There was also a slight shift in archery in the Tang back to the use of the
crossbow. The crossbow had been very important in the Han and before,
but it seems to have been little noted in battle during the Six Dynasties
period. Perhaps as a result of increased Chinese participation in warfare,
the crossbow made a significant comeback. It also had a number of varieties,
seven in fact, including one used from horseback. The standard infantry
modelfired at a practice range of 230 paces ( 377 yds), and the standard
cavalry model at 200 paces ( 328 yds).^8 The crossbow was understood as
a very long-range missile weapon, in contradistinction to the greaterfire-
power of the bow. Despite this return to the battlefield, the lower rate of
fire and emphasis on the bow, particularly for the cavalry, kept the cross-
bow a marginal weapon. This is to say that there were cultural, rather than
strictly practical, reasons for the limited place of crossbows. Earlier and later
dynasties placed much greater emphasis on its use, even against cavalry.
In close combat, infantry and cavalry both relied upon spears and
swords. Cavalrymen used spears extremely effectively against infantry
and each other, showing the importance, despite the lightening of the
cavalry by dropping horse armor, of cavalry charges and direct hand-to-
hand combat. All of our direct mentions of spear use by individual cavalry-
men are of officers who earned reputations for their martial arts skill with
the weapon, but this is likely due mostly to the bias of the sources. Lower-
ranking soldiers would probably not have been noticed by anyone in a
position to record their exploits or, if they were, they would probably have
been promoted to the officer ranks. There was more range for individual
display of spear skills for the cavalry than for the infantry since the infantry
would have stood in tighter formations. Cavalry commanders were also
able to individually charge enemy formations and display their skills.
Displays of martial arts, bravery, and élan of this kind were, if not expected,
then certainly a useful enhancement to a commander’s reputation.
By one account there were four kinds of spears, with a shorter one for
the cavalry, a longer one for the infantry, and the remaining two specialized
weapons of the guards in the imperial palace.^9 A more idiosyncratic weapon
was the double or paired spears. This was the particular armament of one Bai
Xiaode but does not appear in general use. Spear techniques would have
varied considerably between infantry and cavalry, though it is likely that
many cavalrymen would have also learned tofight on foot with their spears.
The cavalryman’s advantage in stabbing down was amply compensated for
by the infantryman’s longer weapon and more stable position.
The sword was the other basic hand-to-hand weapon in the Sui and Tang
Dynasties. In the Tang there were four kinds of sword, all single-edged: the
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