Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War

Orville would leave the rest of the matter to Cleopatra, and his attention returned to the military.

The iron smelting plant built near Alexandria is now basically completed and can be put into use. Horse-drawn carriages or transport ships will transport iron ore from various places and then smelt it centrally. The resulting pig iron will be used to cast agricultural tools or be refined again. At present, production capacity is slowly increasing.

Statistics on ancient iron production fluctuate greatly, but a few facts are certain - giant iron smelting furnaces can smelt more than one ton of iron at a time, and the metallurgical workshops of the Han Dynasty discovered in the real world may have dozens of iron smelting furnaces. If these If the furnaces are operated at full capacity, dozens of tons of pig iron can be produced every day. In a year, this ironmaking plant alone can produce nearly 10,000 tons of pig iron.

Obviously this is impossible, that's not how the accounts are calculated, because these iron smelting furnaces cannot always be loaded at full capacity, and may not even be open most of the time. A giant iron smelting workshop can Producing thousands of tons of iron would be an exaggeration, and Orville is also working hard in this direction.

The biggest problem is to solve the source of iron ore and ensure the stable supply of iron ore through the transportation network. The second is to solve the fuel problem. Egypt does not have that much firewood resources, so it has to import charcoal, firewood and other resources from the outside.

Orville nationalized several nearby iron mines and made those who committed crimes do hard work in mining. Orville used this method to increase the supply of iron ore with purchases. Under the guarantee of strong force, he finally had a stable resource. The methods of output, firewood and charcoal are similar. With the Mediterranean trade network running stably, it is not very difficult to buy what you need.

There is also the problem of the transportation network. In fact, river transportation can meet the demand to a large extent. Orville also asked the spared legions to lay provincial roads, which has basically solved the problem at this stage. The current supply of materials is enough for the entire refinery. The iron plant produces several tons or more of pig iron every day, and Orville is quite satisfied with this output.

Pig iron or refined iron will be transported to nearby arsenals or agricultural tool factories and further processed into usable tools. At present, Orville's own three legions basically do not need the support of the governor of Syria next door for equipment maintenance. The extra equipment can even be used to arm the new Egyptian army. Orville's purpose is not to be an arms dealer, he just needs to be self-sufficient.

——

After inspecting the arsenal, Orville took a boat to a small island.

The island is small in size, and the overall terrain is relatively gentle. There are some rough-looking but quite sturdy buildings built on it. Someone is waiting for Orville at the small temporary port. After seeing him get off the ship, they immediately greet him eagerly.

Orville raised his eyes slightly and glanced at him: "Are everything ready?"

"It's all ready, please go and see it!"

Orville and the other party walked into the interior of the island. Those low buildings were actually stables and craftsmen's workshops. This was a testing ground designated by Orville specifically for testing horse-related technologies and equipment.

The craftsman who had spent a lot of money to hire ran out excitedly and couldn't help but exclaimed: "It's wonderful! It's wonderful! Your Royal Highness, your fantastic ideas will probably redefine war!!"

There were several horses standing quietly behind him. The horses were covered with harnesses. They were different from the simple harnesses of this era. The equipment of these horses looked quite decent - basically high bridge saddles, stirrups, and horseshoes. It has everything, and it is simple but does not affect its use.

This is the big killer weapon that Orville has been holding back until this moment. The cavalry will be given more powerful impact by these tools. The true impact cavalry will appear on the stage of history, and even completely change the mode of war. .

In a sense, the traditional legion infantry was eliminated by these cavalry. The national finances cannot support the strong cavalry and at the same time support a large number of highly professional infantry. Of course, this is also related to other issues such as the quality of the soldiers. The decline was relevant, but Orville did feel that the cavalry would be the master of future wars.

Egypt was a relatively passable place that could train a considerable number of cavalry. After his control of Egypt was basically stable, Orville began to think about cavalry training and expansion.

Some thoughts flashed through his mind, and Orville calmly told the craftsman: "You all understand the importance of this matter. The reality of the weak Roman cavalry will be completely changed, and we will lead a battle wave.

Therefore, this matter must be kept strictly confidential. Once this new technology spreads, the Franks or Parthians will be able to plagiarize our results. By then, the technological advantages we have established will be gone once again.

So until I prepare a strong enough force, I hope you will be patient. The restrictions on your freedom will not last long. When everything is over, I guarantee that you will gain honor and wealth. "

Cleopatra provided a lot of support for his plan, but it was still done secretly. Orville did not intend to reveal his trump card too early. This decisive force was used to fight decisive battles. The imaginary enemy could be the Parthians, the Germans, or even the Senate. In short, the new cavalry must gain something for the first time, so that some opponents can be awakened at once.

Before the trump card is unveiled, confidentiality is a must, so Orwell cannot let these people out for the time being. The production of saddles is actually more of a problem of ideas. It is not particularly difficult technically. It is easy for other nations to imitate it, so it cannot be let others know.

The craftsman nodded repeatedly in understanding: "No problem, Your Highness, we all understand your concerns and we can fully accept your arrangements. We just hope that you can provide us with enough materials. Now our enthusiasm is very high, and the materials for making saddles are a bit out of stock."

These craftsmen have been with Orwell for some years, and Orwell has never treated them badly. Even now, except for the restrictions on freedom, all aspects of material supply are very generous, so they naturally will not be suspicious and worry that Orwell will kill the donkey after it has done its job. On the contrary, they are quite willing to work hard for the interests of the country and Orwell.

Orville had just finished inspecting the camp and had not yet had time to take a boat back to the Governor's Palace when another small boat came ashore and landed on the island. The person who got off was the secretary Agricola, who said he had something important to inform Orville: Domitia had come to Egypt from Athens and was now staying at the port.