Shi Shouxin was affiliated with the Imperial Guard and was responsible for the safety of part of the imperial city.
Luo Youdu casually passed by his defense zone with eighty vehicles of equipment.
The jet-black leather armor shone brightly in the sun, and the bright weapons reflected the sun's rays.
Luo Youdu was like a peacock with its tail spread out, walking at the front of the convoy with the temperament of a nouveau riche.
In the squad barracks on the city wall, Shi Shouxin was giving a speech to his soldiers, asking them to put in their best efforts to stand guard at every shift and do well in every training.
The decision to march south to Huainan was no longer a secret among the core members of the army, and Shi Shouxin also received the news from Zhao Kuangyin.
As Han Lingkun achieved military merit first, he entered the top echelons of the military.
Generals including Shi Shouxin were unwilling to fall behind and were looking forward to performing well on the Huainan battlefield in order to gain a higher position.
This is especially true for Shi Shouxin himself.
His feud with Luo Youdu can be traced back to Wang Jixun, who has always been the first person to oppose Luo.
Originally, it was easy to explain that they had different paths, but now Luo Youdu had surpassed him with his military achievements. Whenever he thought of this, he felt like there was something stuck in his throat. He secretly made up his mind that he must fight bravely and strive to be the first in this southern expedition, and make meritorious deeds. In any case, he would not be worse than Luo Youdu, the commander-in-chief.
And there was Han Lingkun. When Shi Shouxin thought of this friend who had betrayed him after knowing him for ten years, he felt itchy and wanted to break up with him many times, but he couldn't say it out loud and couldn't bear to do it.
Listening to the noise outside, Shi Shouxin walked out of the classroom, looked down along the soldier's gaze, and saw Luo Youdu passing by the edge of the city with a smug look on his face.
His eyes fell on the armaments, and Shi Shouxin could not help but curse, "You bastard." Thinking of how he applied to the Military Equipment Supervisor for replacement of wear and tear, but was dismissed with a simple reply, "It can still be used after repair," he felt a surge of anger in his heart.
"That can't be a large lacquered leather armor!"
A low cry came from beside me.
Shi Shouxin looked back in disbelief. The dark red leather armor on the trucks was particularly dazzling. His eyes were red with envy and blood was oozing out. "It really is lacquered leather armor."
With the current smelting technology, lamellar armor is the best in terms of defense among soldiers' protective armor.
However, lamellar armor has two fatal weaknesses: one is that it is heavy, and the other is that it is expensive. Nearly a thousand pieces of armor protect the vital parts of the body, and a set weighs at least thirty kilograms, which is not conducive to soldiers' rapid marches, protracted combat and pursuit battles.
Of course, expensiveness is the most important factor.
The Great Zhou Dynasty is located in the Central Plains and has been plagued by wars for fifty years. In order to support their armies, warlords on all sides have regarded massacres and looting as daily practices.
It was only during the reign of Guo Wei that the country was able to have some rest and recuperation . It is true that Guo Rong was a wise ruler, but he was also a restless person who spent money like water and had no capital to popularize armor at all.
The next armor to come after is the lacquered leather armor.
The so-called lacquer leather armor is leather armor painted with layer upon layer of lacquer.
This thick paint is like a layer of hardened film on the leather armor. Don't underestimate this hardened film, it can effectively prevent damage from sharp objects, especially against weapons such as knives that can only chop but lack armor-piercing ability.
At the same time, lacquered leather armor is much lighter than lamellar armor. Its popularity in the army is even higher than that of lamellar armor.
The cost of lacquer leather armor is not expensive, but the production process is very complicated. In the Great Zhou Dynasty, only the Palace Front Division that protects Guo Rong is qualified to be equipped with a full set of lacquer leather armor.
The cavalry under Shi Shouxin's command were the elite troops in the Imperial Guard and were not qualified to be equipped with so many sets of lacquered leather armor.
The Imperial Barracks had less than a thousand soldiers, but they were equipped with more lacquered leather armor than Shi Shouxin. This kind of discriminatory treatment made Shi Shouxin furious. He gnashed his teeth and said, "Keep an eye on the movements of the soldiers of the Imperial Barracks. If they leave the imperial city, report immediately... I want to see if these hired workers are worthy of such good equipment."
Luo Youdu made a circle, gathered enough hatred, and came to the West Water Gate station in the imperial city.
Pan Mei strode forward and said, "Reporting to the commander-in-chief, the five hundred soldiers of the Imperial Camp are ready to stand by."
Luo Youdu dismounted and asked, "How is it?"
Pan Mei's eyes flashed with excitement, and he said, "I'm surprised, sir. If we give the students three months, this army will be ready for battle. There are a thousand people, and most of them are good candidates. It's a pity to only select five hundred of them."
This was pretty much what Luo Youdu had expected, as soldiers relied more on arm and waist strength in battle.
The porters at the dock work day and night, and have developed extraordinary arm and waist strength, making them natural strong soldiers.
He nodded and said, "You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry. You have to take it step by step. Do you have any special findings?"
Pan Mei said excitedly: "I found a man named Chang Side from Kaifeng. His physical strength is not inferior to Zhang Qiongdutou, but he only knows a few farming techniques. If we train him well and teach him the skills to kill the enemy, he will become a fierce general."
"Okay!" Luo Youdu is in great need of all kinds of talents now. As long as there is talent, it is worth cultivating: "Distribute these leather armors and weapons and let the soldiers put them on."
Pan Mei asked the soldiers to send the equipment to the garrison. When he saw the carts of lacquered leather armor, he couldn't help but ask, "Could it really be 500 sets of lacquered leather armor?"
Luo Youdu said: "Of course, I won't give any discount. All along my journey, the soldiers along the way were drooling with envy."
Pan Mei knew the effect and difficulty of making lacquer leather armor, and said with a wry smile: "Who wouldn't be jealous of this brand new lacquer leather armor?"
Luo Youdu blinked and said, "In order to make them feel worse, I even went around in a circle to amuse them."
“…”
Pan Mei didn't know how to answer for a moment. After thinking for a moment, he smiled bitterly and said, "Sir, are you really not afraid of causing trouble?"
Luo Youdu whispered, "Do you think if we develop honestly, we won't cause any trouble?"
Pan Mei remained silent. How could it be possible?
The emergence of the Imperial Camp Division was a challenge to the Palace Front Division and the Imperial Guard Division.
Even if the civil and military officials are not in conflict, neither side will be in a good mood.
Especially the current situation.
Luo Youdu said: " So , something will happen sooner or later. Instead of passively waiting for them to take action and being caught off guard, it is better to stimulate them and make the incident appear under control, so as to gain the upper hand. Today I staged a scene of a villain succeeding, and the next scene should be a scene of humiliating the Imperial Camp Division."
Pan Mei smiled knowingly and stopped asking questions.
With the master around, how can I suffer any loss?
The five hundred soldiers were all dressed in lacquered leather armor, and their weapons were distributed one by one.
The soldiers were wearing black and red leather armor. Five hundred soldiers, holding spears and swords on their waists, formed a neat military formation and stood quietly under the platform.
The brand-new armaments gave this new army a whole new look.