Infantry Warfare

AnonymousBashu Publishing House · ChinaJun 2024

3.5

Word count: 642 words
Chapters: 3

Summary

In all cases where infantry fight against chariots and cavalry, victory is certain if one fights by relying on hills, defiles, and forests. If one encounters level and easy ground, one must use chevaux-de-frise spears to form a square formation, with the infantry inside. Cavalry and infantry are each divided into holding units and combat units. Holding units guard the formation; combat units go out to fight. When combat units guard the formation, holding units go out to fight. If the enemy attacks one side of us, our two flanks send out troops to fall upon them from the side; if the enemy attacks two sides of us, we divide our forces to strike them from the rear; if the enemy attacks four sides of us, we form a circular formation and send troops out in all directions to strike vigorously. If the enemy is defeated and flees, cavalry pursue them and infantry follow behind; this is then the certain method of victory. The military classic says: "When infantry fight against chariots and cavalry, they must rely on hills and defiles; if there are no defiles, have our officers and soldiers make barricades and caltrops."

Editor's review

"Bu Zhan" is a chapter in ancient military texts devoted specifically to infantry formations and responses in combat against chariots and cavalry. The text proposes that victory is won by drawing up formations relying on hills, defiles, and forests; on level ground, one forms a square formation with chevaux-de-frise spears, with infantry inside, and cavalry and infantry divided into holding units and combat units taking turns to guard and fight. It further gives responses to the different situations of the enemy attacking one side, two sides, or four sides—flanking strikes, rear assaults, and vigorous fighting from a circular formation—and advocates that when the enemy retreats, cavalry pursue and infantry follow behind. The whole chapter is clearly structured, from choice of terrain to formation organization to changes in the face of the enemy, constituting a complete set of ideas for infantry resisting cavalry; it is concrete material for studying ancient infantry-cavalry tactics and formations. The 2024 Bashu Publishing House edition makes it convenient for readers to study this chapter separately. When reading, one may combine ancient formation diagrams and battle cases to understand the actual operation of the rotation of "holding units" and "combat units," and may also read it alongside other military chapters in the same book to grasp the ancient military texts' emphasis on terrain and adaptability.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Military history students studying ancient infantry tactics and formations
Researchers who need primary military text materials and are concerned with infantry-cavalry confrontation
Enthusiasts interested in ancient military documents who have classical Chinese reading ability

Not a good fit for

Readers hoping for modern battle case analysis or tactical diagram tutorials
Beginners who have difficulty reading classical Chinese and need sentence-by-sentence annotation of the full text

Reading tips

While reading, sketch the troop dispositions of the square and circular formations to understand the rotation of holding units and combat units
Combine the terrain conditions in the text and reflect on the actual use of fighting by relying on defiles in light of ancient battle cases
Read alongside other military chapters in the same book and compare the similarities and differences in discussions of different troop types' tactics

About the publisher

Bashu Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Bashu Publishing House is a publisher centered on collating and publishing classical Chinese cultural texts, with its main publishing areas covering classical literature, Eastern philosophy, ancient poetry, and educational classics. Its library currently holds 1,075 titles, including representative works such as Dream of the Red Chamber, the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, Renjian Cihua, and Out to the Frontier, involving authors such as Cao Xueqin, Wang Xizhi, Wang Guowei, Wang Changling, Liu Xie, and Yan Yu. These reflect the publisher's focus on literary classics, poetry criticism, and philosophical readings. Its publishing character lies in working around ancient texts and canonical works, with attention to textual collation and presentation. Public information on its more detailed publishing background and series plans is limited; this introduction is based only on the library's book information.

版权信息
正文一
正文二

FAQ

What combat situations does "Bu Zhan" mainly discuss?

This chapter is devoted to methods of infantry fighting against chariots and cavalry, emphasizing drawing up formations relying on hills, defiles, and forests; on level ground, forming a square formation with chevaux-de-frise spears and dividing into holding units and combat units to take turns guarding and fighting, while also giving responses and pursuit methods when the enemy attacks one side, two sides, or four sides.

What do "holding units" and "combat units" in the text respectively refer to?

According to the original text, cavalry and infantry are each divided into holding units and combat units: holding units are responsible for guarding the formation, combat units for going out to fight; the two rotate, with one side guarding the formation while the other fights. This is the core of the formation organization in this chapter, and readers may use it to understand its idea of taking turns to meet the enemy.

Does reading this chapter require formation diagrams?

It is recommended. The original text describes only in words the positional relations of the square and circular formations and of divided forces striking from the side and assaulting from the rear; if one has ancient formation diagrams at hand and draws while reading, one can more intuitively understand troop deployment and methods of response.

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About the author

Anonymous Author

Anonymous is not a real personal name but a general Chinese designation for authors whose names are unknown, lost, or unsigned. Neither nationality nor dates of birth and death can be verified, and available public information is limited, so the works attributed to this name are the only basis for description. The collection holds 2,078 works under Anonymous, spanning medicine, classics, historical readings, ancient poetry, classical literature, and philosophy. Representative works include The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon: Lingshu, Mencius, The Book of Documents, Nineteen Old Poems, Complete Song Ci, and The Peacock Flies Southeast. Most of these works took shape through long transmission and editing, emerging either from collective folk creation or from authors whose names were lost over time. In ancient China, the Book of Songs, the Great Learning, and many popular storybooks and plays were signed Anonymous because their authors could not be traced. Anonymous works cross the classics, histories, philosophical writings, medical texts, and poetry; their subjects are broad, and their styles vary from archaic simplicity to clear naturalness, making them important and influential sources for understanding ancient Chinese thought, medicine, and literature.