Sancai Tuhui (Vol. 50)

Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms: Equipment, Volume 8

Page 13

The Bronze Fagong Cannon

Each unit weighs approximately 500 catties (斤) Approximately 300 kilograms or 660 pounds. and utilizes one hundred lead bullets, each weighing approximately four catties. This is an exceptionally effective weapon for besieging cities. When facing tens of thousands of enemy troops gathered together, one also uses this to attack them.

Its stone projectiles are as large as a small dou (斗) A traditional dry measure roughly equivalent to 10 liters; the projectile would be roughly the size of a large melon.. Anything struck or touched by these stones cannot survive. Upon meeting a wall, it pierces through. Upon meeting a house, it destroys it. Upon meeting a tree, it snaps it. Should humans or livestock encounter it, they are instantly reduced to a mangled slurry. When it strikes a mountain, it penetrates several feet deep.

It is not merely the stone projectile itself that is irresistible. Any object grazed or chipped by the stone is sent flying, colliding with other things, and those things are likewise destroyed. Even human limbs and flesh, if struck by the debris splashed up by the stone, will be mangled and ruined.

Furthermore, the danger is not limited to the physical impact of the projectile. After the gunpowder is discharged, its "breath" The toxic fumes or gas produced by combustion. can poison and kill people. Its "wind" The concussive shockwave or blast radius. can strike people dead. Its sound can shock and kill a person.

Therefore, when one intends to fire the weapon, a pit must be dug in the ground at the firing site to allow the gunner to hide behind. When the fuse is lit, the fiery gases and the sound will surge upward, and the gunner may thus escape death.