Chapter 1690 Astonishing Cotton Armor
“Well, a thousand words are worth a thousand words, and a hundred hearings are not as good as a sight. Mr. Governor, and all my colleagues, please ask Mr. Zhu to take us to the scene. See how the Zhejiang Army practices firearms. Take a look. How these firearms gave Mr. Zhu the confidence that he could control the situation of the battle and be invincible."
Master Huang smiled slightly and looked at Zhang Jing and everyone else. He suggested that he go to the Zhejiang Army’s training site to take a look.
Zhang Jing nodded expressionlessly and watched the Zhejiang Army's drill. This was an important part of the inspection, so naturally no one would have any objections.
So, at Master Huang's suggestion, everyone was led by Zhu Ping'an to the firearms training ground.
The further we go, the greater the smell of burning gunpowder and the greater the smoke.
Arrived at the place quickly.
The first thing that catches everyone's eyes is a sea of black iron color. All the officers and soldiers of the Zhejiang Army are fully clothed in cotton armor, with red tassel-pointed helmets and armor covered with copper nails, shining brightly in the sun. It is mighty and extraordinary.
When an official saw this spectacular scene, he couldn't help but said in surprise, "No, everyone is wearing armor. This is a big deal. Even the Beijing camp can't do it. The Zhejiang army is so rich. Is that..."
At this moment, he couldn't help but doubt what Zhu Pingan said just now. Did Zhu Pingan make a lot of money selling the secret knife and medicine? ! Otherwise, why would the Zhejiang Army's armor rate be so high?
"Master Liang, take a closer look. Do you see those bright copper nails on the armor? It's enough to show that the Zhejiang soldiers are wearing cotton armor, not iron armor. It's just that the cotton armor is painted to look like iron armor. "
The official next to him shook his head, pointed at the cotton armor on a Zhejiang soldier, and reminded him softly.
"Oh, oh, it's true." The officer took a closer look at the armor and digits on the soldiers, and suddenly realized.
It turns out that the Zhejiang army all wears cheap cotton armor. The cost of cotton armor is so low. One set of iron armor can be replaced by at least four or five sets of cotton armor.
Soldiers can compete for a pair of iron armor, but cotton armor is not very attractive to soldiers. This is the difference between the two.
Then, I instantly felt balanced.
Haha, let me tell you, if you practice less firearms, wouldn’t it be nice to save some money to buy armor?
"My dear nephew, you are very short of money. Why are all the soldiers wearing cotton armor?" Wei Guogong couldn't help but ask.
Everyone also looked at Zhu Pingan curiously.
“Back to uncle, our army is short of silver, but no matter how short of silver it is, we will not save money on weapons and equipment. The promotion of cotton armor is not because of the lack of silver, but because of the excellent protective performance of cotton armor. I The cotton armor produced by the military equipment battalion is used to defend against cold weapons It is not inferior to iron armor in terms of defense against firecrackers and other firearms. Moreover, cotton armor is lighter in weight and more flexible than iron armor, which is more helpful for soldiers to fight on the battlefield." He explained to Wei Guogong and everyone with a serious face.
"Does cotton armor have such excellent protective properties?" Wei Guogong looked doubtful.
The other officials were even more suspicious.
Practice is the only criterion for testing truth. Zhu Pingan ordered ten pairs of brand new cotton armors and two pairs of iron armors to be obtained.
Zhang Jing and others came forward to check the cotton armor and found that the cotton armor of the Zhejiang Army was very different from the cotton armor of other military camps. The cotton armor of the Zhejiang Army was more sophisticated, or more professional, and that of other military camps. The cotton-padded armor of the Zhejiang Army is either a simple cloth-faced armor or a cotton-padded jacket, which is connected together and is bulky and inconvenient. The Zhejiang Army's cotton-padded armor is different and more professional. It is divided into body armor, shawl, armor sleeves, front guard, and left guard. , armor skirt, breast shield and other seven parts.
