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Further evidence of this parallel use of varying designs of weapons is seen in the eclectic collections found in tombs.Īnother feature of the Han period was the popularity of sword experts who could not only measure the strength and usefulness of a particular weapon but who also claimed they could assess more mystical qualities such as the sword's auspiciousness. Although there are other types still with a very long blade - around one metre (42 inches) in length, indicating that the evolution of the sword was far from straightforward in China and traditional weapons, it seems, were only very reluctantly melted down and recast. There is a tendency towards shorter blades with surviving examples from the 3rd century CE having a blade of around 45 cm (18 inches) in length. The design also changed to better suit the use of the weapon by cavalry - only one cutting edge was made and a ring added to protect the hand. In the Han period (206 BCE - 220 CE) and beyond, metalworking techniques improved, which made swords lighter yet more durable with an even sharper blade made of stronger iron than previously. Helmets and shields also improved to help meet the deadly threat of a stabbing and slashing swordsman.
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These additions took the form of small iron or bronze plates either pierced and stitched together or riveted. Previously body armour had been made of only hardened or lacquered leather, but now it was increasingly common to add pieces of metal to afford better protection. The greater use of swords in battles necessitated improvements in armour from the 3rd century BCE. They should be assembled into a company and called “Warriors Who Risk the Naked Blade”. Within the army there will be men with great courage and strength who are willing to die and even take pleasure in suffering wounds. For example, in this extract from T'ai Kung's 3rd-century BCE Six Secret Teachings: The terrible wounds that swords could inflict - much more shocking and gruesome than arrows - is evidenced in references in military literature. It is also true that Chinese warfare tended to avoid the toe-to-toe with the enemy scenarios that were typical in, say, the hoplite battles of ancient Greece, and commanders preferred, instead, to engage the enemy from a distance using archers and then if need be with spearmen. A depiction of a battle in a late Spring and Autumn tomb significantly shows opposing soldiers battling each other with spears and halberds while their swords remain in their belts. Perhaps for these reasons - tradition and technical deficiencies - the sword, when it did appear on the battlefield, was usually left in the scabbard and used only as a weapon of last resort. The sword's thrusting ability was clearly approximated by the short hand spear, essentially a dagger point mounted on a handle, and a preference for traditional weapons coupled with technical difficulties in making strong yet resilient swords more likely retarded the sword's emergence as a critical weapon…swords with slashing power and significant blade length simply could not be fabricated until the Spring and Autumn period, and even then would not flourish until the late Warring States and Han dynasty.