However, there were not so many military flags in ancient real wars, which were all added by film and television dramas to create a visual impact.
Military flags can be roughly divided into five categories, namely: tooth flag (flag), signal flag, contact net flag (flag), array flag (five-square flag) and general flag. However, this does not mean that all military flags need to be protected to death.
So, what kind of military flag is the most important and needs to be preserved until death?
Commander-in-chief can judge the change of enemy and us forces on the battlefield by "flag" and "general flag" at a glance, so as to make the right choice when dispatching troops. Wherever the flag pointed, the soldiers rushed to the battlefield. And where the flag points, the soldiers under his command will rush there.
In other words, under normal circumstances, the first flag and the general flag will appear at the same time, and the number of the country is often written on the first flag, such as Qin, Han, Tang, Song, etc. The general's surname is often written on the flag, such as Wei (Wei Qing), Huo (Huo Qubing) and Yue (Fei).
But the rule of the flag size of each rank is that the higher the rank, the bigger the flag, and vice versa. For example, in the Han Dynasty, the flag of a general was obviously larger than that of a subordinate general, while the general with a mixed brand and the guard with a mixed brand of six products were not qualified to own the flag of a general.
After the battle, soldiers from both sides will follow the No.1 flag and take the lead. Even if they are dispersed, they can quickly find their own troops and get close to each other or rescue them, and the other side can also find their own targets as soon as possible.
At the same time, the commanders of both sides can judge the strength of the enemy and ourselves according to the number of flags and flags. Because most flags and general flags are the core of an army. Once the flag and the flag fall down or retreat, it means that our army's peripheral defense line has been breached by the enemy, and an army general is not only dangerous, but also likely to be killed. Or, once the military flag blows and retreats, the commanders (commanders and fighters) of both sides will decide whether to beat drums and cheer, call for continued attack, sound gongs to withdraw troops, transfer troops to rescue, or command troops to cover, and shoot them.
Therefore, once the flag falls or retreats, it will deal a great blow to our morale, but it will boost the morale of the enemy, which is also related to the outcome of a battle. Therefore, as long as you can win the flag on the battlefield, you must have made great contributions. For example, in the Battle of Mobei, Li Gan was commended by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty for winning the left flag, and was named the emperor inside Shanhaiguan Pass, eating 200 households, which made up for his father's regret that it was difficult to seal Li Guang.
However, some famous soldiers can use flags to plan and win great victories in wars.
For example, Biography of Historical Records of Huaiyin Hou records that in 204 BC, Han Xin seized the narrow path in Jingxing at the last stop (also known as the Battle of Jingxing), and sent 2,000 Qingqi in the middle of the night, each holding a flag (the flag of the Han army) and lying in ambush behind Zhao's camp. After the Han army pretended to retreat and sent Zhao You out of the camp, two thousand Qingqi ambushed behind Zhao Jiaying quickly rushed into Zhao Jiaying, unplugged Zhao Jiaqi and hung the red flag of the Han army.
Soon, Zhao Jun, who was defeated by the Han army, wanted to go back to the camp, only to find that the camp was full of flags of the Han army, which immediately surprised the team. As a result, Han Xin took the opportunity to attack, Zhao was defeated and the prince of Zhao was captured.
From this point of view, both the No.1 flag and the general flag are very important. But the flag is relatively common, and it can't reach the point of "swearing to save" at all. Although the flag is more important than the flag on the battlefield, it is only one of countless generals in a battle, and it does not reach the level of "defending to the death" of the whole army.
Commander-in-chief can deploy his own troops and dispatch and command the ancient battlefield through the "array flag" (also known as the five-party flag). In the confrontation, the "five-element army array" is often used, representing five directions, namely Qinglong (Zuo Jun), Baihu (right army), Suzaku (former army), Xuanwu (rear army) and Huanglong (middle army).
However, some people say that the "five-element army array" represents "gold, wood, water, fire and earth" respectively, namely: wood (Zuo Jun, with blue flag), water (right army, with white flag), fire (former army, with red flag), earth (rear army, with black flag) and gold (middle army, with yellow flag).
According to historical records, the Five Elements Army Array originated in the Yin and Shang Dynasties.
At the same time, in order to facilitate the troops in these five directions, commanders need to use array flags, that is, the green flag represents Zuo Jun, the white flag represents the right army, the red flag represents the former army, the black flag represents the rear army, and the yellow flag represents the Chinese army. To put it simply, when the commander (commander in chief) needs Zuo Jun to attack (or retreat), he will order the flag soldiers to wave the green flag, that is, wave it up and down to represent retreat, and wave it left and right to represent charge, that is, not to retreat to death. Even in other military formations, commanders (commanders) command and dispatch through flags.
For example, the most intuitive is the array flag in Cao Cao's army, which directly uses Qinglong Banner, Baihu Banner, Suzaku Banner, Xuanwu Banner and Huanglong Banner. At the same time, in the Water Margin, there is also a record about the formation of the flag (the five-party flag): "Knock on Phnom Penh, produce the five-party flag, shoot, palm the number, go to camp, and each has its own array."
The Commander-in-Chief (Commander-in-Chief) will judge that there may be enemy ambush, swamp (river) obstruction, and unobstructed dangerous places in the mountains during the March through the semaphore of "contact flag", so as to make decision-making orders such as camping, emergency March and charge. Many people want to know why the general likes to be a pioneer. There are two main reasons: first, if you have the opportunity to meet the enemy first, it is naturally easy to make meritorious deeds first; Second, even if there is no credit, there will be hard work of "opening the road on every mountain and bridging the bridge when encountering water".
However, if the vanguard troops want to transmit the information found on the way to the main forces behind them in time, they need to use the contact flag and transmit the semaphore.
If the flag soldiers are ordered to wave the green flag and red flag, it means that the vanguard troops meet the mountain forest and signal the main force to slow down and need fire attack. After the detective, if there is no danger in the forest, he will wave a black flag to show that he can pass safely.
Command flag soldiers to cross the yellow flag and black flag, indicating that they are ambushed by the enemy and repel the ambush enemy; Commanding the flag soldiers to cross and wave the yellow and red flags indicates that there are many enemy ambushes and the situation is very dangerous. Whether to save or not, or how to save, needs to be decided by the leading general (handsome); Command the flag soldiers to cross the blue flag and white flag, indicating that there are forests and water here, which is convenient for camping to keep out the cold.