Eight Arrays (Du Fu)
Gong cover three points of the country, named into the eight arrays.
The river does not turn, and the hatred is lost and swallowed.
Zhuge Liang's military prowess has been controversial. On the one hand, his frequent northern expeditions did not achieve the goal of capturing Longyou; on the other hand, he could suppress Sima Yi and even engage in economic production in Cao Wei's territory. Xiao Bian personally believes that Zhuge Liang's military ability is still very strong, and the combat effectiveness of Shu Han soldiers is also very strong. The so-called "if a worker desires to do a good thing, he must first use it." "The victory or defeat of a war and the combat effectiveness of a unit are not only related to the command ability of the general and the military quality of the soldiers, but also the equipment is also an important factor. The following small editor will talk about several sharp weapons of the Shu Han during the Zhuge Liang period.
Melee Weapon: Puyuan Divine Sword
Pu Yuan was a master of casting knives in Shu Han, but unfortunately there is no biography or deed record in the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", most of Pu Yuan's deeds are from the "Pu Yuan Biography" and "Pu Yuan Bei Biography", it is generally believed that the author of "Pu Yuan Biography" and "Pu Yuan Bei Biography" is Jiang Wei, but this point is controversial and needs to be examined.
Pu Yuan once forged three thousand swords for Zhuge Liang. At the time of quenching, it was proposed to use the water of the Shu River to quench, so that people could go to Chengdu to get water. After returning from the water, Pu Yuanfang knew that it was mixed with eight liters of Fu water as soon as it was quenched. After the knife casting is completed, the bamboo barrel is filled with iron beads to test the knife, which can be easily cut off. Therefore, these three thousand knives are called "Puyuan Divine Knives". With this sharp divine sword, the Shu Han army could gain a great advantage in close combat.
The "Art and Literature Cluster, Military Weapons, and Knives" quotes the "Biography of Pu Yuan": "Fill the middle with iron beads in a bamboo tube, and raise the knife to break it." ”
Defensive weapons: Zhuge Liang's sleeve armor and iron hat
In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhuge Liang encountered Fuji Jia bing when he quelled the Mengyu rebellion. The rattan armor on the body of the rattan armor soldier is inaccessible, light and convenient, only afraid of fire attack, which can be said to be an excellent armor. Xiaobian did not find a record of vine armor in the historical materials, but found another kind of armor related to Zhuge Liang, that is, Zhuge Liang's sleeve armor.
Barrel sleeve armor already existed in the Western Han Dynasty, so the sleeve armor was not invented by Zhuge Liang. However, in the historical records, Zhuge Liang was named in front of the barrel sleeve armor, which may be the reason why Zhuge Liang once improved the barrel sleeve armor. But some people also say that this is a kind of worship of Zhuge Liang. However, Xiaobian believes that even if there is a cult factor, it is impossible to come out of nowhere, and Zhuge Liang and the sleeve armor should be linked. This kind of Zhuge Liang's sleeve armor has a strong protective ability and was used as a reward for subordinates during the Southern and Northern Dynasties.
"Nanshi Yin Xiao Ancestral Biography": "The imperial battle first had Zhuge Liang's sleeve armor and iron hat. ”
"Nanshi Wang Xuanmo Biography": "Give Zhuge Liang Yong sleeve armor." ”
Long-range weapon: Zhuge Lian crossbow
Zhuge Lian crossbow can be described as a well-known "artifact", and it still exists in various novels and games, which can really be described as having a long vitality. However, the original appearance of Zhuge Lian's crossbow is still somewhat blurred. According to the "Spring and Autumn of the Wei Dynasty", the original name of Zhuge Lian's crossbow was "Yuan Rong Crossbow", which used iron as an arrow to shoot cross crossbow arrows at one time; another theory is that Zhuge Lian's crossbow can shoot ten crossbow arrows in a row.
The two statements are inconsistent, and there are quite different ones. If it is fired ten at a time, combined with the improved power of Cao Wei mechanical expert Ma Jun to increase by five times, that is, fifty arrows, then the Zhuge Lian crossbow should be a large weapon, which is difficult for a single soldier to carry, and can only be used as an ordnance to defend the city after the siege; if it is fired continuously, the Zhuge Lian crossbow is likely to be a relatively light single-soldier hand-held crossbow, which is conducive to field combat.
