When the crossbow originated, this issue has been a debate between historians and military scientists, and it is still inconclusive today. But according to Chinese and foreign historical records, we can be sure and proud of it-the crossbow was invented by the Chinese. Regarding the specific time of the origin of the crossbow, although there are many records in ancient books, there are different opinions, which is difficult to verify.

To understand the evolution of the crossbow, we must mention bows and arrows. It is said that slingshots first existed in ancient times, and bows and arrows were only invented in the Shennong era. Analysis of ancient physical evidence obtained from archeological excavations indicates that humans have produced stone arrows in the late Paleolithic period, proving that bows and arrows have been born for 15,000 to 20,000 years. Bows and arrows were invented long before humans invented agriculture. Humans initially used bows and arrows as the main means of hunting for food. But since the beginning of the war, bows and arrows have become one of the main weapons on the battlefield. The characteristics of bows and arrows are flexible and convenient. They can shoot and kill enemies at a long distance. However, when shooting arrows, you must use one arm to support the bow and the other arm to pull the string. Therefore, the accuracy of the arrow is poor and it is difficult to hit. aims. Therefore, some people have found a way to fix the bow on an arm, and a set of mechanisms that can rotate around different pivots is installed on the arm. Due to these structural improvements, the bowstring can not only rely on the shooter's arm force, but also You can use other forces to increase the string strength, which is called "plus force."

In this way, the arrow has a longer range and greater lethality. In addition, after the bow is opened, the strings are hooked by the front teeth of the mechanism, which can take longer time to aim, and the hit rate is greatly improved compared with the past bows and arrows. In this way, the bow and arrow fired by a single arm has evolved several times to become a bow and arrow that is launched by the combination of human and mechanical forces and has a pointing function, that is, a crossbow. It can be seen that the ancient book called "bow crosses born of bows" is reasonable. The earliest and relatively well-preserved crossbow that has been found in archeological excavations at present is a very delicate crossbow machine, and it is equipped with bronze cast parts. It is certain that this crossbow is not the most primitive, so it is reasonable to believe that The birth of the crossbow dates back to the middle of the Warring States Period above 2300. So China is recognized as the first country to invent the crossbow.

A crossbow is a bow that shoots arrows with mechanical force. It is a long-range shot killing weapon developed from the bow. Crossbow aircraft ancient combat equipment. The copper crossbow aircraft originated in the Warring States Period and spread to the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms. It has been widely used in the army. It is small in size and easy to carry; made of metal, strong and durable; continuous firing, one to ten; easy to operate and easy to grasp. As one of the inventions of ancient Chinese engineering technology, the crossbow aircraft became an important weapon in our military before BC, and it was not introduced to Europe until 1100.

The specific structure of the crossbow can be divided into three parts: arm, bow, and machine. The arm is generally wooden; the bow is transverse to the front of the arm; the machine is installed behind the arm. The most important part of the crossbow is the machine. The crossbow machine is generally made of copper and installed in the crossbow. The front is the teeth for hanging the string, and the back is connected to the mountain of hope. The gauge on the firearm is convenient for adjusting the firing angle of the crossbow according to the target distance and improving the shooting accuracy. There is a hanging knife or trigger below the Tong Guo for firing arrows.

After the invention of the crossbow, it has been continuously improved, mainly reflected in the continuous strengthening of the bow force and the improvement of the crossbow machine. According to records, a crossbow had a mass of 369kg and a maximum range of 800m. Such a crossbow cannot of course be pulled by the strength of one's two arms alone. It is necessary to force a crossbow with two legs and two hands in a sitting position to use a crossbow or use mechanical power.

The Western Han Dynasty gold, silver and bronze crossbow machine is a Western Han bronze, specifications: crossbow machine 12.5 cm high, Guo length 11.1 cm, width 2.8 cm; Wangshan height 2.2 cm, width 1.8 cm; tooth height 1.1 cm, key length 5.5 cm, key diameter 1.5 The arrow slot is 8.9 cm in length and 1.4 cm in width. The crossbow machine is well-preserved. Guo, Wangshan, Tooth, Hook, and hanging knife can all rotate freely. Only the sight is not set.

The crossbow aircraft was exposed outside the wooden clogs with the wrong gold and silver decorations. The arrow slot was painted with a favorable sword and a wild goose pattern: a golden sharp arrow came out of the string, and two big wild geese in front fled in a hurry. Between square inches, the expressions and forms of the wild geese are vividly portrayed, and it seems that the wailing of the two wild geese can be heard.

After the Song Dynasty, gunpowder was gradually applied to weapons, firearms appeared, and the crossbow gradually disappeared on the battlefield. Surprisingly, the traditional crossbow weapon is resurrected in modern counter-terrorism operations. The powerful crossbow used by anti-terrorist commandos can penetrate 15 cm thick trees. It is mainly used for covert assault operations and rescue hostages. Effective offensive weapons, this makes people more admired the wisdom of the ancient Chinese.(Reprinted, please refer to www.seetao.com) See the editor of Daowang Heritage / Zhao Yongjing