Great Han Empire

Chapter 410 Transfer some information about crossbows and Yuanrong crossbows

Transfer some information about crossbows and Yuanrong crossbows

Author, origin unknown
During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, people developed crossbows on the basis of bows. After Qin, people began to manufacture and widely use volley crossbows, which can shoot several arrows at once (a crossbow machine with three arrow slots has been unearthed). To prove that ancient weapons surpassed the times The advanced principle and national experts' opinions on the principle of profit-and-loss continuous crossbow launch have applied for a national patent. (The above-mentioned reasons are stated in the application) My point of view theory has been recognized by many experts.In order to let the utensils recorded in Chinese history books be included in the world history books, the world invention application number PCT/CNO022513302/3 was specially applied for the profit and loss Liannu.Summary of patent content: (01067) The crossbow known by the public is a weapon held by ancient soldiers in battle, and the continuous crossbow is according to historical records in the Three Kingdoms period, invented by Zhuge Liang Eight inches long, one crossbow shoots ten arrows.However, because the picture book and the real object have been lost long ago, it is a mystery whether such a weapon ever existed. (1) The present invention creatively develops the structure of one bow and one arrow to turn "serial firing" into the only reality in the world. (2) The present invention reproduces the form of ancient weapons 3 years ago, providing evidence for the traditional wisdom of the Chinese nation.Experts, journalists, and the general public watched the production materials, structure and operation effect of the Gain and Loss Liannu at the Wuhou Temple in Chengdu, and the TV station broadcast the actual Liannu and the shooting process live.The real objects of the Profit and Loss Liannu have been collected in the Wuhou Temple Museum.

The scientific and accurate data obtained through translation, demonstration, manufacturing, and operation experiments are now annotated to the old saying "the crossbow with profit and loss is called Yuan Rong, with iron as the arrow, the length of the arrow is eight inches, and one crossbow with ten arrows shoots all" ( in order of actual operation).
*Repeating crossbow: A bow that uses mechanical power to shoot arrows continuously.
*One crossbow with ten arrows: a continuous crossbow with ten arrows in the quiver.
Damage: Reduce the number of arrows in the quiver. (Experimental data: 4 arrow chickens have been shot to death, no need to release arrows.)
*Benefit: to fill the reduced arrows in the quiver, (profit and loss repeater: a repeater with random increase or decrease in the number of arrows)
*Jufa: Shoot all the ten arrows in the quiver in an orderly manner. (Experimental data: ten arrows shot in 6 seconds)
* It is called Yuan Rong: People call Liannu the main general.
*Using iron as an arrow: Usually, ordinary arrows are made of arrowheads, wooden poles, and feathers. When the arrow flies for a long distance, the feathers play a role in balancing.However, if the arrows of the Liannu are made in the usual way, the feathers of the arrow body and the wall of the quiver will be obstructed, so that the arrows cannot fall naturally to the firing position under the action of gravity.Therefore, it is scientific and reasonable to use unconventional manufacturing methods for the arrows of the Liannu, and "use iron as the arrow".The use of iron for the arrows of Liannu solves three major problems: (1) Since the size of the whole arrow is only "eight inches" non-iron arrows, the arrow body is light and does not have much lethality.Tie Ya solved this problem. (2) A magnet is attached to the bottom of the arrow box, and the iron arrow will be absorbed on the arrow groove, which solves the problem that when the crossbow is shot upwards, the angle of the crossbow body is greater than 90 degrees, and the arrows in the arrow box fall out of the arrow groove and fall in the opposite direction. Problem with arrows slipping down when shooting downwards. (3) Solve the problem of continuous supply of arrows, continuous supply of arrows, continuous launch can be completed.
*The length of the arrow is eight inches: it is quite scientific and accurate that the length of Kong Ming's arrow was eight inches at that time.According to manufacturing practice, if the arrow shaft exceeds [-] inches, the arrow box will grow longer, and the mechanism interaction will not be smooth. If the opening distance is small, the launch force will be weakened.So "Yalong eight inches" is the best size.
