It had no intrinsic military significance; the battle occurred there because a dozen roads converged in the town from every point on the compass.

它并不是一个军事要塞；这场战斗会发生在此处，是因为这座城镇是通往各处的道路枢纽。

youdao

He made a kind of military compass and fought bitterly in support of his claim to have invented it.

NEWYORKER: Moon Man

Ultimately, the Compass Navigation System could be used worldwide to provide precise positioning data for the Chinese military similar to information already produced by the U.S. GPS for military field commanders.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: 2007: A Chinese space odyssey