At the turn of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the development of leather armor reached its peak, and the far-reaching armor became a very mature armor style. The armor is made of lacquered leather pieces, the body armor is a large rectangular piece, and the sleeve armor is smaller, and the layers are pressed from the bottom to the top to allow the arm to move.

By the Qin Dynasty, the rectangular pieces of the armor had become smaller and smaller, making them more fitting and flexible, and at the same time, the weaving technique also made a distinction between yin and yang lines. Yin and Yang are not terms, but only in terms of superficial features.

The yang thread has been used below the chest and sleeves of the Eastern Zhou Zha Jia, and is suitable for parts that need to be moved, such as the arms and waist, and is characterized by a long longitudinal rope segment between the nail pieces. The yin line appears with the more elaborate production of the chest and back of the armor, which is characterized by only a few extremely short rope segments exposed on the surface of the armor, and the upper and lower left and right sides of the armor are completely fixed, which is suitable for the chest and back and other parts that do not need to move.

At this point, the specification of the stacking of nail pieces, the yin line and the yang line has been basically formed, and since then, China A will continue to develop along this road.

In the Western Han Dynasty, where the steelmaking industry was booming, iron armor gradually replaced the former status of leather armor, and at the same time, iron armor was divided into delicate fish scale armor and ordinary armor. The fish scale armor is the result of the peak of the armor, the whole set of armor can use more than 2,200 pieces of armor, the armor pieces are stacked like fish scales, considering the level of steelmaking at the time, there is no doubt that only the illustrious can wear it. In fact, even if the Western Han Dynasty fish scale armor is compared with the iron armor of later generations, it can be called a high-quality product, because under the premise of understanding steelmaking, the decisive force of the quality of the iron armor is only in the manual. Fish scale armor has never been popularized throughout the ages, and coarser or thinner armor has always been the standard armor for soldiers to resist cold weapons.

The Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties were an important transition in the development of the armor style, and the successive appearance of the barrel sleeve armor, the Liangdang armor, and the Mingguang armor added a soothing movement between the Han and Sui and Tang dynasties. Legend has it that Zhuge Liang's sleeve armor can withstand a strong crossbow shot with a pulling force of nearly 670 kilograms. The legend is debatable, but it at least reflects the importance attached to the quality of iron armor at the time.

In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, when cavalry warfare was at its peak, arrows and cavalry armor were catching up with each other, and the war horses held hostage by arrows had to be dressed in heavy armor, which led to the birth of Chinese heavy cavalry 900 years before Europe. The leather armor of the chariots and horses at the turn of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period may also be regarded as the earliest horse armor, but until the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the design of the horse armor was not complete, and only the armor could be called a complete horse armor. If there is anything flashy about the armor, it may be the parasitic high on the horse's hips, which seems to be only suitable for showing the high fighting spirit of men and horses when going out or triumphant.

The most famous armor of the Sui and Tang dynasties was the Mingguang armor, which consisted of 4 base plates, 2 on each chest and back, each with a large round guard, from the name of Mingguang, the circle guard should be made of high-quality steel, and the base plate was probably leather armor. Although this design is suspected of saving trouble, the Sui and Tang Ming Guang Armor changed the bad habit of cutting corners in the previous dynasties, and incorporated the arm guards and extended leg guards into the basic elements of the armor style, which had an important impact on later generations.

In the late Tang Dynasty, the Ming Guang armor declined, and the overall body armor was replaced by the armor, and after five generations of war, a mature system was formed again in the Song Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty, armor was usually divided into three parts: the armor, the arm guard and the body armor, and the body armor was in the shape of a mountain, which fused the body armor and leg guards, and was tied tightly at the shoulders and waist. A is divided into iron, skin, and paper according to the material.

The invention of paper armor originated in the late Tang Dynasty, and the Song and Ming dynasties became one of the standard armor styles of the army, and there was a record of 30,000 sets of customized armor. It is probably the world's oldest Kevlar armor, and it is assumed that it was made of thickly crumpled paper and also used structural mechanics to enhance protection. Judging from the records of its use in the south, it seems that paper armor has some ability to resist moisture. And the excellent ones among them are not only lightweight, but also have the sturdiness of "strong arrows can't holes", so it is no wonder that there are records of magistrates applying for 100 sets of iron armor in exchange for 50 sets of high-quality paper armor. The 14th century began to turn in history, when the large white armor that could weigh up to 30 kilograms gradually rose in Europe, while in China, the Ming Dynasty made the transition to lightness due to the development of firearms, after the weight of iron armor soared to a record high of 28.5 kilograms. Even the Great White Armor made of Damascus steel can be easily pierced by steel arrows fired from crossbows with a force of more than 40 kilograms at a distance of 100 meters. China's armor development due to the people's war and more realistic than Europe, the unconventional protection of cold weapons, often only use a few more sets of armor, and this pragmatic spirit to the age of firearms, will resolutely make heavy armor withdraw from the stage of history. The Ming Dynasty was an era of alternating status of light and heavy armor, and the Qing Dynasty was an era when light armor was carried forward. During the Three Kingdoms, chain mail that could be used to prevent distant arrows was introduced from the Western Regions, and the cotton armor that could be used to resist distant guns began in the Ming Dynasty, and they all became the main armor at this time. The Eight Banners Iron Horse, with a high tasseled tip on his head, a wide cotton armor with iron nails embedded in his coat, and a net armor interspersed with iron rings on the inside, were the symbols of martial arts in the Qing court. The decline of armor is inevitable, and when even light armor becomes a burden, the new military uniforms do not look so weak when the power of guns and cannons has increased dramatically.

