After listening to Claude's narration, William was quite satisfied, and asked: "Claude, how much is the production of plate armor, and if my troops need to replace plate armor on a large scale, can your production capacity keep up?" ”

"Now that we have only been in trial production for a month, we have been able to make 120 pairs of cavalry full-body plate armor and 200 pairs of infantry full-body plate armor, and as the craftsmen gradually become more proficient, the output can be increased by at least half. I assure you that as long as you provide me with enough craftsmen and iron, the arsenal will be able to provide you with at least 180 sets of cavalry and 300 sets of infantry armor! Claude patted his chest and said.

"Very well, Claude!" William complimented, and said, "However, my infantry does not need a large number of full-body plate armor now, but my spearmen need a large number of half-body plate armor containing a dove breastplate and a helmet.

Next, you'll need to adjust your production capacity and increase the production capacity of your half-body plate.

I will provide you with at least fifty blacksmiths and iron materials, and hopefully you will double your production capacity to more than 1,000 sets of plate armor per month. Can you do it, Claude? ”

"Please rest assured, His Royal Highness William, I promise to create more than 7,000 sets of plate armor that are enough for the whole army to change their outfits within half a year!" Claude said confidently.

"I'm sure you can do it, Crow." William patted Claude on the shoulder and said, "Can you tell me about the manufacturing cost of various plate armors?" If the cost is too high, then you need to continue to improve the process, invent hydraulic machinery, and reduce costs. ”

"Your Highness William, the cost of making plate armor is much lower than making chain mail, due to the use of hydraulic forging hammers, hydraulic grinding wheels and other hydraulic machinery, cavalry use full-body plate armor 0.8 pounds of silver (equivalent to medieval pounds), about 16 Triss gold coins (shillings), while infantry full-body plate armor is cheaper, only 0.6 pounds of silver, about 12 Triss gold coins, as for infantry and light cavalry bust armor, that can be reduced by 0.45 pounds of silver, about 9 Triss gold coins." Claude is like a treasure.

William didn't expect that mass-made plate mail could be so cheap and only less than one-tenth of the price of chain mail, knowing that now hand-made chain mail requires 8 pounds of silver, which is equivalent to a craftsman's salary for a year.

At present, only more than 1,500 people in William's army of more than 5,000 regular troops can be equipped with chain mail, including heavy cavalry, personal cavalry, and heavy infantry, and the rest are wearing leather armor inlaid with iron plates.

In this regard, William had to sigh that although only some simple hydraulic forging hammers and hydraulic grinding wheels and other hydraulic equipment were used, the benefits of great cost reduction brought by industrial and large-scale production have been revealed.

Bidding farewell to Claude, William immediately summoned Sir Hubert and Steward Osborne to the Duke's Palace.

As soon as they entered the Duke's Palace, Sir Hubert and Steward Osborne saw two pairs of cavalry and infantry full-body plates placed in William's study, and they were curious about this.

"Sir Hubert, Steward Osborne, I think you all know that Claude is organizing craftsmen to produce plate armor, and now I have good news for you, all kinds of plate armor can be produced in large quantities." When Sir Hubert and Steward Osborne were seated, William eagerly shared the good news.

"This is wonderful, His Highness William!" Sir Hubert stood up excitedly and exclaimed, "How many sets of plate armor can be produced in a month, enough for our cavalry and heavy infantry to change their clothes?" ”

"Claude promised me at least a thousand sets a month, and this time I would not only be reoutfitted with heavy cavalry and heavy infantry, but also half of plate armor for spearmen, longbowmen, halberders, and light cavalry in half a year." William said confidently.

"Young Master William, the cost of making plate armor should be a lot of money, such a large-scale costume change will cost a lot of money, and the military budget will not be overspent again, right?" Steward Osborne said worriedly.

"Are you wrong, after the arsenal manufactures plate armor in large quantities this time, the castle of each set of plate armor can be reduced to less than one-tenth of the chain armor, and the plate armor of the whole army will not be much more expensive than the chain mail that the whole army is equipped with now." William said confidently.

"Then it's better to sell the chain armor that the soldiers are equipped with and stockpile, so that the cost of replacing the plate armor will be all there, maybe there will be some surplus!" Butler Osborne rubbed his hands together, his eyes lit up, and said.

"There's no need to sell all the chainmail, steward Osborne. It is still good for these chain mails to act as weak parts of the inner armor, and these chain mails are still very much needed by heavy armored cavalry, heavy infantry and other troops. William waved his hand and refused, "On the contrary, our newly made plate armor can be sold for a high price, for example, the full-body cavalry plate armor can be sold for twenty pounds of silver, and the half-body plate armor can be sold for at least fifteen pounds of silver." ”

"This! Steward Osborne hesitated for a moment and said, "Can a plate armor that is so cheap to manufacture be sold for such a high price?" ”

"Definitely worth this plus!" William said confidently: "At least until now, the process of making full-body plate armor has only been mastered by us, and at this time, a technology monopoly, if they want to obtain this armor that is many times stronger than chain mail, they must pay double the price, and it has nothing to do with its low manufacturing cost."

In addition to the plate armor for export goods, I will also make some luxury full-body plate armor, which will be etched with many intricate and ornate patterns, and plated with gold leaf to make it even more luxurious.

He will be used by a great nobleman or king, not for war but for jousting and showing off, and in order to match the noble status of the use, each set of luxury-level full-body plate armor will cost more than 100 pounds of silver. ”

Listening to William's narration, Steward Osborne's eyes lit up with excitement, as if a large pile of pounds of silver and gold coins beckoned to him in front of him.

"Your Highness William, if our enemies procure and equip plate armor on a large scale, won't our knights and soldiers have no advantage at all?

Even if someone thoroughly studies the process of making plate armor, our enemies may become even stronger after mass-producing plate armor! Sir Hubert said worriedly.

"I've thought about this for a long time, and it's not like the plate armor is without its weaknesses, and the most lethal thing is that it can't defend against blunt damage.

The halberd soldiers equipped with Swiss halberds and the heavy cavalry equipped with flails in our army are the nemesis of plate armor, not to mention that in the future, I will also send people to develop weapons to restrain plate armor, and we don't need to worry about the consequences of the enemy's plate armor.

As for the issue of the flow of arrows in the plate armor manufacturing process, I have already sent soldiers to garrison inside and outside the arsenal to strictly protect the safety of craftsmen.

At the same time, the craftsmen who have mastered the craft of making plate armor, their families are already in my hands.

I can guarantee that no one will be able to master the art of making plate armor for at least a few years! William confidently assured.

"Whew! Sir Hubert exhaled softly, and exclaimed loudly William's wisdom and determination.