The design and manufacture of ancient weapons are still in the primary stage. "Huai Nan Zi" said: "Bing Gu is nothing but a bow and sword, a spear without a blow and a halberd without a thorn." In order to facilitate jumping and melee in the mountain jungle, people were generally used to using short weapons at that time. Sword is a kind of short soldier, which is born out of spear-shaped stab soldiers and short daggers. It was originally before the Shang Dynasty, and its shape was extremely short, with only a short flat stem and no tube. The ancients used this sword to stab the waist, which is light and easy to use, but also to resist bandits and wild animals. In the Zhou Dynasty, especially in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the sword with simple structure and easy manufacture became the main short weapon and a necessity for all social classes. Even Feng Xuan and Han Xin in the early Han Dynasty, although they were too poor to eat, still took them with them. The famous ones are Ganjiang, Mo Xie, Longquan, Tai 'an, Chunjun, Zhan Lu, Yuchang and Suzaku. One of the Longquan swords in the Spring and Autumn Period is still hidden in the Forbidden City, and it is still very sharp, which proves that China has a long history in the manufacture and use of swords. The early bronze swords were roughly formed in Shang Dynasty. At first, it was only a dozen centimeters long, with straight ridges and two edges, flat and wide body, and sawdust on the handle. After that, it developed into a fixed shape, mainly composed of body and stem, and each part had a name. The front end of the blade is called "front", the middle line of the blade is called "ridge", the inclination of both sides of the ridge is called "slave", the outer edge is called "cake", and the ridge and the two slaves are collectively called "wax". The hilt of sword is called "hilt". There are mainly two kinds of stems: flat stems and round stems. There is a "grid" between the stem and the body, also known as "Wei". The end of the stem usually has a round "head" or "shovel". Some stems have round rings. A rope called "hook" is often wrapped around the stem, and the rotating ring at the handle end is called Duo. The scabbard is also called "room". Dagger is also called "Bi". The head and lattice of elegant bronze swords are often made of jade. This kind of sword is generally called "Jade Sword". In the next Millennium, this kind of sword will gradually mature and be active in the battlefield as the basic weapon of infantry.
Hua Zheng explained the sword in detail. He said: People come in different shapes and sizes. Choose different swords not for beauty, but for their own use. Therefore, it is divided into three-class sword system, which is suitable for third-class people with swords, and whoever uses what sword will help them. The hilt is five inches long. If the body of the sword is five times as long as the hilt, it should be three feet, weighing nine catties and twelve taels, which is extremely long and heavy, so it is called Shangzhi. Only tall and mighty swordsmen can wear it, so it is called the staff sergeant system. The body of the sword is four times as long as the hilt, so the length of the sword is two feet and five inches, and it weighs seven kilograms, which is two kilograms and fourteen ounces. Selection of length and weight, this is the so-called neutral system. It is suitable for people of ordinary size and strength, so it is called the master-officer system. If the blade is only three times the length of the hilt, it is only two feet and weighs only five inches, which is only two pounds and one cent. Light and short, it is called the next system. Suitable for people with short stature and weak body.
The above-mentioned sword system was widely used in ancient times, and it still changed frequently in past dynasties, especially from Qin to Song. Zheng Huayun: "If you compare the sword of Qin and Han Dynasties with the sword of Song Dynasty, the sword of Song Dynasty is 21 inches and 3 points, while the sword of Han Dynasty is only 17 inches and 9 points. The dagger in the Song Dynasty was fifteen inches and two minutes, and only ten inches and five minutes in the Han Dynasty, so the sword in the Song Dynasty was longer and better in quality than that in the Han Dynasty. "
The purpose of the sword is not only to kill, but also to decorate the scribes. However, after all, it is mainly for self-defense and enemy defense. If the sword is too long, it is inconvenient to use, and if it is too short, it is difficult to reach. If it is too short, it is light and has no impact, and the sword is heavy and slow, both of which are not suitable for practical use. In addition, there is a saying in an ancient book: "Emperor Gaozu won the world with a sword of three feet", which shows that it should be wrong to say that the sword of Han Dynasty is less than two feet long. According to the comprehensive sword history, Gu Jian is generally one foot three inches to more than four feet long and weighs two to three pounds. During the Spring and Autumn Period, wuyue was two hostile countries, both of which were famous for being good at casting swords. Their superb technology and gorgeous craftsmanship are unparalleled in the world, especially the surface treatment of the sword body, which not only has mysterious and gorgeous patterns, but also shines cold and sharp as new after 2500 years. This treatment technique is still a mystery.
