Siege Weapons of the Far East (1): AD 612–1300 vol 1

The prevalence of particular fortress types in medieval China, Mongolia, Japan and Korea demanded the evolution of different modes of siege warfare in each country. The wealthy walled towns of China, the mountain fortresses of Korea and the military outposts of Japan each presented different challenges to besieging forces, and this book reveals the diversity of tactics that were developed to meet these challenges. Most of the Far Eastern weaponry of this period originated in China, but was adapted to fit the demands of siegecraft across the region and the individual strengths and weaknesses of each piece of machinery are studied here. These books are concerned with the machinery of siegecraft as used by Chinese, Korean, Mongol and Japanese armies between about 612; when the Sui dynasty invaded korea, and 1644, when Beijing fell to the Manchus, although the title could easily have been 'Ancient and Medieval Chinese Siege Weapons' with a time span ranging back a far as 500 BC.