From the literal record of the "Spring and Autumn of the Wei Dynasty", it seems that it is a one-time firing, focusing on the intensity of firepower; but according to the "Three Kingdoms Zhi Shu, Zhuge Liang Biography" and the "Continuous Crossbow" in the "Biography of Mr. Ma", it seems to be a continuous firing, focusing on continuity. Xiaobian is not an expert in ancient weapons, there is no in-depth study of this, can only attach historical materials below, relying on the reader's own judgment.
"The Biography of Mr. Ma": "Sir saw Zhuge Liang's crossbow ... Words and deeds can make it five times greater. ”
"Wei's Spring and Autumn": "With iron as the arrow, the arrow is eight inches long, and a crossbow is ten arrows." ”
Transport weapon: wooden cow flowing horse
Compared with Zhuge Lian's crossbow, the wooden cow and the flowing horse are even more traceless. The main controversy of Zhuge Lian's crossbow is whether it is a continuous launch or a single launch, and the controversy of the wooden cow and the flowing horse is more complicated. One of the more certain points is that wooden cattle and horses are two kinds of tools for transporting grain and grass, driven by manpower, but do not bring a large burden to the transporters. Among them, the wooden cattle have a large amount of transportation, at least at a speed of twenty miles a day to carry the grain used by a person for a year; the invention period of the flowing horse may be later than the wooden cow, which can carry four hundred and six buckets of military food, which is believed to be about a quarter of the carrying capacity of the wooden cattle. The carrying capacity of the flowing horse is much lower than that of the wooden cow, but considering that Zhuge Liang deliberately commented that the wooden cow "carries more and travels less, it should be used largely, not small", and the speed of the flowing horse should exceed that of the wooden cow.
"Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Book of Shu, Later Biography": "In the spring and February of the ninth year, Liang returned to besiege Qishan, and began to transport wooden cattle... In the spring and February of the twelfth year, liang came out of the slanted valley and began to be transported by flowing horses. ”
There is now a saying, of course, this statement is not created by today's people, that is, the so-called wooden cow flowing horse is a kind of wheelbarrow that facilitates mountain travel. Although what exactly is a wooden cow and a running horse is still controversial, Xiaobian believes that it is definitely not a simple wheelbarrow. First of all, in the "Zhuge Liang Collection", it is clearly recorded that the production method and main composition of the wooden cow and the flowing horse are very different from the unicycle; secondly, the wooden cow can carry a year's military food "and people are not much labor", and a simple unicycle cannot do this, and it needs mechanical assistance. There are also other reviews. Liu Hong, a famous general of the Western Jin Dynasty, once spoke highly of wooden cattle. The gap between Liu Hong's era and Zhuge Liang's era is not large, and his evaluation should have great reference. If Zhuge Liang is just "on a whim" and puts a wheelbarrow on a bull's head and calls it a "wooden cow", Liu Hong's boasting of a wheelbarrow is really a bit strange.
"Zhuge Liang's Collection": "Carrying one year of grain, traveling twenty miles a day, and people are not much labor." ”
Book of Shu: "The Zhennan general Liu Hongzhi Longzhong ... Feng Taifu (傅掾犍) for Li Xingwei Wen Yue: '... The strangeness of the wooden cow is not a mold. ’”
There is also a saying that Zhuge Liang was not the inventor of the wooden cow, and the inventor was Pu Yuan, who cast the knife for Zhuge Liang. This matter is found in the Biography of Pu Yuanbie, which conflicts with the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The right and wrong also requires the reader to judge for himself.
The Beitang Shuqian quotes the "Biography of Pu Yuanbie": "Liang wants to go north, suffering from grain difficulties, Yuan Mu and Liang Yue: 'Yuan Yuan rate Yayi, be a wooden cow.'" ’”
brief summary
The war promoted the development of military science and technology, and these weapons in the Shu Han army are a good proof. Although these weapons have become invisible after a thousand years of time, they still leave Yoshimitsu Katayu in various historical materials, leaving room for future generations to explore. However, the advancement of military weapons does not determine the outcome of the war, and behind it is more the competition of comprehensive national strength and the impact of the geographical environment. Shu Han invented, improved, produced, and used these military weapons, but due to the weakness of the small army and the fatigue of the people, and the loss of the convenient transportation of Jingzhou, although they often took the initiative to go north, but with little effect, and finally it was inevitable that they would die in Yizhou.
References: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Quan Sanguowen, Beitang Shuqian, Art and Literature Cluster, Southern History