Introduction of Non-famous Traditional Cold Weapons

Introduction of Non-famous Traditional Cold Weapons

When we talk about the cold weapons of the ancient army in China, we always think of conventional weapons such as knives, guns, halberds and crossbows. In fact, the cold weapons of the ancient army in China are far more than these, and there are many unfamiliar cold weapons of the main battle criss-crossing the ancient battlefield.

Boring rake, also known as fork, is a long-handled weapon similar to the western trident. It was originally evolved from agricultural production tools, and iron boring and harrowing began to appear in Wei and Jin Dynasties. Before the song dynasty, there were two strands, and after the song dynasty, there were three strands. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was also called the boring rake used by cavalry as a fork.

Boring and harrowing was the most brilliant in Ming Dynasty. There were two boring and harrowing hands in Yuanyang array, which was influenced by War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and Qi Jiguang. Qi Jiguang even called boredom and sadness "the most profitable person in the army" and "the most convenient tool to poke at once". Boring harrow is not only widely used in China, but also an important military weapon in neighboring North Korea. Soldiers equipped with harrows can often be seen in ancient Korean dramas.

Javelin, also known as spear gun, was widely used in infantry sabers, cavalry and navy in Song Dynasty. Song Jun learned how to use javelin in the battle with the southern minorities. Javelin was used to equip sabers, throw and kill the enemy before the battle, similar to the tactics of the ancient Roman legion.

"If the enemy is 100 paces away, our soldiers will first control its front with crossbows and side spears. In melee, it is still 30 paces inside and outside, and we must fly it with javelins. The enemy will avoid the bid, the winning bidder will fall, and our soldiers will take advantage of the situation-card theory. "

In the Yuan Dynasty, Mongolian cavalry were all equipped with javelins, among which those who grew up were called "bullying Huda", which could be used as light pike melee or throwing to kill the enemy, while those who were short were three-tailed javelins, which were mainly used for throwing. Ming saber players are still equipped with javelins, and each saber player is equipped with three javelins in addition to broadsword rattan cards.

General Qi Jiguang attached great importance to the use and training of javelin. He believes that the use of "no card is no card" must be coordinated with javelin, and javelin training requires hitting a silver coin within 30 steps. "Try javelin, hit three silver coins, hit within 30 steps, or go up, or middle, or down, mature is not bad".

In the Ming dynasty, cavalry also kept javelin. In the Dongchang Campaign of Jingnan Campaign, the infantry of the Southern Army formed a shield array, which Yan Junjun's arrow could not penetrate. They sent cavalry to break the shield with javelin at close range and attack and kill while the gap was open. This is the defeat of the Confederate army. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, navy warships were also equipped with javelins, which were used in close-range ship battles, and were called "digging when encountering a boat, and breaking when encountering people".

The flail stick was originally used by cavalry, similar to nunchakus, which can kill infantry by inertia and can also be used to defend soldiers outside the city wall from attacking the city. Throwing rope, also known as puma stone, is a simple and easy-to-make weapon, which is very suitable for untrained people and strong people to use when guarding the city. Hook and claw weapons are mostly used by cavalry to restrict enemy movements.