How Did The Mongols Use Gunpowder

China entered its golden age during the Song dynasty. It was an era of innovations and inventions. Examples of their inventions include paper money, printing, the compass, restaurants, and porcelains. The Song dynasty developed into a true marketing economy where they manufactured the massive amount of products for export and trades due to the cause of these new breakthroughs. The most remarkable invention by the Chinese was gunpowder, one of the most critical and significant inventions that changed the way of warfare throughout the world during the Middle Ages by its use and expansion presented by the Mongols.

Gunpowder was used in a passive and beneficial method, serving as medicinal, entertainment, economic, and religious purposes before

the Chinese had discovered it’s significant capability in warfare. During the Han dynasty, Emperor Wudi wanted wise Chinese scientists to find the secret to everlasting life. To achieve the emperor’s demands, Chinese alchemists experimented with different elements and accidentally came upon what is known as “huo yao” or gunpowder. Gunpowder was not invented until the Eighth century during the Tang dynasty. By heating and experimenting with sulfur and saltpeter, gunpowder was first discovered by Taoist alchemists. Ironically, it was not a material that exhibits eternal life but was used to cure skin diseases and kill insects. More commonly known, the Chinese also used gunpowder to create beautiful fireworks for celebrations or ceremonies. In Addition, the Chinese threw gunpowder into a fire to mimic and amplify the sound created from banging bamboos together during religious practices that were intended to scare away spirits and devils. Also, when gunpowder is lit, it produces a white cloud of thick smoke. The produced smoke was exploited by Chinese entertainers and magicians for mystical performances, astonishing the audiences. Ultimately, gunpowder was efficiently used for blast mining iron and salt. The use of gunpowder didn’t only greatly increased the proficiency of the Chinese economy but gave many ideas to engineers relating to the use of gunpowder in warfare.
Gunpowder had also helped the Chinese with sieges and defending against neighboring enemies.

The Chinese invented the earliest gunpowder-based weapon when they discovered the great potential for using gunpowder in warfare. The Chinese military focused on outsmarting and surprising their enemies with any possible ways. Therefore, fire was used in warfare because it caused great fear and confusion amongst their enemies. To improve their strategies and efficiency in sieging their enemies, Chinese military engineers experimented with gunpowder towards the first millennial. They found that gunpowder in bamboo tubes can propel themselves just with the pressure from the released gas and generally created loud noises and fire. The Wujing Zongyao, a military manual written in 1044 CE by Zeng Gongliang and Ding Du records the fundamental composition of gunpowder (see appendix 1), the process of producing it in large scales, and illustrations with descriptions of the different types of the earliest gunpowder-based weapons (see appendix 2 & 3) such as barbed arrows propelled by gunpowder and different types of bombs. During the 13th century, The Chinese military embraced the applications of gunpowder weapons and used it to prevent the Mongols from seizing parts of the Great Wall on the Northern side of China. The weapons that the Chinese had used include small bundles of gunpowder that would be wrapped in bamboo or paper and were fixed to arrows ignited with a fuse, gunpowder mixed

with small pieces of metal that would be launched by catapults, and flamethrowers loaded with gunpowder and scrap metals that used bamboo/metal tubes as the barrel. With these new powerful innovations added to the Chinese arsenal, the Song military successfully fended off the nomadic tribes on the Northern border for many decades, although it wasn’t before the Mongols grasped and adapted to the gunpowder technologies, eventually gaining access to it and manipulating it in their favor against the Chinese.
The Mongols, a large nomadic tribe that bordered the Northern side of the Song dynasty, used gunpowder-based weapons to siege China which gave them a path and influence to expand into a large empire ruling the Middle-East. When the Mongols gained knowledge and obtained gunpowder, they used it to their advantage against the advanced Song dynasty. The Mongols’ first encounter with gunpowder was against the Jin Empire from 1125 to 1134. The Jin used explosives and fire lances (flamethrowers) against them, causing many casualties. The only way the Mongols withstood the strong and new gunpowder-based weapons that the Chinese used against them was through determination and persistence during the battles. To remain in warfare advantages against the Chinese army, they had captured Chinese craftsmen and scientists to reveal their secrets of the strong gunpowder weapons that the Chinese had used against them. Under the rule of Genghis Khan, the Mongols sieged the Northern part of the Song Empire. In 1279, the Mongols under Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis, successfully took over the Song Dynasty. Having complete control over China and parts of the Silk Road, the Mongols had great control over the production of gunpowder and technological advancements while also gaining courage and influence to have the urge in expanding towards the West.
The control over the entire Silk Road and the interactions with many civilizations by the Mongols also encouraged the spread of gunpowder.

At first, the Silk Road was maintained by Chinese traders and nomadic groups. Later, it was greatly dominated by the West and during the 10th century, it was under the Islamic control. During the height of the Mongolian Empire, the Mongols had expanded to nearly the Mediterranean Sea and Eastern Europe while having great authority over the Silk Road. Since the Mongols invaded the Islamic Empire, many Mongols were converted to Islam and stayed in the Arabian states. Some of the Mongols that had stayed might have been skilled craftsmen working with gunpowder technologies proving that the Mongols could have established gunpowder into the Muslim world very quickly. When the Mongols had captured Baghdad in 1258, small groups of nomadic tribes known as the Turks formed small states. The Turks were descendants of earlier Mongol nomads and they eventually built up a pretty large force. The Turks interacting with the Mongols would most likely have introduced the use of gunpowder to them. With gunpowder widely known in the Middle-East after the 1400s, ideas relating to it was spread even further by travelers and merchants such as Marco Polo on the Silk Road and sea routes describing what they saw and experienced on their journeys and

voyages.
To conclude, gunpowder invented by the Chinese, was a fundamental and crucial innovation that altered the approaches to war by the world in the Middle Ages by its application and development contributed by the Mongols. Towards the end of the Song Dynasty, the Chinese had invented multiple-staged rockets which had influenced the rockets that we use in the current days to go into space. Also, if the multi-staged rockets weren't invented, the development of the internal combustion engine and steam engine wouldn't be possible affecting our ways of transportations. The Ming Dynasty who fought the Manchus hired Jesuits priests to make cannons for them in the 16th to 17th centuries since they were more skilled at producing powerful and strong cannons than any Chinese craftsmen after gunpowder was introduced to Europe. Gunpowder was an invention that caused a cycle of advancements and developments.