Weaponised shields of the Ming Dynasty

MINOR UPDATE JANUARY 2, 2024

Throughout the long history of Ming Dynasty, the Chinese had developed all kinds of combination weapons, and shield was no exception. Unlike most other Ming combination weapons which are often gimmicky and impractical, These shields were somewhat more practical and saw limited field use, although they were still far from the most common equipment on the battlefield. 

It should be noted that shields that only have built-in gun loops, such as Wu Di Shen Pai (無敵神牌), as well as firearms that have gun shields, like Xun Lei Chong (迅雷銃), are not covered by this blog post.

Shen Xing Po Zhen Meng Huo Dao Pai (神行破陣猛火刀牌, lit. 'Marvelous travelling, formation breaking, raging fire blade shield')

Drawing of a Shen Xing Po Zhen Meng Huo Dao Pai, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Shen Xing Po Zhen Meng Huo Dao Pai was a weaponised shield derived from Yan Wei Pai (燕尾牌). It was made of fire-resistant cowhide, with the top portion of the shield painted with the head of a Chinese dragon or other fierce mythological beasts, while the lower portion contained up to thirty-six muzzles for Pen Tong (噴筒) linked to a single fuse. When ignited, Pen Tong spat out intense flame, poisonous smoke and shrapnel of all kinds to a range of two to three zhang, allowing the shieldbearer to harm his enemy from outside the reach of long weapons such as spear and pike, or at least causing enough disruption for him to rush in with a sword.

Due to weight limitation, Shen Xing Po Zhen Meng Huo Dao Pai was only loaded with enough gunpowder charge for one shot, although it could still be used like a normal shield after exhausting its charge.

Gun Di Shen Huo Tuan Pai (滾地神火團牌, lit. 'Ground rolling divine fire round shield')

Drawing of a Gun Di Shen Huo Tuan Pai, from a Qing Dynasty print of 'Huo Long Jing (《火龍經》)'.

Back view of Gun Di Shen Huo Tuan Pai, from a Qing Dynasty print of 'Shen Qi Pu (《神器譜》)'.

Gun Di Shen Huo Tuan Pai was a weaponised shield derived from Teng Pai (藤牌). It was a round rattan shield with the image of a tiger painted on its surface, and contained seven muzzles for Peng Tong that could project flames and poisonous smoke to up to several chi.

Due to the comparative shorter range of Gun Di Shen Huo Tuan Pai's Pen Tong, its wielder must take antidote beforehand to avoid being harmed by the poisonous smoke from his own shield.

Bao Sheng Pai (保生牌, lit. 'Life-preserving shield')

Bao Sheng Pai was a weaponised shield recorded in military treatise Wu Bian (《武編》), albeit without any accompanying illustration. From description, it incorporated fifteen small guns connected to a single trigger (probably a wheellock or similar device) that could be operated by the left hand holding the shield. Once the trigger was pulled, all fifteen guns would fire simultaneously.

Hu Tou Huo Pai (虎頭火牌, lit. 'Tiger Head Fire Shield')

Unpainted (left) and painted (right) Hu Tou Huo Pai, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Back view of the Hu Tou Huo Pai, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Hu Tou Huo Pai was a weaponised shield derived from Ai Pai (挨牌) that incorporated a rocket pod carrying either ten full-sized Shen Ji Jian (神機箭) or twenty smaller Meng Jian (猛箭). The rockets were launched through a large hole in the middle of the shield (corresponding to the gaping mouth of the painted tiger) which was normally sealed with a detachable lid mounted on the pod itself. 

The shield was suitable to be used on ship as well as on land.

Hu Tou Mu Pai (虎頭木牌, lit. 'Tiger head wooden shield')

Front (right) and back (left) of Hu Tou Mu Pai, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Hu Tou Mu Pai was also derived from Ai Pai and came with a large gun loop (corresponds to the glabella of the painted tiger) for Shen Qiang (神鎗) and two smaller peepholes (correspond to eyeballs of the the painted tiger) used for observation. It also incorporated four rectangular firing ports for small rocket pods, which were mounted on rotating sliders and could be quickly swapped out after use. The sliders also doubled as covers for the firing ports when not in use.

Replica Hu Tou Mu Pai (unpainted), with its four rocket pods  into ready position. Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution.

Hu Tou Mu Pai was five chi tall, one chi seven cun wide, and three fen thick. It was covered in cowhide, and its top rim was reinforced with iron.