1. "Fire Dragon Sutra"

The author, Jiao Yuqi, has always been a mystery in the history of ancient Chinese firearms. According to Jiao Yu's preface in the book, the book was passed down from the end of the Yuan Dynasty to the Zheng Dynasty (1341-1368) from a mysterious figure Zhi Zhi Taoist.

Jiao Yu "young hunting Confucianism, poor generals, travel all over the world, visit the Tao", to the middle (a said to be three years) to stop the Taoist in Tiantai Mountain, that is, to the teacher of the ceremony, from the three years of travel, in Wuyi Mountain to stop the Taoist people to give the fire attack book.

In the fifteenth year of Zheng (1355), Zhu Yuanzhang raised troops and states, Jiao Yu gave 40 fire dragon guns according to the legal system awarded by the teacher, and Taizu ordered the general Xu Da to perform the test, "the momentum is like a dragon flying, and the hole penetrates the layer of armor". In the spring and March of the tenth year of Hongwu (1377), he was the deputy marshal of the Pingman Protector Army and the governor of the Shenji gunpowder and firearms; In the fifth year of Yongle (1407), Fengtian conquered and rescued the title of "General Pingyu, Marshal of the Pioneer of Mabu"; Yongle rescued "supervising the military affairs of the two Guangzhous, protecting the country and the country, loyal and martial martyrs, the generalissimo of Pingmiao, and the title of Dongningbo".

However, Jiao Yu, who is so conclusive and famous, cannot be seen in the historical documents of the early Ming Dynasty. The first generation of the Ming Dynasty Dongning Bo named Jiaoli, for the Mongolian nationality, because of the meritorious service of guarding the border, the first year of Tianshun (1457) began to be entitled. It can be seen that Jiao Yu's various titles are not very reliable. Some people believe that Jiao Yu is a native of Dongning (now Ningguo, Anhui), and "Dongningbo" is entrusted by Jiao Yu's descendants. No documentary basis has been found for this claim.

It can be shown that there is indeed an external evidence of Jiao Yuqi in history, which can only be seen in the Ming Zhao Shizhen's "Artifact Spectrum". The book records: "Emperor Taizu Gao made the district Xia, Emperor Chengzuwen made three ploughs and captured the court, built the camps of the gods, specialized in guns, and was in charge of the governor Jiao Yu. 7 However, this historical data is not enough to prove that the "Fire Dragon Sutra" is a work of the early Ming Dynasty, and can only show that the "Fire Dragon Sutra" and other fire attack books have been circulated in Jiajing. The preface to Jiao Shu's "Fire Attack Essentials" says that Zhao Shizhen's collection has "Overseas Fire Attack Artifact Illustration", which is actually a separate version of "Fire Dragon Sutra". In other words, Zhao Shizhen's book is only the preface of Jiao Yu in the "Fire Dragon Sutra". In addition, the Shanghai Library has a ten-volume manuscript of Jiao Yu's "Fire Dragon Array Diagram Yin Fu Shuo", which is also preceded by a preface by Dongning Bo Jiao Yu, and it is said that the content of the book is quite related to the "Fire Dragon Artifact Formation".

2. "Artifact Spectrum"

"Artifact Spectrum", written by Zhao Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty. Zhao Shizhen, the word Changji, Houhu. He is a native of Yueqing County, Wenzhou, Zhejiang. Regarding his name, the historical records are different, some are "Zhen", some are "Zhen". In the "Artifact Spectrum", it is also different due to the different editions, the "Art Sea Zhuchen" and the "Xuanlantang Series" are both "Zhen", the "Shushengtang Bibliography" is "Zhen", the "Qianqingtang Bibliography" volume 13 is "Zhen", and the 26th volume is "Zhen", and the sixth episode of the "Artifact Spectrum" of the "Heke Ming and Qing Dynasty Collection" issued by the Japanese Classical Research Association solves the problem that "Zhen" is a misengraved "Zhen". Today, according to Zhao Shizhen's handwritten Ming Dynasty's "Reconstruction of the Ouwang Temple in Handong": "The original book of Zhao Shizhen, the secretary of the Zhiwenhua Palace, and the county man Zhao Shizhen" should be "Zhen". According to the sentence "fifty years of the minister's line" in Zhao Shizhen's "Discussion on the Prevention of Captives" in the 31st year of Wanli (1603), it can be inferred that his birth year was about the 32nd year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1553 AD). The surname Zhao is a family in Yueqing and a descendant of Taizong of the Song Dynasty. Zhao Shizhen's grandfather, Zhao Xinglu, the official to the deputy of Dali Temple, once entered the history museum, pre-study the "Ming Huidian". "Qihai Trivia" said that his calligraphy "is beautiful and flying in the prime of life, self-contained, late and clear, and self-regulated", so he was favored by Ming Shizong. Zhao Shizhen was influenced by him and was also good at calligraphy. When he was a student, he traveled to Beijing. He inscribed his poems on a fan, and was brought into the palace by the eunuchs, and Emperor Shenzong, who loved calligraphy, saw it and praised it very much, so he summoned people with cloth clothes. In the sixth year of Wanli (1578), he was awarded the main book of Honglu Temple, and then he was called into the Zhiwenhua Palace, and in the twenty-fourth year of Wanli (1596), he was promoted to the middle scholar, "and more than ten years do not enter the rank to die". According to this, see Ming Shen Defu's "Wanli Ye Ed.", volume 23, "Jinhua Two Famous Scholars".

