Variant Formations
While hollow square was the most used formation to defend against cavalry, there were situations where it'd be better to deploy into other formations. Besides the square, Xu Lun (許論) also devised many variant formations for different terrains, as will be shown below:
Chang Zhen (長陣, lit. 'Long formation')
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| Xu Lun's line formation, from 'Chou Bian Zuan Yi (《籌邊纂議》)'. |
Also called Chang She Zhen (長蛇陣, lit. 'Long snake formation'), this was essentially a gigantic line formation. This formation was used when the battlefield was extremely wide. The formation was so long (it was about 6 kilometre in length) that it effectively prevented the enemy to avoid the formation and attack it from the flanks or rear.
Yan Zhen (偃陣, lit. 'Crescent formation')
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| Xu Lun's crescent formation, from 'Chou Bian Zuan Yi (《籌邊纂議》)'. |
A semicircle formation, Yan Zhen was used when there was an impassable terrain (such as a city wall or a lake) positioned behind the army, thus removing the risk of being attacked from the rear.
Yang Zhen (仰陣, lit. 'Raised formation')
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| Xu Lun's raised formation, from 'Chou Bian Zuan Yi (《籌邊纂議》)'. |
Yang Zhen was used when the army was deployed in a valley or other uneven places. The cavalry would form a square at the lower and flatter middle, while infantry occupied higher flanks to provide support for the cavalry.
Jian Zhen (尖陣, lit. 'Pointed formation')
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| Xu Lun's wedge formation, from 'Chou Bian Zuan Yi (《籌邊纂議》)'. |
Jian Zhen was used when the battlefield was narrow to the front but wide to the rear. If the entire battlefield was narrow, the army would form a rhombus formation instead.
Yuan Zhen (圓陣, lit. 'Round formation')
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| Xu Lun's circle formation, from 'Chou Bian Zuan Yi (《籌邊纂議》)'. |
Other blog posts in my Square Formation series:
Square formation of Xu Lun — Part 1
Square formation of Xu Lun — Part 2
Square formation of Xu Lun — Part 3
Square formation of Xu Lun — EXTRA (Patrons only)
I have a question regarding the first one, how commonly was it used? What area in China is suitable for this type of battle tactics?
ReplyDeleteThe truth is I don't know - Xu Lun isn't very famous after all and the ec. The formations were suitable for the vast plain, steppe, and desert of North China.
DeleteAlso, what tactics did the ming used before the 16th century? Because it seems most of the ones in the manual are from post European contact Era
ReplyDeleteFew records from before 16th century survived, although many post 16th century manuals actually contain very old and long-practiced tactics.
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