Sancai Tuhui (Vol. 50)

Page 111

original: "Wolf’s Tooth Striker" (狼牙拍). A heavy defensive weapon consisting of a large wooden board studded with iron spikes (the "teeth"), suspended by ropes from a city wall and dropped onto attackers climbing below.
original: "Deer-horn Timbers" (鹿角木). A defensive obstacle made of sharpened wooden branches fixed together to resemble antlers. In Western military history, these are known as "abatis."
original: "Hoof-Snagger" (搊蹄). A specialized type of trap or caltrop designed to catch the hooves of cavalry horses, effectively "grabbing" them to halt a charge.
original: "Pump-Syringe" (唧筒). An early mechanical fire-fighting tool. It consisted of a piston inside a bamboo or metal tube used to spray water or extinguishing chemicals onto incendiary attacks.
original: "Yaksha Grappler" (夜叉搊). A "Yaksha" is a fierce nature spirit; here the name implies a terrifying or highly effective spiked grappling tool used for defense.
original: "Wall-Descending Windlass" (下城絞車). A heavy winch used to lower soldiers, supplies, or scouts safely down the exterior of a city wall during a siege.
original: "Covered Walkway" (緒棚). A temporary timber structure, often covered in wet hides, used to protect soldiers from arrows and fire while they approached a wall or worked in a trench.
original: "Ground Spikes" (地澁). Literally "Ground Roughness," these were small spikes or jagged materials strewn on the earth to slow down advancing infantry.