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Shi Huangdi.x The Chinese army of this era was primarily an infantry force made
up of troops with several types of weapons.
o The backbone of the infantry was issued the distinctive
Chinese dagger-axe, supplemented by a bronze sword as a
secondary weapon.o Flanking these heavy infantry formations were other
contingents of foot soldiers carrying crossbows, who would
¿UHPDVVYROOH\VRIEROWVLQWRWKHHQHP\o For armor, the better-equipped troops wore conical metal
helmets and body armor made by lacing together small plates
of toughened leather or metal. Most arms and armor were
fashioned of bronze.x Cavalry were mostly archers equipped with powerful
compound bows.x 2I¿FHUV ZHUH FDUHHU SURIHVVLRQDOV ZKR FRXOG ULVH WKURXJK
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5 men. Promotion depended on demonstrating skills, performance
in battle, and mastery of texts on military theory, such as Sun Tzu’s
famous Art of War.x The Chinese system offered rewards for those who personally
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of groups larger than 100 could earn promotion or rewards for the
total number of enemies slain by the men under their command.The Han Empire
x The Qin Empire collapsed almost immediately upon the death of
Shi Huangdi, but he had set the vital precedent of a united country
that could not be erased. The group that stepped up to establish a