Fei Long Hua Dao (飛龍化刀)

Drawing of a Fei Long Hua Dao rocket, from 'Huo Long Jing (《火龍經》)'.

Fei Long Hua Dao (飛龍化刀, lit. 'Flying dragon turning into knives') was a highly unusual and viciously designed—if not terribly effective—rocket. Recorded in famous firearm treatise Huo Long Jing (火龍經), it was a one zhang five fen long spear-sized rocket with a two chi long bamboo rocket motor as well as two Du Huo (毒火) poison smoke-cum-incendiary warheads, which by itself wasn't anything unusual. What set Fei Long Hua Dao apart from other rockets was that it was fitted with several secondary rockets designed to be engaged at the same time as poison smoke warheads detonate. Known as Hua Dao Tong (化刀筒, lit. 'Knife-changing tube'), these stickless secondary rockets were two chi five cun long gunpowder-filled tubes fitted with three poisoned blades on both ends, and were said to be able to cover an area dozens of zhang wide, literally shredding anything they hit.

Long Fei Hua Dao Zhen (龍飛化刀陣)

Layout of Long Fei Hua Dao Zhen, from 'Huo Long Jing (《火龍經》)'.

The author of Huo Long Jing also created a military formation for the rocket, called Long Fei Hua Dao Zhen (龍飛化刀陣, lit. 'Dragon flying changing into knives formation') or simply Long Fei Zhen (龍飛陣, lit. 'Dragon flying formation'). The formation was designed to inflict maximum mayhem with the rockets to create an opening that allowed a trapped unit to break out of encirclement, and was best deployed during cloudy but windless weather.

Long Fei Hua Dao Zhen consisted of thirty-two rocket teams armed with ten Fei Long Hua Dao rockets each. These rocket teams were arrayed in a checkerboard-like formation, with eight teams serving as vanguard, twelve teams as wings, four teams at the centre, as well as eight teams as rearguard. Nevertheless, it was not known what purpose such a specific formation served other than for firearms safety, as Fei Long Hua Dao had a long enough range that such arrangement wouldn't be necessary.

Read more

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.

Read more

Mu Huo Shou (木火獸)

Tiger (top) and Qilin (bottom) Mu Huo Shou, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Mu Huo Shou (木火獸, lit. 'Wooden fire beast') was one of the weirder weapons of the Ming Dynasty, being a wooden pushcart with paper model of an animal—typically a tiger or qilin—mounted on top. The paper animal was treated with fire retardant (i.e. potassium alum), and a flame throwing bamboo Peng Tong (噴筒) and two smoke dispensers were hidden inside the "mouth" and "eyes" of the paper animal respectively. When the weapons were ignited, the pushcart looked like a terrifying fire-breathing monster from afar, since the soldier pushing the cart would be obscured by all the smoke and fire.

Read more

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

Read more

Qiang Chong (鎗銃)

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

Qiang Chong (鎗銃, lit. 'Gun-spear') was a type of heavy, (presumably) crew-served combination weapon. Despite its simple and straightforward name, the weapon was anything but simple. In fact, this monstrosity of a weapon consisted of a spear, a small double-barrelled gun, a foldable leather "umbrella shield", and twelve sword blades attached to said shield.

Read more

Mu Bang (木梆)

Drawing of a Mu Bang (highlighted), from 'Chong Ke Wu Lue Shen Ji (《重刻武略神機》)'.

Read more

Shen Xian Zi Fa Pai Che Chong (神仙自發排車銃)

Drawing of a Shen Xian Zi Fa Pai Che Chong, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Shen Xian Zi Fa Pai Che Chong (神仙自發排車銃, lit. 'Immortal's self-firing wheel gun'), also known as Shen Xian Zi Fa Pai Cha Chong (神仙自發排叉銃, lit. 'Immortal's self-firing fork gun') and Shen Huo Dao Chong (神火刀銃, lit. 'Divine fire bladed gun'), was a weapon that was very similar to Ping Guang Bu Zhan Sui Di Gun (平曠步戰隨地滾), but took the concept even further. The weapon was made of a hollowed tree log filled with gunpowder and came with multiple poisoned spikes, guns, flamethrowers, and poison smoke tubes. It also had a waterproofed fuse wired in such a way that the guns and flamethrowers would fire in succession (instead of firing everything at the same time).

Read more

Zhi Heng Chong (直橫銃)

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

Zhi Heng Chong (直橫銃, lit. 'Vertical and horizontal gun') was essentially three San Yan Chong (三眼銃) strapped together, with one handgonne pointing forward and two handgonnes pointing sideways. All handgonnes were connected to a single fuse so that they would all fire at the same time.

Read more

Shen Zhuan Huo Qiu Che (神轉火毬車)

Drawing of a Shen Zhuan Huo Qiu Che, from 'Yu Zi Shi San Zhong Mi Shu Bing Heng (《喻子十三種秘書兵衡》)'.

Read more

Feng Lei Huo Gun (風雷火滾)

Three Feng Lei Huo Gun, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Read more

Ping Kuang Bu Zhan Sui Di Gun (平曠步戰隨地滾)

Drawing of a Ping Kuang Bu Zhan Sui Di Gun, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Ping Kuang Bu Zhan Sui Di Gun (平曠步戰隨地滾, can be roughly translated as 'Anywhere roller for foot combat in wide plains') was a strange contraption designed to break enemy camps and disrupt enemy formations. It was essentially a tree log full of poisoned blades, hooks and nails, equipped with sixty linked black powder rocket propellers that pushed the weapon forward and doubled as short range flamethrowers. The tree trunk was also hollowed out and filled with explosives and blinding dust, so that it would explode into a shower of flaming wood splinters, smoke and blinding dust after a predetermined time.

