Great Ming Military

Artistic impression of the epic spectacle of Battle of Red Cliff, erroneous...

Per the request of my long time reader Yevon, and also due to my recent interest in Stronghold Warlords , let's talk about Chinese siege...

Drawing of Sheng You Yin Huo Che, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Drawing of a Xuan Feng Pao, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'. Xuan Feng Pao (旋風砲, lit. 'Whirlwind trebuchet') was a type of tr...

UPDATED MAY 8, 2022 A recent comment from my other blog post reminds me that I have yet to write anything about Chinese arming garments, ...

This blog post contains some extra information about Chinese polearms, which is exclusive to my Patrons and can be accessed here . If you ...

UPDATED JUNE 10, 2024, minor update MAY 11, 2026 2. The gate The second part of this series will provide an overview on various comp...

UPDATED JUNE 10, 2024, minor update MAY 9, 2026 A recent discussion in the comment section of my previous blog post has sparked m...

UPDATED JANUARY 10, 2025, minor update MAY 26, 2026 ( Note:  The descriptions below correspond to the items in the image from left to righ...

Huo Qiu (火毬, lit. 'Fire ball') was a type of primitive incendiary trebuchet ammunition made of paper, bamboo basketry, or even cla...

Left: An unnamed commander or guard in Chinese-style "Cataphract" armour. Middle: Wu Dao Jiang Jun (五道將軍), one of the Chinese ...

MINOR UPDATE OCTOBER 2, 2024 Credited with the invention of crossbow, the Chinese were keen on tinkering with their crossbow and coming o...

Drawing of a Diao Dao, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'. Diao Dao (吊搗, lit. 'Hanging thrasher') was a weapon designed to be ...

Drawing of a Xing Nu Qiang, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'. Xing Nu Qiang (行女牆, lit. 'Moving woman wall' or 'Moving batt...

Drawing of a Fei Gou, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Tie Lian Jia Bang (鐵鏈夾棒, lit. 'Iron chain with clubs') Drawing of a Tie Lian Jia Bang, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'. Tie Li...

Bian Jian (鞭箭, lit. 'Whip arrow') Bian Jian (highlighted), from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Side view of a Pao, from 'Ji Xiao Xin Shu (《紀效新書》)'. Top view of a Pao, from 'Ji Xiao Xin Shu (《紀效新書》)'. Pao (礟, tr...

Tie Bian (鐵鞭, lit. 'iron whip') Drawing of a Tie Bian (highlighted), from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'. The Tie Bian, often sho...

Section of the Ming period scroll painting 'Sou Shan Tu (《搜山圖》)', depicting Chinese war deity Er Lang Shen (二郎神) in a full suit of...