Shoot 15 arrows in 10 seconds: This is a terrifying weapon invented by Zhuge Liang

Zhuge Liang's multiple crossbow could shoot up to 15 arrows in 10 seconds, becoming a fearsome weapon on the battlefields of ancient China.

The crossbow is an ancient weapon used to launch arrows, which had a great influence on battles in ancient times. Before being widely used, crossbows were initially weapons with a fairly simple design, consisting of a bow and a limited number of arrows.

To use bows and arrows effectively, before going into battle, armies need to train a number of archers with physical strength as well as proficient use skills.

Meanwhile, using a crossbow usually only requires a few people to have the technique and consumes much less physical strength than a bow and arrow.

Furthermore, they can be created at a cheaper cost. Therefore, soldiers entrusted with the task of controlling crossbows (even if they are not well trained with bows and arrows) can also use this weapon effectively on the battlefield.

Origin of crossbow: Powerful weapon in ancient times

The crossbow may have been invented as early as in ancient China. Some historians believe that the crossbow was a military weapon first invented in this country in the early 2,000s BC.

This can be seen based on a number of artifacts such as bones, stones, or materials used to activate crossbows. However, according to some conclusive evidence, crossbows appeared around the 6th century BC in ancient China.

The crossbow is an ancient weapon used on battlefields in ancient times and the Middle Ages. (Photo: Internet).

Besides, the crossbow is also said to be the first invention in East Asia and Central Asia, so it is really difficult to determine the exact origin of this weapon.

However, most evidence in literature and archeology shows that crossbows appeared earliest in China.

Photo: Public Domain.

Regarding literature, the first two evidences mention the use of crossbows, including Sun Tzu's Art of War, Mac Tu's Doctrine (circa 4th - 3rd century BC), and a document related to the use of giant crossbows. giant in the period around the 6th - 5th centuries BC, at the end of the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 BC).

As for archaeological evidence, experts discovered a bronze crossbow part found in an ancient tomb in Qufu, Shandong province.

These small artifacts date back to around 600 BC, and the area was then part of the State of Lu, a vassal state of the Zhou Dynasty during the Spring and Autumn period.

In addition, archaeologists also discovered bronze crossbow tips dating to the mid-5th century BC, in Hubei province (previously part of the Zhou Dynasty).

Bows and arrows in the tomb of Qin Shi Huang. (Photo: Ancientorigins)

In particular, in 2015, researchers were surprised to discover the first complete crossbow dating from the Qin Dynasty, found in the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first and famous mysterious emperor. hidden in Chinese history.

The ancient crossbow is more than 2,000 years old with a length of about 1.5 meters, and a range of nearly 800 meters.

Zhuge Liang's chain crossbow: The fearsome "machine gun" of ancient China

Despite its many advantages, the crossbow is also a weapon with some serious disadvantages. One of them is the slow rate of fire. Furthermore, in the Middle Ages, countries in Europe often used heavy arrows.

Accordingly, the average speed of a crossbow shot is about 2 arrows per minute. However, if a soldier is skilled, he can shoot 10-12 arrows per minute.

According to experts, it seems that ancient Chinese crossbows also had the same problem as European countries in the Middle Ages.

Crossbow, great invention of Zhuge Liang during the Three Kingdoms period. (Photo: BRLSI).

As everyone knows, Zhuge Liang was not only good at foresight and giving effective suggestions to the king, he was also quite good at improving fighting tools in war. Under his guidance, right from the Three Kingdoms period, he invented a type of crossbow that allowed the continuous shooting of sharp arrows, which was the " Magic Zhuge Liang crossbow" or, "continuous crossbow," Zhuge Crossbow" that we often see in many novels. You know, in the era of ancient cold weapons, the lethality of combat tools such as "Cloud Ladder" and "Zhaji Crossbow" can Double the combat effectiveness in war, certainly comparable to machine guns and tanks in modern times.

The multiplex crossbow is a famous invention of Zhuge Liang (181-234), an outstanding Chinese politician and military leader of the Three Kingdoms period (220-280). This special invention of Zhuge Liang was invented when he was preparing to punish Wei.

Faced with the situation of having to fight against Wei's large cavalry army, Zhuge Liang created a powerful weapon with top lethality at that time. According to some historical records, this type of crossbow used arrows made of iron, about 80cm long.

Continuous crossbows have superior improvements compared to traditional crossbows. (Photo: Ancientorigins).

In a real situation, one can see the remarkable improvements of the continuous crossbow compared to previous weapons.

As the name suggests, a crossbow can shoot a significant number of arrows before needing to be reloaded.

The rapid fire rate of multiple crossbows made them a formidable long-range weapon on the battlefields of ancient China.

Unlike conventional crossbows, multiple crossbows are designed to automatically put arrows into the firing groove. This greatly reduces the interval between shots and actions of the archer.

The crossbow's bowstring is tensioned with a lever instead of a hand pull. (Photo: Baike).

Besides, the bowstring is tensioned by lever instead of pulling by hand, which also helps speed up the actions of the archer or soldier controlling the crossbow, saving time and effort.

Specifically, in the hands of a skilled soldier or archer, a continuous crossbow can shoot 15 arrows continuously in just 10 seconds , many times faster than the speed of a regular crossbow.

The combat speed and great damage ability make the continuous crossbow be likened to the "machine gun" of ancient Chinese soldiers.

Why was the Zhuge crossbow the pinnacle weapon of ancient times?

The combination of speed and power has made the Gia Cat crossbow one of the most optimal weapons, meeting tactical and strategic requirements in war, thereby contributing to changing the outcome of many battles. great in antiquity.

The rapid rate of fire makes the continuous crossbow a formidable long-range weapon on the battlefield. (Photo: Sohu)

The Zhuge crossbow is considered the pinnacle weapon of ancient times for many reasons:

1. 1. Advanced technology: Gia Cat crossbow uses advanced mechanical engineering and technology. It can fire a significant number of arrows before needing to be reloaded, thanks to its automatic loading mechanism.
2. 2. Strengthen forces : Thanks to the ability to fire a series of arrows, the Gia Cat crossbow significantly strengthens the attack force from afar, making defense or attack more effective.
3. 3. Power and precision: This weapon not only has significant power due to its powerful bow tensioning mechanism, but also has high accuracy, increasing the ability to cause damage to the opponent.
4. 4. Psychological factors : The appearance of Gia Cat crossbows on the battlefield also creates a scary psychological factor for the enemy, when witnessing a series of arrows being fired at the same time.

The Zhuge crossbow is a combination of technical knowledge and military tactics, demonstrating creativity and progress in weapon production in ancient times.