Read more

Wu Di Jiang Jun (無敵將軍)

Drawing of a Wu Di Jiang Jun (highlighted), from 'Chong Ke Wu Lue Shen Ji (《重刻武略神機》'.

Read more

Unusual weapons from 'San Cai Tu Hui (《三才圖會》)'

San Cai Tu Hui (《三才圖會》), compiled by Wang Qi (王圻) and his son Wang Si Yi (王思義), is a late Ming encyclopedia that contains everything from day-to-day tools and transportations, clothes, palace and ritual implements, martial arts, weapons of war to plants and animals, foreign people and countries, medicine, history as well as astrology. It is an excellent and invaluable resource for researching social structure and customs of the Ming Dynasty, as well as general worldview of Chinese people during the Ming period.

Some weapons recorded in San Cai Tu Hui cannot be found elsewhere. Note that these weapons were considered unusual even during the Ming period, and hardly anyone used them.

From left to right: Liu Ke Zhu, Tie Gu Duo, Gou Lian.

Read more

Lian Zi Chong (連子銃)

Drawing of a Lian Zi Chong, from 'Ji Xiao Xin Shu (《紀效新書》)'.

Lian Zi Chong (連子銃, lit. 'Rapid bullet gun') was a type of burst-firing handgonne developed during mid Ming period. It had a round iron tube magazine mounted perpendicular to its barrel that held several lead balls, also loaded with several paper cylinders containing pre-measured charge of gunpowder (essentially blank paper cartridges), all connected to a single fuse.

Read more

Che Lun Pao (車輪砲)

Drawing of a Che Lun Pao, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Che Lun Pao (車輪砲, lit. 'Wheel cannon') was a type of primitive rapid-firing cannon. It consisted of two set of thirty-six guns arranged in two wheels, allowing it to be carried by pack animal. Leather bands were used to cover the muzzles to prevent bullets and gunpowder from falling out. Entire Che Lun Pao including its props weighed two hunderd jin.

As with many rapid-firing weapons of this period, Che Lun Pao wasn't terribly practical on the battlefield. It was simply too unreliable to justify the high cost of producing so many iron barrels.

A rotating gun platform, from 'Vier Bücher der Rytterschafft' by Vegetius Renatus Flavius.

Incidentally, similar designs were attempted in Europe in the early sixteenth century, with predictable results.

Read more

Shen Huo Wan Quan Tie Wei Ying (神火萬全鐵圍營)

Drawing of a Shen Huo Wan Quan Tie Wei Ying, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Shen Huo Wan Quan Tie Wei Ying (神火萬全鐵圍營, lit. 'Perfect iron fence of divine fire'), sometimes shortened to Shen Huo Tie Wei Ying (神火鐵圍營, lit. 'Iron fence of divine fire'), was probably the earliest iteration of the Chinese rocket cart. It was a heavy wagon mounted with four wooden cabinets. Each cabinet contained four Shen Nu (神弩, lit. 'Divine crossbow'), four Shen Jian (神箭, lit. 'Divine arrow'), four Shen Qiang (神槍) and four Shen Qian (神鉛, lit. 'Divine lead') or Shen Dan (神彈, lit. 'Divine bullet'), for a total of sixty-four firearms.

Read more

Unique weapon of the Ming Dynasty — Huo Long Chu Shui (火龍出水)

Drawing of a Huo Long Chu Shui, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Huo Long Chu Shui (火龍出水, lit. 'Fire Dragon Out of the Water') was perhaps the most well-known of ancient Chinese weapons. It was often hailed as the first ever multistage rocket as well as cluster munition rocket.

Read more

Unique weapon of the Ming Dynasty — Fei Kong Ji Zei Zhen Tian Lei Pao (飛空擊賊震天雷砲)

MINOR UPDATE JANUARY 29, 2024

Drawing of a Fei Kong Ji Zei Zhen Tian Lei Pao, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Fei Kong Ji Zei Zhen Tian Lei Pao (飛空擊賊震天雷砲, lit. 'Bandit-attacking, flying heaven-shaking thunder bomb'), also known as Zhen Tian Fei Pao (震天飛砲, lit. 'Heaven-shaking flying bomb'), was a type of ball-shaped winged rocket named after the famous cast-iron bomb used by Jin Dynasty army during Siege of Kaifeng. The weapon consisted of three components: a globular warhead made of papered basketry, a black powder rocket motor embedded within the warhead, as well as two wings. It was loaded with explosive, poisonous smoke gunpowder as well as poisoned fragmentation, and was usable as both siege and field artillery.

Read more

Fan Jiang Hun Hai Fei Bo Shen Jia (翻江混海飛波神甲)

Fei Bo Jia, from  Jin Tang Jie Zhu Shi Er Chou (《金湯借箸十二籌》). However the armour depicted in the picture looks nothing like the description.

Fan Jiang Hun Hai Fei Bo Shen Jia (翻江混海飛波神甲, lit. 'Divine armour of river crossing, ocean muddling and flying waves'), often shortened to Fei Bo Jia (飛波甲, lit. 'Flying waves armour') was a very unique scale armour made of gourd shells attached to a backing of oil treated silk, or alternatively with swan or goose feathers (specifically down feathers). It is said that this armour was waterproof and doubled as a life jacket.

Read more