Di Lei Zha Ying (地雷炸營)

Components of Di Le Zha Ying (top), assembled land mine (middle) and concealed land mine (bottom), from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Di Lei Zha Ying (地雷炸營, lit. 'Ground thunder exploding camp') is a type of Chinese land mine designed for anti-personnel use. Developed during late Ming period, Di Lei Zha Ying is unique among Ming land mines in that it is not a blast mine but a fragmentation mine.

Di Lei Zha Ying is assembled from three major components: A thin round wooden plank that serves as cover, a thick round wooden plank that serves as base, and eight oil-treated bamboo tubes. Each of these tubes is filled with gunpowder and numerous lead and iron pellets, then sealed with wax. The land mine is connected to a fuse linked to Gang Lun Fa Huo (鋼輪發火), and can be set to passively triggered (using tripwire, pressure plate or similar devices) or manually activated. Once triggered, Di Lei Zha Ying shoots the pellets upwards over a large area.

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Zhong Huo Ku (種火庫)

Components of a Zhong Huo Ku, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

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Ba Dou Chong (八斗銃)

Drawing of a Ba Dou Chong, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Ba Dou Chong (八斗銃, lit. 'Eight bucket gun') is an unusual weapon that consists of two double-ended double barrelled handgonnes joined together with a pivot, thus allowing its user to discharge eight shots in quick succession. While Ba Dou Chong is marginally more useful than the likes of Zhi Heng Chong (直橫銃), it is still an incredibly awkward weapon.

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Chinese multiprod crossbow

Credited with the invention of crossbow, the Chinese were keen on tinkering with their crossbow and coming out with ever more efficient and powerful designs. Apart from repeating crossbow, which was invented as early as 4th century BC, Chinese also created another unique crossbow design — the multiprod crossbow, sometimes also known as multiple bow arcuballista. The weapon mounts multiple prods to extend the draw length (and powerstroke) of the crossbow, thus getting more power out of the same draw weight. It is also more efficient and portable than a single prod crossbow of equal power.

There were several variants of multiprod crossbow in use during Tang and Song period, which will be detailed below:


Shuang Gong Chuan Nu (雙弓床弩, lit. 'Double-prod bed crossbow')
Also known as Liang Gong Nu (兩弓弩, lit. 'Two prod crossbow') during Tang period, this crossbow has two prods mounted facing opposite directions of each other. It is spanned by a simple windlass.


Da He Chan Nu (大合蟬弩, lit. 'Great combined cicada crossbow')

Drawing of a Da He Chan Nu, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

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