The Shields were made of rattan, making them cheap to manufacture and light-weight. Bladed weapons may even get their edge stuck in the rattan when the Shield is used to block incoming cuts, creating opportunities for the Shield soldier to kill the enemy.

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     The reason why the "Mandarin Duck Formation" was named as such, was because there was always a pair of each weapon, same as Mandarin Ducks who were always in pairs.

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     Because the Japanese pirates were former Samurai, and therefore better trained, General Qi had to devise an effective formation so that he can win based on tactics, rather than on the individual's skills.

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     As you can see on the diagram, the Shields and Wolf-Brushes are used at the front of the formation for defense. Particularly, the Wolf-Brushes will be used to immobilize the enemy's weapons, so that the Spears can be used to kill them.

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     Shield-bearers carry only a single-handed sword, which has a short reach. Therefore, they need to partner with someone using a longer polearm for a longer reach to kill the enemy. In this way, the short and long weapons can complement each other's strengths and weaknesses.

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     During the 1590s, Korea faced an invasion from the Japanese Samurai, led by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. At that time, Korea was not well prepared to handle large-scale warfare, but luckily they were finally able to successfully defend themselves with the help of the Ming Dynasty army. ​

     Subsequently, when the Koreans wrote and compiled their martial arts encyclopedia, Muye Dobo Tongji, the same Shield & Wolf-Brush techniques were included inside.

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     Though the techniques in the Korean Muye Dobo Tongji are exactly the same as the ones originally in General Qi's book, "Ji Xiao Xin Shu", the Koreans added a form so that soldiers or martial artists can link up the various stances together for practice.