Song Army Fire Lances and Gunpowder Weapons

Timeline

1. 1044–1100Northern Song capital · HenanWorks such as the Wujing Zongyao record ratios of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal; the court set up gunpowder workshops, and gunpowder was mainly used for fireworks, incendiary bombs, and rockets—early firearms.
2. c. 1132–1201De'an Prefecture (modern Anlu, Hubei) · HubeiIn Southern Song siege defense, the tu huo qiang appeared—a bamboo tube packed with charge, spewing flame and firing projectiles from its mouth; tube firearms evolved from incendiary jets toward combining projectile lethality, becoming the prototype of the fire lance.
3. 1241–1250Xiangyang–Diaoyu Cheng front · Song-Mongol War frontDuring the Song-Mongol standoff, Song forces deployed fire lances, thunderclap bombs, rockets, and other gunpowder weapons at fortresses such as Xiangyang and Diaoyu Cheng; firearms became key equipment for siege and field warfare, and the Mongols gradually absorbed firearms technology.