Gunpowder has been invented for more than 1,000 years, why did China not make muskets and explosives before the Song Dynasty? Among the four great inventions of ancient China, gunpowder is one of the most miraculous and mysterious. As early as the Spring and Autumn Period, some ancestors discovered that the mixing and heating of certain chemical substances would cause high-speed combustion and even explosion, which can be said to be the initial germ of gunpowder. However, from this earliest tinder to the real military application, it spanned nearly a thousand years. Why is there such a long time span? What kind of transition and evolution did gunpowder go through before and after the Song Dynasty? What kind of anecdotes do they hide? Let's cut through the fog of history and find out.
Past and Present: The Magical Origins of the Invention of Gunpowder
In the long history of China, there is such a group of mysterious connoisseurs - "Fangshi" or "Danjia". Like modern chemists, they tirelessly explored the mysteries of nature's substances. And it was these people, in the long years of tempering and experimentation, who quietly unveiled the magic of gunpowder.
It is said that during the Eastern Han Dynasty, a warlock named Wei Ju had already glimpsed the mystery of gunpowder. When the autumn breeze was cool, Wei Ju was there to collect medicine for the winter to repair the house, and inadvertently, he found a strange ore in a cave in the mountains. Back at home, Wei Ju mixed this ore with other medicines, hoping to refine a "elixir of life". But during the firing process, a terrifying explosion came, accompanied by a puff of billowing smoke, which startled Wei Ju to flee in embarrassment. This is probably the germ of early gunpowder.
However, the road of alchemy in the midst of hardship did not stop there. In the 1st century AD, another Dan Dao master named Zhenjun also made a chance discovery of a substance similar to Wei Ji by studying chemical substances. However, due to the limited conditions at that time, the master could not thoroughly understand the mystery of the principle, and only called it "pyrotechnics".
In this way, generations of Dan families have investigated the gunpowder for hundreds of years. During this time, they experimented with various combinations of drugs and ores, testing their reaction effects firsthand. Slowly, the ancient Chinese, driven by this simple desire for knowledge, summed up various gunpowder recipes.
In the Ming Dynasty, Li Shizhen, a famous medical scientist and chemist in the mainland, also made a relatively complete record of the exploration of gunpowder in his masterpiece "Compendium of Materia Medica". At that time, there were basic recipes such as sulfur, saltpeter and charcoal. Moreover, on the basis of Li Shizhen's personal practice and research, he made a more thorough analysis of the strong heat and explosiveness produced by gunpowder.
In general, gunpowder has a long history and tortuous development in China. From the most primitive farmer's collection of medicine, to the later Dandao training, and then to the theoretical summary of Ming Dynasty scholars, countless anecdotes and wonders have been bred on the road of gunpowder development, reflecting the thick genes of the development of Chinese civilization. Behind this, it is the sincere wisdom and perseverance of countless ordinary ancestors that have converged into a great cultural force, which finally gave birth to this shocking invention.
Evidence restoration of the original formula
After a long period of exploration and development, gunpowder finally entered the stage of mature military application in the Song Dynasty. And before this critical turning point, what kind of evolution did the original gunpowder formula undergo?
There have long been different opinions about the earliest gunpowder formulas. It is not until recent years that a group of scholars have made a comprehensive and systematic combing and field research on the records in ancient books, which has given us a glimpse of the mystery.
Among them, the most important is the "General Essentials of the Martial Arts", which was built in 1044 and written in the Song Dynasty. For the first time, the method of making gunpowder was systematically introduced in this military masterpiece devoted to firearms. The early gunpowder formula was mainly composed of three main materials: sulfur, saltpeter and charcoal, supplemented by combustibles such as aluminite, wax fertilizer, rosin and sesame oil.
In order to restore this precious cultural heritage, a team of scholars recently carefully reproduced these formulas and conducted multiple batches of experiments. The research process is extremely difficult: not only do they have to personally search for and purchase a large number of ancient materials, but they also have to strictly follow the ancient smelting method to prepare them.
Eventually, next to an ancient military site in the hinterland of the Central Plains, they succeeded in restoring these early Song Dynasty gunpowders. When the experiment was ignited, a white mist rose from the ground, followed by a deafening explosion! This is indeed a discernible phenomenon of gunpowder explosions.
Surprisingly, while the power of these powders was considerable, they were so difficult to ignite that they could not be set off as easily as modern fireworks. The research personnel have tried to use matches, fire ropes, fire twists and other ignition materials, but they cannot ignite it, and only the red-hot iron cone can barely be used.