It is difficult to add feathers to an all-iron arrow, and an iron arrow without feathers will lose balance and roll over when flying for a long distance, which cannot achieve the effect of a long-range weapon.The production of wooden arrow shafts requires high precision, which is difficult to manufacture manually, and is not easy to manufacture and use in large quantities.Due to the limitations of the technical conditions at that time, Zhuge Liang and his descendants failed to solve the problems of the "arrow", which greatly reduced the practicability of the Liannu. In addition, the interaction between the profit and loss Liannu organs required high precision, and the components were affected by rainy and other weather when used in the field. Because of the influence of it, it is easily deformed, which makes the firing mechanism of the continuous crossbow fail, and is ignored by the military department until it disappears.People have recorded "how subtle is the power of the divine crossbow" for its profound and mysterious combination, magical function, and unique arrows. All arrows are fired."
Profit and Loss Liberator Functional Data:
The capacity is 10 arrows, the length of the arrow is eight inches (ancient ruler), the length of the crossbow is 65 cm, and the pulling force of the bow arm is 150 Jin.
Shooting range: 50 meters for iron arrows (the range of continuous crossbow varies according to the strength of the bow arm), 120 meters for general arrows (featherless arrows "Yuhai" said: arrows are called flying guns), 30 meters for single-shot precision shooting target, shoot ten arrows in 6 seconds.
Ancient Bows and Crossbows
When talking about bows and crossbows, we must mention arrows. Bows and crossbows are the source of power, and arrows are the carrier of power.
The play of strength has considerable influence.A well-designed arrow is usually divided into three parts: the arrowhead, the shaft and the fletching. The arrow is the combat part, the shaft is the balance part, and the fletch is the adjustment part.Light and tough bamboo and wood are always the preferred materials for arrow shafts.As for the arrow feathers that make the flight and fall follow the correct angle, so as to fly farther and attack more effectively, the eagle feathers are the top grade, and the goose feathers are the worst. In the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the arrow feathers could be determined according to the floating state of the arrow shaft. its installed length too.
The copper arrowheads of the Shang Dynasty were quite vicious, with convex ridges and triangular flat wings. When the arrowhead pierced the body, the barbs on the two wings would firmly hook the closed wound and it was difficult to pull it out. blood.In the Warring States period, the emerging triangular wing style made it more difficult to heal the wound even if the arrow was pulled out, and the corresponding blood slots increased to six.
The arrowheads of the Qin Dynasty increased the poisonous lead content. At the same time, like some Qin swords, the surface chromium oxide technology of the Feiyue era also made some arrowheads last longer.But copper is rare. The Qin Dynasty tried to use iron to make arrowhead collars. With the development of the steelmaking industry in the Western Han Dynasty, all-iron arrowheads came out.Early iron arrowheads were cast, obviously reluctant to bear the cruelty of copper arrowheads, but soon found that they were not as sharp as the latter, so they had to switch to forging.The disadvantage of forging is that the complex shape of casting must be discarded, and it is as easy to forge as the four-edged blade of an iron sword, but the advantage is more significant, forging will make it much tougher than its predecessors.Bronze Arrow withdrew from the stage, and its beginning and end were in the Eastern Han Dynasty.The first type of forged iron arrow established the basic feature of iron arrows before the Song Dynasty - flat square, which is a style that is conducive to forging.From Wei, Jin to Sui and Tang Dynasties, the classification of iron arrows was very simple, and the development route was to make the arrows harder and longer, enough to penetrate increasingly sophisticated iron armor and tear the enemy's muscles and bones.
The refinement of the types of iron arrows began in the Song Dynasty. This is really an interesting era. While the military and government were weak, military technology was developing by leaps and bounds.The Song Dynasty had the admirable patience to carve each weapon carefully, and the style of the arrow was also refined because of this. For example, the shape of the iron spine arrow and cone arrow has changed from the monotonous flat square shape to become more professional. .The Southern Song Dynasty opened the curtain of the age of firearms, and the continuous wars against Jin and Yuan quickly made firearms mature and became the power to dominate the fate of the battlefield.However, when the rate of fire and hit rate of firearms are only suitable for fire coverage, the growth of the sequence of arrows will continue until the Ming Dynasty, and continue to create more dazzling types and shapes.
