The crossbow in Huaxia is essentially fitting a bow with a frame and trigger; the bowstring is drawn back and hooked onto the trigger beforehand, eliminating the need to hold the string by hand. For very powerful bows, holding the string is extremely strenuous.
This principle of the crossbow allows very powerful bows to be used in combat without much effort. While drawing the string, one can exert force using their legs.
However, Ma Lin doesn't know how to make an exceptionally powerful bow.
What does a composite bow mean?
His idea is this: if a bow's power is fifty pounds, then tying two bows together might require a hundred pounds to draw back.
So, how to tie two bows together so their power adds up?
Wouldn't it be better to make a bow from a very thick piece of wood?
Uncertain.
Perhaps it's because wood's elasticity is generally limited, and too much deformation can easily cause it to split, making composite bows less prone to cracking.
Incomprehensible.
