Among the cultural relics unearthed from Chu Tomb in Changsha, there is a kind of crossbow machine which is quite exquisitely made. It has a box outside, a hook for hanging strings in front of the box, and a photo door behind the hook. The photo door is engraved with a certain distance, similar to the scale on modern rifles.
There is a trigger on the hook under the box. When in use, the bowstring is pulled back and hung on the hook. After aiming at the target, pull the trigger, the arrow shoots out and hits the target. The invention of crossbow is a great progress in shooting weapons.
There are a lot of records about crossbows in China ancient books. Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals recorded the precision of bronze wrench, which is the most impressive achievement in developing crossbows in China.
The bronze trigger box is embedded in the bracket, and there is a slot on it to put bows and arrows or crossbows. The trigger device of crossbow is a complex device. Its shell, including three sliders on two long handles, is made of bronze, and the machining accuracy is unimaginable.
During the Warring States period, there were many kinds of crossbows. For example, crossbows and crossbows are light crossbows with fast firing rate, which are usually used to attack and defend the fortress; Tang crossbow and big crossbow are powerful crossbows with long range, which are usually used in field operations.
According to the "Warring States Policy", South Korea's strong crossbow is very famous, with a wide variety and can shoot 600 steps. Xunzi also contains an example of Wei Guowu's "crossbow 12 stone".
The invention, manufacture and use of crossbows played a great role in the war. In 34 1 year BC, Qi Weijun fought a big battle in Maling, which was the famous "Battle of Maling". Sun Bin commanded the Qi army to ambush on both sides of Maling Road, and there were nearly ten thousand crossbowmen alone. When Pang Juan led Wei Jun through this place, thousands of crossbows burst into flames, Wei Jun suffered a fiasco, and Pang Juan committed suicide.
The number of crossbows is also considerable. In 209 BC, there were 50,000 crossbowmen in Qin Ershi. In BC 177, the number of crossbow shooters in Emperor Wendi's period was similar to that in Qin Xiang's period. But this does not mean that there were only tens of thousands of crossbows at that time.
According to Records of the Historian, Qi of the Han Dynasty was in charge of an arsenal with hundreds of thousands of crossbows around 157 BC. That is to say, more than 2,000 years ago, China people were able to mass-produce complex mechanical devices.
Some scholars believe that the trigger device of China crossbow is almost as complicated as the bolt mechanism of modern rifles.
The manufacture of crossbows in Han Dynasty was further developed, and gradually standardized and diversified. There are not only crossbows with open arms, but also crossbows with open feet, but usually a 6-stone crossbow is used.
The invention of lattice sight in Han dynasty was quickly applied to crossbows, which further improved the hit rate of crossbows. These grid sights are the earliest in the world, similar to the related mechanical devices in modern cameras and anti-aircraft guns.
During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang also designed and manufactured a new type of crossbow, named "Rong Yuan" and "Zhuanjie", which can simultaneously launch 10 crossbows.
Crossbows are manufactured by division of labor, and most of the trigger devices of crossbows are engraved with the name of the manufacturer and the date of manufacture. One of the reasons why crossbows have fatal effects is the widespread use of poison arrows. And because the aiming crossbow can easily penetrate two layers of metal helmets, no one can resist it.
In later dynasties, crossbow, as an important weapon, was still favored and further improved.
In the Northern Song Dynasty, someone presented the emperor with a crossbow that could pierce the elm tree 140 paces away. There is also a stone crossbow, which can be composed of two bows connected together. It takes several people to pull the string at the same time, and several crossbows can be shot together, killing 10 people at a time.
In the Song Dynasty, crossbows can shoot 500 meters, while riding horses can shoot 330 meters.
Multi-shot crossbows overcome the difficulty of loading arrows and can be fired quickly. The crossbow box is installed above the arrow slot of the crossbow frame. When one crossbow is fired, the other crossbow immediately falls to its own position, so that it can be fired quickly and repeatedly. 100 people with multiple crossbows can shoot 2000 arrows in 15 seconds. The firing crossbow has a relatively short range, with a maximum range of 200 steps and an effective range of 80 steps. This crossbow is widely circulated in Ming Shenzong, and many samples are still kept in museums. Since the Ming Dynasty, with the large-scale application of gunpowder in the battlefield, hot weapons gradually replaced the position of crossbows.