Shooting is one of the "six arts" of the Zhou Dynasty and one of the most powerful means of attack in ancient times.In the early days, if a boy was born in the family, the aristocrats would shoot six arrows in all directions to show the world that the man wanted to conquer, which shows his status in people's hearts.The popularization of compound technology in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty greatly increased the potential energy that could be stored in the bow body, enabling people to transfer more power to the bow body within the distance allowed by the physiological structure, and shoot faster and farther arrows.

The extraordinary physical strength of the ancients is astonishing. An elite archer can pull a 70-kilogram strong bow. It is estimated that the effective range should be between 50-70 meters, and the longest range is several times as much.Of course, this is also inseparable from the credit that started in the Shang Dynasty.The inconspicuous invention of the finger pull makes it feasible to pull a strong bow and crossbow without reducing the rate of fire due to pain and even cutting your fingers.The significance of the finger pull to the shooter is so great that the princes and aristocrats of the Qing Dynasty, who started riding and shooting, finally alienated it into a kind of jewelry.The bow is characterized by lightness and speed, which made it always occupy the main position of the long-range cavalry weapon sequence before the middle of the Qing Dynasty. Evenly divided for 400 years.
The development of crossbows in the military field has benefited from the invention of compound bows and copper crossbow machines. Otherwise, with its shorter draw distance, it would not be able to match the lethality of bows.The characteristic of the strong crossbow is that it is far and accurate, and has time to aim calmly, but it is laborious and time-consuming to wind.According to these characteristics, the crossbow is usually used for defense and ambush, and the continuity of shooting depends on the turns of several groups of shooters.However, there are also special cases, such as the cavalry wheel tactics of the Tang Dynasty.During the Warring States period, the strong crossbow became the confidant of the chariot, and the strong lethality of long-range strikes overshadowed the sturdy shield of the chariot.But strong was not the only development direction of the crossbow at that time. A light enough crossbow had another advantage in simplifying the shooting steps to increase the rate of fire. So there appeared a mini-continuous crossbow with a quiver and movable arms, which can be regarded as the innovation of Zhuge crossbow. predecessor.
The Western Han Dynasty had a profound influence on the development of the crossbow.Not only did the scales be added on the basis of increasing Wangshan in the Qin Dynasty, so that the crossbow had a stable ballistic reference, but also the crossbow body's ability to withstand the pulling force was greatly enhanced as the copper crossbow profile replaced the wooden crossbow profile.The waist-drawing crossbow, which is wound like a rowing machine, can reach a maximum pulling force of 370 kg, which is incredible, and has an effective range of more than 500 meters. Unfortunately, because it is not as practical as arm and step, it is rarely used after the Han Dynasty.In the Three Kingdoms period, in order to fight against the powerful cavalry of Wei State, Zhuge Liang made Yuan Rong, commonly known as Zhuge Nu.The most attractive feature of Yuanrong lies in its ingenuity rather than its practicality. Although it was short-lived, the ingenious design that can quickly shoot 10 poisonous arrows by pulling the arm to the string has become an ancient legend that is talked about by contemporary people.
The mighty wind of the prairie finally summoned the giant king of crossbows for the Northern and Southern Dynasties—the bed crossbow.This kind of crossbow also appeared in the Warring States. It was called "Liannu" at that time, which should mean the combination of multiple crossbows. Unfortunately, it was lost to future generations.At this time, the bed crossbow was wound by a multi-headed ox-powered shaft, which was much stronger than the continuous crossbow of the Warring States Period. It fired huge javelins with leather or iron leaves as feathers. It was mainly used to destroy buildings, siege machines, City walls, etc., the longest range of the Song Dynasty extreme is more than 1.5 kilometers, which is the cold weapon with the longest range in the ancient world.
