Military of the Zhou dynasty

The military of the Zhou dynasty were the forces fighting under the Zhou dynasty (Chinese: 周朝; pinyin: Zhōu cháo), a royal dynasty of China ruling from c. 1046 BC until 256 BC. Under the Zhou, these armies were able to expand China's territory and influence to all of the North China plain. Equipped with bronze weapons, bows, and armor, these armies won victories against the sedentary Dongyi to the East and South, which were the main direction of expansion, as well as defending the western border against the nomadic incursions of the Xirong. However, after the collapse of the Zhou dynasty in 771 BC when the Xirong captured its capital Haojing, China collapsed into a plethora of small states, who warred frequently with each other. The competition between these states would eventually produce the professional armies that marked the Imperial Era of China.^[1]