Product Name: Wooden Catapult
Product code: KX1912 Wooden Catapult
Size: 140*90*180mm
Weight: About 85g
Material: Wood + Rubber bands + O-rings
Packing: 200pcs
Box Specification: 600*550*450mm

Catapult is a large-scale human-powered projectile weapon that uses the principle of lever to throw stones. Its appearance is a sign of technological progress and the needs of war. The Chinese chess piece "Pao" in the black side is a catapult, and the fire character is more often associated with the ancient practice of torture. It was first used in the Spring and Autumn period, and after the Sui and Tang dynasties, it became an important weapon for attacking and defending cities. However, the Song Dynasty made further progress, not only for attacking and defending cities, but also for field battles. The terms "pushing stones" and "flying stones" in ancient books refer to catapults. The ancient Western catapult was also a main offensive means, and the Persians and Greeks have all used it extensively.

The initial catapult structure was very simple, consisting of a massive lever with a stone block loaded at the long end in a leather pouch or wooden basket, and dozens of ropes attached to the short end. When the command was given, dozens of people would pull the ropes simultaneously, utilizing the lever principle to hurl the stone block. This was the ancient war god, as Stalin once said that artillery is the war god. The large-scale use of catapults in Chinese military history should date back to the attacks on the state of Chu by the ancestors of the General Li Xinfei and Li Guang. The Chu army secretly prepared a large number of catapults, and when the Qin army was crossing the river, they suddenly fired them all at once, with countless sharp stones raining down like a dark cloud on the Qin army, leading to a complete rout of the 200,000 Qin troops. Later, during the Warring States period, the General Wang Jian, one of the four famous generals, led a massive army of 600,000 to conquer the state of Chu, demonstrating the power of the catapults at that time. With the development of technology, catapults became increasingly advanced, and many of the "Thundercrash Cars" in the Three Kingdoms games were improvements on the Warring States period catapults. The Chinese catapults reached their peak in the Song dynasty. According to the Song dynasty military text "The Complete Military Classics," it is written, "All artillery, including the stone-throwing vehicles, are vital military tools. They are used in both offensive and defensive operations. This shows the importance attached to the stone-throwing vehicles. The book also provides detailed descriptions of eight types of commonly used stone-throwing vehicles. Among them, the largest one requires 250 men to pull, measures 876 meters in length, and can launch stones weighing 45 kilograms, capable of reaching a distance of 90 steps. The Song Dynasty military units were converted into modern units, which is 14085 meters. It is necessary to point out that "The Military Classic of the Song Dynasty" may have deliberately reduced the range of the stone-throwing vehicles for security or to mislead the enemy. In fact, according to other ancient books and modern scientific calculations, the actual range of this type of stone-throwing vehicle is not less than 500 meters. This is considered ultra-long-range attack in the era of cold weapons. China invented the heavy-type stone-throwing vehicle during the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties. In the battle of the capture of the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, the Jin Dynasty set up more than 5,000 stone-throwing vehicles in one night. They attacked the city wall from the outside for a distance of 50 li simultaneously. The Jin Army launched countless stones, so much so that no stones could be found in the suburbs of the capital at that time.When attacking a city, first fill in the moat, then let out a barrage of cannon fire, supplemented by a large number of powerful crossbows, to break through the deployment of the defending troops. Then, move out the giant siege machines, which are as high as the city walls and can accommodate 80 people, to launch an assault on the city walls. Imagine the spectacular scene of the firing at that time, it is simply no less spectacular than the firepower preparation of modern warfare!

Readers of Jin Yong's novels are sure to remember the story of Guo Jing defending the isolated city of Xiangyang for more than a decade. The miracle of Xiangyang's defense in history was not because of Guo Jing, but because a large number of catapults were used in the siege. They had thrown hundreds of kilograms of stone bombs, creating countless 2-meter-deep bomb craters on the ground. Although the Mongol army was strong and powerful, they could only watch in despair in the face of such terrifying siege weapons. After all, the flesh and blood could not compete with machinery.

The siege engine was not invented by Liu Yao, but was used by the Yuan Shao army during the standoff at Guandu. Yuan Shao's army used large siege machinery called gaolong, and then Liu Yao suggested using a siege engine to break the gaolong. In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it is actually not mentioned that Liu Yao invented it. Later, Ma Jun improved it and further refined it.

The stone-throwing vehicle was already in use in the Spring and Autumn period, and after the Sui and Tang dynasties, it became an important weapon for attacking and defending cities. It was one of the ancient war chariots. It was equipped with a machine shaft and could shoot stones. Because of the sound like thunder, it was named the "Thunderbolt Vehicle." In "The Record of the Three Kingdoms · Wei Zhi · Yuan Shao's Biography," it says, "The Founding Emperor (Cao Cao) made a stone-throwing vehicle to attack (Yuan) Shao's tower, and they were all broken. The Shao's troops called it the Thunderbolt Vehicle." It is also called "throwing car." It refers to using thick bamboo on the car to throw stones. As a means of attacking fortifications. In fact, the stone-throwing vehicle is the "gun" of the black side in Chinese chess.

Catapult is a large-scale human-powered projectile weapon that uses the principle of lever to throw stones. Its appearance is a sign of technological progress and the needs of war. It was first used in the Spring and Autumn period, and after the Sui and Tang dynasties, it became an important weapon for attacking and defending cities. The initial catapult structure was very simple, with a huge lever, the long end of which was loaded with stones in leather bags or wooden baskets, and the short end was tied to dozens of ropes. When the order was given, dozens of people pulled the ropes simultaneously, using the principle of the lever to throw the stones, which was the ancient war god (Stalin said that artillery is the god of war). The large-scale use of catapults in Chinese military history should be when Li Xin (the distant ancestor of the flying general Li Guang) attacked Chu, the Chu army secretly prepared a large number of catapults. When the Qin army crossed the river, they suddenly fired simultaneously, and countless sharp stones fell like a dark cloud on the Qin army, leading to a complete defeat of the 200,000 Qin troops, and Li Xin himself also suffered a military defeat and committed suicide. Later, during the Warring States period, the four famous generals, Wang Jian, led 600,000 troops to capture Chu, showing the power of the catapult at that time. With the development of technology, catapults have become more and more advanced, and many "Thunderbolt Cars" in the Three Kingdoms games are improved forms of catapults from the Warring States period. The catapult in China reached its peak in the Tang and Song dynasties.