It is actually understandable that Yang Duanhe insists on not distributing armor to the navy.
This should be said to be due to the imperfection of the Qin Law. It did not stipulate that after the troops were surrendered and formed an army, armor should be distributed as appropriate according to the situation.
Since there is no such provision in Qin law, it is illegal for Yang Duanhe to allocate it privately, and it is still illegal to allocate it to 3,000 navy soldiers on a large scale.
This is not because Qin did not have armor.
In fact, there were hundreds of thousands of suits of armor captured from Wei soldiers, not counting the mountains of brand new armor in the Daliang warehouse.
Although these armors are Wei armors that are different from Qin armors, they can be made into Qin armors with only slight modifications.
It is more than enough to distribute these armors to three thousand soldiers of the Navy.
The problem is that a series of problems will arise if armor is given to the untitled prisoners of the Wei army in the navy:
If the navy army can wear armor, does that mean other Wei army prisoners can also wear armor?
If prisoners of the Wei army who have no military merit can wear armor, does that mean that those of the Qin army who have no titles and first-level knights can also wear armor?
If the Qin army's non-nobles and first-level nobility still cannot wear armor, does that mean that their identity and status are not as good as those of the prisoners of the Wei army?
…
This is not only a problem that affects morale, but also a problem that may shake the Qin State's Twenty Army System.
You must know that these twenty military merit systems are the foundation of Qin's strength, so even Ying Zheng would not dare to violate them easily.
Therefore, Yang Duanhe could only consider giving the Navy more opportunities for actual combat so that they could be promoted to the rank of knight and equipped with armor in actual combat.
But Shen Bing knew that this was almost impossible.
It's easier for the sergeant, you only need to get the first enemy armor.
The problem is that if you want to wear armor, you need to make it at the second level.
In other words, at least six heads must be taken, and no mistakes can be made during this period.
How many battles will it take to achieve this?
If each member of the navy can get six heads and be the "first leader", then the navy of Chu State will be almost wiped out by the regiment!
Will the three thousand sailors still be alive by then?
I'm afraid that even if veterans are sacrificed and new recruits are added, they will never be able to obtain the second level knight.
Because the battlefield is not as simple as fighting one battle and taking a head, then fighting another battle and taking another head...
What if your head is taken by the enemy in the next battle?
What if we are at a disadvantage in the next battle and are surrounded and annihilated by the enemy?
I'm afraid the armor will be dead if I don't get it!
Shen Bing was a little frustrated.
If it's infantry or cavalry, that's it. If you don't have armor, you can think of surprise attacks and the like.
However, naval forces mostly use crossbows in combat, and the difference between those with armor and those without armor is huge.
The reason is that the navy is almost shooting at the enemy at close range. This may lead to a situation where we can shoot a few arrows at the enemy and the enemy can continue fighting, but the enemy can shoot me and be finished with one arrow.
How can we fight this battle?
I'm afraid they can't even defeat the guerrillas of the Chu Navy!
At this time, Wei Wei came into the account and reported:
"Captain, the navy warship has been built, please review it!"
The production of a wheeled warship is not complicated. It only takes one day for a craftsman to make it, and three days for a navy soldier to learn and make it.
But the irritated Shen Bing had no intention of controlling the ship at this time. He raised his head and said:
"Let them try it out for a day and then make it again after problems are discovered."
"Until a warship that meets the requirements can be built within one day!"
Wei Wei responded and retreated.
Shen Bing's request seems a bit harsh, because "it can be made in one day" at the speed of a craftsman.
But in fact this is not the case, because there is a problem of "practice makes perfect".
And every time you build a boat and test drive it, you find any problems, and then make targeted corrections and improvements. Only then can you truly know how to build a boat.
Shen Bing then brought his thoughts back to armor, armor...
Do we really have to wait until the beginning of next spring to upgrade the mobs before we can get the armor?
How many sets of armor can I get by then?
How much does it cost?
At this moment, an idea flashed in Shen Bing's mind:
Water battles mostly involve shooting with crossbows, right? In other words, the requirements for protection are not high, because the enemy is rarely slashed with swords and stabbed with spears.
On the other hand, it is very dangerous for navy soldiers to wear armor, because bronze armor can easily weigh dozens of kilograms, making it impossible to float even if you try to swim in the water, and you will drown if you try to swim.
This is also the reason why sailors generally equip leather armor...
Before, Shen Bing approached Yang Duanhe and sold the leather armor in the hope of getting the leather armor.
The requirements of cavalry are also the same.
For example: if he wears heavier bronze armor, it will be difficult for the rider to climb on the horse's back.
Another example: Wearing bronze armor is not suitable for riders to march long distances. After all, there are no stirrups or saddles. If the armor is too heavy, it will be difficult to maintain balance on the horse for a long time, which consumes a lot of physical strength for both man and horse.
Another example: the cavalry mainly needs to defend against enemy crossbows. The defensive power of leather armor is enough, and heavy armor is a waste. This is also the reason why cavalry in this era basically do not have heavy armor...
In an era without stirrups and saddles, heavy armored cavalry were basically looking for death on the battlefield.
In this case...
Why not use rattan armor?
Speaking of Vine Armor Shen Bing, I immediately think of the Vine Armor Soldiers from the Three Kingdoms period.
But in fact, there may not have been rattan armor during the Three Kingdoms period, and there were no records of rattan armor in history books until the Ming Dynasty.
Later generations analyzed that perhaps it was because the author Luo Guanzhong was from the Ming Dynasty, so he wrote that rattan armor was only available in the Ming Dynasty in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
No matter which dynasty or generation this rattan armor appears in, it is just right to have this thing.
And Shen Bing happened to remember how to make it:
"Soak fifty pounds of red vine in water for half a month in a stone trough, take it out to dry in the sun for three days, then put it back into the trough and add water."
"Soak it for one year, dry it in the sun, braid it according to the pattern, and make twenty pairs in total."
"The outside is made of tung oil, and the armor is light and strong, capable of separating arrows and blades. It is good for water and fire."
"And use this vine to make a hat, a helmet when facing the enemy, and prepare for rain when it is cloudy."
Having said so much, the key point is to make the rattan fiber:
First soak and then dry, then soak and then dry, and again soak and dry... This is to let the tender vine skin and vine flesh rot and turn into dust, and what is left is the tough vine fiber.
It takes a year to repeat this process before reaching the standard of armor making.
Weave it into armor and then apply tung oil... The purpose of applying tung oil is to prevent corrosion, and to reduce friction so that swords, guns, arrows, etc. will slip and reduce damage when struck by sharp edges.
There must be this raw material, red vine, all over the mountain.
It's just that the soaking time may not be enough.
But it doesn't seem to matter, because as mentioned before, Shen Bing and others will face a water battle, and most of them will have to defend against crossbows.
Therefore, this rattan armor only needs to be soaked a few times to prevent crossbow arrows.
The point is that it is light in weight and is very suitable for use by naval and cavalry troops. It can even float on the water... that is, soldiers who cannot swim don't have to worry about being drowned when wearing it.
Thinking of this, Shen Bing no longer hesitated and immediately called to the guards outside the door:
"come!"
Ren answered the door and entered.
Shen Bing ordered:
"Go quickly and collect fifty...no, one hundred catties of red vine!"