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39-479: The c.  1046   BC Battle of Muye ended Shang hegemony over the Wei and Yellow Rivers and established the state of Zhou . As of 2021, Muye District has 2 towns and 7 streets and has 1 provincial industrial cluster. Muye District is located in the north of Henan Province and the north-central part of downtown Xinxiang City. The total area is 89.2 square kilometers. This Henan location article

78-503: A pincer movement . These tactics required fighting in tight formation with good military discipline and control. When the spring and autumn period began, more attention was paid to troop formations according to the type of battle. Chariot units were trained to ensure co-ordination with the rest of the army during a military campaign. During the Western Zhou Era, chariots were deployed on wide-open plains abreast of each other in

117-666: A bronze hubcap. Wheels of the Shang period usually had 18 spokes, but those of the Zhou period numbered from 18 to 26. Chariot wheels of the Spring and Autumn period (8th–7th century BCE) had between 25 and 28 spokes. The carriage body was around one meter long and 0.8 meters wide with wooden walls and an opening at the back to provide access for soldiers. With the arrival of the Spring and Autumn period (771–476 BCE) improvements had been made to

156-444: A chariot carried three armored warriors with different tasks: one, known as the charioteer (御者) was responsible for driving, a second, the archer (射) (or sometimes multiple archers (多射)) tasked with long range shooting. The róngyòu (戎右), whose role was short range defense, made up the third member of the crew. Weapons carried on the chariot consisted of close-combat and long range weapons. The most important close-combat weapon aboard

195-405: A few hundred wagons, the Zhou were initially hugely outnumbered – even though most of the Shang forces were at war to the east, Di Xin of Shang organized some 170,000 troops. But Di Xin made a mistake: many of his fighters were slaves, and he thought that despite low troop morale, his army's superior numbers could, if not defeat, then at least slow down the rebels until reinforcements could arrive. He

234-477: A ring formation, creating mobile fortresses . With changes in the nature of warfare, as well as the increasing availability of larger breeds of horses , during the Qin and Han dynasties (221 BCE – 220 CE) the chariot was replaced by cavalry and infantry, and the single-pole chariot became less important. At this time the double shaft chariot developed as a transport vehicle which was light and easy to handle. During

273-418: A single draught pole measuring around 3 m long that was originally straight but later evolved into two curved shafts. At the front end of the pole there was a horizontal draw-bar about one meter long with wooden yokes attached, to which the horses would be harnessed. Wooden wheels with a diameter of between approximately 1.2 – 1.4 m were mounted on a three-meter-long (9.8 ft) axle and secured at each end with

312-500: A single line. The accompanying infantry would then be deployed forward of the chariot, a broad formation that denied the enemy the opportunity for pincer attacks. When the two sides clashed, if the chariots remained in strict formation there would be a good opportunity to encircle the enemy. During this period of chariot warfare, the use of orderly team-based combat to some extent determined the difference between victory and defeat, otherwise fighting would have to stop in order to consolidate

351-509: A spear blade at the end of the shaft in addition to the axe head and dagger. All chariot commanders carried a bronze dagger for protection in the case of the chariot becoming unserviceable or an enemy jumping on board the chariot. Soldiers aboard wore leather or occasionally copper armour and carried a shield or dùn (盾) made from leather or bronze. The chariot's archer was armed either a bow ( gōng 弓) or crossbow ( nŭ 弩 ) for long distance attacks. Chariot horses also began to wear armor during

390-421: A thorough consideration of a broader range of evidence. Other scholars have raised several criticisms of this process. The connection between the layers at the archaeological sites and the conquest is uncertain. The narrow range of radiocarbon dates is cited with a less stringent confidence interval (68%) than the standard requirement of 95%, which would have produced a much wider range. The texts describing

429-417: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Battle of Muye The Battle of Muye , Mu , or Muh ( c.  1046 BC ) was fought between forces of the ancient Chinese Shang dynasty led by King Zhou of Shang and the rebel state of Zhou led by King Wu . The Zhou defeated the Shang at Muye and captured the Shang capital Yin , marking the end of the Shang and the establishment of

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468-606: The Han dynasty . Traditional sources attribute the invention of the chariot to the Xia dynasty minister Xi Zhong , and say they were used at the Battle of Gan (甘之戰) in the 21st century BCE. However archeological evidence shows that small scale use of the chariot began around 1200 BCE in the Late Shang period. They were probably introduced through the northern steppes, probably from

507-627: The Xia–Shang–Zhou Chronology Project , previous chronologies had proposed at least 44 different dates for this event, ranging from 1130 to 1018 BC. The most popular had been 1122 BC, calculated by the Han dynasty astronomer Liu Xin , and 1027 BC, deduced from a statement in the "old text" Bamboo Annals that the Western Zhou (whose endpoint is known to be 770 BC) had lasted 257 years. A few documents relate astronomical observations to this event: The strategy adopted by

