Everything about Wujing Zongyao totally explained
The
Wujing Zongyao was a Chinese military compendium written in 1044 AD, during the
Northern Song Dynasty. Its authors were the prominent scholars
Zeng Gongliang (曾公亮),
Ding Du (丁度), and
Yang Weide (楊惟德), whose writing influenced many later Chinese military writers. The book covered a wide range of subjects, everything from naval
warships to different types of
catapults. Although the English philosopher and friar
Roger Bacon was the first to mention the sole ingredients of
gunpowder in 1267 (for example strictly
saltpetre,
sulphur, and
charcoal) when referring to
firecrackers in "various parts of the world", the
Wujing Zongyao was the first book in history to record the written formulas for gunpowder solutions containing saltpetre, sulphur, and charcoal, along with many added ingredients. It also described an early form of the
compass (using ), and had the oldest illustration of a Chinese
Greek Fire flamethrower with a double-acting two-
piston cylinder-pump that shot a continuous blast of flame.
History
Under the imperial order of
Emperor Renzong of Song (r.
1022-
1063 AD), a team of Chinese scholars compiled the treatise of the
Wujing Zongyao from 1040 to 1044, in order to improve the knowledge of all the known martial techniques used in warfare. Its chief editor was
Zeng Gongliang, while he was assisted by the prominent
astronomer Yang Weide and the scholar
Ding Du. However, with the sacking of the capital
Kaifeng by the invading
Jurchens in 1126 AD, the enormous amount of prized literature found in the Imperial Library was lost, including the original copy of the
Wujing Zongyao. After the original was lost, there was only a scarce amount of surviving copies rewritten by hand. There was a scarcity because the book was meant to be kept a secret amongst a few trustees of the government, as publishing and printing many copies using
woodblock printing would have allowed the possibility of it falling into enemy hands. Then there was a reprinted edition of the entire
Wujing Zongyao in 1510 AD, this complete version being the oldest extant copy available.
Writing several decades after the
Wujing Zongyao was written, the scientist and statesman
Shen Kuo (
1031-
1095 AD) wrote of the first truly magnetized compass needle in his book
Dream Pool Essays (1088 AD). With a more efficient compass magnetized by
lodestone, the thermoremanence compass fell out of use. The later maritime author
Zhu Yu soon wrote of the magnetic needle compass as a means to navigate at sea, in his book
Pingzhou Table Talks of 1119 AD.
Gunpowder formulas and weapons
Gunpowder warfare began in China during the early 10th century, with the advent of the
blackpowder-impregnated
fuse that was used to light the burst of the Chinese two-piston
flamethrower. However, despite circumstantial evidence to the invention of gunpowder as early as the 3rd-4th century BC by the alchemist Ge Hong, it wasn't until the
Wujing Zongyao that the exact formulas for early Chinese blackpowder was revealed. In the
Wujing Zongyao there are three formulas for blackpowder provided, including one for an explosive bomb launched from a
trebuchet catapult, another for a similar bomb with hooks attached so that it could latch on to any wooden structure and set it on fire, and another formula specified for a poison-smoke bomb used for
chemical warfare. The
Wujing Zongyao stated that simple incendiary weapons were launched from catapults, thrown down from city walls at besiegers, or let down by iron chains from a
swape lever set up on the top of the wall. There was also description of the 'igniter ball' used in warfare and in finding firing range. The
Wujing Zongyao stated the following:
The 'igniter ball' (yin huo qiu) is made of paper round like a ball, inside which is put between three and five pounds of powdered bricks. Melt yellow wax and let it stand until clear, then add powdered charcoal and make it into a paste permeating the ball; bind it up with hempen string. When you want to find the range of anything, shoot off this fire-ball first, then other incendiary balls can follow.
As Joseph Needham states, the
Wujing Zongyao's first recorded blackpowder formula used in these bombs held a
potassium nitrate level of 55.4% to 55.5%, sulfur content of 19.4% to 26.5%, and
carbonaceous content of 23% to 25.2%. For the second labeled formula, the inner ball alone had a nitrate percentage of 61.5% to 50.2%, a sulfur content of 30.8% to 25.1%, and if all carbonaceous matter was taken, 24.7%, if just taking the charcoal content alone, the carbon level was 7.7%. The sulfur content was 19.8% if all carbonaceous matter was considered, 24.7% if this excluded poisons, and 30% if charcoal is specified alone. The carbon content was 59.5% if all carbonaceous matter was taken into account, 53.2% if this excluded poisons, and 22.4% if charcoal alone was specified.
2nd Formula
Inner ball
Sulphur (20 oz.)
Saltpetre (40 oz.)
Coarse charcoal powder (5 oz.)
Pitch (2.5 oz.)
Dried lacquer (pounded to powder) (2.5 oz.)
Bamboo roots (1.1 oz.)
Hemp roots, cut into shreds (1.1 oz.)
Tung oil (2.5 oz.)
Lesser oil (possibly an edible oil) (2.5 oz.)
Wax (2.5 oz.)
Total weight of inner ball = 79.7 oz.
Outer coating
Paper (12.5 oz.)
Hemp (fibre) (10 oz.)
Minium (1.1 oz)
Charcoal powder (8 oz.)
Pitch (2.5 oz)
Yellow wax (2.5 oz)
Total weight of outer coating = 36.6 oz.
Total weight = 116.3 oz.
3rd Formula
Inner ball
Sulphur (15 oz.)
Saltpetre (30 oz.)
Aconite (aconitum fischeri) (5 oz.)
Croton oil (croton tiglium) (5 oz.)
Wolfsbane (aconitum ferox or lycoctonum) (5 oz.)
Tung oil (5 oz.)
Lesser oil (2.5 oz.)
Charcoal powder (5 oz.)
Pitch (5 oz.)
Arsenic (2 oz.)
Yellow wax (1 oz.)
Bamboo roots (1.1 oz.)
Hemp roots (1.1 oz.)
Total weight of inner ball = 77.7 oz.
Outer coating
Old paper (12.5 oz.)
Hemp (stalk) skin fibre (10 oz.)
Pitch (2.5 oz.)
Yellow wax (2.5 oz.)
Minium (1.1 oz.)
Charcoal (8 oz.)
Total weight of outer coating = 36.6 oz.
Total weight = 114.3 oz.
Flamethrower and Greek fire
The first Chinese battle to use the piston-pump flamethrower firing Greek fire was the battle between Wenmu Wang and Qian Yuanguan in 932 during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. The Chinese author Lin Yu explained in his book of 919 AD that Greek fire was acquired from their Arab maritime trade contacts in the Indian Ocean. Furthermore, the Chinese had been using the piston syringe since the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD).}}
Then the text goes on to provide further instructions about equipment, maintenance, and repair of flamethrowers:
Illustrations from the Wujing Zongyao
Image:Chinese Fire Ships.jpg|Chinese fire ships
Image:Chinese Bird with Incendiary.JPG|A bird with an incendiary around its neck
Further Information
Get more info on 'Wujing Zongyao'.
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