Looking for the Qin Traces: Looking at the Qin Dynasty through the Qin Warriors
Xu Weihong and Shen Shen
Published by Sichuan People's Publishing House.
Xu Weihong, the leader of the third excavation of the No. 1 pit of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses and the excavation of the ruins of Qin Xianyang City, has been unremittingly "searching for Qin traces" and studying Qin history for 30 years. The system of "material and work names" is improving day by day, and the terracotta warriors and horses that are repaired with "bone paste" represent the pragmatism of the Qin people or the compromise of the regulatory authorities? How did the developed lacquerware technology in the Qin Dynasty support the craftsmen to produce such vivid colorful terracotta warriors? What are the three types of people who built the Qinling Tombs, and how did they do their logistical support? ......
Following the author's exploration of the living past of the Qin Dynasty, readers can also see the reality of the Qin Dynasty behind the cultural relics: the "Absolute Son" in the strong crossbow reflects how the Qin Dynasty caught up and surpassed the nomads in terms of military aspects? Is Qin Shi Huang's "collection of the world's soldiers" true or false, and is the implementation of the policy flexible? "Violent Qin" has a strict funeral process for soldiers who died in battle, can it solve a little bit of confusion for us "why did Qin unify the world"? What contributions did the development and growth of Liyi make to the consolidation of the national rule of the Great Qin Empire? ......
Selected readings: The absolute son of the strong crossbow.
The crossbows and arrows buried in the terracotta pit are very lethal, but it is rumored on the Internet that they can shoot up to 800 meters, which is twice as powerful as the first generation of Soviet assault rifles AK47, which is pure foolishness. After archaeological experiments, it is estimated that its range is 150 meters to 180 meters, and since it is not much different from the bows and crossbows unearthed in various places at the same time, I feel that there is really no need to over-publicize it. On the contrary, it is the 2 pieces of crossbow machines with copper profiles found in the No. 1 pit in 1993, which can be called the "absolute son" of the strong crossbows in this era, and it is worth writing a special book.
The bow and crossbow are the launchers of arrowheads, which are long-range weapons. The crossbow is an upgraded version of the bow, and both are fired on the same principle, both use the bow to store energy, and then convert it into kinetic energy by rapidly closing the string, and the arrow is bounced forward. The difference is that the crossbow has more arms than the bow, and the middle of the arm is at the rear of the tail, that is, the crossbow machine. The strength of the crossbow is very large, as long as the crossbow machine is gently triggered, it can be fired immediately, as the so-called "four or two dial a thousand catties". Western scholars have even compared the crossbow with the modern rifle bolt as one of the most outstanding achievements of ancient cold weapon technology.
The crossbow machine is a rather complex and ingenious machine, with three main parts: the "teeth" that hook and place the bowstring, the "hanging knife" that acts as a trigger, and the "lookout mountain" that is used to aim. If the machine parts are installed in the groove of the wooden arm, the force is weak, and the stability is poor, so people add a frame outside the main part, and upgrade repeatedly from the wooden profile to the copper profile, which is the "profile". The parts are assembled in the profile, and then the profile is embedded in the empty groove of the crossbow arm, so as to increase the bearing capacity of the crossbow machine, provide a basis for strengthening the tension of the bowstring, and the range of the reinforcement of the tension will increase accordingly, and the parts are fixed in the profile, and the stability can also be improved a lot.
The book of merit for the history of ancient Chinese bows and crossbows is signed as "the ancients", and the first-class technology of the Qin Dynasty only continued to develop on this basis. The specific manifestation of development lies in the "outline". *The authentic and unquestionable crossbow machine with a copper profile is the Qin crossbow, which appeared in the Qin Dynasty rather than the late Warring States period. The first physical case was found in the Qin tomb of Yangjiashan in Hanzhong, Shaanxi, with 1 piece; Subsequently, there were four pieces of the burial pit on the west side of the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang and the No. 1 pit of the Terracotta Warriors. The age of the five crossbow machines is the same, concentrated at the end of the Qin Dynasty. There is a long copper plate next to the crossbow machine in the No. 1 Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit, which is the arrow groove, which is originally embedded in the arrow groove of the wooden arm, which can enhance the smoothness of the arrow groove and increase the shooting range, which is the first time in the archaeological history so far.
Ordinary people may have few channels to learn about the small highlight of the Qin Dynasty bow and crossbow, and they may not agree that I call them "absolute sons". The dissemination channels of professional archaeological data are narrow, and it is really not an exception to be wonderful like "raised in the depths of the boudoir". When I say "know", I mean first to know its existence, and then to know why it exists.
A bow and crossbow dug out of the Qin Terracotta Warriors pit
First of all, who can use such a crossbow?
Objects carry the way, and instruments are used to hide the rites. The Son of Heaven has nine tripods and eight tripods, the princes have seven tripods and six tripods, the secretary doctor has five tripods and four tripods, and the scholars have three tripods and two tripods, and the use of ritual utensils has hierarchical norms, and the same is true for weapons.
There are more than 40,000 arrowheads in the terracotta pit, and the specifications are divided into sizes. There are a total of 36 extra-large bronze arrowheads, of which 35 were unearthed at the remains of the chariot in the No. 2 pit, which are related to the chariots and infantry with special status. Mr. Zhu Sihong, the original excavator of the No. 1 pit of the Terracotta Warriors, mentioned that a crossbow machine with a silhouette was unearthed near a chariot and a high-ranking military figurine, and he believed that there was probably some internal connection between the three, and the crossbow with a metal profile had certain conditions for use at that time, "for example, it was equipped with this kind of ** around the general figurines (the common name of the senior military figurines)".
The crossbow machine with a silhouette had a coexistence relationship with the high-level vehicles of the Qin Dynasty. The burial pit on the west side of the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang is famous for burying a group of copper chariots and horses, of which the No. 1 chariot has the responsibility of opening the road and guarding, and is equipped with a silver crossbow, a large arrow and a copper crossbow with a crossbow machine. Other wooden cars are no exception, equipped with more than 2,000 pieces such as gold danglu, gold and silver ornament pipes, gold and silver saving, wrong gold and silver umbrella bars, wrong gold and silver crossbow machines, etc., all of which are luxurious and exquisite.
Two excavations, two groups of carriages and horses, all appeared wrong gold and silver crossbow machine, which shows that the emperor's deputy car is equipped with a crossbow and the crossbow machine has a crossbow machine for the Qin Dynasty regulations, is the No. 1 Terracotta Warriors pit with a crossbow machine upgrade.
Author: Text: Xu Weihong Shen Editor: Yuan Lulu Responsible Editor: Zhu Zifen.