Square formation of Xu Lun (許論) — Part 1

Up until this point, I've mostly discussed about various tactics and formations of Ming Southern troops, which focused on small unit tactics to counter the decentralised and extremely unpredictable Wokou. While undoubtedly effective for their intended purpose, Small unit tactics was clearly ill-suited for large scale battle against a serious and more numerous enemy, and should not be taken as being representative of Ming battle tactics as a whole. Ming army faced entirely different circumstances and challenges in the North, and devised entirely different tactics and formations to meet these challenges.


Xu Gong Po Lu Xin Zhen (許公破虜新陣, lit. 'Lord Xu's new barbarian-breaking formation') was a military formation devised by Xu Lun (許論), governor-general of Ji-Liao. Unlike other formations previously discussed in this blog, Xu Lun was not a particularly celebrated or exceptional general (he is remembered for being the first to draw a detailed map of the Great Wall, rather than his military achievement, although he did have several victories against the Mongols under his belt), and his formation was also relatively simple and without complicated manoeuvre or unusual equipment. As such, Xu Lun's square formation can serve as a useful baseline for exploring the tactics and formations of other Ming Northern troops.

Organisation

Xu Lun's formation comprised of 3,000 troops (without factoring in command staff, standard bearers, signalers, general's retinues etc.), subdivided into three arms: infantry, cavalry, and support personnels. The organisations of different branches of Xu Lun's formation were as follow:

Infantry

Military unit	Rough modern equivalent	Troops	Support personnel	Total
Zhen (陣)	Regiment	1800/4 Shao	200	2000
Shao (哨)	Battalion	450/10 Dui	50	500
Dui (隊)	Platoon	15 spear/glaivemen 15 archers 15 handgonners	5	50
Wu (伍)	Team	5	-	5

Cavalry

Military unit	Rough modern equivalent	Troops	Support personnel	Total
Zhong Jun (中軍)	Battalion	900/4 Bu	100	1000
Bu (部)	Company	225/5 Dui	25	250
Dui (隊)	Platoon	45 cavalry	5	50

Support Personnel (both infantry and cavalry)

Type	Troops
Tang Ma (塘馬)	50 mounted scouts
Tuo Ying (䭾贏)	100 porters (with mules)
Za Chai (雜差)	150 camp followers

Overall

Branch	Troops
Infantry	1800
Cavalry	900
Support Personnel	300

Equipment

The entirely of Xu Lun's formation was build around one crucial equipment: Ju Ma (拒馬), or cheval de frise. Xu Lun considered Ju Ma to be more convenient, more mobile and deployable everywhere, thus preferable to war carts.

Blueprint of Xu Lun's Ju Ma Qiang, from 'Chou Bian Zuan Yi (《籌邊纂議》)'.

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Si Chuan Fei Shi (四川飛石)

Drawing of a Si Chuan Fei Shi, from 'Zhan Shou Quan Shu (《戰守全書》)'.

Si Chuan Fei Shi (四川飛石, lit. 'Sichuanese flying stone') was a type of lightweight, two-man operated traction trebuchet. True to its namesake, the trebuchet was commonly found in Sichuan, although it was also manufactured in Beijing during the twilight years of the Ming Dynasty.

Unlike other Chinese trebuchets, Si Chuan Fei Shi had a A-shaped arm mounted on a single pole, which allowed it to be propped on narrow places and pivot easily. This was presumably an adaptation to the mountainous, narrow and uneven terrain of western Sichuan, where many Tusi mountain fortresses stand.

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Tai Ping Che (太平車)

Drawing of a Tai Ping Che (above) and its various componnets (below), from 'Zhan Shou Quan Shu (《戰守全書》)'.

Tai Ping Che (太平車, lit. 'Peaceful cart') was a unique siege defence weapon used by the Ming army. Despite the name, it was not actually a war cart, and anything but peaceful.

Tai Ping Che was actually a semi-cylindrical mobile gun turret armed with five small cannons. Equipped with two wheels, it could be easily raised or lowered down the wall with the help of a wall-mounted crane, which allowed the turret to fend off besieging troops, particularly sappers, hiding in the hard-to-reach "dead zone" of the fortress. Since it would be nearly suicidal to man the turret with gunners and send them outside the wall, Tai Ping Che was also equipped with a Gang Lun Fa Huo (鋼輪發火) so that its five guns could be fired remotely.

The gun turret can be considered a successor of Warring States period Mohist Xian Pi (縣脾, lit. 'Hanging spleen').

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