"This is a sample, 30 sets, a total of 3,000 sets!" Ernst pointed to the things on the table and said, "It's all great value!" ”

"Oh......" I snorted, examining the two things on the table, a saber and a shield.

The saber is large and curved, and at first glance it is evident that the knife has a distinctly Arabic style, except that a European-style handguard is placed on the hilt. The shield is completely European, in the shape of a bamboo shoot with a flat top and a pointed bottom, and a golden tiger head pattern on the silver surface, which is a standard European knight's shield.

I picked up the saber first, the edge was very sharp, the blade was wider than the sword commonly used by the Japanese cavalry, and the back of the knife was slightly thinner. Holding the handle with my right hand and pinching the tip of the knife with my left hand, I made a strong effort with both arms, and I couldn't support it until I bent it to about 150 degrees, and the blade of the knife bounced straight without a sound. I brought the blade in front of my eyes and turned it to let the sunlight shining through the window, and a very strange blade pattern appeared in front of me. The blade of this knife is neither straight nor oblique, but rolls in bunches! It is like a pattern of roses, and it is like the cloud-like shape formed by ink falling into clear water.

"It's a Damascus scimitar!" Ernst said triumphantly. "The Damascus scimitar is the best of all Arab knives, far surpassing the Turkish scimitar and the Persian scimitar, the best of the true knives! With your knowledge, you don't know, right? ”

"Hmm......" I nodded slightly. I have long admired the Damascus sword, but this is the first time I have seen the real thing, I have seen some pictures of this kind of knife, but it is just some daggers, short swords, etc., and the scimitar used by the cavalry is said to be extremely rare even in the Arabian Peninsula.

I put the cutlass back on the table and picked up the shield again. From my very unscrupulous point of view, this should be a steel shield, the whole shield is shiny and bright, the copper tiger head in the center is hideous and lifelike, and the edge of the shield is riveted with a circle of copper nails. Turning it over and looking at the back, there is a handle and two straps, presumably used to fasten the shield to the forearm. Holding it in my hand, I estimated that the weight was between 8 and 10 pounds, which should be said to be okay, not too heavy!

Laying the shield flat on the table, I picked up the knife again, turned the handle upside down and slammed it down on the shield! Just listen to "Boom! With a thud, my hand was bounced up, and there was not the slightest trace left on the shield. Not only is it sturdy but also has a certain amount of elasticity, which seems to be able to block a certain amount of heavy blows.

"Not bad!" Ernst said proudly. "The most exquisite armour in Europe is Italian armour, and the highest Italian craftsmanship is the artisans of Milan. These shields are made in famous shops in Milan and are specially made! ”

"Go and get me Keiji Maeda!" I don't think you just have to listen to them, you have to have your own experts present.

"My lord, Keiji-sama, he ......," Tsuru Chiyo said embarrassedly.

"Oh!" Only then did I remember that Keiji Maeda was busy with "making spring". "That'...... Then go to Sanyue House and invite Master Song Haitian over! ”

"Yes!" Masuda Nagamori agreed, got up and went outside the door to find a guy to go back to deliver the letter.

"In my opinion, these things are good, but ......," I said, frowning and embarrassed, "in Japan we are not used to using shields, and cavalry is dominated by spears and straighter swords......"

"What you get used to isn't necessarily right!" Ernst's expression seemed slightly anxious. "Whatever ...... Everything"

"I'm sorry!" At this time, the blonde man among the two people who had never opened his mouth suddenly spoke. "Can I explain this to my lords?" His final questioning was addressed to me.

"Of course, please!" That being said, I guessed his identity in my mind. This man has a somewhat nasal voice, and even though he speaks Japanese, he is very stiff, and I will only be able to understand his words, so I should be a person who has just learned Japanese.

"To illustrate my argument, allow me to start with some basic questions!" After getting my approval, he spoke in detail. "When facing the enemy head-on, cavalry has an overwhelming advantage over infantry that is not tightly formed, but at the same time, be careful! In this case, most of the infantry casualties came from the trampling of the horses rather than the weapons of the cavalry, and this was especially true when the cavalry was charging the infantry in a group, and in a continuous charge, you would never think that you could carry a string of enemy corpses on the tip of the gun, right? In the case of a stalemate between the cavalry and the infantry, because the cavalry has a large target and often has to deal with enemies from multiple directions at the same time, the saber that turns dexterously and conveniently has an incomparable advantage over the spear, because even the long cavalry lance cannot exceed the infantry's rejection spear! ”

