Chapter 252, Problems and Choices in the Plan

Kiel was telling the truth. In his opinion, each of the four designs was pretty good.

The first plan to use thick hard cowhide armor for the entire horse. The advantage is that he is familiar with this hard cowhide material, so he can have an experiential familiarity with its protective power. In this way, in possible subsequent battles, it can be determined in advance which attacks the horse armor can resist and which cannot.

The second option is lighter and more flexible, focusing on combat protection while the horses are moving. The overall weight is lighter, which is suitable for the load-carrying capacity of the Blood Licker at this time. After all, although Blood Licking Grass has extraordinary blood, it is still a grassland horse after all, and cannot be compared with the extremely powerful knight-specific war horse. Regardless of physical strength, impact speed, jumping power, vitality, load-carrying capacity, etc., they are all far from those monster-like war horses.

You know, Kiel weighs over 80 and nearly 90 kilograms at this time. If you want to add a full-covering metal armor, a heavy long sword and a full-metal double-edged spear, as well as matching bows and arrows. The weight of arrows is already 160 kilograms.

Although the young man named Blood Licker is strong, he must also consider his carrying capacity after being fully armed for a long time.

The third plan and the fourth plan are all heavy armor modes. The former is based on the basic leather armor of the whole body, and adds metal armor pieces to the whole body. The advantage is that it balances protection and weight, and better guarantees the use experience. However, manufacturing a large number of metal armor pieces is more cumbersome and troublesome.

The latter completely used Kiel's horse as a knight's real war horse to equip it.

However, the heavy armor style of the fourth plan obviously also has the style of the southern province. Although it is also heavy armor, it still feels 'light' compared to the steel armor of Knight Crow's horse. A little exaggerated.

Keir suspected that there was a difference between the local traditional knight family's war horse protection style and the kingdom's army's war horse protection style.

It can be seen from the drawings of the middle-aged craftsman who gave the fourth plan that compared to the simple and thick defensive armor of Crow Knight's horse, the horse's protection in the pattern he drew has a little more artistry. The decoration, while ensuring the beauty and gorgeous style, tries to meet the requirements of heavy protection.

To sum up, in terms of gorgeous style and emphasis on protection, we have fallen towards the gorgeous style side.

Keir didn't think there was anything wrong with this. Although he is a pragmatist, he also likes beautiful and gorgeous things. But the premise is that it does not affect his own survival.

Therefore, the fourth option was chosen by him first.

Faced with Kiel's answer, Mr. Scott laughed, and after walking over, he also helped look at several designs in Kiel's hands.

The craftsmen and apprentices present greeted Mr. Scott with a gesture that was several times more enthusiastic than that of Kiel.

But Mr. Scott didn't care.

He himself had two brushes and gave Keir an important tip.

"Time to make, my friend. The designs all look okay, but they certainly don't understand that this is a job that needs to be completed quickly. I know you won't be in town long, so I called them all today." come over."

Mr. Scott clicked on the two drawings of metal horse protective gear that Kiel held: "You can ask them how long it takes to make these two things."

After Mr. Scott reminded him, Keir finally understood the crux of the problem.

time!

He only temporarily adjusted the rest team when passing through the town of Dorne. Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, he will take the young people on the road again.

Therefore, it is still a question whether these metal horse armors with heavy protective power can be made for him.

"Both of you, I would like to ask how long it will take you to create the patterns you each designed?"

Kiel took out two heavy-protection design plans and asked two middle-aged craftsmen.

The two of them were a little nervous, but they still answered honestly.

"Returning to the Lord Knight, I have built this set of things before. I took my two apprentices and spent a winter to build all the steel armor pieces and the matching hanging leather armor."

When Keir heard this, he covered his face with his hands.

Mr. Scott, who was next to him, was not annoyed and laughed out loud. He interjected and asked: "If you focus on your design and let the other three craftsmen and their apprentices assist you, how many days can you be sure you can complete it?" This set of horse armor you designed?"

"Think carefully before answering."

The middle-aged craftsman in question began to think distressedly, and Kil looked at him expectantly. However, the middle-aged craftsman looked at the other three armor craftsmen hesitantly, and one of the old craftsmen was himself. Where is the teacher.

"Big, probably, uh." Hesitantly, the middle-aged craftsman replied: "The fastest, twenty days? No, I have already done it once. I have the experience from the last time and some trial and error. The process can be omitted. So, if I tell the steward, it will take eight days, and if everyone works together, it will be built in eight days."

When Kil heard the time, he felt disappointed.

For eight days, if it were any other time, he would wait for the completion of the horse armor in Dorne Town, and even find time to wander around the surrounding wilderness and mountains and forests, picking up bandits or monsters and beasts, etc., to pass the time. , looking for work.

But now.

Not only was he entrusted with a so-called mission, he needed to rescue the abducted villagers of Changmai Village as soon as possible, but he also had to properly resettle the hundreds of fleeing people under his command before the blessing ability of Priest Batal disappeared.

