Qiang Chong (鎗銃)

Drawing of a Qiang Chong and its ramrod, from 'Wu Bei Ji Yao (《武備集要》)'.

Qiang Chong (鎗銃, lit. 'Gun spear') was, as its name suggests, a combination of a spear and a gun. It consisted of a two chi long gun barrel mounted on a five chi long spear shaft, with two five cun long spearheads (or possibly one spearhead forged in two halves) mounted near the muzzle, as well as a two cun long butt spike mounted on the rear end of the spear shaft. The gun part of Qiang Chong had a three fen calibre, and was typically loaded with two qian five fen of gunpowder as well as a one qian six fen lead bullet (which was roughly half the weight of a typical Ming arquebus bullet). 

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Fei Lun Jia Hai Zhou (飛輪架海舟) and Tao Chuan Zi Mu Lun Zhou Chuan (套船子母輪舟船)

Fei Lun Jia Hai Zhou (飛輪架海舟, lit. 'Flying wheel sea-rack ship')

Drawing of a Fei Lun Jia Hai Zhou, from 'Bing Jing (《兵鏡》)'.

Fei Lun Jia Hai Zhou was a warship of unusual design, possibly a Ming-era throwback to older paddle wheel warships from the previous dynasties (as hinted by its tower ship-style crenellated superstructure). Intended as a capital-class warship despite its moderate size, Fei Lun Jia Hai Zhou was made of expensive and durable nanmu wood and came with two masts, four inboard paddle wheels and twelve large oars. In addition, it also had two large slots at the bow and stern, which allowed two ships to be connected together via wooden beams into a catamaran-like configuration for increased stability.

Tao Chuan Zi Mu Lun Zhou Chuan (套船子母輪舟船, lit. 'Ship-sheathing mother and child wheeled ship')

Drawing of a Tao Chuan Zi Mu Lun Zhou Chuan, from 'Bing Jing (《兵鏡》)'.

Tao Chuan Zi Mu Lun Zhou Chuan was actually not a different ship design per se, but a detachable exterior shell/auxiliary armour equipped by Fei Lun Jia Hai Zhou. Made of Chinese fir, the exterior shell enclosed the warship from the front and both sides, and came with a bow fitted with barbed spikes and storage space filled with gunpowder and flammable materials. Beside protecting the warship from grounding hazards, the exterior shell was also a potent weapon in its own right, allowing the warship to ram into enemy ship, ignite the payload, then discard the shell to disengage.

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Chinese fire gourd

Chong Zhen Huo Hu Lu (衝陣火葫蘆, lit. 'Phalanx-charging fire gourd')

Drawing of a Chong Zhen Huo Hu Lu, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Chong Zhen Huo Hu Lu was an unusual weapon which was essentially a gourd-shaped iron "gun barrel" mounted on a six chi long wooden pole. Intended to be paired with a weaponised shield, this handgonne/fire lance hybrid was loaded with both lead pellets as well as incendiary gunpowder that generated poisonous smoke as it burned, and was said to be effective against both infantry and cavalry. 

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Fei Qiang (飛鎗) and Fei Jian (飛箭)

Drawing of Fei Qiang (left) and Fei Jian (right), from 'Shou Yu Quan Shu (《守圉全書》)'.

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Huo Long Chuan (火龍船)

MINOR UPDATE MARCH 6, 2024

Drawing of a Huo Long Chuan, from 'Huo Long Jing (《火龍經》)'.

Huo Long Chuan (火龍船, lit. 'Fire dragon ship'), full name Shen Fei Du Jiao Huo Long Chuan (神飛獨角火龍船, lit. 'Divine flying single-horned fire dragon ship'), was an interesting weapon that was more of a trap than a true warship. It was a small, three-decked warship with the hull of an ocean-going vessel but is propelled by oars or paddle-wheels. The hull of Huo Long Chuan was heavily protected by bamboo palisade and raw cowhides, and its main deck was fitted with numerous gun and arrow loops allowing combatants on the ship to engage their enemy without exposing themselves to return fire. The ship was also possibly equipped with a naval ram, hence its "Single-horned" moniker. 

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Lian Huan Cheng (連環城) and Huo Ping Feng (火屏風)

Lian Huan Chen (連環城, lit. 'Linked fort')

Four Lian Huan Cheng linked together to form a wall, from 'Chong Ke Wu Lue Shen Ji (《重刻武略神機》)'.

Lian Huan Cheng was a massive wooden free-standing shield that came with four rows of four gun loops (for a total of sixteen gun loops). It could be propped up and linked together with other shields to form a wall, allowing a temporary fortified position to be set up quickly. 

Lian Huan Cheng could be seen as a Southern China substitute to wagon fort and a cruder predecessor of Zhao Shi Zhen's multipurpose shield.

Huo Ping Feng (火屏風, lit. 'Fire screen')

Drawing of a Huo Ping Feng between two Lian Huan Cheng, from 'Chong Ke Wu Lue Shen Ji (《重刻武略神機》)'.

Huo Ping Feng was designed to serve as the "gate" of Lian Huan Cheng, allowing troops to sally out of the temporary fort to attack their enemy without having to dismantle one of the shields beforehand. It was of similar size and construction as Lian Huan Cheng, but also came with eight wheels (to allow the gate door to pivot) as well as rawhide facing.

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Sheng You Yin Huo Che (盛油引火車)

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

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Fu Di Chong Tian Lei (伏地衝天雷)

Several weapons laid above the mine cluster, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Fu Di Chong Tian Lei (伏地衝天雷, roughly translated to 'Ground-hiding, air dashing thunder') was a type of unusual land mine/booby trap, designed to take advantage of human greed and curiosity. The device was relatively simple, essentially several incendiary and poison smoke bombs buried underground along with an ember-filled basin. The bomb fuses were loosely tied to the butts of several pole weapons (baits), which were planted on top of the basin. If an enemy troop pulled out or otherwis disturb the weapon, the fuse would fall into the basin, therby triggering the bombs.

