Other Hot Weapons

Description:

The Fire Arrows (火箭) were one of the initial implementations of weaponized gunpowder. In Ming and Qing China, fire arrows were designed by affixing a small gunpowder keg with a cotton-paper texture to an arrow. Once the keg was ignited, the arrow could be discharged with tremendous force. Moreover, troops could shoot the arrows numerously thanks to their thin size. “Ten thousand arrows shot at once” (萬箭齊發)  with fire was an image that effectively deterred the enemy.

Description:

The Flame ejector (噴筒) was a weapon designed to discharge both flames and poisonous gases. To launch it, the operator of the ejector would forcefully twist the wire stick to compress the air within and spray the oil through the small hole of the rear. It was capable of burning the enemy at close range.

Description:

The Matchlock(高機) was a gun igniting its gunpowder with a burning match. Although《火攻挈要》did not have a description of 高機, we can tell from its picture that it was a matchlock. Matchlock was both portable and extremely powerful. As a result, it was regarded as the precursor to the contemporary rifle. 

Description:

The Frankish Gun (佛朗機, was inscribed in 狼機 on the book) was a type of swivel gun that could be rotated easily with the equipment of a swivel. Thanks to its flexibility, the troops were able to kill the enemy effectively. Moreover, Frankish guns had a “sub-cannon” (子銃) design, which was a large advantage compared to other weapons at that time. The gun was divided into  “main cannon” (母銃) and “sub-cannon” (子銃). After firing, the used sub-cannon could be immediately removed from the rear of the main cannon and subsequently reloaded into the new sub-cannon. This may decrease the amount of time required to reload gunpowder and clean the barrel.