The other type is the three-bow bed crossbow, which is more powerful than the previous type and has twice the range. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 The three crossbow bows on the info crossbow arm are two at the front and one at the back, which are also installed opposite to each other in the front and back. Because this kind of bed crossbow is stronger, it is also called "eight bull crossbow", which means that it can be pulled apart with the strength of eight old cows. It generally takes 20 to 100 people to open a crossbow by manpower, and the general range is 200 to 300 paces, that is, about 370 to 560 meters.

The crossbow arrows used in the three-bow bed crossbow are even larger, with thick shafts and iron feathers, and the front end is equipped with a huge three-edged blade iron arrowhead, because it is about the same size as the spear used by ordinary soldiers, so it is also called "one gun and three sword arrows". It also has another name called "Stepping Arrow", that is because it also has a special function, that is, when attacking the enemy's castle, the thick three-bow crossbow arrow is shot at the enemy city wall, so that the front end of the crossbow arrow is deeply inserted into the wall, leaving only half of the thick arrow shaft and tail feathers exposed outside the wall, and the besieging soldiers can climb these huge arrow shafts inserted in the wall under their own cover to climb the city wall and capture the city. As a result, this huge crossbow bolt became a pedal for siegers to climb, so these arrows also got the name "pedal arrow".

Li Xiang smiled and said, "Actually, the Divine Arm Bow made by our Ordnance Supervisor can also be regarded as a crossbow. In the first year of Xining, Li Hongshi of the people entered the house, and the deputy capital knew that Zhang Ruoshui received the order to make a simple bow and crossbow, and took it in. Its method is to take mulberry wood as the body, sandalwood as the straw, iron as the kick gun head, copper as the horse's face and teeth, and hemp rope and silk as the string. The body of the bow is three feet two inches, the string is two feet long and five inches, the arrow feather is several inches long, and it shoots more than 240 steps, and enters the elm wood halfway. ”

Zhang Shijie nodded and said: "Yes, Xia Guan has also used the Divine Arm Bow in the army, in view of the power of the Divine Arm Bow, when using the Divine Arm Bow, it is either used in field battles, against the enemy's heavy armor or with a bracket, which can be used to defend the city like a bed crossbow." Of course, there are many kinds of arrows used, such as steel arrows, iron-bone cone arrows, wooden head arrows, three-stop arrows, flying feather arrows, etc. ”

Li Xiang was also interested in how the Great Song army used long-range weapons to fight, so he asked: "Oh, this official has never entered the barracks, but he is very curious about how the Great Song army uses long-range weapons to fight, I heard that there is a long-range weapon in our Great Song army that is more powerful than a bed crossbow, that is, various types of stone machines." Can Shijie tell me about it? ”

Although before Li Xiang also knew about the Song Dynasty, there were also inventions of trebuchets, such as the battle of Cao Yuan Guandu, but because there are no drawings circulating, it is not known, and there is a really clear image of trebuchet in the "Book of Martial Arts". Before the invention of artillery, this type of stone machine was the heaviest long-range weapon. The stone-hairing machine, the original cannon, was made using the principle of levers.

Zhang Shijie smiled and said: "Of course you can, I have seen it in the army, this kind of stone machine, so that the Mongolian cavalry retreated!" This type of stone generator attaches a long cannon tip to a rotating transverse axis, which is then mounted on a turret made of thick wood. At one end of the cannon tip was a leather pit for carrying stone bullets with a rope, and at the other end dozens of long ropes were tied. During the radiation, one sergeant was responsible for placing the stone bullets in the leather pit, and dozens of other sergeants violently pulled the rope, and the rod suddenly reversed, throwing the stone bullets placed in the leather pit. Huge stone projectiles can destroy enemy fortifications, destroy enemy siege equipment, and can also kill and injure enemies and disrupt enemy lines. It is said that there are more than a dozen different styles of stone cannons, including single-pin cannons, double-pin cannons, five-pin cannons, seven-pin cannons, column belly cannons, whirlwind cannons, combined cannons, lying car cannons, car running guns, traveling gun cars, etc. There is also a lightweight hand cannon that uses only two people, and can fire half-pound stone bullets. ”

Li Xiang nodded and said, "Amazing! These stone cannons are also good, but they are still a little less powerful, and after our artillery and rocket artillery are mass-produced, maybe they should be withdrawn from the battlefield! ”

Although Li Xiang is very sorry, but technological progress is like this, backward things will be eliminated sooner or later, but Li Xiang still admires the wisdom of the Song people, these stone cannons make full use of the principle of leverage, whether it is a single tip, double tip, five tip, seven tip and other guns, the basic structure is the same, are in a square gun carriage composed of four foot pillars to install the gun tip, according to the weight of the difference, the heaviest seven-pin cannon, can throw 90 to 100 pounds of stone bullets to 50 steps away, there are 125 ropes, need to use two people to set the gun, Two hundred and fifty people dragged the ropes.

The relatively light single-tip cannon can be used to set the cannon with only one person and drag the rope by four people, and it can throw a two-pound cannon stone fifty paces away. The column belly cannon also has a gun carriage, but it is not a square with four foot columns, but an oblique triangle, so it is more flexible, this kind of cannon requires seventy-one soldiers, fire twelve pounds of cannon stones, and throw them fifty paces away, similar to mortars.

The other is the Whirlwind Cannon, which does not have a frame on it, but erects a huge cupola pillar, and places the axis of the gun tip at the head of the column, so that the gun tip can change direction and fire in all directions, without having to move the gun carriage when changing direction like a single gun. The disadvantage is that because there is no frame, it is not as stable as a single-tip gun, and the fired cannon stone cannot be too heavy, only about three catties.

The craftsmen of the Great Song Dynasty also invented the gun carriage, that is, those stone cannons were installed on the wheeled cart to form various gun carriages, which had two wheels and four wheels.

Zhang Shijie said with a smile: "If your lord is interested, why don't you let the lower official take you to the Bow Courtyard to have a look?" ”

Li Xiang smiled when he heard this: "Okay, then go and take a look, maybe in a few years, you won't be able to see these stone cannons, and the bed will be gone!" ”

Therefore, Li Xiang distributed all the training materials to his officials, and asked them to lead the craftsmen to step up their study and strive to imitate the machine tools as soon as possible, so as to transform the artillery production process as soon as possible and enter the era of streamlined operation.

followed Zhang Shijie to the Gongyu Courtyard, the chief of the Gongqi Courtyard Zheng Changfeng knew about it, and hurriedly ran out to greet him, after all, Li Xiang was even a person who had to be courteous to Wang Daquan and Shen Rong, how could he not come out to greet him in person!

Several people exchanged pleasantries, and when they learned that Li Xiang came to see the bed and the stone cannon, Zheng Changfeng smiled bitterly: "Why is Lord Li still interested in our bed and stone cannon?" Maybe it won't be long before our Bow Courtyard should be revoked, and it will be good to follow Master Li to make artillery or something in the future! ”

Li Xiang waved his hand and said, "Lord Zheng is polite!" Although the artillery is advanced, these beds and stone cannons are not bad, and the cannons are also designed on the principle of the cannons and stone cannons, so I just want to see the production process and structure of these beds and stone cannons, and see if there is anything that can be used for reference! ”

Zheng Changfeng arched his hands and said, "Master Li is so modest!" Our ordnance supervisor has Lord Li coming, which is a blessing for thousands of our people! ”