It was the Tang Dynasty that endowed the bed crossbow with mobility. The ox-drawn crossbow not only greatly improved the deployment flexibility and survival chances, but the icing on the cake was that the twisted rope was hooked to the axle, and the string could be wound while traveling, which greatly improved the efficiency. .The crossbow device is a giant crossbow with a pulling force of 1 kg. There are 860 firing slots, the longest shooting range is more than 7 km, and the arrows used in the middle slot are more than 1 meter long.
The crossbow was greatly developed in the Song Dynasty, and Song Ting, who emphasized infantry, regarded it as a sharp weapon against the northern cavalry nation.Crossbowmen mostly used stepping crossbows, using three sets of rounds of overlapping shots, and the invention of the "God Arm Bow" enabled the Song Army to have an effective range of 370 meters.There are various types of bed crossbows ranging from two to four, from small to giant. Two and three bed bows can also be tied with an iron bag containing dozens of ordinary arrows on the strings, so that the bed crossbow has the ability to kill people and horses. Features.Perhaps the Yuan Dynasty, which was good at riding and archery, was too decisive, so it raised the knife neatly and left the crossbow in the previous dynasty. As a result, the crossbow fell from the peak of the Song Dynasty to the decline of the Yuan Dynasty. With the continuous development of firearms , There is no chance to stand up again.
I always thought that Guangrong’s research on the Three Kingdoms has always been very rigorous. But when I saw the invincible power of the "Yuan Rong Crossbow" in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms X on the battlefield... it was a bit angry and funny. Anyone with a little military knowledge knows that Yuan Rong Crossbow is definitely not like this Designed.If ancient China had always had a "Yuan Rong Crossbow" like Romance of the Three Kingdoms X, which was powerful and highly mobile, then many nomadic peoples in northern China would have no chance of rising. This weapon is powerful and highly mobile. This weapon is the nemesis of cavalry. Just like a modern machine gun. No matter how many cavalry come, there will be no return. But in fact, the real "Yuan Rong Crossbow" is by no means as exaggerated as in Romance of the Three Kingdoms X.
Some people wonder why the Yuan Rong crossbow is so powerful?It can penetrate multiple troops, and even cause damage to the troops hiding behind the city gate. Yes, there is no doubt that it is such a powerful "Yuanrong crossbow". In the era of cold weapons, it can be said to be more lethal to people Most of all, there is no armor of a heavy cavalry that can block an arrow. The heavy cavalry in ancient China was underdeveloped, and there is a big reason for the extensive use of crossbows. Of course, the cost of training a heavy cavalry is also one of the reasons. .
But because of its powerful power, it is not a soldier who can control the launch. Basically, the "Yuanrong Crossbow" is improved from the "Liannu", and the "Liannu" is improved from the "Crossbow". .A crossbow is a mechanically fired bow that first appeared in the Warring States Period.By the Han Dynasty, crossbows could be fired continuously, so they were called "continuous crossbows".Zhuge Liang improved the Liannu and designed a weapon capable of firing ten arrows in a row, called "Profit and Loss Liannu", also known as "Yuan Rong".The arrows of the Gain and Loss Liannu are made of iron, they are fired fast and powerful, and people call them "mountain-destroying crossbows", which means that the crossbows are so strong that they can destroy mountains.However, the "Yuanrong Crossbow" weighs more than 200 kilograms, not to mention that it is difficult to carry, and even the arrows need to be put on the bow by kicking the strings with both feet to install the arrows.Basically, it is mostly used as a defensive weapon or an ambush. Another possibility is to match the arrays in the "Eight Arrays".It is definitely not like in Romance of the Three Kingdoms X, which has the same mobility as infantry and can move immediately.
