Chinese gunpowder weapons evolve: fire-lances proliferate

1344

Yuan and rebel armies alike deployed bamboo and metal fire-lances that spat shrapnel and flame at close range. These proto-firearms, evolving rapidly through decades of civil war, were transitional weapons between fireworks and true cannon, their barrels growing thicker and their projectiles heavier with each campaign season. By the time the Ming emerged victorious, bronze hand-cannons had become standard battlefield equipment.