The Tang and Song Dynasties were a period of great development of armor, and it was the period when ancient soldiers wore the most complete armor.
The style of Chinese armor has been standardized in the Five Dynasties. Zeng Gongliang of the Northern Song Dynasty recorded in "Wu Jing Zong Yao" that the armor was customized, with the body of the armor covering the chest and back, and straps connecting it from the shoulders. The waist is tied from back to front with a belt. There are two knee skirts on the left and right hanging down from the waist. The upper body of the armor is decorated with a shawl (covering the shoulders). The doudou is in the shape of a round bowl and is suffixed with a collar to protect the neck. The top is protruding and decorated with a long tassel for majesty. "Mengxi Bi Tan" Volume 19 "Usage" records that the iron armor of the Song Dynasty was made of armor pieces connected by cold forging. It could not be penetrated by a strong crossbow from fifty steps away.
In the Han Dynasty, iron armor generally only had body armor and armbands. In the Southern and Northern Dynasties, leg skirts and knee skirts were generally added. In the Tang Dynasty, hanging legs were added, and some even added arm guards. The armor of the Northern Song Dynasty followed the armor tradition of the Tang and Five Dynasties, forming a more complete armor system, which had a profound impact on later generations and was used until the Ming Dynasty.
As the various parts of the armor increase, its total weight will inevitably increase. According to "History of the Song Dynasty? Military Chronicles Eleven", the Shaoxing Ordnance Department's report to the imperial court in the fourth year stated that the weight of the iron armor at that time was 45-50 kilograms, and "the edict was not to exceed fifty kilograms." This kind of armor weighed about fifty kilograms. Belongs to "heavy armor". Heavy armor has a strong protective function in combat, but it is inconvenient to move. In the Southern Song Dynasty, in order to meet the special needs of some cavalry in light armor, "light armor" could also be specially made. Its characteristics were that it was "no longer than the knees, no more than the elbows, and the armor could kill the heavy ones with the light ones." (See "History of the Song Dynasty? Bi Zaiyu Biography"). According to the different characteristics of cavalry combat and infantry combat, Huayue of the Southern Song Dynasty's "Cuiweibei Zhenglu" suggested the shape of horse military armor. It says, "The waist circle is suitable for four slings. The armor is suitable for the left cover. The waist and skirt are suitable for three inches above the knee. The slings are suitable for lifting the sling." No matter what the military type is, body armor is indispensable, followed by the shoulders, and then the legs. skirt. The cavalry troops should also hang up their hanging legs when encountering the enemy, and when retreating, they should lower themselves into their bags to avoid being pinned down. Several main types of armor
Fish scale armor: It is made up of about 3,000 pieces of iron armor, mainly small scales. It is called because it looks like fish scales. Fish scale armor has been used for a long time since the Han Dynasty and is one of the main varieties of iron armor. The main feature of fish scale armor is its fine arrangement, so it was also called willow leaf armor and elm leaf armor in ancient times.
Mingguang Armor
Mingguang Armor: This is an improved type of ordinary Zha armor. It is known from archaeological objects that Zha armor made of larger armor pieces was still used in the Han Dynasty. Each armor was composed of hundreds of pieces. Mingguang armor is based on Zha armor, with two large circular armor pieces attached to the chest and back, called Yuanhu. This round protector is large and thick, which can effectively protect the safety of key parts of the chest without hindering the flexible movement of the upper body. The round guard is carefully polished and looks like a mirror, shining in the sun and disrupting the enemy's sight on the battlefield. This kind of armor was the best armor in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. In the Tang Dynasty, it was still listed as the first of the thirteen types of armor in the "Liu Dian of the Tang Dynasty". In literary and artistic works, this kind of round protection is called a heart-protecting mirror or a breast-protecting mirror. This kind of round protection was still used in the Song Dynasty. There is a relevant description in the 64th chapter of "Water Margin" in the section of Hua Rongshe's Praise.
Chain armor: It is another commonly used iron armor in ancient times. This kind of armor is not made by connecting the nail leaves with ropes, but by connecting the nail pieces one ring inside another. Therefore, it is also called chain mail or ring chain armor, which is especially suitable for preventing arrow clusters. efficient. According to research, this is the type of armor introduced from the Western Regions during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. If iron armor is not used but is made of chain-link iron wire, it looks like clothing made of barbed wire, also known as mesh armor. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, chain armor and mesh armor were already popular in the Central Plains. The main protective equipment of Han Shizhong, a famous general in the Song Dynasty, was "chain armor". In the Song Dynasty, the round protection of Mingguang armor was added to the mesh armor, which was called Mingguang fine mesh armor.
Horse Armor (Equipment)
Due to changes in military organization, strategy and tactics, the heavy cavalry (armor equipment) in the Song Army was different from that of the Northern Dynasties in terms of quantity and importance. By the Sui Dynasty, it was incomparable, but the vest (equipment) was still a protective feat in the Northern Song Dynasty army. In the early Song Dynasty, there were two kinds of horse harnesses, iron and leather. By the time the "Wu Jing Zong Yao" was compiled, only leather seemed to be used. A vest recorded in "Wu Jing Zong Yao" includes five parts: face curtain (with half face curtain attached), chicken neck, breast (dang chest), horse body armor and back.
The leather paint of this kind of vest was originally black, but was changed to vermilion by the Emperor Zhenghe of the Northern Song Dynasty. I have the impression that vests appeared in the war scenes in New Water Margin, but I thought the scale of use seemed too large and a bit exaggerated. The most famous equipment in the Southern Song Dynasty was undoubtedly the iron pagoda heavy cavalry used by Wushu of the Jin Dynasty. Everyone was heavily armored and fully equipped, and the horses were equipped with equipment, which was very impactful.