Shenbi Bow and Song Crossbows

Timeline

1. 1131–1132Armaments Supervisor, Lin'an · ZhejiangAfter the southward move, the Southern Song continued the Northern Song Armaments Supervisor system to mass-produce the Shenbi bow, strictly banning private manufacture and practice. The bow was 3 chi 2 cun long with a 2 chi 5 cun string, fired by a single soldier, with an effective range of about 150 paces, serving as the Song army's core long-range weapon against Jin heavy cavalry.
2. 1133Shajinping (near present-day Baoji, Shaanxi) · ShaanxiIn the intercalary second month of Shaoxing 3, at the Battle of Shajinping, the Jin attacked again and the Song defended with combined force of Shenbi bows and stone catapults. This battle shows the Shenbi bow was deployed on a large scale as standard equipment on the Sichuan-Shaanxi front in the early Southern Song.
3. 1134–1136Heshangyuan · ShaanxiIn fighting in Sichuan and Shaanxi, Wu Jie selected strong crossbows and ordered generals to fire in rotating relays, calling it 'stationed-team arrows', with continuous volleys dense as pouring rain. This method maximized the sustained firepower of strong crossbows like the Shenbi bow, laying the foundation for the later stacked formation.
4. 1139–1140Xianren Pass · ShaanxiWu Lin created the 'stacked formation': long spearmen seated in front, behind them the strongest bows and kneeling strong crossbows, and behind them the Shenbi bows; when the enemy came within 100 paces the Shenbi fired first, at 70 paces the strong bows fired together, supported by chevaux-de-frise iron hooks and cavalry on both flanks. At the Battle of Xianren Pass in 1139-1140 this greatly defeated the Jin, making the Shenbi bow a key weapon for infantry defeating cavalry.