Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War

Just out of basic respect for the royal family members, Muqinus still showed the equipment to the other party, but he did not expect that there was really some secret in it.

The heavy javelins originally used by the Romans were actually very delicate. They were not simply a wooden pole with a metal spearhead attached to it. It was a cost-saving method in the Middle Ages. The javelins they used were specially designed.

A 1.4-meter-long wooden pole is connected to a slender iron rod. The end of the metal rod is a tapered sharp spear head to prevent the enemy from recycling it. Once it hits the target, the metal rod will bend, and even if the enemy pulls it out, it cannot be thrown back.

This heavy javelin is very heavy, about two meters long, and its range is generally only twenty meters, but its penetration and damage are terrible, and it is almost tailor-made for the Mediterranean environment.

The main body of the war here is almost all elite heavy infantry. The first two rounds of javelins fired before the battle, as long as the target is not killed or maimed, even if it does not hit the opponent's body and just embeds the opponent's shield, it can be regarded as achieving the goal.

This kind of javelin is very difficult to pull out and is too heavy. If a soldier holds a shield with a javelin embedded in it, he will be exhausted after a short time and may even destroy his balance. The final result was often that they had to throw away their shields, which was very disadvantageous in hand-to-hand combat. The Roman legionnaires all had large shields for protection.

The combination of a large shield, short sword and javelin is very useful against enemies near the Mediterranean. It has no obvious shortcomings. The javelin can also be used as a short spear when necessary. It will not suffer a big loss against any enemy, so Rome The Legion has been using it for a long time and has continued to modify it on this basis.

But when facing enemies outside the Mediterranean world, this equipment can sometimes be blinding, such as facing the Parthians.

They have more cavalry, and their bows and arrows have stronger penetrating power, and can penetrate the soldiers' thick shields. The original javelins of the Romans were used to deal with heavy infantry. They usually only carried two javelins. The error tolerance was low, and the range was also very worrying. They could not reach the Parthian horse archers at all.

In response to this situation, the Romans improved the javelin. Orwell came up with this improvement plan in advance and copied the work of future generations.

The length of the new javelin that appeared in front of Muchinus has not shrunk much, it is still about two meters, but it has become significantly lighter and thinner. A weighted metal ball has been added to the handle for balance, and the shape of the spear head has also changed. It changed from a conical shape to a barbed arrow shape.

Seeing that Muqinus' eyes became more serious, Orville continued: "After our tests, it is no problem for an ordinary legionnaire to throw this thing forty or fifty meters, which means that the range is doubled. Considering Our enemies do not have that kind of full-body shield. We changed the shape of the spear head into a barbed arrow shape that is easier to get stuck in the flesh. If it hits a Parthian horse, it will not fall off easily. ”

Mucinus stepped forward and picked up a javelin, weighed it in his hand, and repeatedly made throwing movements to test the change in center of gravity: "Can you carry four?"

"Yes, you can usually carry four. However, considering that this kind of javelin is lighter and smaller, it is normal to carry more on the supply truck."

Mucinus took two steps and made a standard throwing posture. The javelin flew forward for almost sixty meters. It was obvious that this general was still young.

He began to think seriously: "How much does it cost? Is it difficult to do?"

"It is slightly cheaper than the heavy javelin, and the technical difficulty is not at all for qualified craftsmen. It is almost the same as the original javelin."

"Is there anything else you want to show me?"

Orville pointed to several shields on the table in front: "I captured the Parthian compound bows during the battle at Parphi. As long as they are close enough, these bows and arrows can penetrate the shields. Our current shields are for The protective area sacrifices the protective ability, so I’m wondering whether to make any more trade-offs.”

Orville liked Rome's iconic square shield very much. It looked very safe, but this kind of shield was designed more for close combat with cold weapons rather than to resist arrow rain.

It is impossible to make such a large single-person shield very thick. The soldiers will be exhausted from holding the shield when marching or forming a formation, let alone fighting hand-to-hand with others.

He made some oval-shaped long shields, which were a little different from the cheap single-layer wooden shields in the late empire. These were made of multiple layers of wooden boards. They were thicker but had a smaller protective area, and could completely block the Parthians. bow and arrow.

Mucinus frowned this time: "Then this kind of shield cannot completely protect the soldiers' legs and feet, but will become a weakness."

"I also realize this, so I think it is not impossible to use it with greaves, or simply increase the protective area of ​​the soldiers' chainmail. This kind of equipment can better protect the lives of our soldiers, and every legionnaire All were Roman citizens, fathers, sons, and husbands.

In addition, since the area of ​​​​the shield has been reduced, I think there is more room for the sword to move. We can increase the length of the dagger, allowing us to better deal with the Parthian cavalry. "

Mucinus's eyes turned to appreciation: "You are right. I think you have really convinced me. I understand why Vespa adopted you as his adopted son. You are indeed very smart. The design of the javelin is very exquisite. We are using it better now. I will have a good talk with Vespa and ask him to allow the Eastern Army to change to this kind of javelin.

As for the shield and armor, what you said is still right, and it coincides with my idea, but now is not the time to do these things. First of all, we don't have the money to replace all the troops in the eastern provinces with new shields and greaves. Secondly, if you use the combination of large shield and short sword, you will have to reform the training system of the Roman army.

I personally support you, but this matter has great resistance, and it is not something that you, me or Vespa can just talk about. So wait until the situation stabilizes, or you use some method to get results to prove it, and I will support you at that time. If I die, my son will also support you in this matter. This is the right way for us to deal with the Parthians. "

Orville didn't want to reform the Roman army's equipment training system at this time. The only thing he wanted to give to Mucinus was the javelin. If he didn't bring it up, the Romans would sooner or later change to this javelin after a few decades, and anyone with a little military literacy could see that this javelin was more suitable for dealing with the Parthians, so there would be no resistance.

He took the initiative to bring up the shield, armor and long sword, in fact, to win the support of Mucinus, and it turned out to be very successful.

In other words, as long as Orville and Tia insisted on the reform of the equipment training system in the future, Mucinus would support them. He was younger than Vespa, and his body looked very strong. It would not be a problem for him to persist for more than ten or twenty years. Besides, he also said that his son would continue to support him after he left.