The Prosperous Era of Longwan

"Can the shield held by the Burmese army protect against birdshot?"

Li Chengliang asked abruptly.

The shield was a relatively unpopular weapon in the Ming Dynasty in this era, mainly because it was mostly used near the southern border and was almost never seen in the inland and northern armies.

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Li Chengliang was able to call out the name of this thing mainly because of the spread of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

In fact, in the historical materials, whether it is "Three Kingdoms" or "Book of the Later Han Dynasty", there is no record of Tengjia at all.

So just like weapons such as Guan Yu's Qinglong Yanyue Sword and Lu Bu's Fangtian Painted Halberd did not appear at all during the Three Kingdoms period, the rattan armor soldier, a very famous unit in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", did not appear at all during the Three Kingdoms period and naturally did not exist. Vine armor soldiers.

The record of rattan armor actually appeared in the Ming Dynasty, and it is not a specialty of ethnic minorities. Mao Yuanyi's "Wu Bei Zhi·Weapon IV" records: "Red rattan armor is made of fifty kilograms of red rattan, soaked in water for half a month in a stone trough, and then taken out to dry in the sun. On the third day, put it back into the trough and add water. Let it soak for one year, dry it, and wear it according to the pattern, making a total of twenty pairs. Make a hat, make a helmet when facing the enemy, and prepare for rain when it is cloudy.”

"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was written in the Ming Dynasty. It is actually an artistic image of the Southern Barbarian rattan armor soldiers created by Luo Guanzhong based on the rattan armor equipped by the Ming army.

In the record of "Military Bei Zhi", not only does it not mention that the rattan is afraid of fire, but it specifically emphasizes that it is "good for water and fire", which means that the rattan is not actually very afraid of fire.

In fact, when Qi Jiguang was fighting against the Japanese in Fujian, there was a military position of rattan player in the army. From this, we can actually have a rough judgment on the origin of rattan. It was first produced in Fujian in China.

It is unknown whether the Fujian people created it themselves or it was introduced from overseas.

But at that moment, Li Chengliang saw that the Burmese army was equipped with a large number of rattans, so he came up with a guess. The Fujian rattans might have been brought over from merchant ships from the West and made by domestic craftsmen.

Of course, the Liaodong Army led by Li Chengliang did not have this thing, but after all, he and Qi Jiguang fought against Wang Gao, so it is not unusual to see rattan cards in Qi Jiguang's army.

But because of the material used to make the shield, Li Chengliang actually despised this weapon.

The shields equipped by the Liaodong Army were wooden shields with a layer of iron on the front and back to improve their defensive properties. In Li Chengliang's eyes, they were better than such crudely made things.

Unfortunately, today, he became interested in this thing for the first time after seeing the Burmese army's Tengpai on top of the city.

The rattan plaque is made from old and thick vines collected from the mountains. It is usually woven into a disc shape with a protruding center and raised eaves. It has a circular diameter of about three feet and weighs no more than nine kilograms. The rattan is woven into two rings at the top and bottom to accommodate the arms. hold.

This kind of rattan is simple to make and easy to use. In addition, the rattan itself is strong and flexible, smooth and tough, and difficult to be penetrated by weapons.

Thinking that it was made of rattan, before Liang Dingnan could answer, Li Chengliang continued to ask: "Is this thing afraid of fire? Can it be set on fire by using rockets and ordered crossbowmen to accurately shoot the rattan plate?"

After discovering the terror of the weapon in the opponent's hand, Li Chengliang's first thought was naturally how to crack it, instead of blindly acting recklessly and treating the lives of his soldiers as a child's play.

"Commander, this shield is different from what is said in the storybook. It is not so easy to ignite."

Liang Dingnan was stationed in Yunnan all year round, so he naturally knew about rattan armor. In fact, his army also used a small amount of rattan armor, so he hurriedly explained to Li Chengliang.

"Oh, it doesn't mean that the collected rattan must be soaked in tung oil. It should be easier to ignite."

Li Chengliang said puzzledly.

It can only be said that Mao Yuanyi, who compiled "Wu Bei Zhi", had not yet been born at this time, and no one systematically recorded the rattan cards. Therefore, Li Chengliang never thought that the rattan cards were not afraid of fire attacks because no one introduced them in detail.

Of course, this also shows that Luo Guanzhong's "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is more of a weapon that people should have heard of the rattan brand from the folk, so it was a weapon in the novel.

However, Li Chengliang had watched "Three Kingdoms" and had a preliminary impression of the rattan cards, thinking that he could use fire to fight the enemy.

"Commander, that rattan thing is not easy to ignite.

To be honest, Commander-in-Chief, some soldiers in our army also use shields. When I read "Three Kingdoms", I also found someone to try using shields to make fire. "

Liang Dingnan said.

