Ancient FormationsEdit

Brief introduction

Ancient Chinese warfare was very particular about formations, that is, combat formations, which were called "arrays". If the formation is properly arranged, the combat effectiveness of the army can be brought into full play and the enemy can be defeated.

There are three famous combat formations in ancient Chinese military history:

The Eight Arrays were created by Sun Bin, a great military strategist during the Warring States Period, and are said to have been inspired by the Bagua diagram of the Book of Changes, so they are also called Bagua Arrays. The specific formation is that the general is in the center, and a team of regular soldiers is distributed on each side, and four teams of mobile combat odd soldiers are sent between the regular soldiers to form eight formations. The eight arrays are scattered into eight, and they become one, and they divide and merge to form sixty-four arrays. At that time, Zhuge Liang also used stones to lay out the direction of eight formations in Fengjie, Sichuan, as a purpose for coaches and soldiers to practice formations, called "Eight Formations." ”

The Star Scattering Array is the formation of the famous Southern Song Dynasty general Yue Fei to break the "kidnapping horse" of the golden soldiers. The formation of the Star Scattering Array was like stars, and when the "kidnapping horses" rushed in a row, the soldiers scattered but did not gather, causing the enemy to pounce into the air. When the enemy retreated, the scattered soldiers gathered again, pounced on the enemy, and slashed the horse's leg with a knife to break the "kidnapping horse".

The Mandarin Duck Formation is a formation created by the Ming Dynasty general Qi Jiguang to fight against the Japanese invaders. He divided the soldiers into three groups, and when the enemy advanced to a hundred paces, the first group fired firearms; When the enemy advanced sixty paces, the second group of soldiers fired crossbow arrows; When the enemy advanced to ten paces, the third group of soldiers charged at the enemy with swords and spears. These changes reflect the evolution of China's combat formations from traditional phalanxes to multi-arm group formations.

Eight Array Diagrams

A formation created by Zhuge Liang during the Three Kingdoms. Legend has it that when Zhuge Kongming resisted the enemy, he piled up stones into a stone formation, and was divided into eight doors according to Dunjia: rest, life, injury, Du, Jing, death, shock, and opening, and there were ten thousand changes, and he could be a hundred thousand elite soldiers. (See "Romance of the Three Kingdoms")

In later generations, it is very rare to be proficient in this formation, but it unexpectedly appeared in Taihu Mountain Villa in the Ming Dynasty. Taihu Mountain Villa owner Taitai Zhongyuanhua used this formation to train eight people to stand in the position of the eight gates, advance and retreat freely when attacking the enemy, come and go like a tide, extremely strange and powerful, and used this formation to trap the eight masters with unique skills. (See Liang Yusheng's "The Shadow of Ping")

Another example is the rockery trees of Ren Tianwu's house, which are arranged according to the ancient method of the Eight Formations, and ordinary people will definitely not be able to go out if they are not familiar with this array. (See Liang Yusheng's "Ming Di Yunlu")

According to the "Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms, Shu Zhi, Zhuge Liang Biography": "(Liang) deduces the art of war to make eight formations. Later generations examined its relics and painted them into graphics, see "Wubei Zhi". According to records, there are three relics of the Eight Array Diagrams: "Shuijing and Shuishui Note" and "Hanzhong Fuzhi" say that they are in the east of Zhuge Liang's tomb in the southeast of Shaanxi Xianxian (now Mianxian County); "Huanyu Ji" said that it was on the south river side of Kuizhou (now Fengjie County) in Sichuan, and "Ming Yi Tongzhi" said that it was in Mumi Town, thirty miles north of Xindu County, Sichuan.

Mi County, Henan Province, discovered a set of China's earliest "Eight Formations of War Map after the Wind". The picture is divided into nine pieces, one is the main picture of eight formations, and the other eight are eight formations, namely: the sky covering the array, the ground carrying array, the wind lifting array, the cloud hanging array, the dragon flying array, the tiger wing array, the bird flying array, and the snake pan array. A caption is attached to the diagram, detailing the tactical application of each formation to attack and retreat in a special environment. According to the "Historical Records", the queen of the wind was a member of the Xuanyuan Yellow Emperor. The Tang Dynasty military strategist and Changzhou Thorn Shi Dugu and the stele of "Yunyan Guanfeng Hou Eight Arrays" of the relics of Yunyan Guanguan in Mi County record in detail the deeds of the Yellow Emperor and Fenghou in researching and creating the "Eight Arrays". The discovery of this map has advanced the history of China's eight formations of the art of war by 2,500 years.

