NOVPUB"Ha ha!"
Xiulote laughed heartily, shaking his head slightly. In his laughter was the satisfaction of unrestrained joy; in his shaking head, however, was a wide embrace. After a moment, he looked at the craftsman master Chalape with approval.
"Chalape, this kind of long-body heavy armor is quite good! How much labor and time does it take to make a suit of armor like this?"
Upon hearing this, Chalape smiled sheepishly and looked to his kinsman. Tilipi scratched his head, calculating as he spoke.
"Your Majesty, a cloth-covered, long-body bronze heavy armor uses 13 jin of cotton and 32 jin of bronze. To make cotton armor, one must soak the cotton, repeatedly pound it into thin sheets, and, after drying, patch it into two layers of cotton cloth. This, for covering both the front and the back, to conceal the weak seams... requires 2 workers for 5 days, totaling 10 workdays. This step is relatively simple, though stitching is a bit time-consuming; it can be done by healthy women.
Next, one must forge 240 pieces of bronze armor plates. Making the armor plates is quite tedious; it involves casting, forging, and fitting them properly... requiring 8 workers for 5 days, totaling 40 workdays. This step is physically taxing. The artistic demands are not too high; it can be done by strong and robust apprentice craftsmen.
Lastly, the plates are sequenced and embedded into the cotton armor. They are fixed with copper nails, inside and out; after proper adjustments, the long-body heavy armor is complete... This step requires 2 workers for 5 days, totaling 10 workdays. At this point, the assembly requires skill and must be done by an experienced craftsman personally!"
"A suit of cloth heavy armor requires 60 workdays..."
Upon hearing this, Xiulote’s expression changed subtly, and he nodded slowly.
Considering the mining and smelting of copper ores, the cultivation and collection of cotton, as well as the consumption of charcoal and material wastage during the production process, the labor and resources consumed by a suit of heavy armor are astonishing, requiring continuous repairs and maintenance. In reality, the cloth heavy armor had already become the easiest and least expensive type of heavy armor to produce during the evolution of armor over a thousand years. Its repair and rust-proof maintenance were very simple. By comparison, the production time and maintenance costs of stab armor and scale armor were several times higher.
In this era, the late 15th century in Europe, metal craft was entering a fast track of rapid development. The iron-smelting blast furnaces of the Italian city-states stood at 4.5 to 6 meters high, capable of providing high-quality pig iron and even ordinary steel on a large scale. The southern states of Shenluo were the centers of armor crafting, which had massively adopted hydraulic forging hammers to significantly reduce the human labor in armor making.
Even so, according to the workshop records and armor prices of the time, the forging duration for a full suit of knightly plate armor still required 150 workdays, often costing more than a small manor. Because even on top of the rough castings from water-powered forging, a significant amount of manual labor by experienced craftsmen was still needed to hammer out the curvature of the plate armor’s surface and to polish the exterior. The plate breastplates commonly seen among the infantry took 50 workdays to produce, mainly providing protection with a solid steel plate at the chest and back; this was also the classic style of the Spanish conquerors. The thick padded jackets commonly worn by British longbowmen, requiring 25 workdays to produce, had a construction process similar to cotton armor, filled with linen or wool internally.
The three aforementioned types of armor—plate armor, plate breastplates, and thick cloth armor—were suitable for mass production and maintenance, becoming widely popular in Europe, catering respectively to knights, elite soldiers, and common militia. Traditional chain mail and lacquered leather armor, while both providing substantial protection, were exceptionally tedious to produce. With the same defensive capabilities, their labor costs far exceeded that of others, and their maintenance costs were extremely high; they were gradually overlooked by a developing and changing era. 𝔫𝖔𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝔬𝔪
Of course, as the end of the 15th century approached, Europe was just beginning to rise, technological advancements were accumulating, and productivity had not yet developed, there was still a stark contrast to the populous nations of Asia. By the late 16th and early 17th centuries, when European metalwork was fully matured, large-scale water-powered machinery proliferated along riversides, and the simplified process of mass-produced plate armor for the common people began to spread, that would be the true era of grand colonization and expansion.