What's even more interesting is that this batch of gunpowder only bursts out of its full energy in the air, and if it is sealed in a tubular container, the fire becomes extremely lukewarm. The reason is that the early saltpeter content is low, and the reaction requires the help of oxygen in the outside air to completely burn and explode.
It can be seen that although the Song people had a considerable understanding of the production of gunpowder, their understanding of its internal principles was still very superficial. However, this also proves from another side that at least before 1044, the Chinese have not been able to develop muskets and artillery explosives in the true sense. Because although the gunpowder at that time had deflagration power, it was too primitive, and it was difficult to control the continuous explosion in a closed tube.
Through the reconstruction of the original recipe one by one, we can not only get a glimpse of the continuous thread of ancient Chinese wisdom, but also give us a glimpse of the key evolutionary stage of the invention of gunpowder during this important watershed period of the Song Dynasty. These seemingly ordinary formula experiments actually reflect a precious scientific development process.
The key to the turning point of gunpowder before and after the Song Dynasty
Although gunpowder was first discovered centuries ago, it was only during the Song dynasty that it became a reliable military weapon. The key to this process is a major improvement in the formulation and use of gunpowder.
As early as the Five Dynasties, in the early 10th century AD, gunpowder recipes appeared in military books. Among them, the more famous ones are "The Legend of Changsheng", etc., which introduces some crude gunpowder formulas, the main ingredients are saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal. But at that time, the use of gunpowder was limited to a few noise and smoke signals.
By the Song Dynasty, the situation had changed significantly. In 1044, Zeng Renji, then a veteran military strategist of the Song Dynasty, completed the epoch-making book "General Essentials of the Martial Classics", in which the most advanced gunpowder formulas and their military uses were systematically introduced for the first time.
It is worth mentioning that in this work, the proportion of saltpeter has increased significantly, from about 10% to nearly 50%. This reform was of great significance to the future development of gunpowder. Because only the saltpeter content is high enough to provide sufficient oxidizing agent for the explosion reaction to produce a sufficiently violent energy release.
It wasn't long before the Song army used this new formula of gunpowder to develop the terrifying "Fire Arrow" weapon, which was used as a siege weapon. This kind of fire arrow is tied to a long arrow rod with a hemp rope soaked in gunpowder, and when shot, it will spontaneously ignite and spray flames with the help of the wind, causing great damage to the enemy.
Another major breakthrough occurred in the way gunpowder was used. At the beginning of the Song Dynasty, it was also widely believed that gunpowder could only be ignited in open air, and that if it was sealed in a vessel or pipe, it could not exert its full energy.
However, after numerous failed attempts, the Song artillery experts finally found the answer: they made a bold attempt to add more saltpeter to the gunpowder while repeatedly mashing and grinding the mixture. Eventually, a new type of high-energy gunpowder was born.
When this new gunpowder is filled into a sealed tubular container, it can also exert an amazing explosive effect! This is undoubtedly another milestone breakthrough in the development of gunpowder after the formula. Thus, the most primitive mortars and rockets were born.
After nearly a thousand years of exploration, the Chinese finally mastered all the mysteries of the preparation and use of gunpowder during the Song Dynasty. It was during this period that gunpowder was transformed from a primitive pyrotechnic object into a firearm and ammunition with real military value. And the achievement of this great achievement is inseparable from the hard work of countless craftsmen in the long exploration.
Anecdotes about the development of arms
The tortuous path to the invention of gunpowder was not just a smooth one. In the process of long-term exploration, there have also been many fascinating anecdotes, which have added a lot of vivid colors to this thick history.
Among them, the most interesting thing is to start from the time of Song Renzong. According to ancient records, there was a merchant who operated a gunpowder workshop all the year round, and his craftsmanship was quite skillful. However, once, during the operation of the refining process, the master and apprentice negligently made a critical mistake, which accidentally caused a violent explosion!
There was a loud bang! The room was engulfed in fire and smoke. Seeing the alarming loud noise, a group of royal guards were alarmed in the capital, and they swarmed with swords and surrounded the town. Fortunately, the fire was finally brought under control, and the master and apprentice were fine, but they were scared into a cold sweat. That's how lucky he got away with it.
The entire Jingshi was in an uproar for a while. The most unexpected thing is that the news quickly reached Song Renzong's ears. As a wise monarch, Renzong was very curious about this miraculous new type of artillery fire, so he specially ordered someone to summon the gunpowder master and apprentice and asked them to explain the production process in person.
