From the 11th century AD, East Asian armies made increasing use of exploding missiles and siege cannon to reduce the fortifications of their enemies. Some of these weapons were very similar to those used in Europe - for example, the heavy siege cannon used in the siege of P'yongyang during the Japanese invasion in the late 16th century. Others, like the Korean hwach'a carts mounting over a hundred rockets that were used to bombard the Japanese at Haengiu in 1593, were very different from their European contemporaries. This book details the design and use of the wide range of weaponry available during this period.
This book is concerned with the machinery of medieval siegecraft as used by Chinese, Mongol, Japanese and Korean armies. Almost all the machinery was initially developed in China, but each country provides its own context into which the siege engines were fitted, and distinctive differences reveal both strengths and weaknesses in the machines themselves, and also raise questions about cultural attitudes to siegecraft and even to the practise of war itself. This, the first volume, deals with the machinery of siege warfare prior to the introduction of gunpowder (though some earlier incendiary weapons are considered).
When Portuguese traders took advantage of the constant violence in Japan to sell the Japanese their first firearms, one of the quickest to take advantage of this new technology was the powerful daimyo Oda Nobunaga. In 1575 the impetuous Takeda Katsuyori laid siege to Nagashino castle, a possession of Nobunaga's ally, Tokugawa Ieyasu. An army was despatched to relieve the siege, and the two sides faced each other across the Shidarahara. The Takeda samurai were brave, loyal and renowned for their cavalry charges, but Nobunaga, counting on Katsuyori's impetuosity, had 3,000 musketeers waiting behind prepared defences for their assault.
In the shadowy areas of international law criminals work hard at figuring loopholes. One such wheelerdealer is Paul Firman. He pursues his own ends in a quiet, unobtrusive way. Why would anyone want to bother about him?
When an evil group tries to take control of the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, a fierce war breaks out in the owl kingdom.
Soren's beloved mentor, Ezylryb, is finally back at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. But all is not well. There's a war between good and evil in the owl kingdom. On one side is a group led by Soren's fearsome brother, Kludd, who wears a terrifying metal mask to cover his battle-scarred face. On the other side are the owls of the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, who must fight to protect their legendary home from Kludd's attacks.
