Firearms regiment of Wen brothers (Patreon)

Preface

The reluctance of various garrisons in North China to adopt matchlock gun on a large scale, criticism by general Qi Ji Guang (戚繼光) regarding Ming northern troops' impatience and indiscipline, and the bad impression northern troops left on the Koreans during Imjin War, sometimes give an impression that northern troops were somehow unsophisticated, close-minded and hidebound compared to their southern brethren who eagerly absorbed European science and technology.

However, this is evidently untrue. Ming northern troops were very much shaped by their environment (i.e. strong winds common in North China often blow away gunpowder inside priming pan, whcih makes matchlock gun unreliable), limitations (i.e. difficulties in acquiring good quality iron ore which were mostly produced in Fujian) as well as challenges they faced (i.e. Mongols horsemen), and refined their tactics and equipment along a very different path.

Wen brothers and Li Qi Jie (《利器解》)

The military treatise Li Qi Jie was co-written in 1600 by two brothers, Wen Chun (溫純) and his younger brother Wen Bian (溫編). At the time, Wen Chun was the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate (都察院左都禦史), while Wen Bian was the Assistant Military Commissioner of Forward Guard of Xi'an (西安前衛指揮僉事). The younger brother Wen Chun had a lot of hand-on experience with equipment and tactics of northwestern Ming troops due to being stationed at Xi'an City, and both brothers were highly concerned with the security of China's northwest frontier. Thus, with some helps from Shaanxi military officer Zhu Teng Zhuo (朱騰擢), they analysed and codified various firearms currently in service among Ming garrisons along the northwestern frontier, and laid down a guideline for organising a firearms regiment that can utilise these weapons to the greatest effect against agile Mongol horsemen.. This is how Li Qi Jie came to be.

Weapons of the regiment

The firearms regiment envisioned by Wen brothers was an standard-sized (3,000 soldiers) infantry formation with a heavy emphasis of firearms, with virtually every single soldier being equipped with a gun of some kind. Most of the selected weapons were new innovations that only became widespread in Northwest China relatively recently, while a few were already staples among Ming northern troops for many decades. In addition, the regiment also adopted some weapons that were developed elsewhere.

New innovations

Wei Yuan Pao (威遠砲)

Wei Yuan Pao was the heaviest and most powerful cannon used by the firearm regiment. A remarkable weapon that can throw a ~4.7 lbs lead cannonball to a range of about 1.25 mile (roughly equivalent in firepower to a European saker cannon) yet only weighs ~182 lbs (equivalent to a light falconet cannon), it was primarily used as a harassment tool, taking advantage of its longer range to disrupt Mongol horsemen, preventing them from properly forming up, and provoking them into attacking prematurely.

A standard firearms regiment was assigned ten Wei Yuan Pao, serviced by thirty artillery crews.

Di Lei Lian Pao (地雷連砲)

Di Lei Lian Pao was the primary weapon of the firearm regiment, able to deliver tremendous volleys into the ranks of Mongol horsemen once they get into moderate range.

A standard firearms regiment was assigned two hundred Di Lei Lian Pao, serviced by three hundred crews (every ten volley guns were serviced by fifteen crews).

Xun Lei Pao (迅雷砲)

A more powerful, single-shot version of Di Lei Lian Pao, Xun Lei Pao was used to supplement the firepower of Di Lei Lian Pao.

A standard firearms regiment was given one hundred Xun Lei Pao, serviced by two hundred artillery crews.

Wu Lei Shen Ji (五雷神機), San Jie Shen Ji (三捷神機) and Wan Sheng Fo Lang Ji (萬勝佛狼機)

Wu Lei Shen Ji, San Jie Sheng Ji, and Wan Sheng Fo Lang Ji are all handheld rapid fire firearms designed to deliver repeated volleys at close range. Despite being handheld firearms, they were serviced by two crews (three in the case of Wan Sheng Fo Lang Ji) as they took longer to reload .

These weapons were assigned to the firearms regiment on a per availability basis.

Jian Qiang (劍鎗)

Jian Qiang was one of the primary personal weapons of the regiment. A combination weapon that can function as a handgonne, a short spear, and a short staff, it allows its user to fight at close range as well as long range.

1,200 soldiers of the firearms regiment were equipped with either a Jian Qiang or a Huo Qiang.

