Aztec Eternals

"Ha ha!"

Xiulot laughed and shook his head slightly. In the laughter, it is full of carefree pride; in shaking the head, it has a broad mind. After a while, he looked at the master craftsman Charape approvingly.

"Chalape, this kind of heavy armor with a long body is very good! How much labor and time does it take for a pair of armor like this?"

Hearing this, Chalape smiled sarcastically and looked at his brother. Tiripi scratched his head, estimated and said.

"Your Majesty, the long-body bronze heavy armor with a cloth surface uses 13 jin of cotton and 32 jin of bronze. To make a cotton armor, the cotton needs to be soaked, repeatedly patted into thin sheets, and then dried into two layers of cotton cloth. In this way, the front and back are covered. Hiding weak nail seams. It takes 2 man-hours and 5 days in total, 10 man-days in total. This step is relatively simple, but it takes a little time to sew, and it can be done by a strong woman.

Next, 240 pieces of nails need to be made of bronze. The production of the armor piece is quite cumbersome, including casting, forging, and proper size. It takes 8 man-days and 5 days in total, totaling 40 man-days. This step consumes a lot of physical strength, and the craftsmanship is not very demanding. It can be done by a strong craftsman apprentice.

Finally, arrange the armor pieces in order, insert them into the cotton armor, and fix them with copper nails inside and outside. After the adjustment is appropriate, the long-body heavy armor is completed. This step takes 2 and 5 days, a total of 10 working days. At this point, the integrated molding requires craftsmanship, and it must be done by experienced craftsmen! "

"A pair of heavy cloth armor takes 60 man-days"

Hearing this, Shulot's expression moved slightly, and he nodded slowly.

Including the excavation and smelting of copper mines, the planting and collection of cotton during the armor-making process, and the consumption of charcoal and material damage during the production process, the manpower and material resources consumed by a pair of heavy armor are astonishing. repair and maintenance. In fact, heavy cloth armor has been the easiest and cheapest type of heavy armor in the evolution of armor for thousands of years. Its damage repair and anti-rust maintenance are very simple. In contrast, the production time and maintenance cost of pierced armor and scale armor are several times longer.

In this era, Europe at the end of the 15th century, is entering the fast lane of rapid development of metal crafts. The iron-making blast furnaces of the Italian city-states are as high as 4.5-6 meters, which can provide high-quality wrought iron and even ordinary steel on a large scale. The southern states of Shinra are the centers of armor production, and they have used hydraulic forging hammers on a large scale to fully reduce the manpower consumption in armor making.

Even so, according to the workshop records and armor prices of this era, it still takes 150 man-days to forge a pair of full-body knight plate armor, and the price often exceeds that of a small manor. Because on the rough blank forged by hydraulic forging, a large number of senior craftsmen still need to hammer out the curvature of the surface of the plate armor and polish the outer layer. The common plate breastplate in the infantry requires 50 man-days to manufacture, and the main defense is the overall steel plate on the chest and back, which is also the classic shape of the Spanish conquistadors. The cloth padded jacket commonly used by British ministers and archers takes 25 working days to make, and is filled with linen or wool. The process is similar to cotton armor.

The above three types, plate armor, plate breastplate, and thick cloth armor, are easy to mass-produce and maintain, and are widely popular in the European world, targeting knights, elite soldiers, and ordinary militia respectively. Although traditional chain mail and patent leather armor have considerable defensive power, they are extremely cumbersome to make. Under the same defense, their man-day costs far exceed, and their maintenance costs are extremely high, which has been gradually ignored by the era of development and change.

Of course, at the end of the 15th century, continental Europe was in the ascendant, and scientific and technological progress was accumulating, but various productive forces had not yet developed. Compared with the countries in Asia and continent with large populations, there was still a clear gap. At the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century, European metal technology was fully mature, heat treatment further improved the hardness of armor, large hydraulic machinery spread all over the river, and civilian plate armor with simplified craftsmanship began to become popular. That was the real era of great colonization and great expansion.

