Fire Lance and Hand Cannon (late Song–early Yuan)

Timeline

1. c. 1100–1150Kaifeng · HenanNorthern Song forces experimented with bamboo-tube gunpowder weapons in city defenses and siege equipment; records mention the "fire lance" used to spray flames and projectiles, still at an early practical stage.
2. 1267–1273Xiangyang · HubeiSouthern Song defenders made extensive use of fire lances, fire spears, and incendiary projectile weapons during the Mongol sieges of Xiangyang and Fancheng, elevating firearms from a supporting role to key equipment in the war of attrition over the city's defense.
3. c. 1275–1300Dadu · BeijingDuring its wars of unification, the Yuan dynasty absorbed Song and Jin firearm technology and began casting tube-shaped hand cannons in bronze and iron; fire-lance-type weapons gradually evolved into metal hand cannons, influencing the military spread of firearms across Eurasia.