Starting with a Wei Wu soldier

About fifteen miles northeast of Xinghuo Fortress, a relatively open area with low hills and sparse forests was designated as a top-secret training ground. This area was not far from the pre-planned decisive battle zone and had a similar terrain, with flat ground for large armies to deploy as well as undulating terrain and vegetation, making it ideal for practicing the complex and ever-changing "Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation".

It was the height of summer, the sun blazing down, and the training ground was shrouded in heat and dust. But even hotter than the scorching sun was the almost burning focus and sweat of nearly three hundred of the most elite soldiers of the Xinghuo Battalion.

The drill has been going on for three days.

The initial chaos and confusion were almost despairing.

A dark gold scroll was unfurled under a makeshift awning. Chen Wei, Murong Mingyue, Wu Xuejiu, along with more than ten selected squad leaders and platoon leaders with strong comprehension, were dizzy from looking at the dense diagrams and annotations. What were terms like "Hidden troops at the Rest Gate," "Luring the enemy at the Life Gate," "Strangling the enemy at the Wound Gate," and "Death Gate in a desperate situation"? What were terms like "The Eight Gates rotate, moving according to the timing of heaven and changing with the terrain"? What were terms like "Flags are divided into five colors, drums have seven tones, each with its own command"?... It was all mysterious, profound, and obscure.

After barely grasping the basic positions of the eight gates and the general function of each "gate" in the formation, Chen Wei gritted his teeth and began his first attempt at setting up the formation.

He divided the three hundred people into eight "gate" teams, each with about thirty people, and appointed temporary "gate leaders". Then, according to the basic array diagram on the scroll, he drew a huge Bagua (Eight Trigrams) diagram on the ground with lime and had each team stand in its initial position.

It took almost half a day just to get these three hundred men to understand which "gate" they belonged to and which direction they should stand in. They could distinguish east, west, south, and north, but the eight trigrams—Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, and Dui—were like gibberish to most of the illiterate soldiers. In the end, they had to simplify it, using "position one," "position two,"... "position eight" instead, and making more obvious marks on the ground.

After taking position, Chen Wei attempted to issue his first and simplest command: "Change formation! 'Life Gate' forward, 'Death Gate' backward, 'Injury Gate' and 'Block Gate' on both sides for cover!"

The result was chaos. The "Life Gate" team, having received their orders, moved forward a few steps in confusion, unsure how far to go or which team to align with. The "Death Gate" team hesitated and retreated, nearly bumping into the "Shock Gate" team behind them. The "Injury Gate" and "Block Gate" teams on either side were even more bewildered, unsure how to provide cover—should they raise their shields? Or point their spears forward?

The formation instantly twisted and deformed, like building blocks being haphazardly manipulated by a mischievous child. Soldiers bumped into each other, muttering complaints, their faces filled with confusion and impatience. Under the scorching sun, sweat mixed with dust, carving deep lines into their faces.

Chen Wei's face was ashen, barely suppressing his anxiety. Murong Mingyue stood to the side, her brows furrowed. Her cavalry wouldn't participate in the basic formation drills for now, but she needed to understand the changes in formation so that the cavalry could coordinate their attacks later. Wu Xuejiu kept wiping away sweat, comparing the scrolls, trying to find the problem.

"Halt!" Chen Wei shouted, his voice hoarse. "Everyone, rest for fifteen minutes! Team leaders and platoon leaders, come here!"

Under the shade of the canopy, another chaotic and urgent discussion ensued.

"No, it's too complicated! The brothers can't remember what they're supposed to do at all!" one of the team leaders said with a pained expression.

"Those flags and drums are like talking to a brick wall! What's with all the drumming and flag-waving? We're confused just listening and watching, and the guys below are even more clueless!" another squad leader complained.

Murong Mingyue suddenly said, "Commander Chen, this formation seems to rely heavily on the central command's orders and the tacit coordination between the various units. However, since we are beginners, why don't we simplify it first? Fix a few of the most likely formations and practice them repeatedly until they become second nature. We should also fix a few of the simplest flag and drum commands first, such as advancing drums, retreating gold, moving blue flags to the left, and moving red flags to the right?"

Wu Xuejiu also said, "General Mingyue is right. Although the battle formations are complex, how can we calculate them all the time when facing the enemy? We should simplify the complex and grasp the essence. Why not first determine three to five basic formations, such as the 'Defensive Circle Formation,' the 'Offensive Cone Formation,' and the 'Enemy Pocket Formation,' to correspond to different enemy situations? Each soldier only needs to remember his position and actions in each formation."

Chen Wei's eyes lit up. He wasn't one to be rigidly conventional, but he had been intimidated by the legendary array and hesitated to adapt. Hearing their explanation, he immediately understood. He carefully studied the scroll again and discovered that although it encompassed everything, its core consisted of a few basic variations. The so-called Eight Gates Rotation was simply the combination and derivation of these basic variations in different situations.

"Alright! Let's do as you two suggest!" Chen Wei decided. "Let's first master the two formations most likely to counter the Black Mountain Army's infantry charges and cavalry assaults! We can add other variations later!"