"What's the result?"

Li Chengliang became interested and asked immediately.

"The wood caught fire, but the shield didn't burn. It took a while before it was ignited.

Of course, once the shield is ignited, the fire will be really big and difficult to put out. "

Liang Dingnan replied.

Li Rusong also read "Three Kingdoms". Even in this era, there is no one who can read without reading the script.

"Journey to the West", "Water Margin", and "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" are all must-read books.

Of course, there is no "Dream of Red Mansions" which is called a strange book. As for another truly strange book, "Jin Ping Mei", it has not yet begun to circulate, or it has been circulated, but only in a small range of manuscripts, and maybe even None of them have been written into books.

Li Rusong had watched "Three Kingdoms" and heard his father and Liang Dingnan talking about the shield. Naturally, he became interested and interjected: "You mean, this shield is not easy to ignite?"

"It's not easy. I've tried it myself. If the commander-in-chief or the junior general don't believe it, I can immediately find a shield to burn and give it to you to try."

In order to prove that his words were true, Liang Dingnan had already planned to find a rattan card to burn for these two Liaodong men.

At this time, Li Chengliang waved his hand and said: "According to what you said, this thing is actually very good in actual combat, so why doesn't the Southern Army equip a large number of this thing?"

In Li Chengliang's eyes, if something is good, it should be promoted. How can we cherish it for ourselves?

Liang Dingnan's face did not change at all when he heard Li Chengliang's words. He knew that they were from the north and didn't understand anything, so he explained: "Commander, maybe you think that the rattan cards are made of rattan, so it is easy."

"Isn't it?"

Li Chengliang said immediately.

Hearing what Li Chengliang said, Liang Dingnan hurriedly explained: "Commander, the first step in making this rattan brand is to select old vines from the mountains, soak them in tung oil and then expose them to the sun and rain for at least a year, during which time they have to be repeatedly soaked in tung oil.

Weaving is only done when the rattan is well done. This is a weaving technique that only experienced craftsmen can master. The rattan weaved is airtight, and it is not a basket weaving technique used in the countryside. "

Well, that actually means the same thing. The labor cost to make this shield is only higher than the iron-clad shields currently used by the Ming army.

In the Ming army, ordinary guards really do not have the financial resources to produce large quantities of rattan equipment for soldiers. Only Qi Jiguang, who is not short of money, dares to do this. Moreover, there is only one rattan player in the team, and the entire army only has a few Hundreds of shields.

Looking outside the city, the Burmese army took away the corpses and wounded when they retreated, so naturally they would not leave any weapons behind.

Liang Dingnan immediately sent his own soldiers to look for rattan plates in the military camp below the city, "Look for rattan armor too. I remember that someone in the army wore that thing in the early years."

"Yes, General."

The soldier agreed and quickly went down the city wall to look for something.

Li Chengliang and Li Rusong were waiting on the tower. They were both startled when they saw the rattan defensive bird cannons today.

If the Burmese army were to equip a large number of such armor, it would be difficult for the Ming army to fight this battle.

You know, because the Liaodong Army used a large number of firearms, Li Chengliang was very confident when he led the troops to fight.

For this reason, he actually didn't worry too much about the use of troops in the southwest. He only thought about bombing the enemy if he couldn't defeat them. He didn't believe that the flesh and blood of the Burmese people could be stronger than iron cannons and stone bullets.

Therefore, when he was training troops in Guizhou, he mainly trained his soldiers in the use of firearms. Half of the troops were equipped with blunderbuss and Franco cannons.

After all, Qi Jiguang's record is too tempting.

Not only defeating the opponent, but also suffering minimal casualties, this is the result that every general dreams of.

It is not easy to train soldiers, so Li Chengliang is not a general who does not value the lives of his soldiers. He has a large number of experienced veterans on the battlefield, and the generals are more confident to fight.

The idea that one general's success can lead to thousands of bones being withered is just talk. It's not the case at all. No one will take the lives of his men as a joke.

Not long after waiting on the tower, the soldier who went out to look for something came back with a rattan plate and a pair of rattan armor in his hand, but the rattan armor looked very small, more like a vest.

Li Rusong, who was beside him, jumped out, snatched the rattan armor from the soldiers and observed it carefully.

"The way this thing is made is quite surprising. What kind of leather is it made of?"

There is a layer of skin on the inside and outside of the rattan armor. I don't know what kind of animal skin it is, but I can feel that it should be very comfortable to wear.

"This little one really doesn't know."

The soldier was stunned when Li Rusong asked. The thing was not his. It was taken from a small soldier, and it was also passed down from family to family.

Li Rusong weighed it and said, "It feels lighter than cotton armor, but it's not too light either."

