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.

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A critique of Samuel Hawley's The Imjin War: Japan's Sixteenth-Century Invasion of Korea and Attempt to Conquer China — Part 1.5: Truce and negotiations

Left: Emperor Shenzong of Ming. Right: Toyotomi Hideyoshi, regent of Japan.

Translator's Note: I originally only intended to translate the critique into a two-part article. However, it turns out that the critique is significantly longer than I anticipated, so in the end I have to separate it into a three-part blog post instead.

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Zhao Shi Zhen's Chong Feng Lei Dian Che (衝鋒雷電車)

From left to right: front view, side view and rear view of Chong Feng Lei Dian Che, from 'Shen Qi Pu (《神器譜》)'.

Chong Feng Lei Dian Che (衝鋒雷電車, lit. 'Assault lightning cart'), also known as Chong Feng Huo Che (衝鋒火車, lit. 'Assault fire cart'), was yet another war wheelbarrow designed by Ming firearm specialist Zhao Shi Zhen (趙士楨). True to its namesake, Chong Feng Lei Dian Che had a more offensive role compared to its smaller cousin. Specifically, it was a close-range incendiary attack weapon that functioned both as a mobile mantlet to protect sappers as they close in to their target under enemy fire, as well as being the primary incendiary weapon itself.

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