This land mine was made famous by the Deadliest Warrior television series (Season 2, episode 11), as one of the weapon that successfully bring down a curious French Musketeer. The actual weapon was actually quite different from its televised depiction, as it was designed to disable, not outright kill, its victims like many anti-personnel mines.

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Shen Ji Wan Sheng Huo Long Dao (神機萬勝火龍刀)

UPDATED MAY 24, 2022

Drawing of Shen Ji Wan Sheng Huo Long Dao, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

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Tai Ping Che (太平車)

Drawing of a Tai Ping Che (above) and its various componnets (below), from 'Zhan Shou Quan Shu (《戰守全書》)'.

Tai Ping Che (太平車, lit. 'Peaceful cart') was a unique siege defence weapon used by the Ming army. Despite the name, it was not actually a war cart, and anything but peaceful.

Tai Ping Che was actually a semi-cylindrical mobile gun turret armed with five small cannons. Equipped with two wheels, it could be easily raised or lowered down the wall with the help of a wall-mounted crane, which allowed the turret to fend off besieging troops, particularly sappers, hiding in the hard-to-reach "dead zone" of the fortress. Since it would be nearly suicidal to man the turret with gunners and send them outside the wall, Tai Ping Che was also equipped with a Gang Lun Fa Huo (鋼輪發火) so that its five guns could be fired remotely.

The gun turret can be considered a successor of Warring States period Mohist Xian Pi (縣脾, lit. 'Hanging spleen').

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Du Zhan Qian Li Che (獨戰千里車)

A badly drawn illustration of Du Zhan Qian Li Che, from 'Wu Bian Qian Ji (《武編前集》)'.

Du Zhan Qian Li Che (獨戰千里車, lit. 'Wagon that can fight alone for a thousand li') was a six-wheeled gun-armed mobile fortress designed to combat Wokou and Mongol raiders alike. Unlike most other Ming war carts and wagons, it was not designed to form a wagon fort, but rather to operate alone or in small groups.

Du Zhan Qian Li Che featureed a rather odd wheel configuration. It had two pairs of wheels like normal wagon, but also had one extra front wheel and one extra rear wheel, which allowed it to traverse rough terrains such as narrow path and log bridge. Its fully enclosed body was made of wooden frame covered in protective leather screens measuring five chi tall by five chi wide, and was equipped numerous gun loops on all sides. The wagon could be further equipped with spikes and hooks mounted around its chassis, as well as two cannons at its front and rear for additional firepower.

It should be noted that the source of locomotive power of this wagon was not explained. The name implied that this wagon was pushed by its passengers from the inside, although it should be possible to equip the wagon with yoke and shafts so that it could be pulled by draught animals.

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Dao Ma Huo She Shen Gun (倒馬火蛇神棍)

UPDATED MAY 24, 2022

Two Dao Ma Huo She Shen Gun, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

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Fei Gang (飛杠)

Drawing of a Fei Gang, from 'Wu Bei Yao Lue (《武備要略》)'.

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Unique weapon of the Ming Dynasty — Fang Ji Huo Feng Zheng (燔積火風箏)

Section of the scroll painting 'Feng Zhen Tu (《風箏圖》)', painted by famous Ming painter Xu Wei (徐渭), depicting an ordinary kite.

Fang Ji Huo Feng Zheng (燔積火風箏, lit. 'Supply-scorching fire kite') was a unique but obscure siege weapon. It was essentially a weaponised kite that carried a timed explosive and propelled by a rocket. The rocket allowed Fang Ji Huo Feng Zheng to be launched into the sky quickly, where it would stay in the air and "wire-guided" to its intended target. After a set amount of time, the bomb would explode in mid air, spreading poisonous dust and burning gunpowder all over the target.

Nevertheless, while the idea behind Fang Ji Huo Feng Zheng was sound, its relative slowness and weak power likely did not justify its use over other, more straightforward weapons such as cannons or incendiary rockets.

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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') was a type of Chinese land mine designed for anti-personnel use. Developed during late Ming period, Di Lei Zha Ying was unique among Ming land mines in that it was not a blast mine but a fragmentation mine.

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Chinese multiprod crossbow

MINOR UPDATE OCTOBER 2, 2024

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 bowyers also created another unique crossbow design—the multiprod crossbow, sometimes also known as multiple bow arcuballista. The weapon mounted multiple prods to extend the draw length (and powerstroke) of the crossbow, thus getting more power out of the same draw weight. It was 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 had two prods mounted facing opposite directions of each other. It was 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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Huo Nu Liu Xing Jian (火弩流星箭)

Drawing of a Huo Nu Liu Xing Jian, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

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Fei Tian Shen Huo Du Long Qiang (飛天神火毒龍鎗)

UPDATED MAY 24, 2022

Drawing of a Fei Tian Shen Huo Du Long Qiang, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

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Bai Shi Qiang (百矢鎗)

Drawing of a Bai Shi Qiang, from 'Yu Zi Shi San Zhong Mi Shu Bing Heng (《渝子十三種秘書兵衡》'.

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Diao Dao (吊搗)

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 used in siege defence. A large grappling hook hung from a wooden crane, Diao Dao resembled a smaller and mechanically simpler version of the famous ancient Greek Claw of Archimedes. Instead of pulling enemy warships out of the water like the Claw, it was used to topple battering rams and siege towers.

A variant of Diao Dao replaced its grappling hook with a heavy stone ball, essentially turning it into a wrecking ball.

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