Chapter 21 Section Thirteen

Hongyi Pao is the common name for long-barreled cannons used in Europe in the late Ming Dynasty. In the 16th century, Britain and the Netherlands had used it as a naval gun.In 1620 A.D., a British ship equipped with this kind of naval gun ran aground in the waters near Macau. The Portuguese authorities took the 30 naval guns equipped on the ship as their own.The Ming court successively purchased these 30 Western cannons during the Tianqi period.According to Li Zhizao, there is a kind of Western artillery with a tube length of more than one foot, a caliber of three inches, and a weight of 3000-5000 catties. It fires shells weighing three to four catties. , penetrating a strong city, and conquering all invincible" power.

During the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming court appointed Xu Yuanqi, Li Zhizao, Tang Ruowang and other Chinese and foreign military technicians to make 500 doors according to its shape and structure.Commanders in some places also donated money to manufacture many red barbarian cannons for fighting against the post-Golden army.In the fifth year of Houjin Tiancong (1631 A.D.), under the promotion of Huang Taiji, the Houjin weapon manufacturing department also made the first red cannon.In the 80 years after the Qing army entered the customs, it continued to manufacture red-clothed cannons of various sizes, as many as 900 pieces, forming a series of red-clothed cannons, which were used by various ministries of the Qing army, and continued until the Opium War.Therefore, it can be said that Hongyi Pao was the developer of firearms in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties in China. After integrating Eastern and Western artillery manufacturing technologies, the last series of ancient artillery produced has an important position in the history of ancient Chinese weapon development.

Compared with various ancient cannons including Frangji, the Hongyi Cannon is more advanced in design. It uses the size of the caliber as the base, and according to a certain ratio multiple, the design of the cannon's tube length, wall thickness, and ear diameter Each part, such as length and diameter, has a reasonable structure, so that the artillery has the advantages of long barrel, low ballistic extension, thick tube wall, safety and reliability, long range, and high hit accuracy.The red barbarian cannon made in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties are still preserved in some places.

Existing red barbarian guns in the late Ming Dynasty can be seen in various places, among which the red barbarian guns collected in Shanhaiguan, Chinese History Museum, Shanxi Provincial Museum, etc. are still well preserved and have become precious cultural relics.An iron red barbarian cannon displayed on the city wall of Shanhaiguan has a recognizable inscription on the cannon body: "Daming Chongzhen 16th year, Mid-spring Jidan casts a supernatural general weighing 500 catties...".It can be seen that this was concocted in the year before the demise of the Ming Dynasty.After actual measurement, the total length of the gun body is 278 cm, the caliber is 10 cm, the length from the muzzle to the centerline of the trunnion is 143 cm, the length from the muzzle to the fire door is 227 cm, the length of the lug is 13 cm, and the diameter of the lug is 11 cm.It may be the heavy defense artillery that was installed on the city wall of Shanhaiguan.

In addition, the Chinese History Museum has a red cannon made in the 12th year of Ming Chongzhen (AD 1639), which weighs 5,400 jin, and is engraved with the words "Governor Hong Chengchou, the imperial governor, Gao Qiqian..." .A red barbarian cannon was found in Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, engraved with the words "Chongzhen Wuyin Year Midsummer auspicious day donated to manufacture the red barbarian cannon Governor Lu Xiangsheng..." and so on.The Shanxi Provincial Museum also collects two red barbarian cannons donated by civil and military officials such as Lu Xiangsheng. The inscription on the cannon body is the same as the previous one.This shows that these three cannons were all made by Lu Xiangsheng and other civil and military officials in the Wuyin Year of Ming Chongzhen (the eleventh year of Ming Chongzhen, AD 1638).According to the "History of Ming Dynasty Lu Xiangsheng Biography", in the eleventh year of Chongzhen, the Qing army marched south in three ways, and Lu Xiangsheng divided his troops to fight.However, because Yang Sichang, Minister of the Ministry of War, and Zhongguan Zhongguan, the director of the Ministry of War, stood up and stood still on purpose.In December, Lu Xiangsheng was forced to fight alone. In the battle of Haoshui bridge in Julu (now in Hebei), he exhausted his cannons and devoted himself to the battlefield.These cannons are the testimony of Lu Xiangsheng's resistance to the Qing Dynasty.

