you got it ! <| sep |> Nice stealth edit , adding that 6 at the end there . <| sep |> My meaning was much more along the lines of the production and use of weaponry that was easily manufacturable , and required minimal training to use . Swordspikes require training , and lots of it , to effectively use in combat and understand how closequarters formations function . The Chinese did use infantry , but they were often a rather smaller elite corps essentially acting as the shield for the far larger . Crossbow archer take 15 minutes to teach Joe McFarmer how to put the bolt in the right direct and wind the crank , and then just point them in the direction of the bad guy . When McFarmer drops dead , any other generic peasant will take 15 minutes or less to catch up to speed and point once more in the right direction before sending him on his way .