被张居正不动声色地陆续迁调。 蓟州军开始训练，就接受了优厚的财政接济以购买军马、制造火器及战车。这种和其他军镇的不平等待遇，惹来了大量的反感。接着又有一连串的矛盾跟着产生，诸如北兵和南兵的磨擦、军职的继承者和其他出身者的争执、因循守旧和锐意革新的冲突。张居正了然于这些情况，在他写给谭、戚两个人的私人信件里，再三叮咛他们务必谦恭退让，不要居功自傲。他警告戚继光说，“北人积愤于南兵久矣”，他们“多方罗致，务在挫辱之”，所以“务从谦抑，毋自启侮”。有一次蒙古部队打算犯边，就在战事一触即发之际，俺答却放弃了原来的企图，下令掉头北撤。这一出人意外的事件，在张居正看来完全是由于谭、戚二人部署有方，才使俺答踌躇不前；然而邻近的两镇却把功劳据为己有。张居正虽然认为这种冒功邀赏可笑而且可耻，但是他却通知谭纶，他已经以皇帝的名义承认了这两镇的自我吹嘘。他也不让兵部查清事情的真相，以免纠缠争辩。他要求谭纶在奏折中不仅不要争功，反而要把功劳归于其他二镇，使他们“嚼舌愧死”。 张居正这种做法，表面上是损已益人，具有大政治家的风度；但是仔细研究，却仍是有明有阳，无助于矛盾的根本解决。那怕是谭、戚二人表现出无以复加的谦抑，各镇之间的利害关系也决不能因此冰消瓦解。因之内阁愈想公正平衡，旁人看来则在一明一暗之间有亲有疏，褊袒更多。以后反对张居正的人认为蓟州练兵是他培植私人的政治资本，也就毫不足怪了。 1577年谭纶病死，从此张居正和戚继光的关系更为密切。第二年张居正返江陵葬父，他还生怕这短期的离职引起戚继光的不安，所以特地私下通知戚继光，接任蓟辽总督的将是梁梦龙。信上说：“孤之此行，甚非获己。……到家事完，即星夜赴闽矣。蓟事已托之鸣泉公，渠乃孤之门生，最厚；谅不相负。”梁梦龙字鸣泉，在翰林院与张居正有师生之谊。他在万历一朝的事业，也赖张居正的提拔为多。张居正这样倾肠相告，自然使戚继光更加感恩戴德。是以首席大学士的江陵之行，戚继光派出了一整连的鸟铳手作为护卫，张居正选择了其中6名随行，作为象征式的仪仗，同时也表示了首辅和蓟州戚帅关系之密切。兹事前后，蓟州总兵官的传骑携带各种文件和信件不断来往于首辅私邸，这更使他们的反对者在日后清算张居正的时候，有所借口，甚至指斥他们图谋不轨了。 戚继光在蓟州创造的战术，可以称之为“步兵军官的各兵种协同”。要对这种战术作出评论，必须顾及他所受到的各种条件的限制。当时，现代化的武器传入不久，而北方士兵的素质又极不理想，他所依靠的主要力量仍然是来自南方的旧部，为数约一个旅左右。他把这一个旅的兵力作了适当的配置，并以此为全军的核心，以防御蒙古的10万铁骑突然来袭。 抗倭战争中使用的“鸳鸯阵”，是一种以小股步兵为主的战术，目的在于对付海寇并适应南方的地形特点。而蓟州军镇的任务是防御蒙古的大部队骑兵，因而这种在“鸳鸯阵”的基础上发展而成的新技术也就初具了各兵种协同作战的规模。 战车的使用成为这种战术的重要组成部分。这种战车的性能以防御为主。形状和民间的大车相似。所不同之处，在于民间的大车的车箱两侧各有箱板，而这种战车只有8片可以折叠的屏风，共长15尺，平时平放在车辕上，作战时打开树立在一边车轮之后以代车箱，所以又称“偏箱车”。几十辆战车可以并肩衔接，摆成圆形或方形的防御据点。屏风最靠边的两扇可以前后摇摆，有如门叶，以供步兵出入。 一辆战车装载“佛朗机”轻炮两门。用今天的标准来看，这种欧洲式的火器只能算做大口径的火枪而不能算做炮。它以青铜或铸铁铸成，长度自3尺至7尺不等，口径则小于2寸，从炮口装入铅弹。最大型的佛朗机，射程为2000尺。通常这种火炮以及辅助火炮的鸟铳都在战车上屏风后发射铅弹，屏风开洞以为铅弹的出口。 士兵20人配属于战车一辆。