At that time, the production cost of a set of civilian plate armor was reduced to 50 man-days, and the plate breastplate only needed 20 man-days. The armor-wearing rate of the armies of various countries rose in a straight line. With cheap heavy armor, heavy matchlock guns, and large artillery, hundreds of Western colonists can establish strongholds and fortresses in Asian and continental countries to resist the siege of several times or even ten times the number of enemy troops.

"After the 17th century, that's the nightmare of non-European traversers, the hell of Native Americans. Luckily, I still have time!"

Shulot thought for a moment, then sighed. Then, his expression was serious again, and he looked at the master craftsmen in front of him.

"Charape, Tilippi, this kind of heavy armor is good, but it's a bit too heavy, and it requires extremely high physical strength for the warrior. Only a real elite warrior can fight in heavy armor for a long time. The sample armor I gave you It is relatively light, only more than 30 kilograms, do you have imitation finished products?"

"Of course there are! Your Majesty, look!"

Chalape beckoned, and a craftsman stepped forward with a pair of exquisite bronze bust armor. Then, he personally picked up the armor and presented it to the king.

This pair of cloth-covered middle armor is shaped like a waistcoat and is extremely ornately decorated. Its surface is inlaid with gold grains and silver wires, together with dense copper nails, it outlines patterns like eagle feathers. In order to present it to the king, its inner armor plate has been carefully treated, more similar to scale armor, without affecting the wearer's flexible movements.

"Your Majesty, this is a fine medium armor specially prepared for you according to the proposal of the Sacred Eagle Warrior Commander by my two brothers! It covers half of your body, with 16 catties of bronze and 9 catties of cotton, totaling 25 catties. Each side of the inside The armor pieces are all made by us, solid and dense; the outer layer invites masters to draw and carve His Majesty the eagle with wings spread, this kind of armor of gods is only qualified to wear by gods, please try it on!"

Xiulot was a little surprised. He took the exquisite medium armor in front of him, inspected it for a while, and put it on properly with the help of the warrior commander. The inside of the armor is also sewn with a special thin lining, all of which are high-quality short-staple cotton cloth, which is quite comfortable to wear.

The armor in the cloth surface is shaped like a short sleeve or a vest, which can only cover the half of the body. It also reduces the number of nails on the back and weakens the defense of non-critical parts. However, this kind of medium armor only weighs more than 20 kilograms, and it is not cumbersome. It can be worn for a long time in combat without affecting the actions of strong warriors in the slightest.

Xiulot moved his hands and feet, feeling the sense of security brought by the bronze armor on his body, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Very good, you have a heart! Bertard, you too!"

Chalape bowed his head respectfully, and his smile grew brighter. The warrior commander just smiled lightly.

"Tirippi, if these decorations are removed, how much work does it take for ordinary cloth armor?"

Tilippi shook his fingers and calculated for a moment.

"Your Majesty, the cloth-covered bronze medium armor weighs about 25 jin. Its defense is only slightly inferior to the heavy armor, but it is still much stronger than the leather armor. The number of bronze armor pieces is about half that of the heavy armor, and the man-hours for forging and nailing can also be halved." All in all, it was about 30 working days."

Xiuluo nodded. He looked at the warrior commander.

"Bothard, the defensive ability of this kind of medium armor is about a few percent of that of heavy armor?"

The samurai commander thought for a while before answering in detail.

"Samurai who are good at fighting can flexibly use the defense of different positions of the body. In a large-scale samurai battle, the back and lower limbs are difficult for the enemy to attack, and durable physical strength is also very important. In this way, it is about seven times the weight of heavy armor. become!"

"70% of the defense power, 50% of the cost."

Shulot pondered for a moment, then made a decision!

"Charape, Tirippi, listen!"

The two master craftsmen immediately fell to their knees.

"The formation of the Kingdom's personal army is coming soon. We need 500 pairs of heavy armor and 2,000 pairs of medium armor! It's September now. If the supplies are sufficient, can it be completed before the January ceremony?"

Chalape calculated a little, and then showed embarrassment. Beside him, Tilippi has already spoken directly.