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By that time, the production cost of a set of commoner’s plate armor had fallen to 50 worker-days, and the breastplate alone required only 20 worker-days. The rate of armor adoption by the armies of various nations soared, giving them a significant advantage over the nations of Asia. With inexpensive heavy armor, heavy muskets, and combined with large cannons, a few hundred Western colonizers could establish strongholds and bastions in the nations of Asia and withstand sieges from enemy forces that were several times or even ten times their number.
"After the 17th century, that would be the nightmare of non-European transmigrators, the hell for the indigenous people of America... Fortunately, I still have time!"
Xiulote reflected for a moment and let out a long sigh. Then, his expression turned serious again as he looked toward the master craftsmen before him.
"Chalape, Tilipi, although this heavy armor is good, it is somewhat too heavy, requiring great physical strength from the samurai. Only true elite samurai can wear heavy armor for an extended period in battle. The sample armor I gave you is lighter, weighing only about thirty pounds. Do you have any replicas made?"
"Of course, Your Majesty, look!"
Chalape beckoned, and a craftsman presented a beautifully crafted half-body bronze medium armor. He then personally lifted the armor and presented it to the king.
This bronze medium armor resembled a vest and was extremely ornate. Its surface was embedded with gold grains and silver thread, which along with a dense array of copper nails, outlined patterns resembling eagle feathers. To be presented to the king, the inner layer of the armor was made with meticulous care to be more like scale armor, not impeding the wearer’s agility.
"Your Majesty, this is a fine medium armor specially prepared for you by my brother and me, based on the Head Warrior’s suggestion! It covers the upper body, using sixteen pounds of bronze and nine pounds of cotton, weighing a total of twenty-five pounds. Every piece of armor on the inside is handcrafted by us, sturdy and compact; the outer layer was commissioned from a master, who carved the image of a soaring eagle... Your Majesty, only divine beings are worthy of wearing such divine armor, please try it on!"
Xiulote was somewhat surprised. He took the exquisite medium armor and inspected it briefly before the Head Warrior helped him get suited up properly. The inside of the armor was even lined with a special thin lining made of high-quality brushed cotton cloth, which was quite comfortable to wear.
The cloth medium armor resembled a short sleeve or a vest, covering only the upper body and reducing the number of inner nailed armor pieces on the back, weakening the protection of non-vital areas. However, this medium armor weighed only a little over twenty pounds, was not at all cumbersome, and could be worn for an extended period in combat without impairing the movements of a strong samurai.
Xiulote moved his hands and feet to get a feel for the security provided by the copper armor and nodded his head in satisfaction.
"Very good, you all have done well! Bertade, you as well!"
Chalape bowed respectfully, his smile growing even broader. The Head Warrior merely smiled faintly.
"Tilipi, how much worker-time would it take to make a standard cloth medium armor without these decorations?"
Tilipi clenched his fingers and calculated for a moment.
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"Your Majesty, the half-body bronze medium armor weighs about 25 jin. Its defense is only slightly inferior to that of heavy armor, but still much stronger than leather armor. The quantity of bronze armor plates is about half of that of heavy armor, and the working hours for forging and nailing can also be reduced by half... All in all, it would take just over 30 workdays."
Xiulote nodded. He looked towards the Head Warrior.
"Bertade, how does the defensive capability of this medium armor compare to that of heavy armor?"
The Head Warrior thought for a moment and replied in detail.
"Skilled warriors can flexibly exploit the defense of different body parts. In large-scale samurai formation battles, it is very difficult for the enemy to attack the back and lower limbs, and sustaining endurance is also extremely important... Taking this into account, it is about 70% of the heavy armor!"
"70% of the defense, at 50% of the cost..."
Xiulote pondered for a moment, then made a decisive decision!
"Chalape, Tilipi, heed my command!"
The two Master Craftsmen immediately kneeled down.
"The Kingdom’s Personal Army is being assembled and needs 500 sets of heavy armor, 2,000 sets of medium armor! It is now September, if the material supply is sufficient, can it be completed before the January festival?"
