Gunpowder Formulas and Militarization

Timeline

1. c. 850–900Chang'an–Luoyang area · Central PlainsTexts such as the Taishang Qingxu Danjue record that mixing saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal (or similar combustibles) could produce violent burning or even explosions, marking early knowledge of the gunpowder formula, still primarily for alchemy and fireworks.
2. c. 1040–1127Kaifeng · HenanBooks such as the Wujing Zongyao record various 'firearm' formulas and ratios; fire lances, fire arrows, and thunderclap bombs entered actual combat; government workshops mass-produced them, driving the formation of saltpeter mining and sulfur supply systems.
3. c. 1230–1300Dadu · North ChinaMongol armies used firearms extensively in siege warfare; formulas and manufacturing techniques spread westward to the Islamic world and Europe through war and trade; the Yuan court controlled saltpeter resources and established specialized units such as the 'Huihui cannon.'
4. 1341–1350Jiangsu-Zhejiang–Huguang · JiangnanIn the late Yuan wars, both local armed forces and Yuan troops used firearms extensively; archaeology and texts show relatively stable three-part ratio practices of the period, and the emergence of copper and iron tube 'huochong' laid the technical foundation for the Ming Huoqishu system.
5. c. 1410–1450Nanjing · JiangsuBooks such as the Huoqishu and Jixiao Xinshu systematically record various gunpowder formulas (e.g., large, small, slow, and fast powders) and charge loads for guns and cannons, marking the entry of gunpowder militarization into a replicable stage of engineering standards.