The Red Clothes Pao is a series of artillery made in the early Qing Dynasty. It started with the Tianyou Cheering General Cannon made in the fifth year of Jin Tiancong (AD 1631), and then it was made into Shenwei General and other artillery.After the Qing army entered the customs in 1644, the number of red-clothed cannons produced increased. Among them, the more famous ones were Shenwei Invincible General Cannon, Weiyuan General Cannon, Wucheng Yonggu General Cannon, and Shengong General Cannon and Desheng General Cannon. , Victory General Cannon, etc. The Shenwei Invincible General Cannon is a large siege cannon, made in the fifteenth year of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (AD 1676), with a total of 52 pieces. "Tongkao of Qing Dynasty Documents" records their size. In May 1975, workers at Qiqihar Jianhua Machinery Factory found a "Shenwei Invincible General Cannon" used by the Qing army in the Battle of Yaksa in the factory.Except for the edge of the gun body, the front is thinner and the rear is thicker. The bottom cover is like a covered bowl, with a spherical tail ball on it. There is a square fire door near the bottom of the gun. There are front sights and rear sights directly above, five hoops on the gun body, and a seam line left on the half waist, which seems to be traces of casting guns.The cannon body is well preserved, and no cannon carriages have been seen.There is still an iron cast spherical live ammunition left at the bottom of the barrel.After measurement: the length of the gun is 248 cm, the caliber is 11 cm, the outer diameter of the muzzle is 27.5 cm, the bottom diameter of the gun is 34.5 cm, and the weight is 100 kg.The shell is 9 centimeters in diameter and weighs 5.4 kilograms, which is similar in size to the small Shenwei Invincible General cannon recorded in "General Research on Qing Dynasty Documents".The body of the cannon is engraved in Manchu and Chinese characters with the words "made on March 2, the fifteenth year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty", which is exactly the same as that recorded in the literature.This cannon played an important role in the 24th year of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (AD 1685) and the 25th year of the battle to recover Yaksa.

General Weiyuan Cannon is a red-clothed cannon made in the Qing Dynasty. It was made in the fifty-seventh year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (AD 1718).There are two guns displayed on the Shanhaiguan City Tower. The length of the gun body is 101 cm and 100 cm, and the diameter is 4 cm and 5 cm. There is a lip on the outside of the caliber. There are cannon lugs protruding horizontally on both sides, and there are large latches on the lower part of the cannon body, which is convenient for installing the cannon on the frame.The body of the cannon is engraved with Manchu and Chinese characters "Daqing Kangxi Fifty-seventh Year Jingshan Inner Imperial Made Weiyuan General Manager Jingshan Cannon Shotgun Supervised Manufacturing Zhao Chang Supervisor Official Wailang Zhang Shengzu Brush Post Style Xierge Works Member Wailang Real Phase Brush Post Style Kangge Craftsman serve Li Wende".There is also a General Weiyuan cannon that is basically the same size as the inscription in the Palace Museum.The name of craftsman Li Wende engraved on the body of the cannon frequently appeared in the cannons made between the 29th and 57th years of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (AD 1690-1718), which shows that he was the main maker of the cannons at that time. Above the director and general manager.

General Wucheng Yonggu Cannon is a long-tube red cannon made in the 28th year of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1689 A.D.). -4.9 inches, the weight of the bomb is 10-12 jin, the charge is 5-10 jin, and it is carried by an iron shaft gun cart. There is a graphic of this cannon published in "Imperial Qing Huidian Tu Wubei", and the body of the cannon is engraved with the words "Wucheng Yonggu General" in Manchu and Chinese characters.There is a door in the Chinese History Museum, which is similar to what is recorded in the literature, and it is well preserved so far.According to the actual measurement: the length of the gun body is 330 cm, the diameter is 16 cm, the weight is about 5,000 kg, the bomb weighs 10 kg, and the charge is 5 kg. It is a vehicle-mounted siege gun.Hakozaki Hachitoku Palace in Japan also has a Wucheng Yonggu General Cannon hidden in it.

After Kangxi, from Yongzheng to Daoguang years, the large and medium-sized artillery made in the Qing Dynasty was basically the artillery of the red gun series.