HIST4702 (2023-24) Digital History Project: 火攻挈要
Macau as a Center for Importing Western Cannons
Description of the Map
The purpose of creating this map is to show the three procurements of Hongyi cannons (紅夷大炮) from Macau.
The First Procurement
The Ming court first procured the cannons between 1618 and 1623 when the Later Jin invaded northern China. In 1618, Xu Guangqi（徐光啓）in Tong Zhou（通州）proposed to buy cannons and recruit artillerymen from Macau. However, Xu resigned from his post as a military instructor. As a result, the cannons could only be transported to Jiangxi. As the Ming forces suffered defeat in the wars against Later Jin in 1621, the four cannons stored in Jiangxi were eventually transported to Beijing. At the same time, more and more artillerymen were recruited to train the Ming army. Unfortunately, the cannons exploded accidentally during the cannon test in Beijing. The conservatives used this as an opportunity to criticize the officials involved in the procurement of Western cannons. The first procurement failed as the Portuguese were forced to return to Macau.
The Second Procurement
When the Ming army won the Battle of Ningyuan, the Ming court recognized the power of Hongyi cannons and purchased the cannons from the Portuguese in Macau in 1628. In 1629, the cannons were finally transported to Zhuo Zhou（涿州）. The Qing soldiers were afraid to attack Zhuo Zhou because of the Hongyi cannons, so they retreated.
The Third Procurement
In 1630, Xu proposed purchasing more Western cannons and recruiting artillerymen from Macau. The Portuguese were stopped at Nanchang on their way to Beijing due to the opposition from the conservatives. In the end, the third procurement of Western cannons failed.
Arguments
The above events concerning the purchase of Hongyi cannons by the Ming court show that Macau was an important centre for the production of Western firearms for China. Jesuit missionaries such as Adam Schall travelled to Macau and stayed there for a few years before going to Beijing to pass on the technology mentioned in Huogong qieyao火攻挈要 to Jiao Yu. It shows that Macau was also a window for Western technology into China.
One of the reasons why the Ming army lost to the Qing army could be the opposition of the conservatives. This could provide a brief context for the battles mentioned in the next section.
Reference List
[1] Huang Yinong黃一農, “Tianzhujiaotu sunjyuanhua yu mingmochuanhua de xiyanghuopao” 天主教徒孫元化與明末傳華的西洋火炮, Zhongyangyanjiuyuan lishiyuyan yanjiusuo jikan 中央研究院歷史語言研究所集刊 67 (1996): 913-939.
[2] Yiu Ka Wing 姚家榮, “Xipao de jingyong yu mingdai de guofang” 西砲的應用與明代的國防, Dissertations from all years 考功集 7 (2004): 10-13.