Wujing Zongyao

Chinese scholars completed the Wujing Zongyao in 1044 under orders from Emperor Renzong. A military compendium detailing techniques for warfare, it includes the earliest known gunpowder formulas. The Chinese initially used gunpowder to make firecrackers, but they soon took it onto the battlefield. The Wujing Zongyaogives instructions for creating a bomb that is launched from a catapult as well as for a poison-smoke bomb. It also describes a primitive version of what modern weapon? More… Discuss