What's the difference between the usage of bow and crossbow in ancient battlefields? When are their respective good days?

One day, Shen Kuo inspected the crossbow-making workshop in the crossbow-making arrow field supervised by military equipment, and vaguely heard two young apprentices arguing. Shen Kuo was curious, so he approached to listen to their conversation. It turned out to be a crossbow, a bow.

The little apprentice who made the bow said, "What's so powerful about your crossbow? It's heavy to pick up, but slow to load an arrow. It doesn't work at all! 」

The little apprentice who made the crossbow was not convinced and said, "Your bow has such a short range that it can be compared with my Xixia crossbow! 」

It turned out that in December of the sixth year of Xining (1068), everyone in the inner government knew that Zhang Ruoshui presented an "arm bow", but it was actually a "crossbow". As the Tangut chieftain Li Hong surrendered to the imperial court, he put his crossbow (now I don't know why it is called this name. ) Go to the court. Because the range of this crossbow was as far as 500 meters when it was tested in Tianjin Garden, the emperor paid special attention to it and ordered the military equipment supervisor to send the imitation to Yanhe Hall for acceptance. At the time of acceptance, because the imperial guards were not used to this powerful crossbow, no one could hit the armor 100 meters away at the moment. However, after Zhang Ruoshui personally tested the gun, he found that he had penetrated the armor many times, which dispelled everyone's doubts. In further tests, he proved that he could penetrate double armor. So the emperor appreciated it very much and ordered to return to the army. Due to doubts during the test firing, many people were puzzled and talked about it. The two young apprentices are talking about this kind of crossbow.

Shen Kuo thought for a moment, and took the opportunity of explanation to dispel everyone's doubts. So, he interrupted the dispute between them. When they saw Shen Kuo coming, they quickly dodged and bowed to him, afraid to say more. Shen Kuo said a little seriously, "Do you still have time to quarrel at work? Come on, test some of your basic knowledge. He pointed to the semi-finished arm bow put aside and asked, "What material is the arm bow made of?"? "? 」

The little apprentice who made the bow replied at once: "The crossbow body is made of hard mountain Sang Mu, the crossbow tip is made of sandalwood, the" horse face tooth hair "is made of copper, and the string is made of hemp rope. 」

"What's the role of the ring in front of the crossbow? 」

The young apprentice who made crossbows said, "The official name of this ring is the dry stirrup. Because soldiers often bend over after shooting, they will be tired after several shots, so they can remount it by holding the dry stirrup with their feet and standing. 」

"How can the size be qualified?" Shen Kuo asked again.

"The crossbow is three feet two inches long (about one meter), four feet five inches eight minutes long (1.43 meters), two crossbows nine inches two minutes long (0.29 meters), four inches long and two flashes (two flashes)." The little apprentice who made the crossbow said it in one breath.

Shen Kuo smiled and said, "Very good! Very good! But do you know the difference between the arrows used for crossbows and those used for bows? " You talk separately.

The little apprentice who made the bow first replied: "In the seventh year of Xining, the court ordered the bow and arrow to be made into an array. The arrows were divided into three classes, and the length was between 2 feet 9 inches and 6 inches (0.8-9 meters). 」

The little apprentice who made a crossbow said shyly, "I haven't learned this yet, but I heard from my brother in the workshop that the arrow in the arm bow is only a few inches long." "Say that finish embarrassed scratched his head.

Shen Kuo went on to say, "You're right. The crossbow is shorter because it flies faster and can fly stably without a long arrow like a bow. Moreover, the stretching distance of bow and crossbow is different, so there will be two situations in which the arrow length is different. In addition, do you know why bow and crossbow needs to produce these two weapons? " So ask, the two children are not as tit-for-tat as before, and begin to doubt Shen Kuo's problems. The two young apprentices thought for a while and had to say, "Your Excellency made it very clear, but I really don't know. 」

Shen Kuo saw that the two children couldn't answer, and he also thought that the court had recently promulgated a new law, which attached great importance to armaments, and the work of quartermaster was much more than usual. No wonder the two children are prone to conflict. It is good to take this opportunity to resolve it.

