The most important bronze component on the crossbow. Appeared in the Warring States and prevailed in Qin and Han Dynasties, it was the earliest bronze mechanical device in ancient long-range weapons. Comprises a frame frame, teeth for hooking bowstrings, a hanging knife as a trigger and an aiming mountain. The arrow shot with this crossbow is more accurate and penetrating.
In the Warring States period, both sides began to use bigger crossbows. For example, the arrow used in Mozi Gao Beilin is 1.9 meters long, with a rope at the end, which can be rolled back and reused after shooting.
For the large phalanx dominated by infantry and chariots at that time, it was difficult to move laterally. The crossbow has a strong lethality and deterrence, so it was valued by military strategists at that time. For example, in the battle of Changping, Qin and Zhao in 260 BC, Qin Jun's strong bow and hard crossbow played a huge role, and finally shot the "hedgehog" Zhao Kuo, a general of Zhao State, and won the battle to seize the world.
The Tang Dynasty was the heyday of the feudal dynasty in China. Its territory has expanded to an unprecedented extent, reaching Siberia in the north, Pamirs in the west and Nanyang Islands in the south. This is naturally closely related to Tang Jun's combat effectiveness. Tang Jun is dominated by light infantry and cavalry, emphasizing mobility. As the main long-range weapon, crossbows were equipped with most troops in the Tang Dynasty. According to Taibai Silent Record, the number of the First Army in the Tang Dynasty was12,500, with bows12,500 (with 37,500 strings and 3.75 million arrows) and crossbows (with 7,500 strings and 250,000 arrows), each accounting for 65,438+. Bow and crossbow's equipment is overlapping, and some soldiers are equipped with bow and crossbow at the same time. The bows equipped by Tang Jun are divided into four types: long bow, angle bow, micro bow and lattice bow. The long bow is used by infantry, the horn bow is equipped with cavalry, and the micro bow and lattice bow are used by imperial guards or hunters. There are seven kinds of crossbows: arm crossbow, angle crossbow, wooden crossbow, big wooden crossbow, bamboo crossbow, big bamboo crossbow and recovery crossbow. Arm crossbows and angle crossbows belong to light crossbows and are equipped for personal use. The rest belong to heavy crossbows, such as big wooden crossbows, which need to be tightened by winches. The tail feather of the arrow is made of iron, and the arrow comes out "like thunder". In addition, there is a kind of vehicle crossbow also located on the winch. It can shoot seven arrows at the same time and shoot 700 steps. All the barriers were destroyed. Because these heavy crossbows are too heavy and slow to launch, they are not suitable for field operations, so they are generally only used to attack and defend cities. In the Tang Dynasty, bows were not controlled weapons, and crossbows were absolutely forbidden to be owned by the people to prevent peasant uprisings from using them against the imperial court.
As one of the inventions of ancient engineering technology in China, the crossbow machine became an important military weapon in China in BC, and it was not introduced to Europe until 1 100.