Top 7 Fascinating Inventions by Zhuge Liang

The Repeating Crossbow is one of Zhuge Liang's iconic inventions, created as he prepared to attack the Wei kingdom. During the Three Kingdoms period, the Shu army was considered the weakest of the three nations (Wei, Shu, and Wu), with only 1/10th the number of troops compared to Cao Cao's Wei army and 1/5th the size of Sun Quan's Wu army.

To combat the overwhelming forces of Wei and Wu, Zhuge Liang invented the Repeating Crossbow, also known as the Zhuge Crossbow. This weapon was made of iron and measured around 8 inches long, capable of shooting 10 arrows in quick succession with immense power, making it one of the deadliest weapons of its time.

This is an ancient and highly intricate military formation that was invented by Zhuge Liang. It is said that no general or scholar from the Three Kingdoms period was able to break this formation. The famous Eastern Wu general, Lu Xun, had to seek guidance from Zhuge Liang's father-in-law, Huang Chengyan, to escape the illusions of this formation and find a way out.

The Eight Trigrams Formation uses five people to form one unit (the five elements), 55 people to form one team (55 is the number that represents the creation of heaven and earth, with heaven being 25 and earth being 30), 8 teams to form one battle (440 people), 8 battles to form one unit (3,520 people), forming a small formation. Eight units form one general (28,160 people) to create the medium-sized formation, and 8 generals make up one army (225,280 people) to form the large formation. Starting with the Eight Trigrams, it generates the 64 hexagrams, using 8 as the basis and multiplying, the larger the number of people, the more powerful the formation becomes.

Life in the ancient military was not just about battles, archery, and formations. Famous generals were also very concerned with the mental well-being of their soldiers. During the Three Kingdoms period, while the Northern Wei had a game similar to modern football, Zhuge Liang invented a form of chess that helped entertain his soldiers, now known as Zhuge Liang's Chessboard.

Legend has it that this is an intellectual game, though the rules are relatively simple. To this day, the exact rules of this chess variation remain unclear.

Legend has it that the Zhuge Liang's Lock first appeared from the late Spring and Autumn period to the Warring States period, created by the famous craftsman Lu Ban. However, during the Three Kingdoms period, it is believed to have been invented by Zhuge Liang. The lock is essentially a puzzle made up of wooden pieces that fit together in a challenging configuration, requiring skill to disassemble.

The wooden pieces are cleverly interlocked, making it difficult to assemble and even more difficult to disassemble. In the time of Zhuge Liang and thereafter, this invention was widely used in construction. Today, it is a popular intellectual toy in China and some other Asian countries.

After the series of events involving the capture and release of King Meng Huo of the Southern Barbarians, Zhuge Liang had completely subdued him. However, while returning to Chengdu, the Shu army faced the obstacle of crossing the Loushui River, a large river with a strong current. It was then that Meng Huo informed Zhuge Liang that to cross the river, a sacrifice must be made — the heads of 50 men.

Reluctant to lose any more lives, Zhuge Liang ingeniously devised a small dumpling shaped like a human head, filled with meat, and threw them into the river. He called them 'Barbarian Heads' (Man Tou). Over time, this creation transformed into the popular steamed bun we know today.

This is an early version of what we now know as a hot air balloon, invented by Zhuge Liang for military signaling. Named after him, it is called the Kongming Lantern (Kongming Deng). The Kongming Lantern was reportedly invented when Zhuge Liang was surrounded by the Wei army led by Sima Yi at Bingyang.

Reinforcements received the signal from the lantern's paper covering and quickly arrived to aid Zhuge Liang. Some sources also claim that the lantern resembled the shape of the hat that Zhuge Liang frequently wore, and that is why it was named after him.

Throughout his military career, Zhuge Liang, also known as Kongming, led the Shu Han forces on six campaigns against the Wei Dynasty in the Northern Campaigns. During these campaigns, one of his most significant challenges was securing enough provisions for his army. To solve this problem, he invented the Wooden Horse and Mechanical Ox. These innovative tools played a vital role in transporting supplies from the capital, Chengdu, to the battlefield in Mount Qi.

The Wooden Horse was equipped with an internal mechanism, allowing it to travel about 10 kilometers without external force. After every 10 kilometers, the internal mechanism was adjusted to continue the journey. Among Zhuge Liang's inventions, this is considered one of the most fascinating.