I found an *excellent* Webpage with many pictures and detailed explanations of the Chinese repeating crossbow and its ingeniously simple mechanism:
http://www.atarn.org/chinese/cn_arc_indx.htm

It sounds pretty devastating. The page mentions: "The interesting and unique feature of this crossbow is its repeating action, which though so crudely simple acts perfectly and enables the crossbowman to discharge ten arrows in fifteen seconds."

Although, it goes on to say: "The small and light arrow of the comparatively weak Chinese crossbow here described had little penetrative power. For this reason the head of the arrow was sometimes dipped in poison, in order that a slight wound might prove fatal."

But: "By a slight alteration in the construction of the crossbow it was sometimes made to shoot two arrows, instead of one, every time its bow recoiled... By means of this arrangement one hundred men could discharge two thousand arrows in fifteen seconds, or double the number which one hundred men could shoot off in the same time with the ordinary repeating crossbow."

Also, more info, an ancient illustration, and discussion of the "Chu Ko Nu" or "Zhuge Nu" here: http://www.atarn.org/chinese/yn_xbow/zhugehtm.htm

The illustration's Ming Dynasty text reads: "The Zhuge Nu is a handy little weapon that even the Confucian scholar (i.e. a weakling) or palace women can use in self-defence. It fires weakly so you have to tip the darts with poison. Once the darts are tipped with 'tiger-killing poison', you can fire it at a horse or a man and as long as you draw blood, your adversary will die immediately. The draw-back to the weapon is its very limited range."

I found these pages through an amazing resource called the Asian Traditional Archery Research Network Chinese Archive, which is here: http://www.atarn.org/chinese/cn_arc_indx.htm

This is a must-read site for archery fanatics!

You guys think we can successfully lobby EA to make a Chinese warlord version of Total War? How about calling it "Sun Tzu's Art of War: The Game"? It would definitely need to include repeating crossbows and rock-throwers!

By the way, for a great film showing lots of pre-dynastic Chinese battles and town sieges, see "The Emperor and the Assassin."