Patron only: Post-Ulsan skirmishes

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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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Zhao Shi Zhen's Ju Ma San (拒馬傘) and Ruan Pai (軟牌)

Beside improving and designing various advanced firearms, Ming firearm specialist Zhao Shi Zhen (趙士楨) also came out with many innovative ideas to improve the effectiveness of other equipment. Ju Ma San (拒馬傘, lit. 'Horse-repelling umbrella') and Ruan Pai (軟牌, lit. 'Soft shield') were two such creations. Zhao Shi Zhen was well aware of the protective qualities and usefulness of soft fabric shields like Gun Bei (滾被), Ruan Bi (軟壁) and Gang Rou Pai (剛柔牌), but he also knew that flexible protective equipment can be awkward to handle and difficult to deploy, so he designed the aforementioned Ju Ma San and Ruan Pai as portable, convenient, and easy-to-use improvements to existing flexible shields.

Ju Ma San (拒馬傘)

Components of a Ju Ma San, from 'Xu Shen Qi Pu (《續神器譜》)'.

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