Qun Feng Pao (羣蜂砲)

Qun Feng Pao and its fillings, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Qun Feng Pao (羣蜂砲, lit. 'Wasp swarm bomb') was a very powerful grenade designed to be thrown like a bolas. This grenade was made of bamboo or reed basketry, covered with up to fifty layers of thick paper as well as fifteen layers of oil paper, and filled with three jin of explosive, half a jin of iron caltrops, as well as several dozens of Fei Yan (飛燕) and firecrackers with poison smoke-incendary gunpowder.

When lit and thrown, Qun Feng Pao would explode into deadly showers of fire, poisonous smoke, caltrops, and swarms of incendiary micro-rockets, the last of which gave rise to its name. Due to its great power and multiple applications, Qun Feng Pao was particularly useful as a naval weapon.