greatmingmilitary

[Archive] Di Yong Qiang (地湧鎗)

Added 2023-11-16 05:27:54 +0000 UTC

Note: This is an outdated version of my article about Di Yong Qiang, kept here for archival purpose. Current version of the same article can be read here.

Di Yong Qiang (地湧鎗, lit. 'Ground surge spear'), also known as Di Yong Shen Qiang (地湧神鎗, lit. 'Ground surge divine spear') is a simple yet deadly spiked trap. The trap is triggered by pressure plate — stepping on the pressure plate will cause six to eight spikes to shoot out and impale the unfortunate victim.

Di Yong Qiang is an outdoor trap meant to impede the advance of enemy troops, as such it does not utilise complex (and often expensive) triggering mechanism such as metal spring. Instead, a simple rope-and-pulley system is used to extend and retract the spikes. This has the added advantage of making the trap retractable to a degree, although it is also more prone to jamming compared to simpler traps such as punji stick.