Holding the flag is the first thing in the military. )
The war in the Spring and Autumn Period was fought by professional aristocratic troops. The form of war is a bit like aristocratic sports competition, with many rules. At this time, even if the armies of other countries break through, the enemy's ancestral temple will generally be preserved, and things will not be perfect. Be a man so that we can meet again in the future. By the time Gou Jian destroyed Wu, the bottom line of the war had been completely penetrated. Later, in order to avoid such a tragic ending, monarchs of various countries began large-scale conscription, and a large number of civilians began to be recruited into the army to participate in the war.
In this way, the form of war has completely changed, not only the battlefield rules, but also many tactics in the Spring and Autumn Period are not applicable. In the past, the number of troops was small and the battlefield was not big. The whole battlefield is endless, and battlefield communication can take care of every corner through messengers. The bridge between Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang across the river in "Military Division Alliance" is the work mode and content of the emissary. So in the past, the army would recruit some soldiers with loud voices as messengers.
(Sima Yi Zhuge Liang scolded crossing the river)
When the number of people participating in the war is large, the scale of the battlefield is also large. Once a fight is fought, the drums, the clash of weapons and the neighing of horses are mixed together, and the messenger is not easy to use. At this time, the big drum and the golden gong should appear.
Because many of the troops are farmers who have just laid down their hoes, there are not many camps at ordinary times and they can't understand particularly complicated military orders. Therefore, generals who really lead troops to fight will make a particularly simple military order: beat drums and retreat. The commander-in-chief only needs to convey simple orders such as attack, defense and retreat to junior officers.
These military orders have been issued. How to achieve them? This is the use of grass-roots officers. Their usual job is to drill the array and be responsible for the implementation of battlefield tactics. Therefore, the strength of an army's combat effectiveness has a lot to do with grassroots officers. If a squad is dying, its soldiers will be in a mess. Therefore, an army with strict military orders will have strict military rules that each team will die and the whole team will behead. These are also the differences between the army and the mob.
(Above the high platform is the post of flag soldiers)
In addition to leading troops at ordinary times, officers are also responsible for military statistics and soldiers' exercises. So they usually know how to read and understand semaphores. The semaphore is a very secret language in the army, and the commander's tactical intention will be informed to the general officer through the semaphore. Because there is uncertainty in this situation, for example, what if officials say they can't see the semaphore? It's like gathering. Is there a horn?
So generally speaking, before the war, the generals will be promoted in rank, and the scripts and tasks of the battlefield will be given to the generals respectively, and they will obey orders. It's really necessary to use semaphores, which is a temporary big change. As for battlefield tactics, once the war starts, it can only be played by the general.
In the battle of Changping, each side had more than one million troops, all of which were distributed in the mountains near the Dan River. With such a large-scale battle, it is impossible for a coach to be in charge of a certain battlefield alone. The command of the battlefield is usually formulated before the start of the war and handed over to the generals for implementation. As for the commander, he listens to the battlefield report in the handsome account and transmits the latest operational instructions to the frontline soldiers through messengers or semaphores.
(A battlefield with a large span needs a messenger)
Large-scale group operations basically follow this battlefield communication mode. So, Han Xin would say, when a general, to understand Yin and Yang, examine geography, Xiao Bingji. He came to lead the troops, the more the better, because he only needed ten obedient generals.