Proto-Song Firearms (Fire Lances/Fire Spears)

Timeline

1. 1000–1020Song-Liao border battlefields · North ChinaNorthern Song forces experimented in wars against the Liao with firearms binding gunpowder tubes to the tips of spears or bamboo tubes, using combustion and projected iron sand to kill enemy cavalry, establishing a tactical prototype for later fire lances.
2. 1021–1044Northern Song Kaifeng arsenal and compilation agency · HenanZeng Gongliang and others oversaw compilation of the Wujing Zongyao (Complete Essentials for the Military Classics), systematically recording formulas and forms of firearms such as the erupting fire lance, fire balls, and caltrop fire balls, marking the rise of Song firearms from battlefield experience to institutionalized military knowledge.
3. 1025–1100Song-Jin battlefields (Xiangyang, Bianjing, etc.) · HubeiFrom the early 11th century through the Southern Song, firearms such as the erupting fire lance that projected projectiles from bamboo or metal tubes were gradually used in city defense and field battles, with firearms organization incorporated into the imperial guard and regional xiang army armament systems.
4. 1200–1300Metal smelting centers in northern China · ChinaDuring the Jin and Yuan periods, bamboo-tube firearms were gradually replaced by bronze and iron hand guns, with improvements in charge structure and aiming methods, completing the transition of Song proto-firearms to mature tube firearms.