Chapter 1568： Come out, full of cotton wool

Chapter 1568 Come out, Man Qing Cotton Armor

After entering the twelfth lunar month, the weather became colder. Although Taohuaji is located in the south, it is still located in the north. Not only is it invaded by the cold of the north, but also the humidity of the south of the Yangtze River, making it wet and cold, and it is bitingly cold.

Especially last night when the north wind blew all night, and there was a small sleet in the middle of the night, and it was even wetter and colder this morning.

When Zhu Pingan inspected the morning exercises of the Zhejiang Army in the morning, he found that more than 30 soldiers were pulled out by the inspection team to beat them with batons because they were not wearing armor.

The drill code of the Zhejiang Army stipulates that morning exercises must not only be fully armed, but also carry a weight of twenty catties.

The reason why the extra weight is 20 catties is because the Zhejiang Army currently does not have enough armor, and most of them can only mix half armor.

According to the military system, the regular frontier army of the Ming Dynasty weighed eighty-eight and a half catties in full uniform. The specific armaments were as follows: body armor, battle skirts, arm coverings and other equipment weighed forty-five catties in total, and the helmet and brains weighed seven catties. Xiang Hu's heart and ribs weigh five catties, the bow and quiver weighs ten catties, the waist knife weighs three and a half catties, the bones of thistles weigh three catties, the quiver weighs one catty, and the war hooks are covered with leather and clothes, totaling eight catties. All the armed forces add up to exactly eighty-eight and a half catties.

The Zhe army now lacks armor, only 280 pairs of chain mail, most of which are incomplete armor and simple cloth face armor. The Zhejiang army's full armor adds up to about forty catties, so an extra twenty catties is added to the load.

The reason why these soldiers don't wear armor is because they think the armor is too heavy and want to be lazy? !

no.

Zhu Ping'an found out that although these soldiers were not wearing armor, they consciously carried 30 catties more in terms of weight. Other armored soldiers carried 20 catties, and they carried a full 50 catties.

"Why would you rather carry more weight than wear armor?"

Zhu Ping'an asked curiously. Judging from their self-conscious increase in weight, they didn't dislike the heavy armor and were lazy.

"My lord, it's not that we don't wear armor, but it's too cold. The armor is like ice bumps, and we can't hold it when we put it on."

The unarmored soldier rubbed his buttocks and replied with aggrieved expression.

"Armor is life-saving. If you don't wear armor because you are too cold on the battlefield, one loss can kill you, and it will be too late to regret it. Ten days ago, Hu Yushi led his troops to stop the Japanese pirates in the cherry orchard. The weather is cold and the armor is cold. I took off my armor and warmed myself by the fire, but was attacked by Japanese pirates. I was completely defeated, and more than half of them were killed or injured! The lessons learned from the past are still there. Before the blood in front of the cherry orchard is dry, you have forgotten the lesson?! Cold, you have to overcome it, it is better than losing Life is strong!" Zhu Pingan gave them a serious education.

"Yes, my lord taught me the lesson." The soldiers realized their mistake, put on their armor on the spot, and grinned grinningly.

so cold? !

Zhu Pingan held a proof-seeking attitude, and asked people to fetch a pair of iron helmets, and put them on his upper body.

Nest grass!

It's really cold! ! The moment the iron armor came into contact with the body, all the hairs on Zhu Ping'an's body stood up!

cold!

very cold!

At this moment, Zhu Ping'an has a deeper understanding of the poem written by Cen Shen, "The general's horn bow can't be controlled, and the guard's iron clothes are cold and hard to wear." The moment the armor was put on his body, it was as cold as walking into an ice cellar.

No wonder they would rather carry more weight than wear armor. Wearing armor is really a challenge in this **** weather!

Zhu Pingan couldn't help thinking about this.

A set of armor weighs forty to fifty catties. In this kind of ghost weather, the armor is as cold as a ghost, and although it is in the era of cold weapons at this stage, the use of firecrackers and birdcracks on the battlefield is increasing. Many elite Japanese pirates are equipped with iron cannons (actually Japanese-style bird guns), and the armor's protection against muskets is seriously insufficient. Even heavy armor, even if it is shot by a firecracker, is vulnerable to a single blow, and the difference between wearing armor and not wearing armor is not much different. If you think about it this way, wearing armor is a bit unworthy.

But if you don't wear armor, it won't work. At this stage, cold weapons are still the main ones, and armor is still very strong against cold weapons.

Is there a way to have the best of both worlds? !

Zhu Ping'an suddenly thought about it. Is there any good way in history?

Oh, I remembered, Cotton Armor! It's cotton armor! When Zhu Pingan reviewed the history, he was the first to think of cotton armor.

Cotton armor began to appear in the Yuan Dynasty. At that time, it was only a small amount of cotton armor, and the quality of cotton armor was not high. However, cotton armor has a relatively good buffer protection performance against firearms, so it began to move towards the stage of history.

Actually, during the Jiajing period, many troops in the Ming Dynasty were also equipped with cotton armor, but the number was not large. It began to increase gradually during the Longqing period. During the Chongzhen period, that is, in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, cotton armor began to be widely popularized. In the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, the Ming army's cotton armor was captured in the early Manchu Qing Dynasty, and then it became Cotton armor is a loyal supporter. After years of development, improvement and evolution, the Qing Dynasty determined the cotton armor as standard equipment, and its shape was gradually fixed. It was divided into multiple parts such as body armor, front guard, sleeves, cape, and left guard. During the Qing Dynasty, when the Qing army fought against Junggar and crusade against the big and small Jinchuan, Mianjia made great military exploits.

Don’t listen to the cotton armor and feel that it is simple and inferior. In fact, in terms of protection, the protection of the cotton armor is better than that of the iron armor. Not only is the protection against firearms excellent, but also the protection against cold weapons is not as good as the iron armor. Let more. The quality of mature cotton armor can reach the level that it will not absorb water when it rains, cannot be cut through by a sharp knife, and cannot be pierced by a musket!

Moreover, cotton armor has the advantage that iron armor can’t catch up with horses. First, cotton armor is warm, comfortable to wear, and has much less restrictions on the physical activities of sergeants; second, cotton armor is cheap. A set of composite Cotton armor needs about seven or eight catties of cotton, lined with iron sheets, and fixed with copper nails on the outside. The cost is several times lower than that of iron armor, and its weight is also several times lighter than iron armor. Moreover, cotton is grown everywhere in the Ming Dynasty. It is easy to obtain; thirdly, the cotton armor is easy to maintain, and the leather is durable, but the iron armor is not. The weather is wet, and the iron armor is easy to embroider and is not durable.

In addition, at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the whole of China would fall into the Little Ice Age. The weather was colder than usual, and it even snowed in Guangdong.

The early popularization of cotton armor is also a great benefit to the Ming Dynasty's frontier army, and it is also a great benefit to the Ming Dynasty.

The cost of cotton armor is low, and the cost of a set of iron armor can make four or five sets of cotton armor, so that the cost is low, and the rate of wearing armor is high; the rate of wearing armor is high, the survival rate of the Ming army is high, and the combat effectiveness on the battlefield will also increase Not a lot.

If you want to talk about cotton armor, there is no doubt that the quality of cotton armor in the late Manchu and Qing Dynasties is high, and the production process is more practical and mature.

So, come out, full of cotton clothes! Zhu Pingan's eyes lit up and he made up his mind. The maturity and popularization of cotton armor begins with our Zhejiang Army!

(end of this chapter)