The protective testing of new cotton armor begins.
Draped on a wooden model, I first used a flash cap to test it.
From fifty meters to two hundred meters, the bullet completely penetrated.
From two hundred meters to three hundred meters, the bullet penetrated the front, but did not penetrate, and the wood was intact.
From 300 to 400 meters, only the front fabric of the cotton armor was damaged.
Four hundred meters away, the front side of the cotton armor was not damaged.
Tests have shown that the new cotton armor has the ability to protect flash cap guns...
Basically useless.
If you can't protect yourself from bullets within fifty to two hundred meters, it means you have no protection.
But the problem is that only the new army in the world uses flash cap guns!
Next is the flintlock musket.
Within fifty meters, the cotton armor was penetrated.
From fifty meters to a hundred meters, the cotton armor was not penetrated.
More than a hundred meters away, the cotton armor was safe and sound.
This result greatly satisfied everyone.
This is still a flintlock gun made in Shandong. Its quality and effectiveness are nowhere better than those of the same era.
Even Shandong's flintlock guns are powerless against the new cotton armor at fifty paces, which is enough to prove the excellence of this cotton armor.
The experiment with bows and arrows was also quite surprising.
Ordinary riding bows cannot penetrate cotton armor beyond ten meters, and the heavy arrows used by the Jurchens also need to penetrate within twenty meters.
The walking bow doubles the distance.
But the problem is that this distance is completely within the coverage of the New Army's muskets.
The cavalry charged at full speed and stabbed with long iron spears. The cotton armor had no protection at all and was directly pierced.
But the problem is, facing such a cavalry attack, let alone cotton armor, even mountain armor cannot defend it.
However, the cavalry's saber could not cut through the cotton armor. It would only create a long gash in the front, causing cotton wool to fly, but it would not hurt anyone.
This is a steel saber produced in Shandong.
If they were to face Mongolian or Arab cavalry, they would basically have nothing to do with cotton armor.
After the overall test, the new cotton armor has a very good protective effect in addition to heavy weapons. It is also easy to wear and does not affect tactical movements. It is definitely a weapon for protection.
"The Equipment Department must step up production and equip the entire army as soon as possible."
Zuo Dai was very happy.
Those who work on equipment are happiest when the equipment they develop is recognized by the military.
Zuo Dai took out the second, more important thing.
That's the helmet.
"Commander, everyone, this new helmet is made of steel, and its protective capabilities are several times that of the original helmet."
The new helmet created by the equipment department is still a flying saucer hat.
The difference is that the original wrought iron has been changed to steel. It is lighter and thinner, but the protection is even higher.
Although there is nothing you can do about being hit by heavy weapons such as hammers, sticks, axes, etc., you are definitely not afraid of being cut by a knife or stabbed by a sword.
As for bows and arrows, even Hou Jin's heavy arrows could not be penetrated.
This new type of helmet is made of integral stamping and molding.
The thin steel plate is placed on the mold, then a heavy forging hammer is dropped, and after several repeated stampings, it is finally formed.
If you are willing to invest the cost and tap the brim of the helmet, you will get a German third helmet, which is the kind worn by shotgun troops.
But ordinary troops don't need this, a flying saucer hat is enough.
Zuo Mengeng picked it up and inspected it carefully, and found that the craftsmanship of the new helmet was almost the same as that of later generations.
After stamping, the surface is sprayed with glaze and color to make the helmet and military uniform have the same color.
The helmet also has a cotton lining inside, and holes are drilled on both sides to install tethers, which can be tied to the chin to fix it.
Ordinary New Army soldiers wear the same military cap and dress uniform cap.
The difference is that the hat is not fixed with a frame. Therefore, after wearing it a few times, it will become soft and floppy.
Although it doesn't look good, it definitely doesn't cut corners.
The soft top of the hat is designed to match the helmet.
During combat, soldiers only need to pick up their helmets and fasten them directly on their caps.
There is no need to take off the general's hat and put it away, then put on the helmet.
This suddenly saves procedures and is more conducive to combat.
The third thing Zuo Dai took out was completely designed by Zuo Mengeng.
The canvas fabric, which is about calf length, is formed into a tube shape, and the joints are covered with dense holes, with ropes running back and forth between them.
Zuo Dai picked it up and put it directly on his calf to demonstrate to everyone.
"This is called leggings, and it is used to replace straps. When marching long distances, the effect of using this is the same as straps, but it is very convenient to wear."
After Zuo Dai put the leggings on his calf, he grabbed the end of the rope and pulled hard. The originally loose leggings tightened around his calf.
And he only needs to tie the pulled rope and complete all the steps.
This is much faster than the straps used by soldiers in the past.
Band-tying is a technical job in the military and requires repeated practice to be able to do it well.
Now with leggings, it is not only more comfortable, but also faster, greatly reducing the soldiers' heavy tasks.
Zuo Menggeng called a soldier and asked him to put on all the equipment on the spot.
New combat uniforms, new leather boots, and cotton armor.
They were obviously fully armed, but they didn't feel as bloated as before, and the soldiers looked very neat.
"Commander, I feel so comfortable."
Wearing new equipment, the soldier was very happy. He ran around and assumed various postures without any hindrance.
"continue."
Soldiers now have leggings, backpacks, helmets and weapons.
After the backpack is filled with items, it weighs almost 20 kilograms. But because it is integrated into a backpack, the soldier does not feel heavy.
Not only that, there is a cassette on the outside of the backpack.
After being put into the bag, the engineer shovel that is not usually used can just be inserted inside without affecting the movement of the soldiers.
"Commander, you see, we have specially designed the cotton armor here and added buckles. When fighting, the soldiers can take out the grenade belt and hang it directly here."
The New Army's grenades were carried in strips of cloth.
It used to be hung on the belt, but now that there are cotton armors, the belt has been cancelled.
Zuo Dai thought of the front and added some buckles on the front and outside of the cotton armor.
The grenade belt is hung on top and drooped on the left side of the abdomen, but it still does not affect the movement.
The bayonet is hung on the left waist and the bullet box is hung on the right waist. They are both very convenient positions.
In this way, a fully armed New Army soldier is completed.
The generals circled around the soldiers, praising them one after another.
"Good guy, you can get a lot of money for such a piece of equipment, right?"
Zuo Dai rubbed his nose and felt pain in his body.
"In total, the cost is forty-five taels of silver."
"Oh my God, doesn't that 100,000-strong army cost nearly 5 million taels?"