Yeah true. The Wikipedia page for zhuge nu actually mentions that it was primarily a self-defence weapon for women, not a battlefield weapon.
I find it amusing that the Wikipedia page for Huo Che makes no mention of the Korean Hwacha, other than in its “see also” section. That said, which one was done first seems…debatable, I wouldn’t feel comfortable coming down too strongly in favour of either one being the first.
This crazy Wizard/Inventor named Zhuge Liang invented hot air balloons and used them as communication between troop formations. No wait, this one is actually true and not a legend.
He’s also the guy after whom the “zhuge nu” (which you may also have heard called a “chu ko nu”—a repeating crossbow) is named. Though it seems likely that he was actually not involved in inventing it.
Since you brought up Vlad III, it’s probably worth noting that claims that he “inspired” Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel are grossly exaggerated. The truth is that Stoker had pretty much finished the novel and was just weeks from publishing it—under the title Count Wampyr—when he came across stories of Vlad the Impaler, and decided to change the name and a few minor details to fit.
The catch is that you’re signing up for a recurring subscription, and Audible plays the hard sell when you try to cancel your subscription.
(If you’re determined though, this can be great for you. I think I’ve gotten a total of 5 or 6 audiobooks for free from Audible thanks to their free first month and “please don’t leave” unsubscribe flow and “please come back” emails.)