Repeating crossbow
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A repeating crossbow (Chinese: 連弩 or liánnǔ) is a crossbow where the separate actions of stringing the bow, placing the bolt and shooting it can be accomplished with a simple one-handed movement, all the while keeping the crossbow stationary. This allows the bow to shoot at a faster rate compared to a normal crossbow. More complex ancient designs worked with a chain drive instead. A magazine containing a number of bolts is present on top of the bow and the mechanism is worked by moving a rectangular lever forward and backward.
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[edit] History
The Chinese repeating crossbow (Chinese: 諸葛弩; pinyin: Zhūgě nǔ; Wade-Giles: Chu-ke nu; literally "Zhuge crossbow"; sometimes misspelled as Chu-ko-nu) is a device with a simple design. It is commonly believed to have been invented by the Chinese strategist Zhuge Liang (181-234 A.D.) of the Three Kingdoms period. However, this belief is false as the earliest repeating crossbows (found in Tomb 47 of Qinjiazui, Hubei province) were dated to the 4th century BC.[1] Zhuge Liang improved the design of the repeating crossbow, and made a version which shot two to three bolts at once and was used in massed formations, and for this reason, it was named after him.[citation needed] The repeating crossbow saw its last serious action in the China-Japan war of 1894-1895, where photographs show repeating crossbows as common weapons among Manchurian troops. The basic construction of this weapon has remained very much unchanged since its invention, making it one of the longest-lived mechanical weapons.
The repeating crossbow was introduced into Korea by King Sejong (1418-1450), who during a trip to China saw the weapon and was impressed by its mechanism. In Korean it was called sunogung (Hangul: 수노궁; Hanja: 手弩弓).[2]
A more complex device was described in the works of the Greek engineer Philon of Byzantium. This siege engine, a repeating ballista, was called a Polybolos and was reputedly invented by Dionysius of Alexandria in the 3rd century BC. Two flat-linked chains were connected to a windlass, which by winding back and forth would automatically fire the machine's arrows until its magazine was empty. The machine features the earliest recorded chain drive in the history of technology.[3]
[edit] Usage
The chu-ke-nu had a very simple and rugged design. The weapon was extremely easy to manufacture and use, and, in the hands of a trained soldier, could easily launch ten bolts in fifteen seconds. In comparison, an arbalest could only deliver about two bolts a minute. The chu-ke-nu however, had neither the power nor the accuracy of an arbalest. This gave it a shorter range, compensated for by using lightweight bolts instead of the heavy bolts of single-shot crossbows. Thus, the chu-ke-nu was not very useful against more heavily armored troops unless poison was smeared on bolts, in which case even a small wound may prove fatal. Since a chu-ke-nu was shot from the hip, accuracy was poor, but the aim could be adjusted very swiftly since the next shot was only a second or two away. To get past these limits often large numbers of men would use it on the battlefield, allowing for large numbers of bolts to be fired.
The chu-ke-nu was operated by moving a lever forwards and then backwards. In that one movement, a bolt would be dropped into place, the string tensioned, and then the bolt released. Another bolt would then be ready to take its place from the magazine above. This action however put the weapon's string under heavy wear since it had forces straining it from both above and below. The lifting of the magazine especially, put severe pressure on the string. Chu-ke-nu strings were therefore often reinforced with quills from bird feathers, preferably those from swans or ducks.
Alterations of chu-ke-nu included mountable siege crossbows with larger bolts and greater power which required two men to operate (a sighter and an operator). There was also a heavy version using two magazines, thus doubling the number of bolts discharged. The latter was used in extreme close-quarter combat because they had extremely short range. A larger version that required two hands to operate was sometimes mounted on top of castle walls. They proved to be effective in defending the gates and doorways of castles.
[edit] In popular culture
- Roleplaying games, such as Dungeons & Dragons, have featured both mechanical and magical versions of the repeating crossbow.
- In the game Civilization IV, the Cho-Ko-Nu is the unique unit of the Chinese civilization, replacing the crossbowman.
- In the game Empires: Dawn of the Modern World Cho-Ko-Nu units can be trained in the Chinese civilization.
- Cho-Ko-Nu units appear in the Age of Empires series whenever the Chinese civilization is a playable faction.
- The titular character in the film Van Helsing wields a gas-propelled repeating crossbow.
- It appears in the show Weapon Masters.
- In the MMORPG RuneScape, there is a weapon based on the Cho-Ko-Nu called Karil's Crossbow. It is found in the "Eastern lands".
- In the film adaptations of the Lord of the Rings, repeating crossbows are used by the Uruk-Hai during the attack on Helms Deep.
- In the Games Workshop game Warhammer Fantasy Battle the Dark Elves faction make use of repeating crossbows for their warriors, dark riders and other troops
- In the game Diablo 2 the Chu-Ko-Nu is one of the few rapid-firing crossbows. It can be obtained late in the game.
- In the manga and anime Berserk the protagonist Guts uses a repeating crossbow. This model however is much smaller than the chu-ke-nu.
- In the game Final Fantasy VI (III for SNES) Edgar King of Figaro uses an auto-crossbow which appears to fire full auto.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Lin, Yun. "History of Crossbow," in Chinese Classics & Culture, 1993, No. 4: 33–37.
- ^ "쇠뇌 1.수노궁" (in Korean). 조선의 무기와 갑옷. 2004. p. 98. ISBN 89-8435-207-1. http://book.naver.com/bookdb/book_detail.php?where=pvidx_xml&bknu=0410035500&secnum=7&bid=1462421&menu=cview&query=.
- ^ Werner Soedel, Vernard Foley: Ancient Catapults, Scientific American, Vol. 240, No. 3 (March 1979), p. 124-125
[edit] External links
- Crossbow Plans - How to build a repeating crossbow.
- CHU-KO-NU - The Chinese Repeating Crossbow
- The Chinese Repeating Crossbow From Ralph Payne-Gallwey's work
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