Huo Qiang (火鎗)

Jian Qiang was the principal close combat/anti-cavalry charge weapon of the regiment. Whilst lacking in range, the Peng Tong (噴筒) flamethrowers mounted on this weapon can easily spook the horse of a charging cavalry, allowing its user to quickly follow up by either spearing the cavalry or hooking the rider off his horse.

1,200 soldiers of the firearms regiment were equipped with either a Jian Qiang or a Huo Qiang.

Shen Bi Chuang Zi Lian Cheng Nu (神臂床子連城弩)

The only non-firearm used by the regiment, Shen Bi Chuang Zi Lian Cheng Nu was usually used to quickly form a devensive barrier around a camp, although a few could be brought along on the move to supplement the cannons.

This weapon was assigned to the firearms regiment on a per availability basis.

Staple weapon

Chong Gun (銃棍)

Chong Gun was one of the primary personal firearms of the regiment, and had been a staple weapon among Ming northern troops since at least mid-sixteenth century, thanks to the long tradition of using quarterstaff as battlefield weapon in this region.

All artillery crews of the regiment, as well as 1,200 soldiers, were equipped with Chong Gun.

Adopted from elsewhere

Late Ming variant Lu Mi Chong (魯密銃)

The only matchlock gun used by the firearms regiment, this variant of Lu Mi Chong was most likely an improvement made by Zhao Shi Zhen (趙士楨) over the original Lu Mi Chong to enhance its reliability in North China.

This weapon was assigned to the firearms regiment on a per availability basis.

Da Zhui Feng Qiang (大追風鎗)

A tripod-mounted heavy handgonne with impressive firepower, range and accuracy, Da Zhui Feng Qiang was most likely developed in Liaodong (i.e. Northeast China), although its use quickly spread to Shaanxi and other parts of China. It served a dual role of sharpshooter weapon and supplemental firepwer to heavier cannons in the firearms regiment.

This weapon was assigned to the firearms regiment on a per availability basis.

Traps

In addition to large varieties of guns and cannons, the firearms regiment also made use of several anti-cavalry traps, namely Zhua Zu Sha Ma Feng Lian (撾足殺馬風鐮) and Di Yong Qiang (地湧鎗), although these traps were mostly used to fortify an encampment and did not play a central role in the regiment's tactics.

Tactic

Wen brothers devised the firearms regiment to counter the Mongols, who were exclusively mounted, often attack in numbers far exceed what Ming border garrisons could muster on a short notice, yet had little in the way of heavy armours and gunpowder weapons. As such, they saw little value in ponderous heavy artillery and slow-reloading matchlock gun that leaves its user vulnerable to cavalry charge, and placed more importance in flexibility, ease of deployment and volume of fire, in addition to dual-use personal equipment that can function as both firearms and melee weapon. As such, despite being a military unit that revolved around the use of firearms, Wen brothers' regiment was no slouch in close combat either.

As with most Ming infantry, Wen brothers' firearms regiment also defaulted to hollow square formation when facing against cavalry, deploying its primary weapon, Di Lei Lian Pao, in all directions. Twenty mounted scouts were dispatched from the square to seek out approaching enemies. Once detected, the scouts would immediately alert the square, which would then bring other cannons to bear in the direction of enemy approach. Different weapons of the firearms regiment had different firepower coverage, namely, Wei Yuan Pao (and Da Zhui Feng Qiang if available) had the longest range and was used at a range of 120 pace (214 yd) and below, while Di Lei Lian Pao and Xun Lei Pao were used at a range of 100 pace (179 yd) and below. If enemy horsemen still managed to maintain cohesion and continue to advance towards the square, infantry inside the square would open fire with Wu Lei Shen Ji, San Jie Shen Ji, Wang Sheng Fo Lang Ji, as well as their personal firearms.

Unexpected success

Wen brothers laid out the firearms regiment more as a general recommendation/guideline rather than a complete framework to be adopted wholesale, and as such they left out many finer details such as organisational and command structure, officer ranks etc. to be worked out by their readers however they see fit. Since most of the weapons used by firearms regiment were already widely used in Shaanxi, it is impossible to tell how successful they were in promoting the formation in Shaanxi (in fact, it is also possible that they were merely writing down what was already a common practice at the time, rather than coming out with novel idea).

Yet surprisingly, their published military treatise was later acquired by Gui Zi Zhang (郭子章), who was just being promoted to the post of Grand Coordinator (巡撫) of Guizhou. Highly impressed by the book, Guo Zi Zhang began to promote these weapons to Ming army of Guizhou. His reform was later put to test and proven effective during Bozhou rebellion.