Heaven-Shaking Thunder

Timeline

1. 1126–1127Kaifeng · Henan ProvinceWhen Jin forces besieged Kaifeng, Song defenders used thunder crash bombs (predecessor of the Heaven-Shaking Thunder) in night raids on enemy camps, the sound shaking the area and smoke and fire everywhere, forcing the Jin into chaotic retreat; records note their explosive shock and killing effect, an early famous case of iron-shell explosive weapons.
2. 1129–1132Lower Yangtze waters · YangtzeIn the third year of Jianyan, the Song court ordered warships across circuits to be equipped with catapults for hurling gunpowder bombs; paper- or clay-shell explosives like thunder crash bombs were used in naval combat, laying the foundation for Heaven-Shaking Thunder-style naval applications at battles like Caoshi Reef in 1161.
3. 1140–1150Southern Song city defenses in Huainan and Jingxiang · HuainanDuring the Shaoxing era of the Southern Song, the Heaven-Shaking Thunder matured: cast pig-iron shell, thick body with small mouth, filled with gunpowder and fitted with a fuse adjustable by target distance; on explosion the iron shell shattered into armor-piercing fragments, used for hand-thrown city defense or long-range catapult fire.
4. 1240–1279Diaoyu Fortress (today's Hechuan, Chongqing) · Chongqing MunicipalitySouthern Song sites at Diaoyu Fortress and Baidi Fortress in Chongqing yielded bowl-shaped iron-shell 'iron fire bombs,' corroborating the Heaven-Shaking Thunder form recorded in the History of Jin; they are the world's earliest physically attested iron-shell explosive bombs, proving the post-1140s technical line continued into the late Southern Song.