War is the source of soldiers' morale, especially for the side whose individual combat ability is weaker than the opponent's, we should pay more attention to maintaining the formation. . . Only by maintaining formation can we exert the power of group fighting. . . At this point, China's understanding of ancient times is much clearer than that of the West. . . Like modern wars, the greatest casualties and achievements of ancient wars were not in organized confrontation, but after destroying the enemy's organized battles. . . Array method is the external manifestation of organized fighting. In other words, the massacre began after the formation was destroyed. . . Therefore, when the strength is not much different and the two sides confront each other, the two sides often try to undermine the stability of the enemy formation. . . For example, sending a small number of cavalry to attack repeatedly to prevent the enemy from deploying. For example, in a Chu-Jin confrontation in the Spring and Autumn Period, the Chu army forcibly deployed to prevent the Jin army from forming an array. 8 Jin Jun filled the pit and the well, removed the camp, and finally removed the fence to form an array. . . In the process of disposal, archers are often sent to occupy and control a certain area, and long-range attack weapons are used to control a large area. In the words of an old novel or storytelling, it is to "shoot the position" to prevent the enemy from rushing. . . When the battle is broken, or a powerful soldier is sent as a guide to break into the battle, the army will make a forced breakthrough (cone array is more appropriate). This is what the idiom "people are trapped in the array" refers to. . . Or lure the enemy into complex terrain. . . Or attack the weak part in a roundabout way. . .
Here we can talk about the problem of ancient generals taking the lead. . . Many people are suspicious of the scenes of a large number of generals in storytelling and old novels. . . It is true that ancient generals took the lead or took the lead. . . The earliest records should appear in the Spring and Autumn Period. . . In some periods, due to the lack of grass-roots units, poor organizational quality and weak equipment, some well-equipped generals with superb martial arts became the core of an army, and his life and death decided the success or failure of this army. . . For example, in the early days of the Three Kingdoms. . . There are many examples of generals fighting one-on-one or millions of troops galloping freely This is because at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, after the Yellow Scarf Uprising, a large number of elite troops were consumed. The armies organized by various warlords lack grass-roots organizations, lack training and low morale. Once you encounter unpredictable situations such as camp attack, ambush, grain shortage and fire attack, it is easy to collapse. . . This happened several times during the Three Kingdoms period, which is why fewer wins more. . . Defeat most of the troops lacking training and integration with a few elite soldiers, for example, in the battle of Guandu, Yuan collapsed due to lack of food; Battle of Red Cliffs, because of fire, eight hundred thousand jun was killed; In the battle of Yiling, Liu Beichuan and the Shu army were defeated by fire. . . However, with the formation of the three countries, all countries are training their troops in restructuring. At this time, the army's group operations are the main ones, and there are few one-on-one battles between some generals. Leading generals in various countries have also changed from focusing on personal force to focusing on leadership and strategic ability, such as Zhuge Liang, Sima Yi, Lu Xun, Jiang Wei and Wargo. . . Therefore, in the absence of grass-roots organizations, it is normal for the general to fight one-on-one . When there is a confrontation, whether it is a siege or a siege, the two sides set up their positions and are most afraid of being surrounded. If nothing is done, the morale of the soldiers will be greatly reduced, and the formation will be scattered, giving the enemy an opportunity. . . At this time, generals with high martial arts were sent to challenge the enemy. Winning the battle can improve your morale. . .
During the Warring States Period, Sun Bin's The Art of War is a masterpiece of ancestors, and the ancient arrays before the Spring and Autumn Period are summarized into ten arrays. These "ten arrays" are square array, circular array, sparse array, several arrays, cone array, goose array, hook array, mysterious array, water array, fire array and so on. Water array and fire array are about the tactics of water and fire warfare, not just array methods, so Sun Bin Ten Array actually has only eight basic arrays. . .
Phalanx: phalanx is the most basic formation in military operations in the era of cold weapons. The large phalanx is all composed of small phalanxes, which is called "the phalanx in the containment matrix". Sun Bin believes that a phalanx should be "thin in the middle and thick in the square", that is, there are fewer troops in the center of the phalanx and more troops around it. There are few troops in the middle, so you can bluff. There are many troops around, which can better defend against enemy attacks. Square array is a relatively balanced formation of attack and defense. Commanders and other golden drums are generally deployed behind the phalanx.
Circular array: Circular array is for circular defense. The golden drum flag is deployed in the center and there is no obvious weakness.
Sparse array: Sparse array is an evacuated battle formation, and both square and circular arrays can be sparse. Sparse the array to increase the distance between ranks, various flags, weapons, grass men, more handles at night, and fewer soldiers are stronger.
Number array: Number array is a dense battle formation, which is mainly defensive and offensive.
Conical array: it is a combat formation, and the striker is like a cone. The conical array must be sharp and fast, and the wings must be strong. It can attack the enemy on a narrow front through elite forwards, break through and split the enemy's formation, and expand the results with two wings. It is a formation that emphasizes offensive breakthrough. Cone array is also called bull array.
Yan zhen: The so-called yan zhen is a horizontal battle formation, and the left and right wings are arranged forward or backward in a ladder shape. The front is a "V" shape, just like the two arms of an ape extending forward, which is used to outflank the circuitous formation, but the defense at the back is weak. The backward layout is inverted "V" to protect the safety of the two wings and the rear and prevent the enemy from detouring. If the two wings are cavalry with strong mobility, they can be protected and supported by the central infantry at rest, and can also play the role of attacking cavalry and increase suddenness. Alexander's battle in India was similar to this formation.
Hook-shaped array, the front of the hook-shaped array is a square array, and the two wings are bent back into a hook shape to protect the safety of the flank and prevent the enemy from attacking the golden drum at the rear.
Xuanxiang Array: This is a false array that confuses the enemy. The distance between the queues is very large, and most of the flags and drums are constantly beating. It simulates the sound and footsteps of soldiers marching. It seems that the troops are huge and deceive the enemy in various ways.
Shamefully, the leader in this research is the Japanese. We can see the shadow of Sun Bin in many Japanese Three Kingdoms games and movies. . .