Chalape did some quick calculations, then showed a troubled expression. Next to him, Tilipi had already responded directly.
"Your Majesty, there definitely won’t be enough time! The festival is in mid-January; it’s only four months from now. The Bronze Workshop has only six or seven hundred people, and even if we suspend the vast majority of our tasks, we can only spare 500 workers. But crafting 500 sets of heavy armor requires 500 workers two months, and 2,000 sets of medium armor needs 500 workers four months... It would take at least half a year to complete!"
Xiulote’s expression darkened. He had already started assembling the Kingdom’s Personal Army, which would serve as a reliable force directly under his control and would gradually become the main promotion channel for senior officers.
The first batch of the Personal Army would have a strength of 2,500 men. Among them, 500 Jaguar Warriors would don heavy armor and wield two-handed war clubs, while the remaining 2,000 trusted aides would wear medium armor and carry longbows and copper arrows. Of the 2,000 trusted aides, 500 came from previous followers, 1,000 from the elite of the Northern Army, mainly composed of the Royal Family’s Longbow Warriors.
Another 500 were selected from the first batches of the surrendered Tarasco armies, and some elite descendants of the formerly hostile Prepetcha were also recruited. In subsequent plans, the number of Personal Army soldiers of Prepetcha origin would gradually increase, and accomplished officers and soldiers from various factions would be incorporated as well. On one hand, this demonstrated the King’s impartial treatment to all, and on the other hand, like the Keshik of Mongolia, it served to unify all parts of the Kingdom and acted as a reserve training camp for military officers.
"After the festival, the armies of the fiefs must be deployed. Before that, 2,500 sets of armor must be completed!"
The King had issued his explicit decree. Then, after pondering briefly, he looked at the Head Warrior.
"During the western campaign, a large number of craftsmen were captured in Ihuatzio City. How many coppersmiths were there among them?"
"Yes, Your Highness. They have all been settled near the Capital City’s army camps to serve the armies. There should be about four to five hundred coppersmiths, mainly producing various copper utensils, tools, and trade goods. However, in Ihuatzio City, they were coppersmiths, not bronze craftsmen."
"Hmm, the fief’s copper trade can be put on hold for a while, and copper mines must also be centrally allocated. They all have a certain level of craftsmanship... Chalape, I will give you 300 coppersmiths to hammer the armor plates, call in tailors from the Capital City to sew cotton armor for you, and later from the Mexica craftsmen who have migrated, I will send you an additional 200 apprentices! Whether it’s copper materials, tin materials, or charcoal, I will give priority to supplying you!"
Hearing such generous conditions, Chalape’s worried expression became even more profound. He bowed deeply, awaiting the anticipated demands.
"Four months’ time before the January festival, to craft 2,500 sets of qualified armor! This is a military order! I will dispatch trusted aides to supervise. Hmm, are you confident?"
"Your Majesty, I will follow Your will. I will definitely push everyone to their utmost, I will not fail your heavy trust!"
Xiulote then smiled contentedly. He looked ahead, towards the vertical furnace smelting bronze. The flames roared, belching billows of smoke and pouring forth a dark red light. The fiery glow reflected in the King’s eyes, making his pupils seem ablaze. Bronze and iron, metals are the future’s hope!
Moments later, the King stepped forward, the armor plates upon him clanking. He arrived in front of a batch of brand-new bronze utensils. With a solemn expression, he reached out and took up a farming tool that felt both strange and familiar.
The farming tool was composed of two parts: the front part was a wooden rod with a bronze tip and a footrest for punching holes in the ground, called a plough; the back part was a digging tool resembling a shovel, with sharp bronze blades, called a spade. The plough and spade were joined together with wooden wedges, and at the very front, there was a pulling rope. Thus, the plough served as the handle of the spade, and the spade was the cap of the plough, capable of breaking apart clods of earth and creating furrows.
"As wise as Divine Revelation, Your Majesty!"
Chalape sprung to his feet, quickly following. In that moment, his face was filled with genuine respect and a smiling expression.
"This is the two-man bronze plow that I have completed by hand according to Your design!"