Bagua and two ritual arrays

It is arranged according to the innate small gossip and is matched with a kind of battle formation with the wonderful effect of light. This array is killing with seven numbers, and every positive must have a counter. Those who enter this formation will feel an invisible pressure, as if the ground under their feet is tilted to one side. The lights are unpredictable, and there is a magic way to turn one into seven. Of these seven apparitions, the third is a real body. Zhu Cui was once caught in this formation on Bule Island, and he was helped by Shan Kun to break through the formation. (See Yat Siu's "Princess Sanssouciac")

Seven Star Hammer Array

The formation used by Ge Huachang, who is known as the Big Dipper constellation in the martial arts. Seven people are arranged according to the direction of the Big Dipper, each holding a meteor hammer to attack the enemy, the beauty of which is that every time you make a move, you can turn seven into a hammer, string into a Big Dipper constellation, neatly and uniformly, endlessly, and flawlessly. Yu Tongchun, the son of the white horse, was trapped by this formation and was on the verge of despair, but fortunately his lover Shangguan Su helped him to break through the formation. (See Cao Ruobing's "Blue Blood Qingfeng")

Seven-Star Flying Hammer Array

Refer to the formation of the Big Dipper to spread the world. "Shatuo Seven Hammers" according to the position of Tianxuan Star, Tianji Star, Tianquan Star, Yuheng Star, Kaiyang Star, Yaoguang Star, Tianshu Star, surrounded the enemy in the array, each person made a move at will, each person flying hammer is all a ball into seven, endless, the strong internal force produced makes the enemy feel that the operation is not working, and the enemy can be trapped and killed after a long time. This array implies the study of the life and restraint of heaven and earth, the inversion of the virtual and the real, without the essence and the future, which is really unpredictable and difficult to prevent. Zhang Dingyuan was trapped by this array. (See Gu Long's "Lost Light and Blood Shadow")

Seven Kills

The full name is "The Seven Killing Arrays of Heaven and Earth", which was created by the one-eyed and lame Xuanyuan Sanqi in the martial arts. It is characterized by being weird and terrifying. The formation consisted of seven black-clad blind men, armed with a staff in their left hand and a folding fan in their right, dancing in the air to the accompaniment of a strange rhythm to the sound of a piano. The rhythm of the piano is getting faster and faster, their steps are getting faster and faster, the dance of the cane is getting faster and faster, and the circle surrounded by seven people is gradually shrinking, and the pressure generated is gradually increasing, like a woven net, which is gradually tightening. At this point, their target is like a fish in a net, waiting to be killed. Xuanyuan Sanqi once used this formation to capture the heroine Xiao Shiyi Lang alive, but was defeated by Xiao Shiyi Liang with a deer knife. (See Gu Long's "Fire and Xiao Eleven Lang")

Seven Star Bagua Sword Array

The Kunlun faction sword array was created by the seven sons of Kunlun, and the Kunlun faction became famous. This sword array is set up according to the direction of the eight trigrams, and it is secretly combined with the changes of the seven stars. When facing the enemy, Lingxuzi, the head of the seven sons of Kunlun, stood on the dry position, and Lingxiazi stood in the Kun position, Lingzhongzi stood in the Kan position, Lingzhongzi guarded the earthquake position, Lingyunzi put out of position, Lingquanzi protected the position, Lingxuanzi defended Xun position, and set aside the Gen position for people to enter and exit. The skills of the seven people are almost the same, the sound is connected, the heart is in touch, the vertical and horizontal strikes, echoing each other, therefore, the exertion of strength exceeds the total strength of the seven people. The Seven Sons of Kunlun once trapped Min Xiao and Cao Jun, the Seven Evil Confucian Scholars, and Cao Jun, the Ice Spirit Divine Monarch, did not die under this sword formation because the Lingkong Mage came forward to say something. (See Chen Qingyun's "Lost Stars in the Sword")

Twelve Heavenly Gate Arrays

The first of the 49 Taoist formations was created by referring to the mysteries of the Book of Changes. The Taoist master inserted twelve small round sticks on the ground, in the layman's opinion, there is no law at all, one in the east, one in the west has a positive and oblique, as if it is inserted casually, but if the two doors of "death" and "annihilation" are opened, even if the martial arts master, if he does not understand the mystery, he will also turn around in the formation for a while. This array is used to sin the enemy, which is really wonderful. (See Chen Qingyun's "Phantom of the Giant Palm")

Nine Palace Bagua Array

The formation of Liu Qinghe, the third junior brother of Tang Tiansheng, the head of the Tang Sect in Sichuan. This array will arrange piles of gravel according to the direction of the nine palace gossip, and there are many changes. People were trapped in the array, only to feel that it was dark everywhere, gloomy and foggy, and they could not get out of the door. (See Dongfang Yu's "Red Line Heroes")

