The Zhuge Crossbow (诸葛弩 zhūgě nǔ) was an improved repeating crossbow attributed to Zhuge Liang. Unlike the standard crossbow, it could fire multiple bolts in rapid succession through a gravity-fed magazine mechanism. Shu Han infantry used it to devastating effect against Cao Wei cavalry charges during the Northern Expeditions. The design remained influential in Chinese military technology for over a thousand years, and reconstructions continue to be studied by historians.
References
- Chen Shou, Records of the Three Kingdoms (三国志)
- Luo Guanzhong, Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三国演义)
- Sima Guang, Zizhi Tongjian (资治通鉴)
- de Crespigny, Rafe. A Biographical Dictionary of Later Han to the Three Kingdoms