"Your Majesty, there is definitely not enough time! The festival is in mid-January, and it is only April. There are only six or seven hundred people in the bronze workshop. Even if most of the tasks are stopped, only five hundred workers can be made. It takes 500 workers and two months, and the 2000 middle class needs 500 workers and April for at least half a year to complete!"

Xiulot's face darkened. He has already begun to organize the kingdom's pro-army. As a reliable force directly controlled by his side, he will gradually become the main promotion channel for senior officers.

The first batch of pro-military members was 2,500 people. Among them, 500 jaguar warriors will wear heavy armor and use two-handed batons, and the remaining 2,000 personal guards will wear medium armor and carry longbows and bronze arrows. Of the two thousand personal guards, five hundred came from former followers, and one thousand came from the elite of the Northern Army, mainly the royal family's longbow warriors.

Another 500 people were selected from the first batches of Tarasco's surrendered troops, and some of the elite children of Prepecha were recruited. In the follow-up plan, the number of pro-army troops from Prepecha will gradually increase, and meritorious soldiers will also be included in it. On the one hand, this shows that the king treats everyone equally, and on the other hand, it also has the effect of uniting the various ministries of the kingdom and acting as a reserve camp for officers, just like the Mongolian Qi Xue Army.

"After the ceremony, the army of Fengguo will be dispatched. Before that, 2,500 sets of armor must be completed!"

The king issued a clear will. Then, he thought for a while, and looked at the warrior commander.

"During the Western Expedition, the Legion captured a large number of craftsmen in the city of Ivacio. There should be a lot of coppersmiths among them?"

"Yes, Your Highness. They are all placed near the base of the Capital Legion and serve the various armies nearby. There should be four to five hundred coppersmiths, mainly making various copper utensils, tools and trade goods. However, in In Ivacio, they are coppersmiths, not bronzers."

"Well, the copper ware trade in Fengguo can be temporarily slowed down, and the copper mines must also be deployed centrally. They all have a certain technical foundation in Chalape, and I will give you three hundred coppersmiths to forge armor pieces, and I will call tailors from the capital for you. You sew cotton armor, and I will give you another two hundred apprentices from the migrated Mexican artisans! No matter copper, tin or charcoal, I will give you priority in supplying it to you!"

Hearing such generous conditions, the bitterness on Chalape's face became more intense. He kowtowed deeply to the ground, waiting for the expected request.

"Before the January festival, in four months, build 2,500 pairs of qualified armor! This is a military order! I will send personal guards to monitor. Well, are you confident?"

"Your Majesty, follow your will. I will try my best to spur everyone, and I will live up to your trust!"

Shulot smiled in satisfaction. He looked ahead, the shaft furnace for smelting bronze was running. The fire was raging, steaming out curling smoke, and also rushing out dark red light. The fire light shone into the eyes of the king, making his pupils become hot as well. Bronze, steel, and metal are the hope of the future!

After a while, the king took a few steps, and the armor on his body clanged. When he came to a batch of brand-new bronze utensils, with a serious expression, he reached out and took out a handful of unfamiliar but familiar agricultural tools.

Farm tools are divided into two parts. The front part is a wooden stick with a copper point and a foot, which is used to poke holes in the ground, which is called Lei; . The Leisi are connected with wooden wedges, and there is a rope pulled by someone in the front. In this way, the Lei is the handle of the Lei, and the Lei is the crown of the Lei, which can not only break the clods of soil, but also cultivate grooves.

"Your majesty who is as wise as a god!"

Chalape got up quickly and quickly followed. At this moment, he was full of sincere admiration and smile again.

"This is according to your design, I completed it myself, two copper plows!"

I spent a lot of time in the past two days, collecting armor data and watching related literature videos. To be honest, surprised. The European plate armor in the 17th century exceeded my imagination in terms of output and defense, which is very impressive! At that time, the Dutch began to produce civilian plate armor in units of thousands, and the calculation data of defensive kinetic energy was amazing. Well, at the turning point of the times, the European Army Division really began to lead the Asian Land.