Huochong (Early Form of Firearm)

Timeline

1. c. 1230–1271Central Plains battlefield · Central PlainsIn destroying the Jin and attacking the Song, Mongol forces absorbed firearm technologies like fire lances and thunderclap bombs, with bamboo-tube huochong and projectile weapons appearing in combat records.
2. 1331–1340Dadu · North ChinaIn the mid-to-late Yuan, huochong barrels were mostly recast in bronze or iron, issued in batches within imperial guard, frontier, and city defense systems, becoming the Yuan army's standard projectile firearm.
3. c. 1368–1400Nanjing · East ChinaThe early Ming inherited Yuan huochong and improved the powder chamber and aiming devices, gradually standardizing longer-barreled bird guns and hand guns, completing the transition to the firearm form.