Of China’s 5,000-year history, 3,500 of them have written records. Looking at history, perhaps the Chinese people's interest in weapon improvement is the only one that has lasted for thousands of years.
One reason is that ancient generals discovered that they could boost morale by charging into battle to kill enemies. Generals with magical blades could often rely on their bravery and fighting skills to easily cut through the enemy's body. He was able to kill dozens or even hundreds of people with his armor, and was revered and praised by people.
From a historical perspective, with the improvement of smelting technology, ancient cold weapons generally become more practical as they go back in time.
But when it comes to magic weapons and swords, the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period were the peak period for the emergence of magic weapons. The magic weapons and swords of this period are not only full of legends, but also the way they are smelted. Daydream, why is this?
Among them, Gan Jiang, Mo Xie, Wu Gou and other well-known magic weapons were all made through human sacrifice.
So is there any use in sacrificing a human being to a sword?
Before discussing this issue, we must first understand the environment and background at that time.
Foreign historians usually believe that iron tools were introduced to China in the 6th century BC; however, Chinese experts stated in a 2014 paper that iron tools were used by the Chinese as early as the 16th century BC, but At the same time, it is also believed that until the Qin Dynasty, China still mainly used bronze vessels.
The Chinese people’s conclusion is not contradictory. Europe is closer to the Middle East where iron tools first appeared, but the development of iron tools is slower than that of China.
Therefore, before the Han Dynasty, ironware should be similar to contemporary rare earth alloys. It is a precious metal and may even be worth more than gold, just like aluminum products hundreds of years ago.
1. Why was human sacrifice needed in ancient times?
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, even in Qi and Han, the two countries with the most developed metallurgy, the fuel used for alchemy was charcoal. The peak temperature of this flame was around 1100~1200 degrees Celsius, which exceeded the melting point of bronze (800 degrees Celsius). ℃), however, it is insufficient for the melting point of iron of 1535℃.
However, the human body contains a lot of combustibles, protein, fat, part of bones, etc. If the human body is put into a furnace, a flame exceeding the melting point of iron will be produced. Therefore, the moment Gan Jiang and Mo Xie jumped into the furnace, it was determined that they could forge ironware that was better than bronze.
2. Why do iron tools require human sacrifice?
Being able to forge does not mean that the forging is successful. In fact, pure iron is very soft and is not suitable for use as a weapon. Therefore, a certain amount of carbon is added to the iron to turn the iron into steel. Then the steel needs to be quenched with water to harden, and the human body provides exactly the requirements for these processes. Required salt and moisture.
According to the "Wuyue Spring and Autumn Annals", a swordsmith killed his two sons and sacrificed two magic weapons, Wu Hong and Hu Ji, but they were mixed into ordinary Wu hooks. So he shouted the names of his two sons, and the hooks of Wu Hong and Hu Ji flew out automatically and stuck to his chest.
If we look at it from a modern perspective, these two Wu hooks prove that the magic weapons in the Spring and Autumn Period were made of iron and would react to magnets, but bronze ones would not. And because of the color issue, the two "Wu Hooks" are more likely to be made of steel. But it is a pity that the casting process of Wu Gou is still a mystery. This kind of bronze composite sword has been studied by Chinese and Western scholars, but it still cannot be cracked.
3. Why does the last process of forging a divine weapon require human sacrifice?
When ancient history describes the casting of magic weapons, the swordsmith would "chisel the mountain" and "leave the stream" to remove the iron ying from the mountain. Sometimes, strange powers and supernatural powers appeared, which is legendary.
But if these mythical colors are removed, it can only show that the ancients had very strict requirements on materials before they created the magical weapons. These materials were not collected from one place, but from multiple locations, which shows that in addition to iron ying used for steelmaking, there are other materials.
This material is "chromium", and the last process of casting the magic weapon is called chrome plating by modern people. Chromium plating can greatly enhance the toughness and hardness of iron and bronze. Chromium plating was originally thought to be invented and patented by the Germans in 1937.
However, a well-preserved bronze sword was unearthed from Pit No. 2 of Qin Shihuang’s Terracotta Warriors and Horses. This sword was only used 2,000 years ago before humans had the chrome plating process.
This discovery shocked the whole world. Experts at home and abroad were puzzled at first. The melting point of chromium exceeds 1800 degrees Celsius. What method did the Qin people use to plate it?
The reason why there were so many magical weapons and swords during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period was that this era was at the turning point of the transformation from bronze to iron. The magical weapons and sharp swords reflected the superiority of iron over bronze. These magical weapons and sharp blades have been recorded and deified by historians and writers, and have been passed down through the ages.
However, after the Han Dynasty, with the development of smelting level, iron tools gradually could be made without using "living people" or their substitutes for sacrifice, and it also replaced bronze as the main metal tool.
As a result, the romantic legends and heroic epics of the slave era disappeared, and were replaced by more sophisticated Tang knives, Song crossbows, etc. Today, the Chinese have begun to turn their attention to modern high-tech weapons, which is also the epitome of the martial spirit of the Chinese nation.