Nine Palace Bagua Sword Array

The sword array that can best express the power of Wudang swordsmanship. It is composed of nine people who are proficient in the swordsmanship of serial death, according to the direction of the nine palace gossip. Since the Huangye Dao people of the Wudang faction created this sword formation at the end of the Ming Dynasty, it has only been used three times in more than a hundred years. The Wudang faction's serial swordsmanship is known for its swiftness and secretiveness, and if a few people who are proficient in the serial life-killing swordsmanship are used together, then there is simply no gap, and even flies are difficult to fly through. (See Liang Yusheng's "Cloud Sea Jade Bow Edge")

Knife net array

The formation created by Yu Junfeng, the sword king. The formation is a group of nine people, eight people stand in the eight directions of Kan, Li, Dui, Zhen, Xun, Qian, Kun, and Gen, and the other person responds in the center, attacking the enemy with a fast knife, dividing and attacking together, nine people are like one, if the other party tries to break through, it is bound to be injured under the chaotic knife. (See Liang Yusheng's "Guangling Sword")

Three swords and sticks

The battle formation composed of three people, Chuan Shen Jia, Rong Shenwu, and Cao Shenhai, held three copper rods and three sharp knives. Few people in the rivers and lakes can escape this formation. The Black Cuckoo, the master of the Ten Thousand Killing Sect, died in the Three Absolute Swords and Sticks. After the king of the killers, Sima Xue, broke the three battle formations with a blue blood sword. (See Gu Long's "The Prodigal Son")

Sanmao Palace rockery

The three-handed real person uses a kind of Qimen Ecstasy Array arranged by the rockery of Sanmao Palace. This rockery is about the same height as the wall, and when you fall into the rockery, you will feel that the surroundings are dark, the mountains are undulating, and the peaks are inserted into the sky. Chu Yuxiang and Ying Wushuang were once trapped in a rockery. (See Dongfang Yu's "The First Sword of the East")

Flying Fish Nine Tripod Formation

A kind of battle array designed by Jiang Xing, the water kou flying fish in Jiangze Lake. Nine people, nine tripods, nine boats, front and back, left and right distribution, back and forth, flying ding, nine boats move together, virtual and real, dazzling the enemy. It is said that this Jiuding is the Yin Shang era, the Son of Heaven sent 500 soldiers to mine the gold and stone of Bayan Kala Mountain in Sichuan, and played a very important role in China's thousands of years of history. (See Liang Yusheng's "Wudang One Sword")

According to the "Historical Records of Emperor Wu": "Yu collects nine gold into the pasture, casts nine tripods, and is like Kyushu." According to legend, Chengtang moved Jiuding to Shangyi. Because Jiuding has become a national treasure symbolizing the state power, during the Warring States Period, Qin and Chu all had the matter of rejuvenating teachers to seek tripods in Zhou. In the forty-second year of King Zhou Xian, Jiuding was not under the city of Pengcheng in Surabaya. Long live the second year of Tang Wuhou, and the third year of Chongning of Song Huizong, he also cast nine tripods. The Jin people went south, plundered Jiuding and migrated north, and their whereabouts were unknown. The author used the allusion of Jiuding to fabricate this method.

Thousand-faced search and killing array

A variant of the Bagua Snatching Array, combined with the refraction of sunlight. Each person in the formation holds a knife in one hand and a multi-edged silver medal in the other, using the special terrain and sunlight refraction to create a strange illusion, one person into four, and four people into eight. Those who enter the battle are indistinguishable from reality, and they have the feeling of being attacked from all sides. Cao Yu used this array to besiege Zhu Cui on the outskirts of Hanyang, and Zhu Cui jumped to a high place to look down on the flaws and broke out. (See Yat Siu's "Princess Sanssouciac")

Little Six multiplies the heart array

The formation created by the sick scholar Hua Ming for five years of hard work. Guo Feihong accidentally fell into this array, only to see the dense forest surrounded by trees, and he couldn't find a way out. He looked in one direction and traveled three miles quickly, but there was still a dense forest in front of him, and when he looked closely, he did not leave his place, but only circled around here. (See Xiao Yat's "Dragon and Earth Tiger")

Great Five Elements Sword Formation

The Wudang faction is famous for its sword formation. Twenty-five Taoists, in a group of five, lined up like a plum blossom in a formation, surrounded the enemy in the middle, the sword array flowed, and the twenty-five long swords converged into a piece of essence, and shot at the same time, impermeable and powerful. There are few people under the Great Five Elements Sword Formation who have survived. (See Dongfang Yu's "North Mountain Dragon")