1842.
The Soldier's Manual,
493
All want of caution in this respect
such inquiries should be defeated. must be subject to serious notice.
This section is important because it teaches us, that it is one of the stratgemata or military manœuvres of the Chinese to send spies into the enemy's camp, who by professing themselves to the "true men" gain opportunities not only of scanning his resources, but of probing his heart, and thus learning how far fear, hope, or resolution predominate.
The eleventh section supposes that the enemy is in sight, and if the spot be level, directs that the soldiers should boldly hasten to their posts, and follow their respective companies in battle array. The action opens by a fire from the large guns, or ginjalls, and then the matchlocks. And as the enemy draws near, bows and long spears are put in requisition. Each man is to keep his rank and stand at the dis- tance of fourteen inches from his companion. The cavalry is to be divided into two brigades in resemblance to the Roman alæ or wings. If the enemy advances close up, a vigorous fire should be kept up, since the greater the number and the closer the order, the more des. tructive is a discharge of cannon and musquetry. If the eneiny's scouts are seen here and there, and make their appearance suddenly, it is plain that his main body is at a distance, that it is following slowly, is a regular army, and that the aim of these scouts in going before is to find out the road, and to commit any mischief that may come in their way.
In this case, when these scouts or advanced guard ap. proach, the musketeers, bowmen and horse are ordered to advance, and after one discharge of their missiles to retreat slowly toward the camp—not at once, but at several periods. This movement is to be followed by a discharge from the artillery and four rounds of musketry. And then while the view of the enemy is intercepted by smoke, the spearmen are sent forth to explore, to be presently after succeeded by the bowmen. If after all these manœuvres and assaults, the foe is not driven back, recourse must be had to the great guns, with an im- plied certainty that the artillery would be sufficient, if stoutly plied, to foil and disorganize any body that might advance in front of it, for the horse are ordered to pursue in two brigades, to stop the retreat of the vanquished, and cut them to pieces if a fair position can be found. The fallacy of this postulatum, that no soldier will go up to a can. non's mouth has been shown in many of the late rencontres to the consternation of its inventors, who see themselves in a moment bereft of the main stay of their military tact, their darling principle of inductive wisdom and good generalship,