546-628: The Zhou dynasty —an event that features prominently in Chinese historiography as an example of the Mandate of Heaven theory that functioned to justify dynastic conquest throughout Chinese history. By the 12th century BC, Shang influence extended west to the Wei River valley, a region that was occupied by clans known as the Zhou . King Wen of Zhou , the ruler of the Zhou and vassal of the Shang king,

585-602: The Eastern Han (25–220 CE) and later during the Three Kingdoms period (220–280 CE), the double shaft chariot was the predominant form. This change is seen in innumerable Han dynasty stone carvings and in many ceramic tomb models. Over time, as society evolved, the early chariot of the Pre-Qin period gradually disappeared. Ancient Chinese chariots were typically two wheeled vehicles drawn by two or four horses with

624-509: The Project was to use the archeological investigation to narrow the range of dates that would need to be compared with the astronomical data. Although no archaeological traces of King Wu's campaign have been found, the pre-conquest Zhou capital at Fengxi in Shaanxi has been excavated and strata at the site have been identified with the pre-dynastic Zhou. Radiocarbon dating of samples from

663-487: The Spring and Autumn period to protect against injury. When the chariot was not engaged in a military campaign, it was used as a transport vehicle. The chariot was a large military vehicle that through its lack of flexibility was not effective as a single combat unit. Usually its commander would be allocated a number of infantrymen or tú zù (徒卒) to co-operate in battle. During the Western Zhou era, ten infantry were usually allocated to each chariot with five of them riding on

702-485: The Wei River valley, as he viewed himself as a rightful ruler, appointed by his divine ancestors. Other records describe him as overindulging in alcohol and sex with his consort Daji . King Wen's son King Wu of Zhou led the Zhou in a revolt a few years later. The reason for this delay was that King Wu believed that the heavenly order to conquer Shang had not been given, as well as the advice of Jiang Ziya to wait for

741-797: The adaptation of nomadic cavalry (mounted archery) took over. Chariots continued to serve as command posts for officers during the Qin and Han dynasties while armored chariots were also used by the Han dynasty against the Xiongnu Confederation in the Han–Xiongnu War , specifically at the Battle of Mobei in 119 CE. General Wei Qing 's army, setting off from Dingxiang, encountered the Xiongnu Chanyu 's army of 80,000 cavalry. Wei Qing ordered his troops to arrange heavy-armored chariots in

780-528: The area of the Deer stones culture . Contemporary oracle bone inscriptions of the character 車 depict a chariot-like two wheeled vehicle with a single pole for the attachment of horses. Chariots reached their apogee and remained a powerful weapon until the end of the Warring States period (471–221 BCE) when increasing use of the crossbow, massed infantry, the adoption of standard cavalry units and

819-410: The chariot was the dagger-axe or gē (戈), a weapon with a roughly three-meter shaft. At the end of the double-headed device there was a sharp dagger on one side and an axe head on the other. This was carried by the róngyòu and could be either swung or thrust like a spear at the enemy. By the time of the Spring and Autumn period the gē had largely been superseded by the halberd or jĭ (戟) which had

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858-437: The chariot's design and construction. The angle of the curved draw pole had increased raising the end of the pole. This reduced the amount of effort required by the horse pulling the chariot and increased its speed. The width of the carriage body had also increased to around 1.5 m allowing soldiers greater freedom of movement. Key components such as the pole, hubcap and yoke were reinforced with decorated copper castings, increasing

897-428: The chariot's stability and durability. These chariots were variously referred to as "gold chariots" (金車), "attack chariots" (攻車) or "weapons chariots" (戎車). The Chinese war chariot, like the other war chariots of Eurasia, derived its characteristic ability to perform at high speed by a combination of a light design, together with a propulsion system using horses, which were the fastest draft animals available. Usually

936-399: The chariot, each of which was called a squadron ( duì 隊). Five squadrons made up a zhèngpiān (正偏), four zhèngpiān formed a division ( shī 师) while five divisions were known as an army ( jūn 军). In the Spring and Autumn period the chariot became the main weapon of war. Along with each state's increase in military manpower, their proportion of chariots to overall army numbers also fell with

975-420: The chariots of sandal; The teams of bays, black-maned and white-bellied, galloped along; The grand-master Shang-foo , Was like an eagle on the wing, Assisting king Woo , Who at one onset smote the great Shang. The Zhou troops were much better trained, and their morale was high. In one of the chariot charges, King Wu broke through the Shang's defense line. Di Xin was forced to flee to his palace, and

1014-437: The formation. In this type operation unified command was important. Senior officers would use drums and flags to command the army's advance and retreat, speed and to make formation adjustments. However such operations were inherently very slow-paced and the speed of engagement thus hampered. Furthermore, the infantry had to remain in line which was not conducive to long-distance pursuits of retreating enemies. A typical example of