We know that Zhao Shizhen has served as a scholar for more than ten years. Therefore, he may have died sometime after the thirty-fourth year of Wanli (1606). If we count "more than ten years" as the middle five years, then he probably died around 1611. The new edition of the "Yueqing County Chronicles" accordingly set the year of his death as 1611.

Zhao Shizhen's hometown, Wenzhou, was often harassed by the Japanese invaders. From an early age, Zhao Shizhen understood the important role of firearms in warfare. Qi Jiguang, a famous anti-Japanese general, has used firearms and received certain results. However, there were also many defects in firearms at that time, which needed to be improved urgently. For this reason, Zhao Shizhen paid attention to the study of books on military and firearms technology, and paid attention to the search for artifacts. He had a close relationship with Qi Jiguang's subordinates Lin Fangsheng, Ye Zigao, and Lu Xu, and learned from them about the firearms used by the Japanese and discussed the production of firearms with them. In the twenty-fourth year of Wanli (1596), Zhao Shizhen was very inspired after seeing the Western bird gun at Chen Yin, a local guerrilla general from Pingyang, a fellow villager in Wenzhou. That is, he consulted with the Turkish official in charge of firearms, Dosima, who had stayed in Beijing for tribute. In the meantime, I saw the Lulu of Duo Sima's collection. He observed and inquired in detail about the structure, manufacture and use of the gun. On the basis of long-term accumulation and research, Zhao Shizhen ignored ridicule and was not afraid of blows, funded his own funds, and invited craftsmen to develop them. With the assistance of Duo Sima, it was successively made into new firearms such as Yingyang, Zhendie, Yihu, Sanchang, and Qisheng, and presented the style to the imperial court in the twenty-sixth year of Wanli (1598). In the thirtieth year of Wanli (1602), presided over by the criminal department Shangshu Xiao tycoon, together with the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of War, the trial was conducted outside the Xuanwu Gate in the capital. The results confirmed that "the equipment is profitable, and the system is exquisite", and it is recommended to manufacture it in large quantities and be rewarded.

The firearms developed by Zhao Shizhen have their own characteristics because they combine the strengths of various firearms. For example, he modified the "Boom Cannon" and installed a mechanically retractable bolt in the gun, which has the characteristics of "firing and self-recovering before dialing it"; the "Eagle Raising Cannon" can be mounted on the chariot and can be equipped with a "water slip," that is, it has a water cooling device, which greatly extends the duration of continuous combat; the "Winged Tiger Cannon" uses a three-necked fire canister to speed up the reload; the "Shock Stacked Gun" is an upper and lower double-barreled gun, and a special aiming device can enable the upper and lower guns to aim at a point at the same time; the "Thunderbolt Gun" is a multi-barreled gun that can be fired in bursts and can be used as a spear to fight the enemy; and the "Nine-headed Bird" It is difficult to aim at night, and it can be fired with multiple bullets; the "three long guns" combine the three characteristics of lightness, speed, and stability. In addition, Zhao Shizhen also invented the "rocket slip", which is a chute-type rocket launch device to ensure that the rocket can fly in the direction of the target, which greatly improves the hit rate of the rocket. The creation of the above-mentioned firearms pushed the development of weapons in the late Ming Dynasty to a new stage of development. In the process of developing various firearms, Zhao Shizhen also wrote "Artifact Spectrum", "Continuation of Artifact Spectrum", "Artifact Miscellaneous", "Artifact Spectrum or Question", "Gongjin Artifact Shu", "Anti-Captivity Car Gun Discussion", "Gun Diagram" and other treatises. These treatises were originally published in the Wanli period, and their later collections are unknown. Today, there are only the "Art Sea Zhuchen" and "Xuanlantang Series" from the Wanli journal in China, but the pictures and texts are incomplete. The sixth episode of the "Collection of Materials of the Ming and Qing Dynasties" issued by the Japanese Classical Research Society contains five volumes of "Artifact Spectrum", which is more detailed and contains the above-mentioned treatise by Zhao Shizhen.

The "Artifact Spectrum" is divided into five volumes, and the first volume is a collection of holy decrees and recitals, from the nine recitals and eight replies of the holy decrees, it can be seen that Zhao Shizhen repeatedly requested the process of making artifacts. Zhao Shizhen repeatedly discussed the importance of artifacts to enrich the country and strengthen the army, clarified the purpose of making artifacts, and explained the performance and production process of various artifacts. From this, we can also experience the conservative officials in the late Ming Dynasty and the corruption of the military and government. The second volume, "The Original Gun", illustrates and illustrates the construction, manufacturing, characteristics and methods of use of various firearms. The whole diagram and the section diagram of each part are drawn for each type of gun, and the production, installation, use, precautions and other precautions are introduced in detail. Volume 3 is "Car Diagram", which mainly introduces the structure and formation of the eagle and the assault train, the assault train, and the license plate. There are vivid illustrations of the formation, device, formation and various weapon combinations of the whole team. The fourth volume of the book is "Speaking of Guns", which mainly expounds what is an artifact and its status in the army, the relationship between weapons and soldiers, and explains in detail the materials and fuel selection for making guns and ammunition, the production methods and usage of bullets, and the teaching methods of guns. In order to refute the criticisms of opponents and answer the problems that users may encounter in practice, Zhao Shizhen lists 55 questions and answers, enumerating, comparing, and supplementing the advantages and disadvantages of various artifacts and their methods of use, maintenance, and repair in different regions, climates, and war conditions. The volumes of the "Artifact Spectrum" comprehensively and systematically reflect Zhao Shizhen's theory on the manufacture and use of firearms, and it shows that Zhao Shizhen is worthy of being an outstanding firearms developer in China's Ming Dynasty.