Song Dynasty Heaven-Shaking Thunder Explosive Weapon

Timeline

1. 1001–1010Northern Song northwestern frontier fortresses · Qinfeng CircuitIn the early Northern Song, incendiary gunpowder weapons such as fireballs, caltrop fire bombs, and fire arrows were already used in city defense and frontier warfare, accumulating gunpowder formula and launching experience that paved the way for explosive weapons.
2. 1040–1044Compilation site of the Wujing Zongyao in Bianjing · BianjingZeng Gongliang and others, by imperial commission, compiled the Wujing Zongyao, formally recording the 'Heaven-Shaking Thunder' filled with gunpowder in porcelain jars or thick bamboo tubes and ignited by fuse, whose explosion sounded like thunder and could destroy enemy fortifications.