The most important thing is that he wants to finish these things as soon as possible and rush to the capital of the southern province without missing the day when Baron Kendall's army joins the army of other local nobles and sets off.

Although the latter date was only a rough date, Kil still didn't want to be late.

Because the capital of the southern province is at least a place where he can be found. Once he is late and Kendall's army sets out to fight, it will not be easy to find Kendall's army of only a few hundred people on the chaotic and huge front. .

And he didn't go out with the army, so what reason would he have for participating?

Although his deal with Knight Crow did not include him participating in the war, Keir already regarded himself as most of the Kendall County people, the militia and guard friends who followed him southward, and his knight mentor. The Crow Knights are already a part of him that he can't let go of.

Fighting together was something that everyone had agreed on during the chat when setting up camp every day.

Keir didn't want to be a deserter, nor did he want to break the agreement.

Otherwise, he is a traveler from another world without roots. If he loses this place in Kendall County, he will really be like the footless bird in the legend.

You can only keep flying throughout your life. Once you land, it is the day of death.

-

"Eight days is too long."

Keir shook his head and said.

At his words, Mr. Scott nodded, knowing that eight more days in Dorne Town was too long for the Kiel Knights, and even if the Kiel Knights were willing, their Chamber of Commerce was not willing to join forces.

If such a force of more than 700 people refuses to leave, after a long time, will Dorne Town still have the final say jointly with their chamber of commerce?

He clearly knows the temperament of those small and medium-sized chambers of commerce. Once they have the opportunity to get close to the nobles, they will act shamelessly. Oh~, not to mention how disgusting it is. Some guys may even kiss their boots. It's possible.

Even if those boots stepped through the mud of the ghetto.

The guy in their chamber of commerce alliance, the 'foolish Oriel' Dripari, was just that kind of guy. His precious little daughter had to do everything possible to marry into a noble family.

Scott was disdainful of this, especially in the past two years, Deripari also wanted to get involved with Otto Fetten and wanted to marry his youngest daughter to the frail Lippuld.

But Otto Fiten did not take a fancy to Dripari's youngest daughter.

Speaking of which, now.

Mr. Scott then pointed his chin at another middle-aged craftsman: "Where is your design? Everyone is helping you, how long will it take to make your design?"

Kil shrugged before the craftsman could answer. The middle-aged craftsman being asked now was the craftsman who designed the one with the heaviest and strongest protection.

The former would take eight days, let alone this one.

Sure enough, after much trouble, the middle-aged craftsman gave the answer in fifteen days.

It takes more than twice as long as the former.

Mr. Scott couldn't accept this result the most. He waved his hand and said: "Okay, okay, you should help other people work together from now on."

The two middle-aged craftsmen were very regretful and depressed after being exempted from their own plans.

It's not that they can't make this money anymore, but there are fewer opportunities to make horse armor for knights. Every time they make a set, it will increase their reputation.

If that knight becomes famous later, as the craftsmen who provide equipment for the knight, their reputation will also increase accordingly.

You can be employed by a larger chamber of commerce, and the price of your works will be higher. Some people will even come to you specifically to ask for your works. In addition, the contract with the employer's chamber of commerce can also be modified to obtain greater freedom and lower commissions.

Some of the most famous craftsmen can work in workshops in the provincial capital, and may even be favored by great nobles and become lifelong craftsmen, managing an entire forging workshop or foundry.

Further up, most craftsmen can only think about it, but don’t have the ability. Their most outstanding people can even be favored by the earls, or enter the sight of the noble council to serve the kingdom's army. Or because of their reputation, they could enter the kingdom's capital, forge equipment for the king's knights, or even directly serve the royal family.

But these are just the dreams of every craftsman. At this moment, these two middle-aged craftsmen were very disappointed.

The two old craftsmen stepped forward and gave their answers without asking.

"My lords, my design only takes three days! In three days, I can present the full set of armor for this war horse."

The old craftsman who created the first set of horse armor solutions confidently answered.

But the other one was even more powerful: "Sir, my design only takes a day and a half! If I work on it tonight, I can have it out tomorrow afternoon."

Keir's eyes lit up! Just as he was about to ask in detail, an old craftsman in front of him didn't believe it and asked directly: "Impossible! My design is a complete set of hard cowhide as the main material, so that I can come up with something as quickly as possible. Your design also has metal armor. , how can it be faster than mine? It takes at least two days to smelt the iron material and forge it into shape!"

Scott heard that it was indeed true. As a senior steward of the Burning Furnace Chamber of Commerce, although he did not know how to forge this technology, he had never eaten pork and had never seen a pig run. He had grown up in the Chamber of Commerce since he was a child. His father He is the manager of the Burning Furnace Chamber of Commerce, and he at least knows something about metal forging.

Not to mention the armor forging used by ordinary people, horses are naturally larger than humans, so the metal armor they use is larger and heavier, so forging is naturally more difficult, time-consuming, and iron-intensive.

He built a suitable metal armor for horses in a day and a half. Is this person bragging?