Every part of the cotton armor is well made, not bloated at all, very lean and easy to fight, but the protective area has not shrunk at all.
It’s heavy to start with.
Everyone is not a military novice. They all have at least some knowledge of military affairs. They can tell that this is composite armor as soon as they weigh it. The cotton armor must be lined with a layer of iron sheets. With this layer of iron, the protective performance of cotton armor is not much worse.
Zhu Ping'an ordered ten pairs of cotton armor and two pairs of iron armor to be put on the scarecrow and verified on the spot like last time.
First, verify the cold weapons of swords and arrows.
Zhu Ping'an asked two soldiers to shoot arrows at twelve pairs of armors twenty steps away. He shot three rounds of arrows in succession, and then asked Zhang Jing and others to come forward to verify.
The two pairs of iron armor were naturally unharmed. Feather arrows could not penetrate the armor, but the protective area of the armor was limited. The two scarecrows had arrows stuck in their throats and crotches. Although three of the ten pairs of cotton armor had a few holes shot out by arrows, the arrows Only the first layer of cotton armor was broken and was blocked by the inner lining of iron sheets. The other cotton armors did not even break through the first layer of cotton. Moreover, due to the large protective area of the cotton armor, only one scarecrow was hit by an arrow in the face.
"Well, arrows can't penetrate. This cotton armor is much stronger than the cotton armor of other battalions. It's really not inferior to iron armor."
"Neck protector and guardrail, in addition to The face is protected, and the whole body is protected. There are no exposed gaps. It is more comprehensive than iron armor."
Everyone looked at the cotton armor with excellent defense and couldn't help being a little surprised. The Zhejiang Army's cotton armor was better than that of other military camps. Cotton armor is too strong.
"Zhang Bao, come forward and try to see if this cotton armor can withstand a blow from you." Master Huang signaled to Zhang Bao.
The people who were shooting arrows just now were all from the Zhejiang Army. He was a little bit suspicious of whether he had let his guard down and deliberately left some strength when shooting. He did not use all his strength and the strength was not high. Naturally, the arrow could not penetrate the cotton armor.
“Yes.” Zhang Bao stepped forward with his fists clasped.
Whoosh!
I chose a pair of cotton armor at random, went up and stabbed it, a heavy "clang" sound sounded, and there was only a trace on the cotton armor.
"Zhang Bao, you haven't had enough to eat, have you?" Wei Liangyi glared hard at Zhang Bao and said, "Look at me!"
After saying that, Wei Liangyi pulled out his sword, held the sword with both hands, put on a pair of cotton armor, and swung it hard.
There was also a heavy sound of "Clang", and a mark was also left on the cotton armor, but it was just a little deeper than Zhang Bao's mark.
Wei Liangyi was a little embarrassed.
The two swords made by Zhang Bao and Wei Liangyi further verified the excellent protective ability of cotton armor to everyone.
“Change the gun!”
Zhu Ping'an asked Zhang Jing and others to temporarily retreat to both sides, and ordered two groups of soldiers to shoot twelve suits of armor with blunderbuss twenty steps away.
The two soldiers skillfully loaded the primer, then took out an oil paper ammunition bag from the ammunition can, tore it open with their mouths, poured the gunpowder and projectiles into the gun chamber, tamped it with a purger, and then blew They blew the match rope, held up the fire blunderbuss, and aimed at the straw men wearing cotton and iron armor in front of them. After the captain gave the order, they opened fire together.
There was a burst of gunfire and smoke filled the air.
Everyone stepped forward to check the condition of the armor, and were surprised to find that the two pairs of iron armors were completely wiped out, and several transparent holes were punched out. The cotton armors were all blocked, and most of the projectiles penetrated the first layer of cotton. A, stuck in the iron piece or the second layer of cotton armor. Zhang Jing couldn't help but his eyes lit up. This cotton armor can also be promoted. The cost is lower than that of iron armor, and its protective power is higher than that of iron armor.
(End of Chapter)