He cleared his throat and said slowly, "bow and crossbow is two kinds of weapons, each with its own advantages. Say bow first! In manufacturing, the bow is simple in structure, easy to manufacture in large quantities from local materials, light in weight, less than the crossbow, but it is also 800 feet (250 meters) away. The firing rate can be six to twelve times faster than the crossbow. This is the reason why the bow is enduring. 」

"If adults say, then why should we build crossbows?" The little apprentice who made the crossbow said discontentedly.

Shen Kuo smiled and said, "Don't worry, don't worry, I'm not finished yet! The existence of crossbows is of course very important. Otherwise, why spend so much money on crossbows? When an army fights, it depends on tactics, and sometimes there are many factors to consider, which are beyond the understanding of ordinary people. The value of crossbows lies in their range, penetration and accuracy. It has twice the range of a bow and can penetrate two layers of armor. Because the crossbow can focus on aiming as long as the string is fixed, unlike the bow, it is also more accurate than the bow. " "The imperial court is now fighting abroad, mostly cavalry, and most of us are infantry. When we encounter enemy cavalry charge in the field, we often can't support them and deal a heavy blow when the enemy approaches. Therefore, long-range weapons such as crossbows are very important. When the enemy is away from 1700 feet, you can use the bed crossbow as a large weapon to attack. When the enemy approaches 1700 feet, you can use the arm crossbow (532 meters, the maximum range of the arm crossbow) to attack. When the enemy approaches 800 feet (250 meters), you can open your bow and shoot. Of course, it is not necessary for the enemy to shoot at this distance. We also need to know the enemy's movements until they enter the effective range for volley. This is what each other looks like. You got it? 」

The two children suddenly realized that there was nothing to argue about after they understood the role of bow and crossbow. Say goodbye to the adults and return to their workshops. Shen Kuo looked at the back of the two men, thinking that there were still many unknown military reform measures in the imperial court, and thinking that he had not finished the draft of the Nine Military Laws and the Law of France and Xiucheng Treaty, he also hurried back to his office.

Related information:

"Meng Qian pen can talk? 6? 4 doors "article 327.

In 324, Xi Ning, Li Ding (Hong) presented a crossbow shaped like a bow and used a dry stirrup. Stretching with a stirrup at a certain distance from the ground and shooting 300 steps can redraw the hole, which is called the "magic pen bow" and is the most powerful weapon. Li Dingben, the leader of the Tangut, surrendered to the court, defending the regiment from death. All scholars are brave in the west.

Song Shi? 6? 4 military records "

Yuhai? 6? 4 military system "

Crossbow is a new weapon that began to appear during the Warring States Period. It originated from bows and arrows, so it is often called crossbow. But crossbows are superior to bows and arrows and are advanced cold weapons.

The crossbow is the main part called crossbow machine, which is made of bronze and installed behind the wooden crossbow arm. Guo, a member of the crossbow machine, has a tooth hook bowstring. Wang Shan is a sight on Guo, and the trigger is connected under the tooth, which is called hanging knife. When launching, the shooter pulls the "hanging knife", the "tooth" contracts, the hook is loosened, and the handle is forcibly ejected. The advantages of crossbow are: after the crossbow machine hooks the string, the shooter doesn't have to stretch the string all the time, which has the effect of delaying; Open the crossbow string to store power, which has the function of storing power; Seeing the mountains is used to aim and improve the shooting accuracy, which is equivalent to the aim and firing of modern rifles at the same time. Therefore, in the era of cold weapons, the power of crossbows is very powerful.

The crossbow machine has been used for a long time. After the Qin and Han dynasties, the giant crossbow appeared, which can shoot spears hundreds of meters away.

As a long-range killing weapon in actual combat, crossbow can give the enemy the first round of attack, whether it is offensive or defensive. "Liu Tao Lin Zhan" states that "the crossbow is the face and the halberd is the inside", forming a multi-level combat power. Imagine, in the ancient battlefield, the two armies confronted each other, with a roar and a crossbow like a locust. What a spectacular scene it would be.

After the crossbow came out, it was often used throughout the ages. In addition to military and folk collections and sharpshooters, it has been listed as a traditional sports event of ethnic minorities.

The idiom "A spent crossbow, an arrow without a false shot" is a dialectical metaphor, not a doubt or denial of the crossbow.