Chapter 19 Section 3 Cannonmaking and Other Craftsmanship Techniques

There is a kind of cannon made in the Yuan Dynasty called "Huihui Pao".This kind of gun saves effort and has a long range, and its destructive power is very strong.It is a machine that fires projectiles, which can weigh up to 75 kg.Unlike artillery, its power part and warhead are not equipped with gunpowder.This cannon-making technique in the Yuan Dynasty was taken from the "Huihui Cannon Method", so it was called "Huihui Cannon". In the Yuan Dynasty, Wanhu Mansion was set up as a gunner and military craftsman of the Hui Dynasty, with a rank of three ranks.Wan Hufu, a gunner and military craftsman of Huihui, was not only responsible for making cannons, but also for teaching how to use new cannons.Almost every combat unit of the Yuan Army has returning gunners.It can be seen that the return gun is an important weapon of the Yuan army.The addition of cavalry and returning artillery was the two elements of the Yuan army's military victory over the Southern Song Dynasty.

At the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, there were two famous gunsmiths, both of whom were Muslims. One was called A Lao Wa Ding, and the other was called Yi Si Ma Yin.In the eighth year of Zhiyuan (AD 1271), Alaoding was called to Beijing to make cannons.In the 22nd year of Zhiyuan (AD 1285), he served as the deputy Wanhu of Wanhu's mansion, a gunner and military craftsman.Later, all descendants took up the post of Wanhu.In the eleventh year of Zhiyuan (AD 1274), in the battles to capture Changsha, Guilin and other places, the cannons of Alaowading made great achievements.Yisi Mayin was called to Beijing together with Alao Wading, and was later appointed as the chief gunner of Huihui.Later, his son served as a military craftsman in Wanhufu Wanhu, and his grandson still took up the post.In the tenth year of the Yuan Dynasty (1273 A.D.), the Yuan army besieged Xiangyang for a long time and could not attack. Yisima brought the cannons he made to the front line to attack the city. ruler".In the battle of Changzhou, the returning artillery showed its power again, "It is more powerful than the ordinary artillery, and it is used to break into the city, and the temples and pavilions are all shattered."

In the Yuan Dynasty, Muslims also Heidieerding served as the chief manager of all kinds of craftsmen in the Chadieer Bureau, Dalu Huachi, who ranked three grades and managed all kinds of craftsmanship.Historians believe that after the Mongols conquered the Islamic countries in Central Asia, all kinds of craftsmanship flourished.Yiheidieerding once participated in the design and construction of the palace city in the Yuan Dynasty (Beijing). In the Yuan Dynasty, there was a kind of textile called "Nashishi", which was very valuable.It may be made of a mixture of fine wool and gold thread, and it must be the same thing as the so-called "Sufu (fine wool) gold thread".Nashishi is a "Xijin" produced with new materials and new techniques.It is used to make the court clothes of the emperor's officials, and is produced by the "Nashi Lost Bureau" (congqipin) and the artisan Tijusi (zhengqipin) set up in the northern part of Hebei.There are "more than 300 families of weaving gold and weaving patterns in the Western Regions" here.The two institutions were first established in the thirteenth year of the Yuan Dynasty (AD 1276).The Biesha Bali Bureau located in the west (in the north of Jimsar County, Xinjiang today) also produced "Queen Leader Nashishi".Another kind of fabric is called "Sadala", which is produced by the Satak Tiju Division.The Muslim Zamaradin is Tiju (the rank is five grades), and most of the craftsmen are Muslims.