After entering the twelfth lunar month, the weather has become colder. Although Taohuaji is located in the south, its geographical location is still to the north. It is not only invaded by the coldness of the north, but also by the humidity of the south of the Yangtze River, making it wet and cold, so damp and cold that it is bone-chilling.
Especially since there was a north wind blowing all night last night and a small shower of rain and snow in the middle of the night, it was even wetter and colder this morning.
When Zhu Ping'an was reviewing the morning exercises of the Zhejiang Army in the morning, he found that more than 30 soldiers were dragged out and beaten with military sticks by the inspection team because they were not wearing armor.
The Zhejiang Army's training rules stipulate that morning exercises require not only full armour, but also a load of 20 kilograms.
The reason for carrying an extra twenty kilograms of weight is that the Zhejiang Army currently does not have a complete set of armor, and most people can only wear half armor.
According to the military system, the full uniform of the Ming Dynasty regular frontier army weighed 88.5 jin, including the following: mail, skirt, arm guard and other equipment weighed 45 jin, helmet and head guard weighed 7 jin, neck guard and waist guard weighed 5 jin, bow and quiver weighed 10 jin, waist knife weighed 3.5 jin, caltrop bone weighed 3 jin, quiver weighed 1 jin, war hook and cotton leather clothes weighed 8 jin. All the equipment added up to exactly 88.5 jin.
The Zhejiang Army's armor is incomplete now. There are only 280 sets of mail armor, most of which are incomplete armor and simple cloth armor. They don't have arm guards, neck guards, waist guards, caltrops, etc. The Zhejiang Army's full armor weighs only about 40 kilograms, so an additional 20 kilograms of weight is added.
Are these soldiers not wearing armor because they think it's too heavy and they want to be lazy? !
no.
Zhu Ping'an noticed that although these soldiers were not wearing armor, they felt they were carrying an extra 30 kilograms of weight. While other armored soldiers carried 20 kilograms, they were carrying a full 50 kilograms.
"Why would you rather carry more weight than wear armor?"
Zhu Ping'an asked curiously. Judging from the fact that they consciously increased the weight, they were not being lazy because they thought the armor was heavy.
"Sir, it's not that we don't wear armor, but it's too cold. The armor is like ice, and it's unbearable to wear it on."
The soldier without armor rubbed his butt and replied with a look of grievance.
"Armor can save your life. If you don't wear armor because it's too cold on the battlefield, a single loss can cost you your life, and it will be too late to regret then. Ten days ago, Censor Hu led his troops to stop the Japanese pirates in the Cherry Orchard. It was because the soldiers thought it was too cold and their armor was too cold that they took off their armor to warm themselves by the fire. They were suddenly attacked by the Japanese pirates and suffered a crushing defeat, with more than half of them killed or wounded! The lesson from the past is still there. The blood in front of the Cherry Orchard hasn't dried yet, and you have forgotten the lesson?! You have to overcome the cold, it's better than losing your life!" Zhu Ping'an sternly taught them a lesson.
"Yes, your Excellency is right." The soldiers realized their mistakes and put on their armor on the spot, each of them grimacing due to the coldness of the armor.
So cold?!
With an attitude of seeking confirmation, Zhu Ping'an asked someone to bring him a set of iron helmet and armor, and put them on himself.
Damn!
It’s really cold!!! The moment the armor touched his body, all the hairs on Zhu Ping’an’s body stood up!
cold!
Very cold!
Zhu Ping'an now had a deeper understanding of Cen Shen's poem "The general cannot control his horn bow, and the protector general's iron armor is cold and hard to wear." The moment he put on the armor, he felt as cold as if he had entered an ice cellar.
No wonder they would rather carry more weight than wear armor. In this horrible weather, wearing armor is really a challenge!
Zhu Ping'an couldn't help but think about this.
A set of armor weighs 40 to 50 kilograms. Wearing armor in this kind of weather will make you freeze like a ghost. Although we are in the era of cold weapons, fire guns and bird guns are increasingly used on the battlefield. Many elite Japanese pirates are equipped with iron cannons (actually Japanese bird guns). Iron armor is seriously insufficient to protect against fire guns. Even heavy armor is vulnerable to fire guns. There is not much difference between wearing armor and not wearing armor. Considering this, wearing armor is not worth it.
But if you don't wear armor, it won't work. At this stage, cold weapons are still the main weapon, and armor still has strong protection against cold weapons.
Is there a way to have the best of both worlds?!
Zhu Pingan immediately started to think about whether there was any good way in history...
Oh, I remember now, cotton armor! It's cotton armor! Zhu Ping'an looked through history and the first thing he thought of was cotton armor.
Cotton armor began to appear in the Yuan Dynasty. At that time, there were only a small number of cotton armors, and the quality of cotton armor was not high. However, cotton armor has a relatively good buffering and protective performance against firearms, so it began to enter the historical stage.
In fact, during the Jiajing period, many armies of the Ming Dynasty were equipped with cotton armor, but the number was not large. It began to increase gradually during the Longqing period, and during the Chongzhen period, that is, in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, cotton armor began to be widely used. In the Qing Dynasty, the Manchus seized the cotton armor of the Ming army in the early days, and then became loyal supporters of cotton armor. After years of development, improvement and evolution, the Manchus determined cotton armor as standard equipment, and the shape was gradually fixed, divided into body armor, front crotch, armor sleeves, shoulder cape, left crotch and other parts. During the Qing Dynasty, the Qing army fought against the Dzungar Khanate and the Jinchuan Khanate, and cotton armor made great military achievements.
Don't think cotton armor is shabby and low-class just because you hear it. In fact, in terms of protection, cotton armor is better than iron armor. It is not only excellent in protection against firearms, but also in protection against cold weapons. The quality of mature cotton armor can achieve the goal of not absorbing water in the rain, not being cut through by a sharp blade, and not being penetrated by a musket!
Moreover, cotton armor has advantages that iron armor cannot match. First, cotton armor is warm, comfortable to wear, and restricts the soldiers' physical movements much less. Second, cotton armor is cheap. A set of composite cotton armor requires about seven or eight kilograms of cotton, with iron sheets as lining and copper nails as fixings. The cost is several times lower than that of iron armor, and the weight is also several times lighter than that of iron armor. In addition, cotton is grown everywhere in the Ming Dynasty, and the material is easy to obtain. Third, cotton armor is easy to maintain and durable, while iron armor is not. When it rains and the ground is wet, iron armor is easy to rust and is not durable. The carts of tattered armor pulled to the Linhuaihou naval camp are examples of this.
In addition, at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the whole of China fell into a small ice age. The weather was colder than usual, and even it snowed in Guangdong. The Ming Dynasty fought more wars in the north, where it was colder and cotton armor was more suitable.
The sooner cotton armor becomes popular, the better it will be for the Ming Dynasty's border troops and for the Ming Dynasty itself.
Cotton armor has a low cost. The cost of one set of iron armor can produce four or five sets of cotton armor. With a low cost, the armor-wearing rate will be high. With a high armor-wearing rate, the survival rate of the Ming army will be high, and the combat effectiveness on the battlefield will also be greatly improved.
Speaking of cotton armor, there is no doubt that the cotton armor from the later Qing Dynasty was of higher quality, and the production process was more practical and mature.
So, come out, Manchu cotton armor! Zhu Ping'an's eyes lit up and he made up his mind. The maturity and popularization of cotton armor will start with our Zhejiang Army!