Jiao Yu
Jiao Yu (
As a senior adviser and general, he was later appointed to the venerable and noble status of the
Life and career
Jiao Yu was an aspiring scholar in his youth during the
With the aid of Jiao's 'fire-weapons', Zhu's army, once stationed in Hezhou among a plethora of different rebel groups in surrounding towns, conquered Jingzhou and Xiangzhou in one expedition. In the second expedition the provinces of Jiang and Zhe, and in the third campaign the entire province of Fujian was taken, including its surrounding waterways.[2] After this, Zhu's army captured the whole of Shandong in one campaign, strengthening his base while the authority of the Mongol regime at Beijing was collapsing all around.[2] Zhu finally drove the Mongols north in 1367, establishing a new capital at Nanjing soon after while Beijing became the secondary capital.
After the successful rebellion and establishment of Zhu Yuanzhang as the Ming dynasty's new Hongwu Emperor, Jiao was charged with manufacturing firearms for the government.
Along with the scholar, general, and court adviser
Although Jiao Yu's biography does not appear in the History of Ming (1739), Yu was mentioned in Zhao Shizhen's Shenqipu (1598 AD), He Rubin's Binglu (1606 AD), and Jiao Xu's Zekelu (1643 AD).[4] His text Huolongjing was reprinted in the 19th century, during the late Qing dynasty.[7]
The Huolongjing
The Huolongjing (Chinese: 火龍神器陣灋), compiled and edited by Jiao Yu and Liu Zhi, outlined the use of many different gunpowder weapons found in China during the 14th century. It provided information for:
- Various gunpowder compositions[10]
- Descriptions of the Chinese hollow cast iron grenade bomb[11]
- Descriptions of the Chinese fire arrow.[12]
- Descriptions of explosive land mines.[13]
- Descriptions of explosive naval mines.[14]
- Descriptions of fire lances and proto-guns.[15]
- Descriptions of bombards and cannons.[16]
- Descriptions of hollow, gunpowder-packed exploding cannonballs[17]
- Descriptions of handguns with possible serpentines used as components in matchlocks.[18]
- Description of rocket launchers[19] and two-stage rockets.[20]
- Descriptions of aerodynamic stability[21]
See also
- Technology of the Song dynasty
- History of firearms
- Gunpowder warfare
- Black powder
- Battle of Tangdao
- Battle of Caishi
- Battle of Lake Poyang
- Liu Bowen
Notes
- ^ a b Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, 26.
- ^ a b c d Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, 31.
- ^ a b c Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, 29.
- ^ a b c d e f g Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, 27.
- ^ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, 209.
- ^ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, 209–210.
- ^ a b c Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, 25.
- ^ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, 82.
- ^ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, 24.
- ^ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, pp. 180–187.
- ^ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, p. 183.
- ^ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, pp. 153–154.
- ^ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, pp. 192–196.
- ^ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, pp. 203–205.
- ^ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, p. 229.
- ^ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, pp. 314–325.
- ^ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, p. 264.
- ^ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, p. 459.
- ^ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, 489.
- ^ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, p. 508.
- ^ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, pp. 498–503.
References
- Needham, Joseph (1986). Science and Civilization in China: Volume 5, Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Part 7, Military Technology; the Gunpowder Epic. Taipei: Caves Books Ltd.