Shields are used to deplete or deflect lethality, as well as as assistive weapons. Due to the weight problem, the shields of the past dynasties were mainly rattan, wood or leather shields, because the surface of the wooden and leather shields needed to be painted to prevent moisture and corrosion, it produced exquisite shield patterns. In the Western Han Dynasty, the style of the shield was close to the rectangle, which was divided into step and car, the foot shield was long and good for preventing arrows and maintaining the array, and the car shield was short and narrow for the use of the car. The greatest threat to protection is the thorn, which is powerful enough to gather up to hundreds of kilograms of pressure at the point of attack, beyond the reach of a sword slash. Therefore, in the Warring States, double-arc square shields used for melee combat prevailed, and the convex shape of the longitudinal midline was conducive to dissolving the power of the thorns.

With the rise of cavalry, oval shields appeared in the Western Han Dynasty, and cavalry could be held with one hand to defend against attacks. After being abandoned by the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties and picked up by the Song Dynasty, this style became a circular side card tied to the left forearm of the cavalry to prevent arrows. At the same time, after the development of the Han and Wei dynasties, a very long hexagonal shield began to prevail in the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, which is an improved version of the double-arc square shield, and the entire shield surface is longitudinally curved inward, like a leaf.

Not only can you hold it in your hand when fighting, but you can also stick the sharp corners of the bottom into the ground and hold it up with a stick. And this style, after removing the sharp corners at the bottom, became the infantry side card of the Song Dynasty. When the shield was introduced to the Song Dynasty, it lacked the interest of going down, and the rest of the development was nothing more than a slight change in shape, and there was no sense of progress.

Constituent:

Earlier copper armor appeared in Asia. Around 2600 B.C., bronze armor appeared in the valley of the two rivers, in China during the Yin and Zhou dynasties, and in India during the Vedic era. The first people to make extensive use of iron armor were the Assyrians in the Middle East. In the process of popularizing armor, there were also matching armor tools to protect specific parts, such as neck armor, face armor, wrist armor, breastplate, and gloves.

[Face Armor]

The front of the helmet is used to prevent cold weapons from attacking the face of soldiers. Face armor was used in ancient and medieval times. The face armor is tightly attached to the helmet, and some are movable. Made of iron or steel, in the form of a single tile or scale. The face armor of the French cylindrical helmet is an extension of the front wall of the helmet, and has 2 eyelies and 1 or 2 nose and mouth holes. The Old Russian helmet actually had no face armor, but only a narrow strip of arrow-shaped metal hanging down in the center of the face. Ancient Russian soldiers also wore ball-top helmets, sometimes with chain mail shoulder pads, which could be lowered to cover the back of the head, neck, shoulders, and also to cover the face.

[Neck armor]

An accessory for protective gear. It was used in ancient times and the Middle Ages to protect the back of the head, neck, shoulders and shoulders of soldiers from cold weapons. In ring armor, the neck armor is chained around the edge of the military helmet and hangs down over the shoulders. In leaf armor, the neck armor is made of a whole iron plate or several metal plates connected by a ring cable. In medieval seamless knights' armor, the neck armor was the main component of protective gear. The neck armor is connected to the blade armor, the mantle and the helmet, which are made according to the size and shape of the samurai, and are divided into two parts, the left side is connected by a movable hinge, and the stone surface is connected by a dark beat.

The popularity of armor in ancient China evolved with the change of dynasties.

