![[Archive] Jian Qiang (劍鎗)](https://img5.doujinstars.com/storage/5/jv/ni/a4542c-019e83aa-5184-7fb9-a69e-7f88361008a3.png)
Note: This is an outdated version of my article about Jian Qiang, kept here for archival purpose. Updated version of the same article can be read here.
Ji...
2023-10-10 07:34:45 +0000 UTC View Post![[Archive] Unique weapon of the Ming Dynasty — Lang Xian (狼筅)](https://img5.doujinstars.com/storage/10/ib/jw/a4542c-019e83aa-5184-7bd1-af57-09079d7decf0.png)
Note: This is an outdated version of my article about Lang Xian, kept here for archival purpose. Updated version of the same article can be read
While I already created a legend for the formations in my article to help with the understanding the diagrams, it is still mentally exhausting to try to make sense of all those me...
2023-08-24 08:16:29 +0000 UTC View Post
Xian Mei (銜枚, lit. 'Bit stick') or simply Mei (枚) is a simple wooden or bamboo stick used as a gag for soldiers, both to prevent unnecessary chattering while the army was on the move, as well as an aid for observing noise discipline during special military ...
2023-07-06 09:14:49 +0000 UTC View Post
The region known as Hetao (河套) is a collection of flood plains located in northwestern China. Consists of vast grasslands in stark contrast to its arid desert/st...
2023-06-30 03:27:54 +0000 UTC View Post![[Archive] Rocket Weaponry of the Ming Dynasty](https://img5.doujinstars.com/storage/7/nk/ia/a4542c-019e83aa-5167-7f13-a11b-95488e3dc3ab.png)
Note: This is an outdated version of my article about rocket weaponry of the Ming Dynasty, kept here for archival purpose. I plan to revise and update the blog post in the future.
While first rocket was believed to be invented around twelfth century, it was not u...
2023-06-26 04:17:22 +0000 UTC View Post![[Archive] "Plate" armour of the Ming Dynasty](https://img5.doujinstars.com/storage/1/my/ev/a4542c-019e83aa-5166-7a24-a678-c67a5e10112f.jpg)
Note: This is an outdated version of my article about late Ming period Quan Tie Jia armour, kept here for archival purpose. My appreciation of Chinese smiting and metallurgy grew the more I learnt about it, and I feel that "lacking metallurgical expertise" is no longer appropriat...
2023-06-19 03:26:43 +0000 UTC View Post
Note: I came across Zhang Lian's rebellion while researching and revising my blog posts about Wokou. A very interesting figure, Zhang Lian was not a Wokou but a mountain bandit through and through, although he was often conflated and lumped together with other Wokou, especia...
2023-06-16 15:57:34 +0000 UTC View Post
Fei Lun Jia Hai Zhou is a warship of unusual design, possibly a Ming-era throwback to older paddle whee...
2023-05-18 13:01:02 +0000 UTC View Post![[Archive] Liu Xing Pao (流星砲)](https://img5.doujinstars.com/storage/12/ws/ik/a4542c-019e83aa-5163-7d7b-a8f0-fa0df2221113.jpg)
Note: This is an outdated (and in fact erroneous) version of the article about Liu Xing Pao, kept here for archival purpose. The article has since been retracted, and information about Liu Xing Pao is added into my blog post about 2023-05-14 06:06:28 +0000 UTC View Post
Chong Zhen Huo Hu Lu (衝陣火葫蘆, lit. 'Phalanx-charging fire gourd')
Chong Zhen Huo Hu Lu is an unusual weapon which is essentially a gourd-shaped iron "gun barrel" mounted o...
2023-04-14 04:26:03 +0000 UTC View Post![[Archive] Da Jiang Jun Pao (大將軍砲)](https://img5.doujinstars.com/storage/7/po/dx/a4542c-019e83aa-5163-7c7d-8bd2-ccbdf54b954c.jpg)
Note: I am also in the process of updating the article about Great General Cannon. Here's is the older version kept here for archival purpose.
<...
![[Archive] Enemy of the Ming — Jia Jing Da Wo Kou(嘉靖大倭寇) — Part 3](https://img5.doujinstars.com/storage/4/tx/fr/a4542c-019e83aa-5163-7c6a-8283-f3e2bf41358c.jpg)
NOTE: I am currently in the process of rewriting my Jia Jing Da Wo Kou series. This is an older version of Part 3 of the series, kept here for archi...
