Jiao Yu facts for kids
Jiao Yu was a Chinese military leader, thinker, and writer. He lived during the end of the Yuan dynasty and the start of the Ming dynasty. Jiao Yu worked for Zhu Yuanzhang, who later became the first Ming emperor, known as the Hongwu Emperor.
Zhu Yuanzhang trusted Jiao Yu to be a main officer for his rebel army. This army helped overthrow the Mongol Yuan dynasty and create the Ming dynasty. Because of his important role, Jiao Yu was later given the special title of Count of Dongning.
Jiao Yu helped write a famous military book called the Huolongjing, or Fire Drake Manual. This book described how Chinese military technology was used in the mid-1300s. It also included older information about gunpowder weapons from the Song dynasty (960–1279 AD). The Huolongjing talks about many weapons, such as fire arrows, fire lances, grenades, firearms, bombards, cannons, exploding cannonballs, land mines, naval mines, and rockets. It even describes two-stage rockets and different types of gunpowder.
Contents
A Life of Service and Innovation
Jiao Yu wanted to be a scholar when he was young during the Yuan dynasty. However, he was not able to get a job in the government. Later, Jiao Yu met a wise Daoist named Chichi Daoren, who lived in the Tiantai Mountain. Jiao Yu learned a lot from Daoren, especially about 'fire-weapons' and how they were used in battles.
Daoren told Jiao Yu to join Zhu Yuanzhang's rebellion. Jiao Yu became one of Zhu Yuanzhang's trusted friends in the Red Turban Rebellion against the Yuan dynasty. Zhu was very impressed with Jiao's knowledge of firearms. He even ordered a demonstration to see how powerful they were.
Fighting for a New Dynasty
With Jiao Yu's 'fire-weapons', Zhu Yuanzhang's army won many important battles. They captured cities like Jingzhou and Xiangzhou. Then, they took over the provinces of Jiang and Zhe, and later all of Fujian. After that, Zhu's army captured Shandong. This made his power stronger while the Mongol government in Beijing was falling apart.
Finally, in 1367, Zhu Yuanzhang pushed the Mongols out of China. He then set up a new capital city in Nanjing. Beijing became a secondary capital.
Building the Ming Empire's Arsenal
After Zhu Yuanzhang became the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming dynasty, Jiao Yu was put in charge of making firearms for the government. He became the main officer of the huge Shen Zhi Ying Armory. This was a place where many guns and artillery were stored safely.
Keeping gunpowder safe was very important back then. There had been big accidents in the past, like an arsenal exploding in 1280 AD and killing over 100 people. To prevent this, the Hongwu Emperor created new factories in Nanjing to make gunpowder and fire-weapons. He also set up a new Gunpowder Department in the government. Jiao Yu believed that fire-weapons were extremely important. He once wrote that "the very existence or destruction of the Empire... depend on the exact timing of these weapons."
The Famous Huolongjing Book
Jiao Yu worked with another scholar and general, Liu Bowen, to write the 14th-century military book called the Huolongjing. A later version of the book, published in 1412 AD, included a preface written by Jiao Yu.
Some parts of the Huolongjing wrongly said they were from the ancient Chinese Prime Minister Zhuge Liang (181–234 AD). However, gunpowder warfare did not exist in China until the 10th century. The oldest parts of the Huolongjing were actually written around 1270 AD.
Even though Jiao Yu's life story is not in the official History of Ming book, he was mentioned in other important writings from later centuries. His book, the Huolongjing, was even printed again in the 1800s.
The Huolongjing and Its Secrets
The Huolongjing (which means "Fire Dragon Divine Mechanism Array Method" in Chinese) was put together by Jiao Yu and Liu Zhi. It explained how many different gunpowder weapons were used in China during the 1300s. The book shared details about:
- Different ways to mix gunpowder.
- How to make hollow cast iron grenade bombs.
- Descriptions of the Chinese fire arrow.
- How to make explosive land mines.
- How to make explosive naval mines.
- Descriptions of fire lances and early guns.
- Details about bombards and cannons.
- How to make hollow cannonballs filled with gunpowder that would explode.
- Descriptions of handguns that might have used parts like those in matchlocks.
- How to build rocket launchers and two-stage rockets.
- Descriptions of winged rockets with fins for better flight.
See also
- Technology of the Song dynasty
- History of firearms
- Gunpowder warfare
- Black powder
- Battle of Tangdao
- Battle of Caishi
- Battle of Lake Poyang
- Liu Bowen