Armor is a general term for the protective equipment for various parts of the head and torso in the Cold Weapon Era. It has many names, but it is basically divided into two parts: the helmet for the head guard and the armor for the body. A can be divided into several parts: a body, a skirt, a sleeve and accessories. In the early days, people used animal skin wicker, cloth covers with padding materials, and wood to fix on the torso to protect against the attack of weapons. With the development of production technology, leather armor, rattan armor, and bronze cast armor gradually appeared. Plate mail made of monolithic metal, chain mail woven of metal, and so on. Earlier copper armor appeared in Asia. Around 2600 B.C., bronze armor appeared in the valley of the two rivers, in China during the Yin and Zhou dynasties, and in India during the Vedic era. The first people to make extensive use of iron armor were the Assyrians in the Middle East. In the process of popularizing armor, there were also matching armor tools to protect specific parts, such as neck armor, face armor, wrist armor, breastplate, and gloves. In some Asian countries in the feudal era and in medieval Europe, armor was highly valued, and the production was extremely sophisticated, exquisite, and expensive, and armor made of gold, silver, and rare leather also appeared. With the widespread use of firearms in modern times, the protective effect of ancient armor on the battlefield gradually decreased, and was finally replaced by bulletproof vests and steel helmets made with modern technology.

Let's start with China's iron armor

China appeared around the time of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. A is also known as armor, "Interpretation of the Name, Release of Soldiers": 'Armor, still armor. Armor, strong words, or armor. 'Iron armor of various generations is often made according to the material and body, and there are many forms. The Han Dynasty called the iron armor the Xuanjia, to distinguish it from the gold armor and the bronze armor. The Han Dynasty army Shen has been equipped with iron armor. Hebei Mancheng West Han Shenshan King Liu Sheng tomb out of the main fish scale armor. It weighs about 16 pieces of 5 kilograms and is decorated with a total of 2,859 pieces of iron armor. According to the determination, at that time, the iron armor sheet was forged from a block of iron into a nail piece, and then annealed and decarbonized, which had toughness. The wearer's torso and crumbs to the elbow are surrounded by iron armor, and the bell is shaped like a half-sleeved short coat. During the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the two Xian Cheese Lines were called Jieguang Armor. The shape of the Liangdang armor and the shape of the Liangdang in the costume are similar to Li's name, and it consists of a cuirass and a back armor. The Mingguang armor has large mirror-like metal rounds on the chest and back. The armor of the Tang Dynasty was diverse, and according to the "Six Classics of the Tang Dynasty", there were thirteen kinds: Mingguang armor, scale armor, mountain armor, black hammer armor, white cloth armor, soap silk armor, cloth back armor, infantry armor, leather armor, wooden armor, lock armor, and horse armor, which were mainly used by infantry cavalry. After the Song Dynasty, although firearms appeared, armor was still an important protective equipment. In the Song Dynasty, there were several kinds of mirror armor, such as steel chain armor, black lacquer near the water mountain spring armor, Mingguang fine mesh armor, Mingju armor, and step person armor. The "History of the Song Dynasty and the Chronicles of the Soldiers" recorded: the total weight of a set of mirror armor in the Song Dynasty was 45 to 50 catties, and the nail leaves had 25 pieces of flying, and the manufacturing time was 120 working days, and the funds were spent three and a half. The Ming Dynasty focused on reducing the amount of mirror armor, and each payment was reduced to 40 catties to 25 catties, mostly iron valve mail and chain mail. The armor equipped in the early Qing Dynasty inherited the craft tradition of the Ming Dynasty. It has also absorbed the advantages of the armor-making technology of various ethnic groups, and the ironclad protection ability and external decoration have improved. Therefore, the rich museum preserves the imperial armor of Gaozong Hongli of the Qing Dynasty, which is composed of bronze helmets and guards. It is composed of eight parts: armor guards, battle robes, chest guards, bronze mirrors, battle skirts, and combat boots. The armor is lined with steel sheets, and the Mingha piece, Oh Frontier, and the robe are densely decorated with bronze stars, and the armor of ordinary samurai is made into a robe type with shoulders and horseshoe sleeves. The outside of the robe is embroidered and densely embellished with steel stars. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the new army was trained, Western-style military uniforms were changed, and iron armor was abolished.

Cotton nails

A nail made of textiles. It was mainly used in the Ming Dynasty, Qing Dynasty and ancient Persia of the Shen Kingdom. It is made of cotton, linen, weaving and other materials, and consists of a nail body, a nail sleeve, a nail skirt, as well as a forearm, calf sheath and other accessories. The surface of the nail may be dyed in color, and there are large copper and iron armor bubbles nailed. The cotton armor is made of light and soft materials, and the clothes are wide, so the combat armor is more comfortable than the iron armor, and it can also resist the fire of primary firearms when wet. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Qing Dynasty organized a 'new army' and used modern guns, and the cotton armor was discontinued along with other armor.

