Jiao Yu

Who is Jiao Yu?

Jiao Yu was a Chinese military officer loyal to Zhu Yuanzhang, who founded the Ming Dynasty and became known as the Hongwu Emperor. He was entrusted by Zhu as a leading artillery officer for the rebel army that overthrew the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, and established the Ming Dynasty. As a senior advisor and general, he was later appointed to the venerable and noble status of the Count of Dongning. He edited and wrote a famous military treatise that outlined the use of Chinese military technology during the mid 14th century, as far back as his military campaign of 1355 AD. However, descriptions of advanced gunpowder weapons in his treatise extended back to the Song Dynasty in battles against the Khitans, Jurchens and Mongols. In his Huolongjing, he described the fire arrow, fire lance, the early grenade, firearm, bombard, cannon, exploding cannonballs, land mine, matchlocks, naval mine, rocket, rocket launcher, two-stage rockets, and use of various gunpowder solutions that included poisonous concoctions.