1053-401: The importance of disciplined forces occurred during the Zhou overthrow of Shang at the decisive Battle of Muye in 1046 BCE. As the Zhou army moved forward, the infantry and chariots were commanded to stop and regroup after every six or seven steps to maintain formation. The Shang army, despite its superior numbers, was largely composed of demoralized and forcibly conscripted troops. As a result,

1092-475: The number of men allocated to each chariot increasing to seventy. This alteration fundamentally changed the fundamentals of warfare. In ancient China the chariot was used in a primary role from the time of the Shang dynasty until the early years of the Han dynasty (c. 1200–200 BCE) when it was replaced by cavalry and fell back into a secondary support role. For a millennium or more, every chariot borne soldier had used

1131-402: The particular combat tactics that use of the vehicle required. Chariot-based combat usually took place in wide-open spaces. When the two sides were within range, they would first exchange arrow or crossbow fire, hoping that through superior numbers they would cause disorder and confusion in the enemy ranks. As the two opponents closed on each other they would stay about four meters apart to avoid

1170-516: The relevant astronomical phenomena are extremely obscure. For example, the inscription on the Li gui , a key text used in dating the conquest, can be interpreted in several different ways, with one alternative reading leading to the date of 9 January 1044 BC. Chariot (Ancient China) The ancient Chinese chariot ( traditional Chinese : 戰車 ; simplified Chinese : 战车 ; pinyin : zhànchē ; lit. 'war vehicle')

1209-487: The remaining Shang troops fell into further chaos. The Zhou were victorious and showed little mercy to the defeated Shang, shedding enough blood "to float a log". After the battle, Di Xin burned himself to death in his palace on the Deer Terrace Pavilion . A later tradition has Di Xin covering himself with precious jades prior to immolation. King Wu killed Daji after he found her. The order to execute her

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1248-411: The right opportunity. Sentiment towards Di Xin is difficult to gauge. Subsequent histories were politically and culturally aligned with the conquering Zhou, and historical accounts of Di Xin grew more egregious over time. In earlier sources, he is depicted as benighted and ineffectual; whereas after a few centuries, he is described as a monstrous torturer, universally despised. With just 45,000 men and

1287-422: The site as well as at late Yinxu and early Zhou capitals, using the wiggle matching technique, yielded a date for the conquest between 1050 and 1020 BC. The only date within that range matching all the astronomical data is 20 January 1046 BC. This date had previously been proposed by David Pankenier, who had matched the above passages from the classics with the same astronomical events, but here it resulted from

1326-445: The three-meter-long (9.8 ft) dagger-axes of their opponents. Only when two chariots came closer than this would an actual fight occur. Only about three meters wide, with infantry riding on both sides, the chariot was highly inflexible as a fighting machine and difficult to turn around. Coupled with this were restrictions on the use of weapons with opponents seizing the momentary opportunity for victory or trapping their opponent with

1365-520: The troops failed to stay in formation and were defeated. As the Spring and Autumn period dawned, chariots remained the key to victory. At the Battle of Yanling in 575 BCE between the States of Chu and Jin the disorganized nature of the Chu army's chariots and infantry led to its defeat. Both troop formations and the flexibility of the chariot subsequently underwent major developments with infantry placing

1404-418: Was given by Jiang Ziya. Shang officials were released without charge with some later working as Zhou officials. The imperial grain store was opened immediately after the battle to feed the starving population. The battle marked the end of the Shang dynasty and the beginning of the Zhou dynasty. Although the day and month on which the Battle of Muye was fought are certain, there is doubt about the year. Prior to

1443-616: Was given the title "Overlord of the West" by Di Xin of Shang (King Zhou). Di Xin used King Wen to guard his rear while he was involved in a south-eastern campaign. Eventually, Di Xin came to fear King Wen's growing power and imprisoned him. Although Wen was later released, the tension between Shang and Zhou grew. Wen prepared his army and conquered a few smaller states which were loyal to Shang, slowly weakening Shang's allies. King Wen died in 1050 BC before Zhou's actual offensive against Shang. Di Xin did not stress about Zhou's local conquests in

1482-406: Was used as an attack and pursuit vehicle on the open fields and plains of ancient China from around 1200 BCE. Chariots also allowed military commanders a mobile platform from which to control troops while providing archers and soldiers armed with dagger-axes increased mobility. They reached a peak of importance during the Spring and Autumn period , but were largely superseded by cavalry during

1521-531: Was wrong. The majority of his Shang troops fled or joined the Zhou, and the few who did were easily overwhelmed by the Zhou forces. After the battle, Di Xin committed suicide. Still, many loyal Shang troops fought on, and a very bloody battle followed, depicted at the end of a poem in the Shijing : The troops of Yin-Shang, Were collected like a forest, And marshaled in the wilderness of Muh. ... The wilderness of Muh spread out extensively; Bright shone

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