The glorious victory that opened the history of defending the country
In the flow of history, the Co Loa victory more than 2,000 years ago has always been considered a milestone that opened the tradition of defending the country. Senior Lieutenant General, Academician, Doctor, Hero of the People’s Armed Forces Nguyen Huy Hieu and engineer Vu Dinh Thanh, technical expert of NPO ALMAZ (Moscow, Russia) both affirmed: Co Loa Citadel and the “Magic Crossbow” An Duong Vuong helped the Au Lac people win against 500,000 invading Qin troops and later defeated the Trieu invaders many times.
Over the past several years, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Huy Hieu and engineer Vu Dinh Thanh have devoted their hearts to studying the mystery of the magic crossbow from a modern scientific perspective. They not only compared historical and archaeological documents, but also experimented, analysed mechanical principles, and compared them with weapons worlwide to explain the timeless power of the Co Loa bronze arrow. That effort contributed to affirming the unique military intelligence of the ancient Vietnamese people, while adding new scientific evidence to the nation’s history of defending the country.
Archaeology at Co Loa has found tens of thousands of bronze arrows — convincing evidence of a superior military technology. The compact arrows, with their centre of gravity concentrated at the tip, were capable of flying far, rotating around their axis and penetrating iron armour. The engravings on the Ngoc Lu and Co Loa bronze drums depict archers stepping on the bowstring to hold the shaft of the arrow, only shooting the arrow, demonstrating unique techniques and creative thinking beyond their time.
Not only shooting straight, the divine crossbow can launch a series of arrows high into the sky, thanks to the force of gravity creating a very strong destructive force. It is the force of gravity that gives Au Lac weapons an absolute advantage when confronting the enemy: The strongest damage at the farthest distance, in contrast to the enemy’s straight crossbows, which are weaker the farther they are, helping the army kill the enemy without the enemy being able to do anything in return. Researchers today have confirmed that the magic crossbow is not just a legend, it is an entire military technology system that our ancestors built and perfected.
From the bronze arrow foundry, the team of blacksmiths, archers, to constructions such as the Royal Archery Tower or the nine-ringed spiral-shaped Co Loa citadel — all combine to form the largest and most modern “defence complex” of the time. Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu also recorded that Co Loa citadel was as high as Con Lon mountain, with an estimated minimum height of 90m. From this height combined with the shooting force of the magic crossbow, the arrow's falling speed can reach 65m/second — able to penetrate all types of iron armour. Chinese history books once described the scene of “killing ten thousand soldiers with one shot”, showing the terrible power of this special weapon.
Evidence of Vietnamese intelligence and bravery
Comparing with modern weapons today, engineer Vu Dinh Thanh affirmed: Our ancestors knew how to take advantage of the law of gravity to increase lethality more than 2,000 years ago. That is strong evidence of military intelligence beyond the times, contributing to the victory to protect the survival of the nation.
The feat of Co Loa with the “Magic Crossbow” and bronze arrows showed the intelligence, military art and self-defence strength of the Au Lac army and people, not only stopping the invaders, but also contributing to preserving the identity, language and culture of Viet Nam.
Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Huy Hieu emphasised: “Let’s try dropping the Co Loa bronze arrow from a height of 15m or study the flechette in World War I, let’s see the restored crossbow that shoots many bronze arrows at the same time with the exclusive patent for the crossbow that shoots many arrows by engineer Thanh, we will see that what is recorded in history books has a scientific basis. All of this proves that the crossbow is real and Trieu Da never conquered Au Lac by military force as in our national legend”.
Currently, the research team is continuing to perfect the crossbow model that can shoot 200 arrows at the same time and in the near future will apply for a license to test the crossbow that shoots tens of thousands of arrows — exactly as described in the legend. The Co Loa crossbow is gradually emerging as a real historical entity, with great scientific and cultural value. Clarifying this is also to multiply the pride of a nation that has never been subdued, a legacy stretching from the Hung Kings to future genreations.
