诸葛弩

The 诸葛弩 (Zhūgé nǔ) was a repeating crossbow used extensively by the Chinese from the 4th century B.C. (perhaps even earlier), well into the 20th century A.D. Due to the weapon's inaccurate, high rate of fire, it was ideally suited for close-quarter urban combat or as a fixed, anti-siege defensive weapon. It was employed to great effect as late as the Boxer Rebellion, despite the presence of firearms with more advanced characteristics, like rifled barrels and breech-loaded metallic cartridges. The 诸葛弩 was often documented by historians with an inquisitive fondness. Indeed, the captivating cleverness of the weapon's design, it's combination of modern engineering precepts and rustic simplicity, command attention to this day.

     "Here we have surely the most curious of all the weapons I have described. Though the antiquity of the repeating crossbow is so great that the date of its introduction is beyond conjecture, it is to this day carried by Chinese soldiers in the more remote districts of their empire.  In the recent war between China and Japan, 1894-95, the repeating crossbow was frequently seen among troops who came from the interior of the first-named country. The interesting and unique feature of this crossbow is its repeating action, which though so crudely simple acts perfectly and enables the crossbowman to discharge ten arrows in fifteen seconds. When bows, and crossbows which shot one bolt at a time, were the usual missive weapons of the Chinese, it is probable that the repeating crossbow was very effective for stopping the rush of an enemy in the open, or for defending fortified positions. For example, one hundred men with repeating crossbows could send a thousand arrows into their opponents' ranks in a quarter of a minute. On the other hand, one hundred men with bows, or with ordinary crossbows that shot only one arrow at a discharge, would not be able to loose more than about two hundred arrows in fifteen seconds. The effect of a continuous stream of a thousand arrows flying into a crowd of assailants--in so short a space as fifteen seconds--would, of course, be infinitely greater than that of only two hundred in the same time, especially as the arrows of barbaric nations were often smeared with poison. The small and light arrow of the comparatively weak Chinese crossbow here described had little penetrative power. For this reason the head of the arrow was sometimes dipped in poison, in order that a slight wound might prove fatal. The impetus of the heavy bolt of the mediaeval European crossbow which had a thick steel bow, was sufficient to destroy life without the aid of such a cruel accessory as poison." [1]

[1]

    "The most characteristic Chinese weapon with which I am acquainted is the repeating crossbow (shown below), which, by simply working a lever backward and forward, drops the arrows in succession front of the string, draws the bow, shoots the missile, and supplies its place with another. The particular weapon from which the drawings are taken was said to have been one of the many arms which were captured in the Peiho fort.

     It is not at all easy to describe the working of this curious bow, but, with the aid of the illustration, I will try to make it intelligible.

     The bow itself is made of three strong, separate pieces of bamboo, overlapping each other like the plates of a carriage-spring, which indeed it exactly resembles. This mounted on a stock, and, as the bow is intended for wall defence, it is supported the middle by a pivot. So far, we have a simple crossbow; we have now to see how the repeating machinery is constructed. Upon the upper surface of the stock lies oblong box, which we will call the "slide." It is just wide and long enough to contain the arrows, and is open above, so as to allow them to be dropped into it.

When in the slide, the arrows necessarily lie one the other, and, in order to prevent from being jerked out of the slide by shock of the bowstring, the opening can closed by a little wooden shutter slides over it.

     Through the lower part of the slide a tranverse slit is cut, and the bowstring led through this cut, so that the presses the slide upon the stock. Now come to the lever. It is shaped like the Greek letter "π" the cross-piece forming the handle. The lever is jointed to the stock by an pin or bolt, and to the slide by another bolt. Now, if the lever be worked to and fro, slide is pushed backward and forward the stock, but without any other result.

     Supposing that we wish to make lever draw the bow, we have only to cut notch in the under part of the slit which the string is led. As the slide along the stock, the string by its own falls into the notch, and is drawn back, together with the slide, thus bending the bow. Still, however much we may the lever, the string will remain in notch, and must therefore be thrown out a kind of trigger. This is self-acting, and equally simple and ingenious. Immediately under the notch which holds the string, a wooden peg plays loosely through a hole.

When the slide is thrust forward and string falls into the notch, it pushes the peg out of the hole. But when the lever slide are drawn backward to their full extent, the lower end of the peg strikes the stock, so that it is forced violently through the hole, and pushes the string out of the notch.

     We will now refer to the illustration. Fig. 1 represents the bow as it appears the lever and slide have been thrust forward, and the string has fallen into the notch. Fig. 2 represents it as it appears when the lever has been brought back, and the string released.

     A is the bow, made of three layers of male bamboo, the two outer being the longest. B is the string. This is made of very thick catgut, as is needed to withstand the friction which it has to undergo, and the violent shock of the bow. It is fastened in a wonderfully ingenious manner, by a "hitch" rather than a knot, so that it is drawn tighter in proportion to the tension. It passes round the end of the bow, through a hole, and then presses upon itself.

    C C show the stock, and D is the slide. E is the opening of the slide, through which the arrows are introduced into it, and it shown as partially closed by the little shutter F. The lever is seen at G, together with the two pins which connect it with the stock and the slide. H shows the notch in the slide which receives the string. I is the pivot on which the weapon rests, K is the handle, and L the place whence the arrows issue.

     If the reader should have followed this description carefully, he will see that the only limit to the rapidity of fire is the quickness with which the lever can be worked to and fro. As it is thrust forward, the string drops into the notch, the trigger peg is set, and an arrow falls with its butt just in front of the string. When it is drawn sharply back, the string is released by the trigger-peg, the arrow is propelled, and another falls into its place. If, therefore, a boy be kept at work supplying the slide with arrows, a constant stream of missiles can be poured from this weapon.

     The arrows are very much like the "bolts" of the old English crossbow. They are armed with heavy and solid steel heads, and are feathered in a very ingenious manner. The feathers are so slight, that at first they appear as if they were mere black scratches on the shaft. They are, however, feathers, projecting barely a fiftieth of an inch from the shaft, but being arranged in a slightly spiral form so as to catch the air, and impart a rotary motion to the arrow. By the side of the crossbow in Fig.2 is seen a bundle of the arrows.

     The strength of this bow is very great, though not so great as I have been told. It possesses but little powers of aim, and against a single and moving adversary would be useless. But for the purpose for which it was designed, namely, a wall piece which will pour a series of missiles upon a body of men, it is a very efficient weapon, and can make itself felt even against the modern rifle. The range of this bow is said to be 400 yards, but I should think that its extreme effective range is at the most from 60 to 80 yards, and that even in that case it would be almost useless, except against large bodies of soldiers." [2]

[2]

1. Payne-Gallwey, Sir Ralph. The Crossbow; mediæval and modern, military and sporting: its construction, history, & management. Longman's, Green and Co.: London. 1903.

2. Wood, J.G. The uncivilized races of men in all countries of the world: being comprehensive account of their manners and customs, and of their physical, social, mental, moral and religious characterics. J.A. Brainerd and Co.: Cincinnati .1876.

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