Facing the suspicious looks of others, the old craftsman smiled confidently, put his hands behind his back, and glanced proudly at his fellow craftsmen who were about the same age.

He answered: "Of course I have my own way. Steward Scott, do you need my answer?"

Mr. Scott raised his chin: "Speak, Kent Craftsman."

As the senior steward of the Chamber of Commerce, he naturally knows the names and skills of every craftsman employed by the Chamber of Commerce.

The old armor craftsman named Kent began to tell his plan, but unexpectedly, before answering, he asked a question that he seemed not to want to do.

"Master Steward, is this matter about Knight Kiel more important than other matters?"

In front of Kiel, Scott certainly could not say it was not important, so he did not hesitate and answered directly: "Of course, Knight Kiel is my friend, and he is also a friend of the Burning Furnace Chamber of Commerce. Not to mention this This knight is from the northwest province of the kingdom. He came to our southern province on this trip, and he also has the intention to participate in the war to retake the southern border."

"In this way, the matter of Knight Kil is the Chamber of Commerce's top priority. If you have anything to say, just tell me."

Faced with Mr. Scott's answer, the Kent craftsman finally gave his explanation: "Master Steward, I have been responsible for some of the affairs of the blacksmith shop, so I know that our chamber of commerce has taken a number of large orders, one of which is forging. The work of fifty cavalry horses in simple armor.”

Upon hearing this, Mr. Scott's expression changed. He looked around and found that the only outsider present was Kiel, and Kiel was not from the southern province, so his expression quickly changed, but he still hated it. He glared at the Kent craftsman and complained that the other party could even tell such confidential information to the outside world.

"So as long as two of the simple metal armors used by cavalry are melted and forged, one of them can be extended to cover the other. It can provide protection beyond the simple metal armor used by cavalry and reach the level of protection used by knights. The general protection level of war horses. (The knights here use the general protection level of war horses, referring to the level of protection that knights from traditional knight families in the southern provinces equip their war horses with.) "

"Because there are things that have already been made, you can quickly modify them with just a few simple touches. In addition, I also have some multi-layer protective cloths that I developed myself, which are lightweight and strong. , the overall performance is not inferior to that of thick hard cowhide armor.”

His explanation basically answered the previous questions.

Kil was very curious about the multi-layer protective cloth of the other party, while Mr. Scott rubbed his chin and thought about it, then muttered: "Well, the delivery date is still early. Although it is not good to misappropriate customized goods, but Anyway, it’s just circulating within the chamber of commerce, so it’s not considered a violation.”

So he said: "Your method is not impossible. By the way, can't those simple metal armors for horses be turned into armor pieces? Personally, I am optimistic about the metal armor solution."

"Back to the steward, our batch of simple armors are special-shaped metal parts specially made according to the key protection areas of horses. It is not easy to make metal armor. It is better to use iron ingots to re-forge metal armor."

A middle-aged craftsman answered Scott's words.

Seeing that his whimsical method didn't work, Mr. Scott shrugged at Keir and said, "It seems there is only one way, no choice."

Keir smiled: "It's already very good. Thanks, please re-forge the batch of goods you have already prepared for me."

"It's a small matter. Now that the plan has been chosen, everyone should hurry up and follow the plan to take out the war horse protective gear required by the Kiel Knights before sunset tomorrow. Kent craftsman, you let people tinker with you. Take out the first layer of protective cloth and have a look. If it fits, use it. If not, use thick hard cowhide armor instead for other parts of the war horse."

"My multi-layer protective cloth is guaranteed to satisfy the Kiel Knights as well as other materials."

The Kent craftsman said so.

-

Soon, the Kent craftsman sent someone to bring him the multi-layer protective cloth he developed.

This thing is said to be cloth, but in fact it looks thicker than the toughest and thickest wild boar fur.

When a large roll was brought over by the apprentice, Kil thought the man was bringing a roll of carpet. However, such a large roll can be carried by one person, and it is indeed much lighter than hard cowhide armor material.

If it is made of hard cowhide, then a large roll would weigh hundreds of kilograms, and ordinary people would definitely not be able to carry it.

As soon as the object was brought over, the Kentish craftsman spread it out on the floor for the others to inspect his new contraption.

Kil squatted down and measured the thickness with his hands, and found that the thing was not thin, more than two fingers thick. When he came to the side and looked at the cross-section of the material, Kiel discovered that this thing was composed of at least five different layers of materials layer by layer.

"I have a question. Not to mention its performance, how does this thing stick together?"

Kiel raised his question. To be honest, without the adhesives used in industry in previous generations, how could such a large variety of materials be put together?

And this thing is very strong.

But the Kent craftsman did not directly answer Kiel's question: "I'm sorry, Lord Knight, this is a secret. If you can spare a sum of money, I am willing to tell you the secret."

Keir shrugged, no longer curious.

"Okay, let's try its protective power. Let's see how it compares to hardened cooked cowhide."

Scott waved, and someone went to prepare things.

Soon, his men brought a wooden horse model from the nearby warehouse.

"Here, put something on the wooden fake horse."