Invention of Gunpowder and the Impact It Had on the Chinese Society and Warfare Essay

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Invention of Gun Powder and the Impact it Had on the Chinese Society and Warfare

The invention of gunpowder was driven by the quest for unending life. Gunpowder, however, ended up being more or less a death potion, responsible for the development of the deadliest war weapon, after the atomic bomb. An invention dating back to the Song and Tang Dynasties, between the 9th and 11th centuries, gunpowder came to be considered one of China's "Four Great Ancient Inventions,' alongside the compass, printing, and papermaking. Due to its explosive nature, gunpowder was first used for fireworks, and later, as an explosive in war. Prior to gunpowder invention, the Chinese military used fire as their main war weapon. Fire, however, had limited coverage, and Chinese strategists sought to develop a weapon with wider coverage.

Gunpowder was employed in warfare in the 15th century. It evolved from the ancient cannon to the modern-day firearm. Despite the fact that China contributed immensely to the discovery of gunpowder, Europe played a major role in the development of firearms, and other artillery. This text reviews the evolution of gunpowder, and examines the role it played, and continues to play, in early and modern warfare.

Gunpowder Invention and Its Early Use

In the 9th century, alchemists in China began making chemicals aimed at ensuring unending human life; and they ended up with gunpowder.

An explosive came out of an attempt to achieve immortality. In other words, "the opposite effect came out of an original idea."

The Chinese took advantage of its explosive nature, and began using it in pyrotechnics. Only later was gunpowder effectively used in war, first for fire production, and then later, as a way of scaring the enemies off.

Gunpowder's fire-production function was facilitated by its thrust potential; and the second function, by its explosive nature. Chinese ancient fighters would attach gunpowder wrappings to weapons of war, say arrows, and then use a fuse to light the same.

The gunpowder was meant to increase the arrow's propulsion, and consequently, to produce fire, once the arrow hit its target.

This same idea was used in the development of the ancient gunpowder-propelled rockets in China. However, a couple of ideas had to be developed before this idea could be actualized. To begin with, there was need to develop an action-reaction mechanism, which would ensure the rocket's balance. Secondly, boring of the gunpowder tube was necessary, as it would ensure both even, and complete combustion of gunpowder. This was crucial in determining the extent of thrust.

Gunpowder Ingredients and the Rationale behind Its Working

It would be prudent to understand how gunpowder is made; only then, can its working be understood. The proper "formula for making gunpowder -- from saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal -- was first discovered in China, perhaps as early as the ninth century"

Gunpowder is a mixture of the three. Saltpeter (potassium nitrate) was anciently obtained from horses' urine, or leached from guano. Charcoal was, on the other hand, obtained from charred pieces of wood. Sulfur's low melting point ensures effective heat transfer through the mass of gunpowder. Saltpeter oxidizes the carbon in charcoal, causing combustion, and the subsequent production of a high pressure gas, which produces the propelling and explosive effect. The main disadvantage of gunpowder stemmed from the fact that it was passive to moisture, and quite cumbersome to handle.

Types of Gunpowder

The different types of gunpowder mainly result from differences in the sizes of the powder grains. This gives rise to the two main forms of gunpowder: fine, and large-grained.

The fine type was found to have greater propelling, and explosive power, and was made from subjecting the large-grained type to further processes. The two forms, however, also had significant differences in ingredient-concentration. For instance, "two-thirds of the large powder was composed of saltpeter, plus one-sixth sulfur and one-sixth charcoal ('four, ace, ace' or 4:1:1)."

A similar amount of the fine powder had a higher amount of saltpeter, resulting in a 6:1:1 ingredient ratio. The fine powder was obtained after sieving the large-grained powder. The higher the amount of saltpeter in the mixture, the more the thrust produced. Fine gunpowder had a number of advantages, including more power and higher speed. This essentially gives rise to the different types of gunpowder that were available to the ancient Chinese fighters; flying, blinding, poison, and violent powders.

The powder chosen was dependent on factors such as the intensity of the war, and the extent of the desired damage.

Gunpowder Invention on Warfare

The invention of gunpowder in ancient China brought about huge changes, both in the Chinese way of preparing for war, and in the weapons used. The extent of change brought about by gunpowder was massive; "it changed all that went before, and revolutionized weapon development.

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One significant result of gunpowder invention was a decline in the number of castles.

Additionally, there was a massive reduction in the use of castles as battlefields. Open fields became more popular. People developed a culture of charging periodically, rather than waiting in castles for the enemy's arrival. The logic was obvious; gunpowder's explosive power could easily blow up a castle; hence castles were not considered secure and safe.

Issues of safety were of great concern in ancient China at the time. This was mainly due to the frequent attacks on the Chinese Sang Dynasty, by the Mongols.

Grenades, gunpowder-propelled arrows, and cannons are believed to have largely "helped the Chinese win battles against the Mongols,"

who became the first victims of the Chinese flying fire.

A second impact of gunpowder invention was the development of mines and traps as weapons of war. Gunpowder barrels would essentially be hidden, say, in shallow holes beneath the ground, and connected to a fuse in a particular camp. As the enemy approached the hidden barrels, the fuse was lit, and the gunpowder would explode, setting the enemy ablaze.

This reduced the effectiveness of the conventional structural forms of defense, and people had to take extra care when executing any invasion plans.

Gunpowder evolved into two major inventions; the cannon, and the ancient Chinese gun, which played a significant role in shaping the warfare direction in both Ancient China, and the world over. The contributions of these two inventions to China's warfare have been discussed in the subsequent sections of this text.

The Cannon

Its development rode on two fundamental factors; gunpowder's propelling ability, and the fact that "a spherical ball was the optimal projectile."

These two ideas would play a crucial role in the evolution of the cannon to the modern-day firearm. Gunpowder was found to produce the greatest thrust when used inside a tubular structure. The ancient Chinese cannons were made by banding iron bars together to form an open tubular structure. Gunpowder was then poured into the canon through the open ends, and a stone inserted.

The stone served the purpose of a cannonball. The powder was then ignited through a vent that ran from the barrel's roof, to its floor. The ignition would produce intense pressure, which had the effect of propelling the stone towards the target, at an extremely high speed. In the period between the invention of the cannon, and the 13th century, the Chinese maintained more or less of a monopoly, with regard to gunpowder. It was only afterwards that Europe adopted the idea.

The cannon essentially gave the Chinese a significant advantage over their enemies. Their main enemies at the time, the Mongols and the Jurchen, relied heavily on crude weapons such as spears, arrows, etc. The development of the cannon was crucial in the Chinese eventual victory. The cannon had a number of advantages.

First, it was certainly more effective at blowing up the enemy's camp, than the conventional methods such as the use of catapults and battering rams. The logic was obvious; a few stones (serving as cannonballs) were all that was needed to essentially blow up an entire camp and all its inhabitants.

A single cannon shot would effectively blow up an entire group, whereas 50 or more arrows would be needed to accomplish the same.

A second advantage could be derived from the cannon's wide coverage and accuracy. Spears and "arrows are limited in their range and are not as accurate. Cannons can shoot from longer distances and are a whole lot more accurate and make a bigger impact."

The invention of the cannon had significant impact on the ground as well. Cannonballs hit the ground with great impact, causing gaping holes that were at times large enough to provide efficient hiding grounds for the enemies.

On the other hand, the holes also posed serious dangers to the locals.

The Gun

The gun marked the second important step in China's warfare development. It was more of a portable cannon, and had the effect of "putting weaponry into the hands of the individual, creating a new class of soldier -- infantry -- and giving birth to the modern army."

The most common ancient Chinese gun was the….....

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