Bow and arrow, as a long-range weapon, was widely used in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and was listed as the first weapon. The son of a noble learned archery from an early age. As a skill, shooting is one of the "six arts" that doctors or officials must be familiar with. It is regarded as a kind of etiquette not only in the monarch's alliance and banquet, but also in folk customs. When a boy was born, he hung a bow at the door, hoping that when he grew up, he could be brave and shoot arrows with a bow. In the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, there was a young man named "Yangji". He learned to shoot from an early age and was proficient in shooting skills. He is known as the "God's Arrow Raises Uncle". In the Han Dynasty, making bows and arrows was more conducive to actual combat. Many bows and arrows were made for stepping, water fighting and riding. There are samurai bows, carved bows, angle bows, Taoist bows and strong bows. Not only is the bow strong, but it is also equipped with copper hoop and jade horn, which is very delicate and beautiful. People regard archery as both a tactic and an art. Some people describe Lu Bu's archery as "the bow opens like an autumn moon and the arrow goes like a meteor." In ancient books, many literati described vivid and vivid scenes of bow and arrow fighting. It is described in The Romance of the Former Han Dynasty that when Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty met Wu Chubing, Zhou Yafu "sent archers in front, followed by swordsmen in the team, which was heavily guarded". There are also: enemy soldiers "flock to Qi Fei to fight for the Han army"; Emperor gaozu "took the initiative to supervise the war and was fearless." Li Guang, a famous "flying general" in the Han Dynasty, once made the Huns dare not attack with his archery. It is said that the arrow used by Li Guang is called "Dahuang Arrow", which is often said as "the arrow is like a migratory locust". What is even more surprising is that once, Li Guang visited the foothills and saw a tiger lying in the grass in the distance. He quickly drew his bow, shot an arrow and hit the tiger. However, the tiger actually lay motionless and took a closer look. It turned out to be a big stone that looked like a tiger. The arrow penetrated the stone for several inches, and only the arrow feather was exposed. After this arrow, Li Guang became more famous. Everyone said that Li Guang had divine power, so an arrow could pierce a stone.
Although archery emphasizes skill, arm strength is the first condition. In ancient times, the strength of the bow was measured in kilograms. "One hundred and twenty kilograms as a force, and then the tiger force, not counting. The middle force is reduced by 23/ 10, and the lower force is reduced by half. " Archaeology has confirmed that a kilo in Ming Dynasty was about 59 1 g today. The standard bow and arrow in the army is 60 kilograms today, and the weak also use 30 kilograms today. The strong can open a strong bow of more than 70 kilograms, and the tall ones are collectively called "tiger power". The above bows and arrows are all used in the battlefield, but only a strong bow can penetrate all kinds of armor and shields to kill the enemy. However, if the weak can practice the skill of piercing Yang with a hundred paces, they can also win by surprise.
Legends and novels all have "stone" as the unit of bow and arrow calculation (1 stone =94 kg). During the Three Kingdoms period, the famous Shu general Huang Zhong refused to accept his old age, although he was over sixty. On one occasion, Shu sent a general to defeat Zhang He, a famous Wei. Military strategist Zhuge Liang believes that only Zhang Fei can defeat Zhang He. Huang Zhong said: "Although he is old, his arms are still a bow of three stones, and he still has a thousand pounds of strength. Isn't he better than Zhang He? " As he spoke, he took off the broadsword on the shelf and shook it like a fly. The hard bow on the wall was dragged and folded in two, which can be described as "vigorous and healthy". During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the tension of the bow increased. According to Liang Shu, "Yang Kan's arm strength is unparalleled. He used a twelve-stone bow and immediately used a six-stone bow. "
Bows in the Tang Dynasty are divided into four types: long bow, angle bow, micro bow and lattice bow. The long bow is used for stepping, the horn bow is used for riding, and the slight bow and the plaid bow are the hunting bow and the imperial military bow. From the Tang and Song Dynasties to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the shape of the bow has become increasingly simple, which can be roughly divided into ordinary bow and practice bow. The former pays attention to the accuracy of shooting, while the latter practices the arm strength of the bow, so he practices the "big bow" and "long bow". The Ming dynasty paid special attention to the selection and manufacture of bows, and the materials used for a bow often came from many places.
Many types of bows were developed in the Middle Ages, including short bows, compound bows and long bows. The short bow is three to four feet long, which is relatively easy to manufacture and use, and is the most widely used and common. It has moderate range, power and accuracy, and it must have enough experience and training to be used effectively.
Compound bow is a weapon originated in Asia, made of slender mixed wood or bone. This laminate can make a very powerful bow. The short compound bow is the most suitable weapon for riding in Gong Bing, especially for Mongolians and other Asian riders. The deformation of composite bow is to bend its two ends forward during manufacturing (steam treatment and forced pulling of laminate). This kind of bow can produce more power and requires a high degree of physical strength and technical operation.
Longbow originated in Wales and later spread to England. It is six feet long and made of a whole piece of wood (usually Chinese fir). The bow is three feet long (equal to one yard), which is the unit used to calculate materials. ) long arrow. When dealing with infantry, it is not necessary to pull the bow too tightly and pierce the leather armor they wear; When dealing with armored soldiers, it is necessary to tighten and force to pierce the armor of infantry or cavalry. Shooting with a long bow requires sufficient training and practice. An experienced longbowman can fire six shells with high hit rate in one minute. The longbow has a long range and great power. In the battlefield of the Middle Ages, a large number of experienced longbowmen often brought great lethality to the enemy. They can shoot at a single target or shoot at a specific area intensively.
The British will hold archery competitions all over Britain to encourage the use of longbows. All sports except archery are prohibited on Sundays, so as to mass-produce and recruit experienced longbowmen. Every county in Britain needs to provide a certain number of longbowmen every year according to law. There is usually no shortage of candidates for this recruitment activity, because the salary of a soldier will be higher than that of other jobs.