With a clear objective and a well-defined strategy, efficiency began to improve. Chen Wei, along with Wu Xuejiu, Murong Mingyue, and the other officers, quickly devised two simplified battle formations, combining the essential principles of the scroll formation with the realities of the battlefield:

Firstly, the "Iron Wall Formation." This formation uses the "Life Gate" and "View Gate" as the front, with the "Injury Gate" and "Block Gate" on the left and right flanks, respectively. The "Rest Gate" and "Open Gate" serve as reserves hidden behind the formation, while the "Death Gate" and "Shock Gate" are positioned slightly behind the flanks for mobility and counter-attacks. This formation emphasizes defense, with shields in front, spears in the center, and crossbows in the rear, specifically designed to counter enemy infantry charges.

Secondly, the "Strangulation Formation." This formation is even more aggressive. The front of the formation deliberately feigns weakness to lure the enemy deep into its territory. The "Wound" and "Death" gates on both sides suddenly advance to attack from both sides, while the "Block" and "Surprise" gates at the rear outflank to cover the rear. The "View" and "Open" gates then push forward from the center, coordinating with the cavalry charge within the formation to completely encircle and annihilate the enemy forces trapped inside. This formation is highly risky, but demands extremely high levels of command and coordination. It is specifically designed to deal with arrogant and reckless enemies, especially cavalry.

The formations were simplified, and so were the flag and drum signals. Drums were used for advancing and retreating, different colored flags were used for moving left and right, and rapid bell tolls accompanied by specific flag signals were used for changing formations. Within each "gate" team, the division of labor was further refined, clearly defining who was the shield bearer, who was the spearman, who was the crossbowman or axeman, and a signalman was designated within the team.

The situation improved dramatically during the next practice session. Although they were still unfamiliar with the drills and made mistakes frequently, at least everyone knew roughly which direction to move in and what actions to take. Through repeated practice, their muscles began to memorize the positions, their ears began to get used to the drumbeats, and their eyes began to pay attention to the flag signals.

Chen Xing would take time every day to personally visit the training ground. He didn't directly command, but simply observed quietly. Occasionally, during breaks, he would exchange a few words with Chen Wei and Murong Mingyue, offering some minor adjustments based on modern collaborative combat concepts. For example, he suggested leaving safe distances and passages between gates during formation changes to avoid collisions; and he also suggested how the crossbowmen could fire in segments within the formation to create continuous firepower.

His suggestions were often to the point, enlightening Chen Wei and others. Seeing that the fortress lord had personally come to supervise the training, the soldiers dared not slack off. Even when they were exhausted to the point of collapse, they would still grit their teeth and persevere as soon as the drums and flags sounded.

Murong Mingyue's mounted archer battalion was also busy. During breaks in basic formation drills, she would personally lead the cavalry to simulate the Black Mountain Army's "Iron Falcons" charge, assaulting the infantry formation from different angles to test the formation's stability and its speed in responding to cavalry attacks. Initially, the cavalry charges often disrupted the formation, even capturing enemy generals and flags. However, as the infantry became more familiar with the two basic formations and their coordination improved, the difficulty of cavalry charges increased. The infantry learned to use dense spear formations and shield walls to block the first wave of attack, to slow its speed with crossbow bolts, and to quickly change formation to block gaps when the cavalry attempted to flank.

Sweat soaked through everyone's clothes, then dried under the scorching sun, forming white salt stains. Their throats were hoarse from shouting, their palms were raw, and blisters covered their feet. But no one complained or gave up. Everyone understood that what they were practicing was not just a formation, but their hope for survival, a shield for their homes.

As night falls, the drills often continue. Torches illuminate the field, and officers gather around sand tables and battle formations, reviewing the day's mistakes and debating improvements for tomorrow. Soldiers sit together, chewing on dry rations, their hoarse voices reminding each other of the details to pay attention to in tomorrow's drills.

Inside Starfire Fortress, while the others were preparing for battle, they also vaguely knew that the fortress lord and Commander Chen were practicing an extremely powerful new battle tactic. Although they did not know the specifics, the atmosphere of the entire fortress being united as one and holding their breath was infectious to everyone.

Five days later, the formations on the training ground were finally taking shape. Although it was far from reaching the mysterious realm of "eight gates rotating and endlessly regenerating" described on the scroll, at least the "Iron Wall Formation" could be quickly formed under the command of drums and flags, and it was quite methodical in resisting the simulated infantry charge; the "Strangulation Formation" could also basically complete the process of luring the enemy, flanking, and encircling, although it was stiff, it was already showing its initial form.

Looking at the hundreds of soldiers under the setting sun, their eyes resolute despite their weariness, Chen Wei felt a slight relief from the heavy pressure in his heart. He knew that time was still tight and the drills were far from perfect, but this unit, which had just undergone a transformative and rigorous training, had already grasped the key to using the weak to fight the strong and to break through enemy lines with formations.

The sharpness of the formation is being honed inch by inch through blood and sweat.