"Haha, Major General, there are no iron pieces here, just dry rattan and leather. It is definitely lighter than cotton armor.

It's just that the inside is very tight, but it's much heavier than folk rattan furniture. "

Liang Dingnan came over and said, then he took the shield from the soldier and walked back to Li Chengliang.

Li Chengliang took the rattan card from Liang Dingnan and looked at it carefully. It was indeed very tightly woven, completely different from the farming tools in the rattan basket.

Feel the weight. Because it is soaked in tung oil, it is much heavier than those rattan furniture.

"This is how the general rattan is. Some owners of the rattan will also put a layer of leather on the outside of the rattan, just like the rattan armor, which is more waterproof and fireproof."

Liang Dingnan kept introducing the advantages of Tengpai, and Li Chengliang kept nodding after hearing this.

"Is this thing difficult to make?"

Li Chengliang was still concerned about this, whether the things were good and whether he could equip the Ming army in large quantities.

"It's not difficult to make, but it does take a lot of time. It takes at least a year from collecting the rattan to making it into a rattan.

Moreover, even a skilled craftsman would need at least half a month to weave this shield, so the army did not mass-produce it. "

At this point, Liang Dingnan pointed to the rattan plaque in Li Chengliang's hand and the rattan armor in Li Rusong's hand and said, "These things actually belong to the soldiers themselves."

The Ming Dynasty implemented a military household system, which meant that soldiers were passed down from generation to generation. Therefore, the court only issued the initial weapons, and the remaining weapons, armors and other maintenance had to be solved by themselves.

Of course, this does not mean that the court is completely indifferent.

In fact, the imperial court would allocate military resources from time to time according to the system and distribute them to soldiers. For example, during the Yingzong and Hongzhi periods, the Ming army's equipment underwent relatively large changes, and the same was true during the Jiajing Dynasty.

It's just that once the armor weapons are distributed, subsequent maintenance will be ignored. That is to say, guard craftsmen will be arranged for maintenance during wartime.

Therefore, soldiers usually have to maintain the distributed weapons themselves and pass them on from generation to generation before new equipment is issued.

Such a system kept the equipment level of the Ming army at a low level, so equipment was temporarily allocated to replenish the guard stations during wartime.

The mandarin duck battle coat that Wei Guangde wore to fight the enemy was not replenished by Nanjing Hypode under this situation.

"Bring two blunderbuss and try the power of these things."

What Li Chengliang saw on the tower before was not clear enough. Now he has the real thing in his hand. Although it is slightly different from the Burmese army, it is not too big.

Soon, several gunmen were transferred over to test the guns on the city wall.

People were asked to place the shield dozens of steps away, roughly at the edge of the range of the Ming army's bird cannons. The shield was set up on a wooden stand, and people were asked to shoot at the shield.

Li Rusong didn't have time to pay attention to the rattan armor at the moment. He ran aside and asked his soldiers to help him take off the armor, and then put on the rattan armor himself.

Soldiers are naturally interested in this type of equipment, after all, this is the first time I see it.

The gun test started with "bang bang bang" over there, lead bullets kept bombarding the shield, and Li Rusong had already put on the half-length vest.

"Is this all the rattan armor? I saw some people in the Burmese army wearing it like this all over their bodies."

Li Rusong grabbed the soldier and asked.

“The generals in Burma and Siam could not afford iron armor, so they had no choice but to wear rattan armor.

Although it is lighter than iron armor, because rattan armor has no toughness and is not flexible after being worn, it is far less protective than the iron armor worn by generals. "

The soldier explained.

The soldiers around Li Rusong would definitely not be able to answer these questions. After all, they had never seen them before.

Soldiers on the Yunnan side, especially in border areas like Shidian, have naturally seen chieftain soldiers wearing this kind of armor, and even Ming merchants have rattan armor.

The Ming court prohibited private collection of armor, but rattan armor does not seem to be an exception because the army does not equip it.

If it is not used in the army, it naturally does not count as armor. The guards of the caravan merchants choose rattan armor for self-defense.

Of course, not being able to buy iron armor with money is also the main reason.

After several rounds of shooting, someone took the shield and looked at it, and it turned out that it really had not penetrated. At this time, Li Chengliang's face turned ugly.

"Get closer, keep shooting, and see how far you can penetrate."

At this time, Li Chengliang felt furious and ordered loudly.

The soldiers here are testing their guns. Li Chengliang has already pulled Liang Dingnan and asked: "Is there a shield in Yunnan? The army needs a lot of equipment. I will also report this matter."

It's not an easy thing to be able to protect against birdshot.

"Commander, you don't need to worry too much. There are not many shields in the Burmese army. The ones under the city today are the elites of the Burmese army."

Liang Dingnan said at this time.