Pyeonjeon, or aegisal (baby arrow) is a short arrow or bolt, shot using a longer bamboo arrow guide called the tongah in Korean archery. The tongah allows you to draw a short arrow at a full draw length with a full sized bow, it is an overdraw device. A tongah used with a bow looks somewhat similar to a crossbow.
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Advantages
There are several advantages in shooting a shorter arrow, the shorter arrow is lighter (which means they're faster) and more aerodynamic. They shoot with a higher muzzle velocity which results in greater range and hits the target more quickly. Their speed and small size also made it harder for enemies to see them coming. Their higher speed and aerodynamic efficiency means they penetrate armour better at range. Broken arrows could also be recycled into short arrows.
Historical use
Used by the Koreans, this weapon was considered a national secret during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598). Its traditional range is 350 meters, five times the effective range of Arquebus or Tanegashima. Further more, the short bolts had longer range and flatter trajectory with a faster velocity and penetrating power.
Tongah and pyeonjeon were part of the standard kit of Chosun era archers. Their quivers held 20 arrows and 10 pyeonjeon arrows.
Other similar devices
The Chinese tongjian, Byzantine Romans solenarion and Turkish majra were all similar devices