Qian Dan Yi Wo Feng (鉛彈一窩蜂)

Qian Dan Yi Wo Feng (鉛彈一窩蜂)

Drawing of Qian Dan Yi Wo Feng in shoulder bag for transportation (top right), and the same cannon when deployed (top bottom), from 'Wu Bei Ji Yao (《武備集要》)'.

Qian Dan Yi Wo Feng was a portable anti-personnel cannon that entered Ming arsenal in the early to mid-sixteenth century. Forged with the same method as a matchlock gun barrel, Qian Dan Yi Wo Feng had a short but wide body that could be loaded with up to 100 lead bullets, yet was light enough to be carried by a single person. It also came with a small iron bipod, which was used to prop up the muzzle when the cannon was staked to the ground for firing, as it had little to no extra weight to offset its considerable recoil.

Qian Dan Yi Wo Feng was also known as Bai Zi Chong (百子銃, lit. 'Hundred bullets gun'), although it should not to be confused with another weapon of the same name. It may also be the predecessor of Hu Dun Pao (虎蹲砲).

Volley gun version

Drawing of a matchlock volley gun Yi Wo Feng, from 'Wu Bei Ji Yao (《武備集要》)'.

This version of Yi Wo Feng, though still called by the same name, was only inspired by but not directly related to the anti-personnel cannon above. It was actually a matchlock volley gun that consisted of four to six gun barrels recycled from damaged matchlock guns, modified and bundled together and mounted on a wooden receiver that also housed a matchlock mechanism and a handle bar. The volley gun was mounted on a tripod-like gun mount that allowed the gun to be freely traversed and elevated, and each of its gun barrels was loaded with four lead bullets.

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Weatherproofed arquebuses of the Ming Dynasty

UPDATED MAY 5, 2022

One of the major hurdles that prevented matchlock guns from being adopted on a large scale in North China was the complain that strong wind could blow away priming powder in the flash pan (an opinion apparently shared by Sir John Smythe from England), making the weapon very unreliable. Nevertheless, whilst the opinion had some merits, the advantages of choosing matchlock gun over primitive handgonne far outweighed any downside. To encourage the adoption of matchlock gun in North China, Ming Dynasty firearm specialist Zhao Shi Zhen (趙士楨) designed two arquebuses that were less susceptible to the elements (and to refute and shut up the detractors).

Xuan Yuan Chong (軒轅銃, lit. 'Xuanyuan arquebus')

Named after the legendary forefather of all Chinese people, Xuan Yuan Chong was Zhao Shi Zhen's first matchlock gun not derived from any foreign designs. Drawing from his experience researching and reverse engineering European and Turkish matchlocks, Zhao Shi Zhen created a new weapon suitable for use in both the dry, windy North China, and the humid, rainy South China.

A Xuan Yuan Chong (top) and components of its rack and pinion mechanism (bottom), from 'Shen Qi Pu (《神器譜》)'.

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San Yan Chong (三眼銃)

A typical San Yan Chong.

Perhaps the most iconic handheld firearm of Ming army, San Yan Chong (三眼銃, lit. 'Three-eyed gun') was an iron handgonne that had three short barrels arranged in a triangular layout. It allowed the gunner to discharge three shots in quick succession before needing to reload, thereby compensating for its short range and lack of accuracy somewhat. San Yan Chong was the preferred firearm of Northern cavalry, particularly those from Liaodong Defense Region.

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Multiple-barrel arquebuses of the Ming Dynasty

UPDATED MARCH 30, 2022

Zhen Die Chong (震疊銃, lit. 'Terror gun')

Drawing of a Zhen Die Chong, from 'Shen Qi Pu (《神器譜》)'.

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Unique weapon of the Ming Dynasty — Xun Lei Chong (迅雷銃)

MINOR UPDATE FEBRUARY 5, 2026

Drawing of a soldier firing Xun Lei Chong, from 'Shen Qi Pu (《神器譜》)'.

One of the most complex weapons developed by Ming Dynasty firearm specialist Zhao Shi Zhen (趙士楨),  and his signature work, the Xun Lei Chong (迅雷銃, lit. 'Quick thunder gun') was a self-contained weapon system that incorporated a five-barrelled matchlock gun with a detachable trigger mechanism, a layered leather-and-cotton composite gun shield, an axe that doubled as a musket rest, and a spear with a flare launcher mounted on its butt—allowing adaptation to a variety of combat situations.

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Breech-loading arquebuses of the Ming Dynasty

UPDATED JANUARY 7, 2022, minor update MAY 14, 2023

One of the major weaknesses of early black powder firearms was the abysmal firing rate. Chinese people certainly weren't strangers to this problem, and showed remarkable ingenuity in their attempts to solve the issue. The most prominent figure in the development of breech-loading matchlock gun was Ming firearms specialist Zhao Shi Zhen (趙士楨), who pioneered the idea of combining Fo Lang Ji (佛狼機) breech-loading swivel gun and matchlock gun into one weapon.

Che Dian Chong (掣電銃, lit. 'Lightning arquebus')

Variant 1

Drawing of a Che Dian Chong, from a Wanli period print of 'Shen Qi Pu (《神器譜》)'.

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Matchlock firearms of the Ming Dynasty

UPDATED MAY 4, 2022, minor update NOVEMBER 10, 2023

A Ming Dynasty matchlock arquebus found in Xuzhou.

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Unique weapon of the Ming Dynasty — Huo Jian Liu (火箭溜)

UPDATED APRIL 29, 2022

Drawing of a Huo Jian Liu and its rack-and-pinion matchlock mechanism (highlighted), from 'Shen Qi Pu (《神器譜》)'.

China was the first civilisation in the world to field rocket weaponry in warfare. Early rocket was nothing more than a simple, black powder-filled paper tube attached to the shaft of an arrow, hence the name Huo Jian (火箭, lit. 'Fire arrow'). Although devastating, primitive unguided rocket could not be aimed like a crossbow or arquebus due to limitations of its launching platforms, and thus had pretty bad accuracy. Chinese military innovators attempted to solve this problem by developing various types of multiple rocket launchers that could shoot large numbers of rockets at once. While this "spray and pray" approach alleviated the accuracy problem somewhat, it was also very wasteful.

During the late 16th century, Ming firearms specialist Zhao Shi Zhen (趙士楨) proposed a much more refined solution to early rocket's accuracy problem in the form of Huo Jian Liu (火箭溜, lit. 'Fire arrow slide'). Huo Jian Liu was, for all intents and purposes, a matchlock gun that shot rocket instead of the usual lead ball, and featured the same barrel, front and rear sight, shoulder stock as well as trigger as an ordinary musket. However, instead of a standard matchlock mechanism, Zhao Shi Zhen equipped the weapon with a Chinese rack and pinion matchlock mechanism identical to that of late Ming variant Lu Mi Chong (嚕密銃). To ensure gunner safety, the matchlock mechanism was mounted at the middle portion of the gun (farther away from the gunner), with a large gun shield installed behind it to deflect rocket backblast.

Huo Jian Liu allowed its user to aim and launch rocket with greater accuracy. It also had greater range, less recoil, and significantly faster rate of fire than typical musket (due to the elimination of pouring powder charge, loading and ramming the ball down the barrel, and priming the flash pan steps in the reloading process). On top of that, the gun was cheaper to manufacture, as it did not need a strong barrel to withstand high chamber pressure, nor ramrod (although this was offset by its more costly rocket ammunition).

Regrettably, Zhao Shi Zhen's invention failed to catch the attention of Ming government, and never went beyond prototype stage.

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