diymy Chapter 226 - 128: The Development of Technology, Part Three
Chapter 226 - 128: The Development of Technology, Part Three
Xiulote walked through the bustling courtyard, heading northwest towards the Divine Revelation Place, where the armor equipment re
"However, as previously mentioned, a suit of cloth iron armor requires at least over twenty catties of copper and more than ten catties of cotton. It requires specialized craftsmen to shape the copper sheets and nails, then attach them to the cotton armor. The production cost and manpower are very high. This type of armor is also exceedingly heavy, only elite samurai can endure it for long periods."
As he spoke, Matelar brought over a test Tarasco bronze axe, chopping several times, the cloth iron armor showed no fatal damage. He then switched to a copper spear, thrusting at it numerous times head-on, with the copper plates under the cotton simply sliding off. Only attacks aimed at the sides could be lethal, and those areas would normally be protected by weapons and shields.
Touching the smooth copper nails on the surface of the cloth armor and feeling the hard copper plates underneath, Xiulote nodded his head in satisfaction, lost in thought.
In this era, due to its excellent performance and low cost, cloth armor had already begun to spread throughout the Ming Dynasty. The elite Ming border army was equipped with a large amount of cloth iron armor, which could even weigh between forty to fifty catties, becoming a new type of heavy armor.
Later, towards the end of the Ming and start of the Qing era, the Spaniards brought Mexica cotton to the world, and the Celestial Empire’s cotton output would greatly increase, thereby making cloth armor the standard equipment for the regular army. The proportion of iron armor during the Ming and Qing period would surpass that of any previous dynasty, often having tens of thousands of iron-armored troops. The later Jurchen main force would all wear armor, with most equipped with the inexpensive cloth iron armor.
Cloth iron armor’s defense against traditional swords and knives was astonishing. Compared to plate armor and stab armor, it was much simpler and cheaper to produce and its defensive capabilities were not reduced by much. Additionally, it was particularly easy to maintain and repair, allowing it to be widely distributed within the regular army of the Eastern Empire. Meanwhile, the cotton stuffing could effectively defend against the emerging firearms, being somewhat the most basic bulletproof vest.
Afterwards, Xiulote shook his head with a wry smile. This equipment, cheap and effective for the Ming, was an exceptionally expensive and advanced form of heavy armor for the Mexica Alliance and various parts of Central America—truly invincible!
A suit of cloth iron armor required twenty to thirty catties of bronze, enough to make fifty spearheads weighing five taels each, providing weaponry to fifty village militiamen that could threaten samurai. However, the Alliance did not produce copper and could not afford the cost of hundreds of heavy copper armors. Moreover, the production of cloth iron armor consumed a significant amount of labor.
More critically, this technology skipped over the difficulties and extreme weight issues of forging full bronze armor. Once it fell into the hands of the Tarascans, breaking through this barrier would truly arm the enemies from the West. Their strength would increase exponentially, completely changing the military balance between the two sides.
Thinking of thousands of cloth iron armor-clad samurai, Xiulote shivered and shook his head again. After pondering for a moment, he had Matelar put away the cloth iron armors and temporarily sealed the production technique. Only when the Alliance ventured westward, obtaining a stable source of copper mines, would the cloth iron armor begin to be equipped, bringing surprise and profound despair to the next war target.
Next, the young man turned his gaze to the cloth paper armor, this new yet ancient inexpensive equipment, showing a sincere smile on his face.