1994, the excavation of the second pit of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shihuang officially began. Archaeologists found that a bronze sword was bent by a 150 kg pottery figurine, and the bending degree exceeded 45 degrees. When people removed the pottery figurines, an amazing miracle appeared: the narrow and thin bronze sword bounced straight away in an instant and naturally recovered. The "shape memory alloy" that contemporary metallurgists dream of actually appeared in the ancient tomb more than 2,000 years ago! This Gu Jian has been buried underground for more than two thousand years. Why didn't it rust? Why is it still cold and sharp? Through further research, it is found that the sword of Gou Jian, the king of Yue, did not rust for thousands of years because it was plated with a layer of chromium-containing metal. Chromium is a rare metal with high corrosion resistance, which is very difficult to extract, but the technical level of sword casting at this time has become a mystery. Among them, a number of bronze swords were also found. These bronze swords are compact in internal structure, bright and clean in body, finely ground and integrated in texture. They have been sleeping in the loess for more than two thousand years, but when unearthed, they are as bright as new and extremely sharp. After testing, the researchers found that the surface of the sword has a layer of chromium salt compound with a thickness of 10 micron. This discovery immediately caused a sensation in the world, because this chromium salt oxidation treatment method is only a modern advanced technology. Germany invented and applied for a patent in 1937, and the United States in 1950.
From the late Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States Period, it can be said that bronze swords were the most developed period. Except for the sword in some areas, which embodies the regional or ethnic style, it has generally begun to take shape. Most of the bronze swords in the late Spring and Autumn Period have heads, and there are generally swords with lattices, but few swords with hoops. The length is generally above 40-50 cm. Goujian, Fucha and Guangjian are all important works in this period. These swords are exquisitely made, showing superb craftsmanship. The bronze sword of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty is the best in Wu Yueguo. The book Zhou Li Kao Gong Ji says, "wuyue Suk Kim, this material is beautiful." . Jian Peijun, the sword of Gou Jian, the King of Yue, unearthed in Jiangling, Hubei Province, is 55.7 cm long and covered with diamond patterns. The sides of the sword lattice are inlaid with blue glass patterns.
At this time, steel weapons also entered the stage. Perhaps we have accumulated enough knowledge about the forging technology of bronze weapons, or perhaps the steel folding technology has inherited the experience of building bronze weapons. In any case, the level of steel weapons in this period was indeed much ahead of the world. Famous sword-casting masters such as Ou Yezi and Ganjiang have cast many famous swords throughout the ages: Ganjiang, Ganjiang, Suzaku and Chunchun. It is recorded in "Wu Yue Chun Qiu" that Xue Zhu commented on the pure hook sword: "It is as light as a flower of Quyang and as heavy as a hibiscus. It was born in a lake, its writing is like a star, and its light is like a pool of water." In addition, Tai Ajian's Waves with Wings Like Flowing Water, Gong Bujian's Flowing Water in Wen Ruo, as well as turtle writing, management, star listing and overflow. In the late Warring States period, Qin was already a bronze sword and an iron sword. At the same time, the shape of the sword has also changed. The length of the sword has been increased to about 100 cm. The sword body is long and narrow, the surface is carefully polished, and there is a layer of chromium salt oxide with black luster, which can prevent corrosion and rust. Many long swords unearthed from Qin tombs in Shaanxi Province are almost all new.
Until the end of the 9th century, Italian bronze sword technology was still at this level.
After the steel weapon is formally equipped with troops, its hardness and toughness are obviously better than bronze, and because of the extensive use of cavalry, the strength of the weapon is required to be higher. Therefore, at the end of the Western Han Dynasty, steel weapons completely replaced bronze and entered a new era. In the alternation of hundreds of years, it is also the peak of the development of bronze weapons. In history, no matter how long, soft or hard,
After the cavalry became the main force of the army, it was followed by tactical changes and equipment innovation. Because the cavalry's charge speed is extremely fast, the one-handed sword can still directly stab the enemy, causing heavy losses, but the momentum is enough to dismount the cavalry and fall into the predicament of being beaten out of the water. So the short soldiers immediately paid special attention to their cutting performance, and the tough iron was quite mature, so the long sword was gradually replaced by a long sword and completely withdrew from the battlefield at the end of the Han Dynasty. The long swords in this period were mostly made of jade. After thousands of years, the long sword has decayed, but the jade sword ornaments have been cherished by people for their exquisite texture and ornamentation, and become an indispensable item in jade. We can say that although the sword has declined on the battlefield, it has always maintained the status of king among the people. In the Ming dynasty, it went from bad to worse. Qi Jiguang pointed out in "Military Training Miscellanies" that the craftsmen at that time refused to sharpen their knives well, and as a result, "if they don't cut deep, they will be stubborn."
Emperor Qianlong of Qing Dynasty attached great importance to the martial arts of Wenzhi. He is especially fond of swords. During the thirteen to twenty-two years after Qianlong, he spared no effort and material resources to produce a number of swords with exquisite styles. Because of the importance of "today", the skill of sword refining was greatly improved at that time. If you have patterned steel, it is 100% steelmaking. According to the fact that there are few sword works and tombs unearthed in China since the Tang Dynasty, it is speculated that Baisteelmaking technology may be lost after the Tang Dynasty. In the Qing Dynasty, the technology of using patterned steel for Kouming Dao was probably learned from Japan, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and India. The best patterned steel in the world is not in China, and the casting technology of our ancient swords has not been handed down.