What kind of weapon was the Red Gun in Qing Dynasty, and how powerful was it?

The Red Cannon, also known as the "Red Yi Cannon", was a large-scale front-loaded cannon introduced into China from Europe in the late Ming Dynasty. Later, because the Qing court was taboo on the word "Yi", it was renamed Hongpao. The red gun is a kind of smooth-bore gun with gunpowder in front. When launching, it is necessary to fill the muzzle with gunpowder, compact it with a wooden stick, and then put the shell into the chamber to ignite the fuse.

The shell was fired from the muzzle under the action of high pressure in the bore and attacked the enemy. Although the red gun has some defects, such as slow firing rate, poor accuracy and heavy gun body, it does have its advantages in design, such as casting ears on both sides of the gun body to adjust the firing angle conveniently and adjusting the range with the amount of gunpowder.

(Red cannon)

The red cannon was quite powerful at that time. On May 16 every year, the artillery canonization ceremony is held ceremoniously. At that time, the sealed artillery was moved to the shooting range to sound nine times as a thank you. Every autumn in September, there is also a gun drill at Lugouqiao. According to historical records, after the shell is launched, it is full of fire, thunder and smoke, and can hit the target hundreds of steps away.

(Red cannon)

The red cannon made great contributions to the Qing Dynasty in winning the battle between the world and foreign countries. There is a saying in the Qing army: "From now on, anyone who marches will carry a gun in red." This is because I deeply realized the power of firearms in the battle with the Ming army. In the "Battle of Ningyuan" in 1626, the Eight Banners Army was defeated by the Ming Army for the first time, largely because of the frustration of the red cannon. 163 1 year, nuzhen successfully copied the first red cannon, and since then, she has made great efforts to cast artillery to fight against the Ming army. When Emperor Kangxi was in power, he cast more than 900 guns.

This is because I deeply realized the power of firearms in the battle with the Ming army. In the "Battle of Ningyuan" in 1626, the Eight Banners Army was defeated by the Ming Army for the first time, largely because of the frustration of the red cannon. 163 1 year, nuzhen successfully copied the first red cannon, and since then, she has made great efforts to cast artillery to fight against the Ming army. When Emperor Kangxi was in power, he cast more than 900 guns.

Red artillery also played an important role in the war against Russia in the early Qing Dynasty. After the "San Francisco Rebellion" was put down, Emperor Kangxi also began to solve the problem of the northeast frontier. 1685, Peng Chun, the commander-in-chief of Kangxi Sect, and Tan Lang, the deputy commander-in-chief, marched into jaxa, a stronghold occupied by Russia. After encircling jaxa, the Qing army shelled the city with red cannons placed in the north and east and west wings. Russian Cossack soldiers in the city suffered heavy casualties and the city walls collapsed in many places. Russian soldiers had to surrender when they saw that the city was untenable.

(Red cannon on the wall)

The red cannon was still at the advanced level in the world until the reign of Kangxi. At this time, there was little difference in the level of weapons and equipment between China and the West. However, for a long time after that, the weapons and equipment of the Qing army did not change much. The artillery casting in Yongzheng period was less than that in Kangxi period, and the old guns used in local areas were mainly used. As a result, the gap between China and the West is widening. By 1840, the Opium War broke out, and western powers shelled China with ships.