"You have a lot of truth in that!" I don't recognize him as an expert in this area. But are you ignoring a question? Isn't it a decisive factor for a cavalryman with a spear to hit each other first when two cavalry are on the line? ”

"You're right!" The blonde man still had the same rigid face. "This is also the reason why the knights of the European spear and shield prospered for thousands of years, until this deep-seated perception was shattered by the saber of the Mongol khan!" He paused slightly and then said: "There is a basic common sense here, that is, the cavalry's spear can only be used to attack the opponent's head, chest and abdomen, and cannot be used to stab the target's larger war horse, because that will block his own path, which can be fatal in a high-speed charge, unless he has already prepared the idea of dying together!" This type of attack is easy to defuse under the protection of the shield, while the two-horse staggered lancers completely lose their ability to resist the saber and can only be slaughtered! ”

"Hiss~~!" I took a long breath, this person's military theory is really not covered! So, what do you think...... "In that case, I'll take the time to ask him for more advice."

"My lord, do you have something to look for me?" Just when we were chatting energetically, Song Haitian came.

"Yes! You may be seated. I handed the two things to him as he sat down, and he squinted his eyes and looked at them seriously.

"Do!" He jerked his saber into the floor, and we all stared at him intently. I saw him pick up the shield and smash it sideways into the side of the knife at once. I saw that the blade of the knife bent suddenly, and the hilt touched the ground on the other side, and then swung back, gradually returning to its upright position in a series of swings. "Good knives!" He nodded incessantly. "It is often said that 'Miao Iron and Steel is not as good as Wagang, and Wagang is not as good as Huigang.' This knife is indeed a fine product in the steel, in terms of sharpness is only two points stronger than the general standard sword, but the flexibility is even better than seven points! ”

"That's all! I've got 20 sets of all! "I don't have anything to hesitate about anymore.

"You ...... too," Ernst seemed unhappy with the price I had proposed.

"What is this?" Without giving him a chance to plead, I patted the tiger head on the shield and asked.

"This ...... It's a tiger! You don't even know this, do you? He said with a twinkle on his face.

"Of course I know it's a tiger, but what does it mean when it's drawn on a shield?" I said aggressively, "Don't think I don't know what the coat of arms means!" No one ordered you to do that? Is it that someone ordered the goods but couldn't finish it, you are in a hurry to find the next home! ”

"Good, good, good! I really can't help you! He shook his head and sighed. This was originally requested by the maharaja of a local gang in southern India, but when I finally returned with the goods, he couldn't receive them! ”

"Why is that?"

"Why?" He complained: "Because of the defeat, he was captured by the Mughal emperor and taken to Delhi." Really! What kind of tiger king is it? ”

"That's why you gave me that horse?" I couldn't stop laughing. "By the way, there's one more thing you're responsible for!"

"What else do you want?!" Ernst cried out in a hurry.

"Of course!" And I said it as a matter of course. "The scimitar is used differently than a normal saber! The general straight knife is mainly chopping, slashing, and stabbing, while the use of the scimitar is mainly pushing, cutting, and wiping, you have to find me an instructor! Seeing that he was a little hesitant, I said again: "Don't put on that kind of face, it's a big deal that I will order another 5,000 sets from you, and the price will be 30 sets according to what you said!" ”

"I can't help you!" He pointed to the blond man and said, "I'll lend him to you for half a year, while I'm going to go to the Bering Strait to see the gold mining and whaling industry in Siberia while the weather is warm, and I'll pick him up on my return trip!" This Mr. Meinhull was born into a prominent Prussian family, had held important positions in the Teutonic Order through his ancestors, and was himself the commander of the cavalry wing of the Elector Duke of Brandenburg! ”

"That's no better!" I said excitedly, but suddenly I remembered a question. "Didn't the Prussian army all use straight-edged swords?"

"For political reasons, the Prussian army was once incorporated under the command of the Polish king!" "So I've fought against the Russians and the Turks, and I have a pretty deep understanding of these three styles of scimitar cavalry!" ”

"So I'll please......" I was saying, and there was a sudden commotion.

"What's going on?" Ernst shouted outside.

"Report! Catch a stowaway! A sailor said outside.

Note* In the 14th and 15th centuries, Prussia was part of the Kingdom of Poland. Later, the Polish king entrusted the Teutonic Knights with the management of it, but he did not want to lure the wolf into the house and gradually Germanize the region. The last Grand Master of the Teutonic Order handed over Prussia to his cousin, the Electors of Brandenburg, the Hohenzollern family who would later establish the Second German Empire. You can find more information about the Polish TV series "Black Clouds" or the novel "Crusader Knights".