Terminology - Military Ranks
Unit Commander:
A commander was the military officer who headed the entire military hierarchy and possessed supreme authority of command in the military. This was the topmost rank in the ancient Chinese military hierarchy.
Second in Command:
This rank was assigned to the military officer who followed the commander. This rank can also be considered as the deputy commander rank. The second in command was responsible for taking complete charge in the absence of the commander and to assist the commander in various operations.
General or Jiangjun:
The army general in ancient Chinese military hierarchy was the officer who was responsible for the supervision and training of army officers. The general was the topmost military rank of a division and was responsible for all the military operations of that division.
Lieutenant General or TongJun:
This rank was quite similar to the second in command rank, where Lieutenant general was responsible for assisting the general in leading the division of the army and was responsible for taking charge as general in his absence.
Colonel or Jinzhou:
The colonel used to be the topmost officer of a regiment and was responsible for the supervision, training and leading the military operations in the regiment.
Lieutenant Colonel or JunFu:
A lieutenant colonel was responsible for assisting the colonel in his activities pertaining to the regiment.
Captain or Duizhu:
A captain was the senior-most officer of a company.
Lieutenant or Duifu:
A lieutenant was among the junior officers in the company. These officers were mainly responsible for fighting on the battlefield.
Detachment Commander or Chuangzhu:
A detachment can be defined as the military unit that has been detached from major army sections for certain specific reasons. The officer leading a detachment unit was named as detachment officer.
Garrison Commander or Shuzhu:
A garrison commander in the ancient Chinese military hierarchy was the in-charge of a certain military facility and was responsible for the day to day operations of that facility.