Facing the emperor in the dragon robe, the masters and apprentices were extremely panicked. However, under the persuasion of Renzong, they finally truthfully told the whole process of refining medicine, and even demonstrated a small-scale deflagration effect on the spot. The history books vividly recorded the interesting scene of Renzong's interest in seeing things at that time and being amazed by this "pyrotechnic powder".
Subsequently, Song Renzong also ordered people to start manufacturing more firearms, and sent special personnel to learn the skills of gunpowder preparation, and personally listed them as a key arms development project. It can be said that it was this important decision that promoted the vigorous development of Chinese gunpowder weapons in the Song Dynasty.
In another small episode, the dangers of the gunpowder manufacturing process are once again revealed. It was during the reign of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty that a group of gunpowder craftsmen were recruited to the court to give live performances of the effects of gunpowder to the royal family. However, in the final ignition link, I don't know which person misoperated, and accidentally caused a violent deflagration. Then there was panic and dust.
Huizong was watching from the terrace at the time, and as soon as he was shocked, he saw the chief of the royal guard running to report with a panicked face: "Your Majesty, there was a small accident, but it is not a big problem, please stop being angry!" Huizong, who came back to his senses, heard that there were no casualties, but he felt a little ridiculous, and he actually had a faint fear of this novel "artillery". An edict was issued to strictly control the illegal possession of gunpowder to prevent future accidents from harming innocent people.
The development of gunpowder technology has always been a tortuous road. Even in today's world, arms manufacturing is always accompanied by unexpected dangers. In the Song Dynasty of the last century, the progress of gunpowder science and technology was also like this, bit by bit, and it was difficult to explore. Thankfully, our philosophers were able to leave a legacy of this great invention for future generations with their tenacity.
The impact of gunpowder on world civilization
There is no doubt that the invention of gunpowder is one of the greatest scientific and technological achievements of the Chinese nation. It not only completely changed the pattern of warfare, but also promoted the process of the entire world civilization to a certain extent.
The most immediate impact, of course, is the military aspect. The advent of gunpowder weapons has brought human warfare to a whole new level. Its lethality and range are far beyond the reach of traditional cold weapons, thus completely changing the mode of warfare.
For example, in siege operations, gunpowder artillery has become a powerful magic weapon to conquer fortified cities. They bombarded the walls with far more destructive power than traditional siege engines such as trebuchets and ladders. In positional combat, the range and lethality of muskets also greatly destabilized the superiority of cavalry and infantry.
On the other hand, although gunpowder weapons are terrible, they also limit the scale of the war to some extent. Because the mass production of gunpowder and muskets required a large capital investment, it was difficult for ordinary warlords and peasant rebels to afford it. As a result, only a centralized regime had the ability to fully equip itself with firearms, thus reducing some of the disorderly civil war conflicts.
At the same time, the use of gunpowder in the civilian sphere also had a significant impact. As early as the Song Dynasty, rockets and fireworks have swept the country and become a unique form of celebration and entertainment. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, with the continuous improvement of technology, folk fireworks activities reached an unprecedented peak.
In this process, the gunpowder formula has also been continuously upgraded and optimized. By the Wanli period, the proportion of saltpeter had increased to more than 60%. Moreover, various new gunpowders appeared, such as "hemp nitrate", "red nitrate" and so on. Some craftsmen tried to add wood chips, graphite, etc., so that the burning effect of gunpowder was more durable and the color was more gorgeous.
It is worth mentioning that the development of gunpowder technology has also injected new vitality into Chinese ceramic art. At that time, many kilns for firing porcelain needed to use gunpowder to raise the temperature, which brought a new texture and color to the furnace works, and achieved the glorious period of Jingdezhen.
Similarly, the blasting power of gunpowder is widely used in the mining and construction sectors. Those majestic and magnificent projects, such as the construction of canals and the Great Wall, are inseparable from the role of gunpowder in digging tunnels and blasting roadbeds. As the saying goes, no gunpowder is not a big weapon, which shows that this ancient invention is an important driving force for production and construction.
In addition, gunpowder also had a profound impact on the development of aviation and navigation. As early as the middle of the Ming Dynasty, Chinese craftsmen developed the world's first rocket firepower based on the principle of gunpowder. Subsequently, the exploration and application of aviation and navigation was also in full swing, such as arrow gun transportation, rocket signaling, etc.
In general, the invention of gunpowder is an outstanding crystallization of ancient Chinese scientific and technological wisdom, and has contributed an important force to the process of world civilization. It not only changed the form of warfare, promoted the development of architecture and craftsmanship, but also boosted the conquest of the sky and the ocean. Therefore, we have every reason to be proud and proud of this great invention of our ancestors.