Song Dynasty Heavy Infantry Armor: Bu Renjia Armor- 宋步人甲

Studio: 汉唐金戈

Music: Battle of Phoenix Hill

The 步人甲 Bu Renjia were a type of heavy Song dynasty armor mentioned in the Song military treatises like the Wujing Zongyao (lit. "Complete Essentials for the Military Classics".) According to the document, the Bu Renjia was composed of over 1,000 lamellar pieces stitched together with leather strips and fastened nails. They weighed around 30 Kgs- and those worn by armored crossbowmen and archers were made lighter. Southern Song army (shown later) deployed dense formations of armored infantry and crossbowmen as a counter against the powerful Jin cavalry they faced. 

步人甲 Bu Renjia Armor scheme. The heavy helmet when pulled down allowed for great protection of the head and neck, it is topped by a finial and plume. The neck guard and partial frontal visor of the helmet could also be raised and secured in place with a leather strap. These type of helmet were also frequently seen on Song cavalry as well.

The helmet with the half visor and neckguard raised up and secured in place with a leather strap.

SONG DYNASTY IN CONTEXT

After the implosion of the once- dominant Tang dynasty, the (Northern) Song Dynasty arduously reunite the fractured Chinese realm after over seven decades of civil war between the various military governors. The last days of the Tang was rife with chaos caused by the rebellious governor- turned warlords who ruled their Circuits (districts) as hereditary fiefs, their destructive squabbles: as mentioned before then lasted nearly a century. 

Song generals in heavy armor: armored statues lining the spirit way of imperial tombs.

For this reason, the Song court became extremely paranoid about the prospect of their own army having too much autonomy and mutating into a treasonous threat. The Song war machine was greatly regulated by the imperial court and was under heavy civilian oversight. 

Music: Silken Wind Through the Bamboo Forest

NORTHERN SONG

As a consequence of this reservedness~ the performance of the Northern Song was generally poor and mixed. It's generals lacked initiatives and despite ambitions in the north and south Song armies met with defeats at the hands of the capable Khitan- led Liao dynasty, and also Lý dynasty of Vietnam. It was able to manage some victories against the Western Xia (Xixia) in the west but even those gains were mixed. 

Song dynasty Kaifeng. During the Song commerce and learning blossomed across the realm. Technologically Song dynasty took China to new heights. 

Northern Song cataphracts on parade. Front row are armed with crossbows and followed by armored archers. After the defeat of the Northern Song the Southern Song would face critical shortage of quality warhorses. To compensate this weakness they would turn elsewhere.

Song dynasty polymath Su Song's Astronomical Clock Tower with armillary sphere on roof. Internally it was operated by gears and chain drive. (Top) An illustrated model of Su Song's Clock Tower. The original diagram of Su's book showing the inner workings of his clocktower show on top right. 

Daoist magicians performing "spells" using gunpowder, during the Song the imperial army began to adopt gunpowder weapons- by the later part of the dynasty Song arsenal included continuous flamethrowers, multi-stage incendiary anti-ship rockets, gas and explosive grenades. 

THE SOUTHERN FLIGHT

A New Enemy: Jurchen Jin Dynasty Tiefutu or "Iron Pagodas" 铁浮图. Alternately they were translated as "Iron Buddhas," encased almost completely in armor save their eyes hand hands these cataphracts were a powerful fist of the Jin conquerors. Their charges were devastating and more fanciful versions recorded that in order to maximize a charge the fully armored horsemen would tie ropes or leather strings between the men to mow down any enemy infantry who stood between them (though this version- doubted by even later Qing historians is almost certainly not true.)

Of their tactics: 赵彦卫 Zhao Yanwei, a Song chronicler wrote: "The horsemen would make use of a deep wedged array, after plunging into the ranks of their foes would promptly retreat in a burst of speed, all the while arranging itself to stalk or encircle the enemy formation in a circular array for a while, while keeping an eye for another opportunity for a charge, and if situation demanded, they would dismount and fight as heavy infantry." 

When the Jurchens- a vigorous vassal of the Khitan Liao- turned on their overlords and then fought against the Song the Song were resoundly defeated and lost their imperial heartland. A new court (Southern Song) was then established in the south.

