History of Crossbows - China and South East Asia

China and South East Asia

In China the crossbow (Chinese: 弩; pinyin: nǔ) was an important weapon from the time of the Spring and Autumn Period (771-476 BC). Bronze crossbow bolts dating from as early as the mid-5th century BC have been found at a State of Chu burial site in Yutaishan, Jiangling County, Hubei Province. The earliest handheld crossbow stocks with a bronze trigger and dating from the 6th century BC come from Tombs 3 and 12 at Qufu, Shandong, capital of the State of Lu. Other early finds of crossbows were discovered in Tomb 138 at Saobatang, Hunan Province and dated to the mid-4th century BC. Repeating crossbows, first mentioned in the Records of the Three Kingdoms, were discovered in 1986 in Tomb 47 at Qinjiazui, Hubei Province, dating to around the 4th century BC. The earliest documention of a Chinese crossbow is in scripts from the 4th–3rd century BC and attributed to the followers of Mozi. This source refers to the use of a giant crossbow catapult between the 6th and 5th centuries BC, corresponding to the late Spring and Autumn Period. Sun Tzu's influential book The Art of War (first appearance dated between 500 BC to 300 BC) refers to the characteristics and use of crossbows in chapters V and XII respectively. One of the earliest reliable records of this weapon in warfare is from an ambush which took place at the Battle of Maling in 341 BC. By the 200's BC, the crossbow was well developed and widely used in China, with all crossbow parts standardised by the government and mass produced with elaborate triggers.

Crossbow remains have also been found amongst the soldiers of the Terracotta Army near the mausoleum of China's first emperor Qin Shi Huang (260-210 BC). The repeating crossbow and multiple bow arcuballista were both developed in China. When discussing the advantages and disadvantages of the nomadic Xiongnu and Han armies in a memorandum to the throne in 169 BC, official Chao Cuo deemed the crossbow and repeating crossbow of the Han armies superior to the Xiongnu bow, even though the latter were trained to shoot behind themselves while riding.

“ Throughout the southeastern Asia the crossbow is still used by primitive and tribal peoples both for hunting and war, from the Assamese mountains through Burma, Siam and to the confines of Indo-China. The peoples of the northeastern Asia possess it also, both as weapon and toy, but use it mainly in the form of unattended traps; this is true of the Yakut, Tungus, and Chukchi, even of the Ainu in the east. There seems to be no way of answering the question whether it first arose among the barbaric forefathers of these Asian peoples before the rise of the Chinese culture in their midst, and then underwent its technical development only therein, or whether it spread outwards from China to all the environing peoples. The former seems the more probable hypothesis, given the further linguistic evidence in its support. ”

According to the Chinese Wujing Zongyao military manuscript of 1044, the crossbow used en masse was the most effective weapon against northern nomadic cavalry charges. Elite crossbowmen were also valued as long-range snipers as was the case when the Liao Dynasty general Xiao Talin was picked off by a Song crossbowman at the Battle of Shanzhou in 1004. Crossbows were mass produced in state armories with designs improving as time went on, such as the use of a mulberry wood stocks and brass; a crossbow in 1068 could pierce a tree at 140 paces.

  • Chinese Chuangzi Nu stationary windlass device with triple-bow arcuballista

  • Chinese repeating crossbow with pull lever and automatic reload magazine

  • Chinese Lian Nu (連弩), multiple shot crossbow without a visible nut or cocking aid

Read more about this topic:  History Of Crossbows

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