Ming Army Rockets

Timeline

1. c. 1375–1420Nanjing · NanjingIn the early Ming, gunpowder arrows were added to the Armaments Bureau's manufacturing lists, and the Shenji Camp and capital guards drilled in rocket firing. During the Yongle northern campaigns and the war in Annam, multi-tube rocket carts and Shenji arrows were used in field volleys; technical records appear scattered in military texts of the Huogong Zhentu type.
2. 1431–1440Xuanfu Garrison · XuanfuDuring the Xuande and Zhengtong reigns, beacon towers and fortresses at frontier garrisons such as Xuanfu, Datong, and Liaodong stored rockets, defending cities in mixed formations with hand cannons. Yangtze and southeastern naval forces were also issued cage arrows and poison-fire flying arrows for river defense and patrol interception. The court allocated powder and arrow shafts according to annual production quotas.
3. c. 1550–1600Fujian coast · FujianDuring the Jiajing and Wanli reigns, anti-pirate warfare in the southeast made extensive use of multi-tube rockets and 'nest of bees' devices within mandarin-duck formation and wagon-camp tactics. The Wubei Zhi and Jixiao Xinshu detail their forms and drill methods, as rockets rose from auxiliary weapons to standard firepower units of infantry and wagon camps.