For thousands of years the imposing rivers of the Yangtze and the mountainous river gorges served as the breakwater for many invading armies from the north and a favorite point of resistance for southern defenders. 

REINVENTION- SOUTHERN SONG

However disaster also led to reinvigorations under the Song remnants. Against the relentless Jurchen- Jin dynasty, the Song army reformed itself. Against the devastating crack Jin cavalry the Song deployed dense formations of heavily armored infantry armed with anti- cavalry lances and pole arms, horse choppers, and supplemented by large blocks of heavily armored long range pavise crossbowmen. 

Other heavy Song armors from Wujing Zongyao.

Song dynasty warrior with a massive battle axe.

▷ 2 handed horse chopper- One of the ad hoc ways the Song countered the Jurchen and Khitan deployment of massed heavily armored cavalry was the deployment of massive 2 handed horse choppers for its foot soldiers. Often once the initial charge were resisted by the front row of pikemen these men would wade to the front and hack at the engaged enemy cavalry. 

For horses Tibet provided vital horses to the Song in the south in exchange for tea. And to make the treacherous mountain- dotted and river- choked southern Chinese geography impassable Song build an extensive network of mountain forts and riverine fleet of armored paddle boats. 

SOUTHERN SONG RIVERINE MARINES

Song dynasty incendiary bomb arrow from Wujing Zongyao (lit. "Complete Essentials for the Military Classics".) 

After the loss of the north in 1127, the Song established a standing naval force to guard the region between the Huai River and the Changjiang. The Imperial Commissioner for the Control and Organization of the Coastal Areas was established in 1132 with 11 squadrons and 3,000 men under its command. The Southern Song fleet capacity increased to 15 squadrons and 21,000 men by 1174, and 20 squadrons and 52,000 men by 1237. In 1167, another base was established at Xupu to guard the Changjiang and the village that would become Shanghai.

Medieval Chinese Stealth Transport Paddleboats: the Qianli chuan 千里船 (lit. "Thousand League Boat") were paddle wheel boats used in medieval China. The boats were driven by human pedaling and were able to cruise hundreds of kilometers per day with no wind blowing. Because they had no sails their silhouette profile was extremely low in water and some historians believed they were employed as inconspicuous transports able to both stealthily deploy advance parties behind enemy lines and also extract soldiers from hotly contested frontlines. 

One of the primary factors of enduring Southern Song resilience as a state was its powerful riverine paddle boat fleet. Able to sail for many hundreds of kilometers a day without any wind and able to drop soldiers anywhere along the shores proved a great force multiplier against northern invaders such as the Jin and later Mongol (Yuan) armies. The largest of them were designed into fortress ships with archers hidden inside from crossbow slits and were equipped with bombs and rockets. 

Reconstruction based on Qing dynasty manuals of its hypothetical construction- Late-8th-century AD records have descriptions of the qanli chuan as a type of naval boat that had two wheels found on its sides that was propelled by treadmills.

(Bottom: source: The Lost Treasure Chest) The largest of Song paddleboats were powered with multiple paddles (shown on their bottom) and can maintain high speed even without any wind. Several layers of crossbowmen were hidden inside protected hoarding- like chambers and can fire from crossbow slits from these rooms. On top additional crossbowmen, grenadiers, and rocket armed soldiers could be deployed to counter enemy boarding parties. The crenellated central post had multiple mangonel (traction-catapults) deployed which can destroy enemies ships afar with bombs. Note these sail masts still have folded sails.

Qianli chuan were invented in the late 5th century AD during the Southern Qi dynasty, and the invention is attributed to the ancient Chinese astronomer and mathematician Zu Chongzhi. References made to the boat were made recalling various tests on the Xinting River, south of modern Nanjing. The boat was proven to be able to cruise several hundred kilometers in a single day without any wind blowing.

This new military proved so effective that it successfully repelled Jin invasions for a century until the end of Jin in 1234 AD and then another 4 decades against the Mongols until its absorption by Kublai, becoming one of the last great medieval states to fall to the great Khans.

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