Tian Bing Jian (天兵箭)

Drawing of a Tian Bing Jian, from a Qing Dynasty print of 'Huo Long Jing (《火龍經》)'.

Tian Bing Jian (天兵箭, lit. 'Heavenly soldier arrow') was perhaps one of the most ingenious weapons ever devised before the modern era. It was essentially a huge war kite, seven to eight chi long and three to four chi wide and made of straw mat nailed to a wooden frame, which carried a rocket pod containing one hundred rocket arrows as well as dozens of bombs. Specifically designed for night raid, the rocket pod and bombs on the kite were ignited by a slow-burning incense fuse that gave off minimal light, allowing ample time for the kite to be guided to its target in complete darkness and silence before it began to rain down fire and chaos, creating a scene that could be easily mistaken for divine judgement (hence its namesake).

A variant of the kite, known as Tian Lei Pao (天雷砲, lit. 'Heavenly thunder bomb'), replaced the rocket pod with a human bombardier. who was a death row convict being forcibly tied to the kite.