2023-04-10 04:14:49 +0000 UTC View Post![[Archive] Enemy of the Ming — Jia Jing Da Wo Kou (嘉靖大倭寇) — Part 1](https://img5.doujinstars.com/storage/6/cz/sk/a4542c-019e83aa-5163-7966-a4f4-f160bf529509.jpg)
NOTE: I am currently in the process of rewriting my Jia Jing Da Wo Kou series. This is an older version of the already updated Part 1 of the series, kept here for archival purpose.
Up-to-date version of the article can be read 2023-04-08 03:48:26 +0000 UTC View Post
![[Archive] Enemy of the Ming — Jia Jing Da Wo Kou (嘉靖大倭寇) — Part 2](https://img5.doujinstars.com/storage/11/tw/gf/a4542c-019e83aa-5163-7918-a112-190e68cbb8ae.jpg)
NOTE: I am currently in the process of rewriting my Jia Jing Da Wo Kou series. This is an older version of Part 2 of the series, ke...
2023-04-07 08:32:28 +0000 UTC View Post
Note: If any of you think that this article looks familiar, it's because it is partially co-oped from my previous blog post about wheelbarrow regiment for ...
2023-04-04 07:01:55 +0000 UTC View Post![[Archive] Zhao Shi Zhen's Ying Yang Che (鷹揚車)](https://img5.doujinstars.com/storage/2/cl/lq/a4542c-019e83aa-5163-78a7-9550-60bae46948ac.jpg)
NOTE: This is a repost of a blog post that was previously published in Great Ming Military blog. I've since detected some errors in the article and will soon update it, so the older version will be kept here for archival purpose.
Up-to-date version of the article can be rea...
2023-04-04 02:27:27 +0000 UTC View Post
Hu Tou Che (虎頭車) and Hu Yi Che (虎翼車) are two types of war wheelbarrow meant to be used together in a formation. They are comparatively simple designs devised by Ming firearm specialist Zhao S...
2023-03-30 16:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post
It's March already, yet I haven't got used to the fact that it's already 2023, which marks the eighth year since I launched Great Ming Military blog.
I started writing with the intention of sharing the fascinating military history of China, in particular Ming Dynasty, to the wider world, he...
2023-03-13 09:41:44 +0000 UTC View Post
The hardest part of writing this blog post is the fact that the character "𦪞", pronounced "Mu", is no longer part of modern Chinese lexicon. Unfortunately the unicode character doesn't display properly on some devises, so I have to replace it with "喬", which reads as "Qiao".
Also, firs...
2023-02-22 10:43:28 +0000 UTC View Post
Fried my brain reading about ancient coins and stuffs, and faced my most severe writer's block since forever, but I've finally finished revising (or more precisely, rewriting the entire thing) this old blog post from 2016 before the year ends!
You can read about the blog post 2022-12-30 07:53:47 +0000 UTC View Post
You know the deal.
Continue reading at my Great Ming Military blog.
2022-11-28 10:12:30 +0000 UTC View Post
Like Japanese armour, Chinese armour has its own share of auxiliary armours, although these are generally much less known than their samurai counterparts. In this article, I will explore...
2022-11-09 00:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post
And that concludes my "Four Great Ancient Ships" series.
Continue reading at my Great Ming Military blog.
2022-10-30 08:56:55 +0000 UTC View Post
The most famous Chinese war junk actually doesn't look like what you think it looks like.
Continue reading at my Great Ming Military blog.
2022-10-11 05:08:45 +0000 UTC View Post
For an armour with such complete protection, tōsei gusoku (当世具足) actually has surprising numbers of flaws and gaps. These weaknesses are well-known, even to the Japanese themselves, and samurai even developed specific swordfighting techniques known as
Behold Guang Chuan, the toughest of Chinese war junks.
Continue reading at my Great Ming Military blog.
2022-09-15 07:39:14 +0000 UTC View Post
Two types of light coastal warships.
Continue reading at my Great Ming Military blog.
2022-08-17 10:38:52 +0000 UTC View PostIn my previous blog post I discussed a tacital formation used by Ming cavalry during Dao Chao operation. But what exactly was Dao Chao?
2022-07-27 03:42:32 +0000 UTC
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This is a simple gallery to showcase the many fascinating variety of Ming soldiers found in paintings and arts. It will be continuously updated as I come across new artworks to add to it.
Sources: