heavy repeating crossbow

[YLi]

I wouldn't trust the contemporary woodblock print or drawing for accuracy in the crossbow's proportions and details to draw any conclusions other than it was a large, relatively clumsy device operated by one soldier and cocked with one hand. The image shows it being operated on some kind of water vessel, incidentally.

The context from which that image was pulled is in the following webpage:
http://ancientchinesecasting.weebly.com/zhuge-nu.html

Bet the bolts were still poison-dipped.

It's possible to exert considerably more force on the device due to the fact that it's braced on the user's torso and solidly mounted to the ship. You can definitely put your shoulder and back muscles into working the lever, or even take a step back with your legs if it's a mounted weapon. I doubt such a device would require poisoned bolts.

 

[Curiousone]

Nobody ever tried hooking up the muscle power of a horse on some kind of circular mill to a bow did they? I have a picture in mind of an 'infernal machine', a giant ballista mounted above a wagon dug into the ground, horses circling around it, pushing a mill wheel that arms it. Infantrymen hundreds of yards away being cut down by giant flechettes.

Like a medieval mobile machine gun. Probably asb..

 

[Jinx999]

The energy for a crossbow has to be imparted by the bowman (it's stored in the bow, but that's where it comes from). It's a trade off - you can't have both high power and high rate of fire - the crossbowman won't be able to work that hard.
The Chinese repeating crossbow was a low power weapon.

A longbow arrow is more aerodynamic and the overall efficiency is higher - but they required highly trained and exceptionally strong archers.

 

[Reader347]

Nobody ever tried hooking up the muscle power of a horse on some kind of circular mill to a bow did they? I have a picture in mind of an 'infernal machine', a giant ballista mounted above a wagon dug into the ground, horses circling around it, pushing a mill wheel that arms it. Infantrymen hundreds of yards away being cut down by giant flechettes.

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DaVinci drew a treadmill cocking a series of crossbows to provide continuous. A more compact version could be pedal powered, the rig might look similar to a 40mm gun mount.