Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

Except for a very small number that were preserved for seed,

The rest were used to reward the empress and ministers.

Officials of the Ming Dynasty today

The experimental fields of the Agricultural Promotion Office were called "Imperial Garden".

They were proud to be able to eat the fruits and vegetables from the "Imperial Garden".

Further ahead is Jinming Pond.

It is completely free to enter around the Dragon Boat Festival.

Ordinary people can also see many lively programs.

Now, however, it will be closed for two months.

Because the emperor often brought his wife and children here to row boats and cool off.

Arriving at the parking lot of Jinmingchi,

Zhao Yuan said, "I'm going to the southeast suburbs."

"Alright, remember to come back to Jinmingchi for dinner," Wen Huanzhang reminded him.

Zhao Yuan's many wives, concubines, and children,

They are all currently escaping the summer heat at Jinmingchi.

It's much cooler here than in the palace.

Take a few guards with you.

Zhao Yuan galloped along on horseback.

They soon arrived at the ordnance testing ground in the southeastern suburbs (the gunpowder factory was also nearby).

This area used to be a mass burial ground.

Anyone can be buried here.

Later, Cai Jing turned it into a cesspool.

This refers to an official charitable cemetery.

If you want to bury it again, you'll have to go through the procedures and get the necessary paperwork done.

After all, this is Cai Xianggong's political achievement.

Everything must meet the standards and be beautiful.

Zhao Yuan dismounted.

Two administrative officials,

He came to greet them with a group of court entertainers.

Several pieces of weaponry that underwent repeated experiments and improvements.

It was placed on a table in the open space.

Zhao Yuan first picked up a cloth-faced armor and asked:

"How's the effect?"

Peng Xiu, the chief officer of the ordnance testing plant, said:

"The cost was almost halved,"

"It also takes less time."

"Lighter weight, stronger defense,"

"And they're not afraid of the rope being cut,"

"It's also more convenient for routine maintenance."

"The only drawback is that the fabric becomes severely damaged afterward,"

"The riveting needs to be redone."

Chapter 3125 Armor Quality

The phrase "severely damaged" here refers to...

There's no way to sew up the seams anymore.

Otherwise, even if the fabric is chopped into mop-like shapes...

It can still be mended and patched.

Zhao Yuan picked up the cloth armor and tried it on.

He said to Bai Sheng, "Cut me with your sword."

Bai Sheng's smile froze: "Your Highness, why don't you let me wear the armor?"

"Go ahead and cut me with a knife."

Peng Xiu quickly replied, "Your Highness, this armor has been verified repeatedly."

"Lameliad armor and cloth armor can be used,"

"They were all wrapped around the bodies of the slaughtered, fat pigs,"

"Then we'll compare the cuts with knives and the thrusts with spears."

Cloth armor, with an outer layer of padded jacket.

Large armor plates were riveted inside.

Its defensive capabilities are stronger than lamellar armor.

Lighter than lamellar armor,

It's warmer than lamellar armor.

The production cost is much lower than that of lamellar armor.

However, it has a very big drawback.

When officialdom was corrupt,

It's easier to cut corners and not be detected than lamellar armor!

Furthermore, this thing is inconvenient to make into heavy armor.

It's best to make it into light armor and medium armor.

Last year, when I replaced the large plates on my lamellar armor...

Zhao Yuan then decided to make cloth armor.

As long as the smelting level is sufficient

Cloth armor is the top choice for massing troops.

It truly offers high-quality products at low prices, with large quantities to satisfy all cravings.

After cotton is produced in large quantities,

Of course, you can also make cotton nails.

However, cotton armor is much more expensive.

Zhao Yuan had someone bring him a set of cloth armor.

Piercing the wooden stakes in the drill ground,

He then ordered several guards to shoot arrows.

More than thirty arrows were shot in total.

The vast majority were bounced off.

Or hang it on a cloth.

Its defensive capabilities are indeed very strong.

Zhao Yuan then looked at another weapon on the table—the Thunderclap Bomb!

The earliest historical record of similar weapons,

It appeared in Taiyuan, Shanxi during the late reign of Emperor Shizong of Jin.

A hunter named Li Tie,

Gunpowder was stuffed into a clay pot and a fuse was installed.

The explosion startled the fox pack.

Drive the fox into the net and then capture it.

The Jin people, on this basis,

They invented a metal bomb called the "Iron Cannon".

The Southern Song Dynasty also quickly adopted this approach.

It was renamed "Thunderclap".

When the Mongol army attacked Kaifeng...

The Jin soldiers used thunderclap bombs.

The bombing once deterred the Mongol soldiers from approaching the city walls.

Destroy the Jin Dynasty

The Mongols also learned how to make bombs.

By the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties,

Bombs have been used in all sorts of creative ways.

There are even records of landmines being used during the Jingnan Campaign.

This is Peng Xiu, the ordnance manufacturing officer.

Holding a spherical bomb in both hands,

With a twist, just a bit of force

It can be easily broken down into two bowl-shaped structures.

The gunpowder inside,

It was wrapped up.

It won't easily scatter.

Zhao Yuan examined it carefully.

The joint was fitted with a wedge groove and a slip fastener.

It can be opened or closed quickly.

"Cast entirely of pig iron,"

"The cost isn't very high,"

Peng Xiu explained,

"Including the gunpowder, this thunderbolt weighs four pounds and three ounces."

Zhao Yuan said, "How do we throw this out?"

"It's too heavy!"

Peng Xiu said, "Throw them down when defending the city."

"Or, use artillery to launch it."

"A cannon weighing several pounds,"

"It can be launched with a very small pingyi cannon (huihui cannon)."