Tie Gou Qiang (鐵鈎鎗)

Drawing of a Tie Gou Qiang, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Despite being called a Qiang (鎗), Tie Gou Qiang (鐵鈎鎗, lit. 'Iron hook spear') was not a spear, but a chopping polearm combining a cleaver blade and a hook. It was usually used in conjunction with Ai Pai (挨牌).

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Liang Guang Yao Jian (兩廣藥箭)

Drawing of a crossbow with poisoned quarrel, from 'Chou Hai Tu Bian (《籌海圖編》)'.

Liang Guang Yao Jian (兩廣藥箭, lit. 'Poisoned arrow from Liangguang') was a type of poisoned arrow commonly found in Guangdong and Guangxi region. As simply smearing the arrowhead with poison often proved ineffective in warfare because the poison could be easily wiped off if the arrow hit its target through his clothes, Liang Guang Yao Jian had its arrowhead specifically drilled hollow and filled with poison.

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Bian Jian (邊箭)

MINOR UPDATE OCTOBER 9, 2024

Drawing of a Bian Jian, from 'Bing Lu (《兵錄》)'.

A Bian Jian (邊箭, lit. 'Border arrow' or 'Side arrow'), formerly known as Tong Jian (筒箭, lit. 'Tube-arrow') during Tang period, was a special short arrow that had a long history of use in China. Designed to be used in conjunction with an arrow-guide/overdraw device, the tiny arrow could achieve a much higher velocity and range compared to an ordinary arrow, and therefore difficult to spot and even harder to dodge. Furthermore, it could not be reused by the enemy unless they brought arrow-guides of their own.

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