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| Drawing of a Jue Chong, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'. |
Jue Chong (钁銃, lit. 'Mattock gun'), also known as
Gou Tou Chong (勾頭銃, lit. 'Hooked head gun'), was an odd-looking firearm used for siege defence. It was simply a handgonne fixed perpendicularly to a five
chi long wooden pole, designed to allow a gunner to shoot at enemy troops at the base of the wall without exposing himself.
Due to the inherent difficulties in aiming with this weapon, Jue Chong was typically loaded with six to seven lead balls to offset its low accuracy. Its muzzle was also sealed with paper in order to prevent the bullets from falling out of the barrel.
