The first set of rattan armor was made a month later.
At this time, the red vine has only been soaked in the sun for a month. Only the surface layer has become fibrous, and the vine flesh is still inside.
It can be imagined that the further in, the harder it is to soak in the sun, and the more difficult it is to form fibrosis.
More than 300 basket weavers were recruited there. If we take ten days to weave one set of armor, then weaving three thousand sets of armor would take one hundred days, which is about three months.
Shen Bing made a plan:
It is obviously unrealistic to wait for the red vine to soak for several months before starting construction.
Because it will be the beginning of next spring and the navy of the Chu Kingdom will also start to move. Once the war starts, we can't let the enemy wait until our navy's armor is ready before fighting, right?
Therefore, the sooner the armor is compiled, the better.
As for Akato, he has not yet reached the standard for armor weaving... This problem is not difficult to solve, and the armor that has been weaved can also enter the soaking process.
It’s just that it’s not as convenient to soak and dry as rattan.
For example, the rattan can be stuffed into a large bucket for soaking, and you don't have to worry about any part of it being blocked from the sun.
After making the armor, you have more space to soak it and you have to worry about deformation. In addition, you have to dry it to make it even.
However, Shen Bing lacked time rather than manpower, so of course he had to choose to do this.
If there is any impact, it is that the vine beetles will shrink as a whole after being soaked in the sun due to the decay of impurities.
Shen Bing asked Jing and other craftsmen to make the armor one size larger according to the standard, so that after it was shrunk, it would be almost the size of standard armor.
Shen Bing tried on the armor and felt quite satisfied with it, mainly because it was light and breathable, and it didn't feel as heavy as bronze armor when worn.
What's more important is that it only uses half the weight to have a cape, a helmet and even a mask, which can protect almost all vital points.
Shen Bing put the armor on a wooden figure and tried it. There was no problem with protecting it from bows and crossbows, and sword blows only made a few scratches on its surface.
Shen Bing believes that in addition to the fibrosis and hardening of rattan armor, this is also related to its flexibility: because it is flexible, it can be cushioned and there will be a process of unloading force.
But this is not as good as the defense against piercing weapons such as spears and halberds.
Shen Bing asked Ren to try the gun, and at least one-third of the gun tip could penetrate.
But then again, even bronze armor cannot withstand puncture wounds.
So Shen Bing no longer hesitated and immediately began to weave his armor in this style.
In addition, Shen Bing also asked:
"Can we speed up the armor formation or recruit more people?"
"The navy can't wait any longer."
No wonder Shen Bing was anxious.
As the saying goes, be prepared. No one knows when the war will begin. Of course, the sooner you equip yourself with armor, the better.
He was embarrassed and replied:
"The captain doesn't know something."
"Weaving armor is not like weaving baskets. The warps and wefts need to be intertwined and tied tightly, otherwise there will be flaws."
Shen Bing understands this.
Basket weaving can use the vertical structure as the main weaving horizontal lines, that is, the vertical and horizontal lines are sparse and dense.
After all, baskets are used to hold soil, and they don't need to be too tight.
This cannot be done with armor weaving. For example, the horizontal lines are dense and the vertical lines are sparse. The enemy only needs to level the sword edge to penetrate the human body through the gaps between the horizontal lines.
Therefore, it must have the same longitude and latitude and be tightly intertwined to form a dense network, so as to better distribute the force on certain places and block the sword edge outside the armor.
The sutra goes on to say:
"If the common people summon all the basket weavers from Daliang, there may be more than a thousand people."
"But the formation of armor is a major matter for the military and the country. The common people dare not neglect it, so only those with superb skills can be selected."
"If we want to speed up the process, we can't guarantee that everything will be of high quality!"
It is not unreasonable to say so.
In particular, armor is related to the psychology and morale of soldiers.
If a few pieces of armor are penetrated by enemy crossbows... it will cause everyone to not believe in the protection of the rattan armor, which will cause psychological pressure and even affect morale.
Therefore, it makes sense to ensure quality first and then pursue quantity out of caution, otherwise there is no point in increasing quantity.
After thinking for a while, Shen Bing asked:
"Sir, is the difficulty of weaving different parts of the armor different?"
He nodded and answered:
"It's different."
"Among them, the helmet is the most difficult because it has an odd shape and has two layers, upper and lower, and it also needs to be waterproof."
"The next thing is the mask and the shawl. The half-moon shape of the shawl can be rolled up if you are not careful."
"And armor and vine shield are relatively easier..."
This is easy to understand. The shapes of armor and vine shields are regular, and there is not much technical difficulty. They are repeated over and over again, so although they are large in area, they are easier to compile.
This is also one of the reasons why most of the bronze armors equipped by the Qin army did not have shoulders.
In addition, wearing a shirt does not add much protection, but it consumes no less labor and time than armor, which is obviously not cost-effective.
After thinking for a while, Shen Bing asked again:
"If that's the case, why don't I give my armor and shield to artists who are not skilled in their skills?"
"And the three hundred artists you lead specialize in making helmets, shawls and other items?"
Hearing this, Jing said "Huh", then nodded and said:
"This method is feasible, but I never thought of it..."
Unexpectedly and not surprisingly, most of the craftsmen in this era were small handicraft workshops, and no matter how difficult or difficult it was, they were all done by one person.
If we divide the labor and cooperate, handing over the difficult tasks to skilled workers and the easy tasks to beginners, wouldn't it be possible to maintain both quality and quantity?
However, I still have concerns:
"Colonel, if we finish compiling these three thousand armors in a short period of time, wouldn't it be..."
He didn't finish what he said next, and his expression was a little awkward.
However, Shen Bing still understood the meaning of these words.
It turns out that I still have some selfish motives:
If all the artists in the city were recruited to divide the labor and cooperate in the assembly line to make armor, it is estimated that 3,000 sets could be produced in more than a month.
But what happens after these three thousand sets of armor are made?
Will these people lose their jobs?
Are you going back to weaving baskets again?
Although weaving armor doesn't cost much more than weaving baskets...it costs three more per day.
The problem is that weaving armor is stable, but weaving baskets has no tomorrow.
So after considering it from his point of view, he hoped to extend the time. It would be best for a few of them to do all the work slowly.
Shen Bing couldn't help but laugh:
"My father-in-law, please take it easy."
"Armor and the like are bound to be lost in every battle. In addition, the navy also needs some inventory."
"Besides, this batch of armor is only for emergency use."
"Formal equipment still requires rattan armor that has been soaked in the sun for a year."
Anyway, for Shen Bing, money is just a matter of making a few pieces of paper, so why not prepare a few more sets of armor?
My eyes immediately lit up:
"The captain is saying that the subsequent maintenance, repair and production of these armors will be left to the common people?"
Shen Bing replied:
"Of course."
Then he added:
"But I have to ensure the quality, otherwise..."
Jing quickly replied:
"Captain, you can rest assured."
"It's a matter of life and death for navy soldiers. Do ordinary people dare not ignore it?"
"If the captain has any dissatisfaction, he can accuse the common people."