My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 40 Make money, make money~
After making the judgment that the mail armor was useless, Old Craftsman Qin did not forget to pass the silk cloth in his hand to the apprentices and nephews beside him.

After all the craftsmen passed it around in turn, they nodded one after another, indicating that they agreed with Old Craftsman Qin's conclusion. Liu Rong stopped what he wanted to say.

——This time, it was Liu Rong's turn to stay where he was with a confused face.

Chicken ribs?

Is chain mail useless? ? ?

Chain armor, which has been active in the history of human warfare for thousands of years and is known as the 'expensive second life', is actually useless?
In sharp contrast to Liu Rong's doubtful astonishment, Old Craftsman Qin finally recovered from the previous shock and had a kind smile on his face.

"Sir, maybe you don't know the armor my Han family wears, as well as the common fighting methods, right?"

"How about I let this old man explain something to the young master?"

After asking softly, Liu Rong still didn't recover from his astonishment. Old Craftsman Qin took a deep breath and started talking to himself.

"Nowadays, in our Han family, all the armor that is not measured by 'three or two', but can be used to carry thousands of soldiers, is mostly made of zhajia."

"Zhajia is hard armor, made of tanned cowhide, cut into square pieces, and then sewn with cloth as the base."

"Since it is hard armor, it can protect against stabs and cuts with sharp blades, as well as injuries from blunt objects. Of course, as hard armor, it also makes it difficult for the wearer to move."

"——Therefore, in my Han family, most of the people who wear armor are talented officials and have huge shields."

···
"During the war, the officers and soldiers were dressed in armor and holding giant shields, and lined up in front; the men with halberds and spears stabbed between the giant shields, and the bows and crossbows were thrown into the sky from behind."

"As for holding a sword and fighting against the enemy, it is a melee after the formation is broken;"

"Even if it's a melee, there's no need to think about armor and weapons."

"——Because in a melee, soldiers are often the most eye-catching, and they are also the most likely to be trapped in a tight siege and eventually die of exhaustion."

"The former overlord Xiang Yu died on the banks of the Wu River. What kind of armor is there in the world that can make a soldier more powerful and brave than the overlord?"

As he spoke, Old Craftsman Qin turned his head sideways with a smile, looked at Liu Rong, and at the same time handed over the silk cloth with the chainmail painted on it.

"This mail armor is soft armor."

"Compared with hard armor such as Zhajia, it can indeed make soldiers more flexible, and it has the same ability to defend against sharp weapons as hard armor."

"——But being unable to protect against blunt objects is a common problem with all soft armor, and this mail armor is no exception."

"Weapons that can kill people on the battlefield include not only sharp weapons such as knives, swords, spears, and spears, but also blunt weapons such as hammers, sticks, melons, and maces."

"During a siege, there will be rolling logs and flying stones; when encountering cavalry, you will even be hit and trampled by horses."

"Considering these, it is not difficult to conclude that soft armor is actually of little use on the battlefield."

Speaking of this, Liu Rong finally recovered from his confusion.

He turned his head and glanced at Old Craftsman Qin beside him, then lowered his head and looked at the piece of silk cloth.

After a long silence, he finally digested Old Craftsman Qin's words. Liu Rongfang tentatively said, "Qin Gong said that soft armor is not suitable for the battlefield."

"That……"

Speaking of this, Old Jiang Qin's attitude towards Liu Rong has already undergone earth-shaking changes.

If before, when I heard that the emperor had asked the eldest son to come to the Young Mansion, Old Craftsman Qin thought this was a joke by the prince's children, then after seeing Liu Rong's pieces of silk, Old Craftsman Qin was already sure: Liu Rong, absolutely Not messing around.

Although I still don’t know what the objects on the other pieces of silk are used for, the craftsman’s intuition tells Old Craftsman Qin that if any of those things are made, they will be comparable to those legendary things in "The Book of Lu Ban" Comparable!

Even this mail armor is not Liu Rong's whim, but a soft armor that is meaningful and functional.

Combining everything here, he knew that Liu Rong was not fooling around, but really wanted to do something, and indeed had the ability to do it. Old Craftsman Qin's attitude towards Liu Rong was naturally much kinder than before. Seeing Liu Rong ask another question, he immediately answered him: "Soft armor is mostly used by princes, nobles, and military generals to prevent stabbings."

"Compared to the ever-changing battlefield, assassins mostly use short blades to attack vital parts, and most of the time, they only have one chance to take action."

"Only at this time can soft armor be of maximum use, protecting the armor's vital points and buying the armor's reaction time."

"And this mail armor must be the toughest type of soft armor I have ever seen in my life..."

"It's a pity that the cost is too high..."

Knowing that the 'big killer' he took out was not completely useless, and receiving half-truth and half-false praise from Old Craftsman Qin, Liu Rong was somewhat comforted.

Taking a deep breath, he stopped worrying too much and said calmly, "That being the case, why don't you bother Duke Qin to make a piece of mail armor?"

"——Earlier, I asked for a hundred kilograms of fried steel from Master Cen, and the mail armor I made weighed sixty kilograms each."

"With these hundred kilograms of fried steel, coupled with Qin Gong's unparalleled achievements, it is easy to build a piece of mail armor?"

Seeing that Liu Rong had finally adjusted from the slightly downcast and disappointing mood before, Old Craftsman Qin nodded in agreement and couldn't help but secretly nod his head again and again.

——Able to pick up, put down, and see;

The eldest son of the emperor is not simple...

"That's it for now."

"I'll ask Duke Qin to do it himself. The dimensions will be according to my father's specifications."

"I'll think about it carefully when I go back: In addition to this soft chain armor, what else can I make to help the ancestral temple and the country?"

Seeing Liu Rong stand up, all the craftsmen who were squatting on the ground also stood up one after another, and all looked at Liu Rong with admiration.

——For these craftsmen, the children of princes are untouchable nobles;

But a prince's son who is proficient in craftsmanship, especially a prince's son at the level of the emperor's eldest son, is a person worthy of sincere admiration.

Liu Rong didn't pay much attention to the changes in the eyes of the craftsmen looking at him.

However, what Mr. Qin said next gave Liu Rong a clearer direction soon after his "unfavorable start".

"I looked at the few drawings you made, and most of them are like rootless apples - either no one in today's world has the skills to do it, or the Han Dynasty today doesn't have the tools to make those things."

"I just heard from the young master that he wanted to do something because there may be drastic changes in Guandong..."

"——The old man dares to advise you: Master, don't worry too much about weapons such as chain and soft armor."

"Although our Han family doesn't have many armored soldiers now, compared with the local soldiers, they can be said to be fully equipped with armor and sharp swords."

···
"If you really want to do something to help the ancestral temple, the country, and your majesty, you might as well start with money."

"Making something that is easy to find, easy to make, and can be sold at a high price is what you should do, and it is also relatively easy to do."

"Whether it's making a piece of armor for the ancestral temple or the country, or finding a way to make money for the Shaofu's internal funds, it's all the same to the young master."

"——They are all sharing the worries of the king and father, and serving the ancestral temple and the country..."

Hearing what Old Craftsman Qin said, Liu Rong couldn't help but be slightly startled;
Liu Rong lowered his head to think for a moment, then raised his head to look at Mr. Qin's meaningful and even insightful eyes. Liu Rong finally smiled.

"Boy, be taught."

"Qin Gong stays."

(End of this chapter)