descendant

Chinese helmets. Xuan, after the Warring States period, it was called Douli, and after the Song Dynasty, it was called helmets. The earliest Chinese legend was created by Zaoyou. People made helmets out of horns and rattan hides. At present, the earliest bronze crests unearthed are Shang Dynasty bronze crests, all of which are cast with bronze as a whole and decorated with animal patterns. The bronze helmet, also known as the armor, was used in ancient warfare to prevent the head of the protective equipment, which was shaped like a hat, which could protect the top of the head, face and neck at the same time, and was popular in the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The bronze of the Zhou Dynasty is also a whole fan cast, with two sides on the left extending downward to form ear protection, and some protruding a lamb chop round bubble nail on the surrounding wide band. The unearthed Zhou Zhou has a simple shape. In the Warring States period, there was an iron bucket, which was made of layers of iron armor. From then until the Song Dynasty, helmets were generally made of a single piece of fan casting, braided iron armor, or a combination of the two. 'The Ming Dynasty Fu helmet generally inherited the Song system and improved it. The Ming Dynasty Imperial Forest military chain helmet, the iron bowl is like a hat, the lower edge is equipped with chain steel wire mesh, the helmet is eight inches high, the net length is about one foot, and the mesh ring is extremely fine. The soldier's iron helmet is simpler, not much ornamented, the iron bowl is tall, the shoulder is wide, and the whole helmet is wide and narrow, like a minaret. The iron helmets used by the officers are carved with dragon and tiger patterns, and some are inlaid with gold and silver, and there are rewards on the helmets, which can be inserted into the raccoon dogs. After the widespread use of firearms, the shape of iron helmets tended to be lighter. After the middle of the Qing Dynasty, the armor became a decoration for the guard of honor and the proofreading, and it was rarely used in actual combat. In the last years of the Qing Dynasty, Western-style steel helmets were passed on to China and became a common protective equipment for infantry. Leather strips are braided. The armor is painted, and the leather is mainly rhino skin, curse skin, turtle skin, buffalo skin, etc. Almost every samurai was armoured, and some horses were also armoured. At the turn of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, after the appearance of iron weapons, leather armor could not resist the blows of sharp weapons, and gradually gave way to iron armor, but leather was still used as a light protective equipment for thousands of years.

Mirror armor

A kind of protective armor that protects the split. Shaped like a shirt, the secret is made by sewing some belt or thin metal pieces onto the leather jacket. Sometimes the armor was covered with velvet, decorated with pressed patterns and carved patterns.

chain mail

Protective equipment used to protect the body during battles in ancient times. Generally, small pieces of iron are forged into small pieces, and then small pieces of iron are connected with iron chains. They are intertwined to form a garment, which is soft and light to wear. It was prevalent in the Tang Dynasty in China.

Leaf nails

A kind of protective equipment against the killing of cold weapons and firearms. Initially, sturdy linen or leather coats were used, and with the advent of metal, copper, back, iron, and steel were installed. The ancient Oriental peoples had already had leaf armor, and the gold metal leaf armor was produced there, and was later widely used by the Romans. There are two types of leaf nails: leaf nails and fish scale nails. After the widespread use of firearms (from the 14th century onwards), leaf armor became a thick metal partial armor that protected parts such as the trunk and limbs.

Face nails

The front of the helmet is used to prevent cold weapons from attacking the face of soldiers. Face armor was used in ancient and medieval times. The face armor is tightly attached to the helmet, and some are movable. Made of iron or steel, in the form of a single tile or scale. The face armor of the French cylindrical helmet is an extension of the front wall of the helmet, and has 2 eyelies and 1 or 2 nose and mouth holes. The Old Russian helmet actually had no face armor, but only a narrow strip of arrow-shaped metal hanging down in the center of the face. Ancient Russian soldiers also wore ball-top helmets, sometimes with chain mail shoulder pads, which could be lowered to cover the back of the head, neck, shoulders, and also to cover the face.

Neck carapace

An accessory for protective gear. It was used in ancient times and the Middle Ages to protect the back of the head, neck, shoulders and shoulders of soldiers from cold weapons. In ring armor, the neck armor is chained around the edge of the military helmet and hangs down over the shoulders. In leaf armor, the neck armor is made of a whole iron plate or several metal plates connected by a ring cable. In medieval seamless knights' armor, the neck armor was the main component of protective gear. The neck armor is connected to the blade armor, the mantle and the helmet, which are made according to the size and shape of the samurai, and are divided into two parts, the left side is connected by a movable hinge, and the stone surface is connected by a dark beat.

cuirass

It is used to protect the chest and back of soldiers from cold weapons and firearms. It consists of two sturdy curved plates----- chest plate and back plate. Ancient cuirass were made of dense felt sheets of outer leather. Later iron cuirasses appeared, the front half of which was connected with a ring and hinges or iron-clad belts on the top of the back half, and fastened with a belt below. The chest is embellished with pressed patterns or inlaid ornaments, and is gilded or plated, weighing 6-10 kg and 1-3.5 mm thick. In the Russian army, the cuirass was equipped with heavy cavalry in 1731 and was briefly discontinued.