Although the earliest edition of the "Huolongjing" was published in Xiangyang sometime prior to 1395, its preface was not provided until the Nanyang publication of 1412. The 1412 edition, known as "Huolongjing Quanji" ("Complete Collection of the Fire Dragon Manual"), remains largely unchanged from its predecessor with the exception of its preface, which provides an account of Jiao Yu's time in the Hongwu Emperor's army. In the preface Jiao Yu claims to describe gunpowder weapons that had seen use since 1355 during his involvement in the Red Turban Rebellion and revolt against the Yuan dynasty, while the oldest material found in his text dates to 1280.