However, the firing method of "Yuan Rong Crossbow" is different from that of ordinary "Salmon Crossbow". "Salvogue" means that after firing all the loaded arrows at one time, the arrows must be reloaded once.The "Yuanrong Crossbow" is the prototype of a modern machine gun, and it has the function of automatic loading. Of course, as for the specific operation, it has been lost. However, Liu Hong, the general of Zhennan in the Western Jin Dynasty, once saw the power of the "Yuanrong Crossbow" and said a word How subtle is the power of the divine crossbow! "It can be proved that the firing method of the "Yuanrong Crossbow" is absolutely different from the "Salmon Crossbow" that Liu Hong has been used to for hundreds of years. Otherwise, he would not have given such admiration.
I think that in Romance of the Three Kingdoms X, the advanced weapon of "crossbow" should be "continuous crossbow".
Another digression, during the period of the Three Kingdoms, the military technology of the Shu Han was the crown of the Three Kingdoms.Because the Shu Han has always been at a disadvantage, the situation forced the Shu Han to create sophisticated and advanced weapons to resist and defeat stronger enemies.Many kinds of weapons and tools were invented and manufactured based on these reasons, such as the "Yuanrong Crossbow" invented by Zhuge Liang mentioned above is an example.There is also a "side bamboo crossbow". Wu people like the Shu Han's side bamboo crossbow very much, but they don't know how to make it. Later, when they knew that the captured Shu Han generals Meng Gan, Cuan Xiong and Li Song could make it, they immediately ordered them to make it. .It can be seen that the side bamboo crossbow is also one of the advanced shooting weapons that the Shu Han had but Sun Wu and Cao Wei did not.
There is also a so-called "magic knife".Zhuge Liang once ordered Pu Yuan to make a saber and kill Ruoshuichu, known as the "magic sword".According to "Zhuge Liang's Biography", Zhuge Liang once ordered [-] sabers to be made and quenched with water from the Chengdu River.
If the hand is empty, if it falls into the water, it is called the best in the world." There are also the familiar wooden cows and horses designed to carry soldiers and rations.
As for the tactics of the crossbowmen...in fact, they were widely used in the Three Kingdoms. When Zhuge Liang retreated during the sixth Northern Expedition, he had expected that Sima Yi would send troops to pursue him, so he set up an ambush with the crossbowmen. In fact, why every time Zhuge Liang failed to retreat every time the Northern Expedition failed, it was actually because Shu soldiers had the most powerful crossbow soldiers in the Three Kingdoms. Just like, Cao Wei’s elite divisions were cavalry, while Sun Wu was water Army.. The Shu Han is the power of the crossbow soldiers, which happened to be the nemesis of the cavalry, so Cao Wei had to be careful when chasing the Shu Han army..
Zhuge Liang's famous Eight Formation is actually a mixed army formation combining the four arms of infantry, crossbows, chariots, and cavalry.Use chariots to form a large square formation with several small square formations as units. The infantry and crossbowmen are staggered among them. Barriers such as caltrops, repelling horses, deer villages and other obstacles are set in the front of the formation. When the enemy cavalry group charges, it is convenient to use crossbowmen to rely on The chariots shoot and kill the enemy; when the enemy approaches, the pikemen rely on the chariots to resist; when the enemy rushes into the formation, due to the obstacles and restrictions of the chariots, the troops will inevitably be divided, so they take the opportunity to rely on the small phalanx and use various methods to attack the enemy. Long and short weapons flank each other and defeat each one.
In the Battle of Jieqiao, Yuan Shao also defeated Gongsun Zan's famous white horse cavalry with a large number of crossbowmen. From then on, Gongsun Zan fell into a slump and was finally destroyed by Yuan Shao.
Even the "three-stage" iron cannon invented by Oda Nobunaga has long been used in ancient Chinese crossbowmen tactics.In the Han Dynasty, there was a multi-row firing tactic in which soldiers were divided into groups such as "upper crossbow", "advance crossbow" and "fat crossbow" to fire in turn, which could effectively maintain the continuous firepower.This principle is the same as that of the third stage of the Iron Cannon.
(End of this chapter)