Although they didn't understand Chen Mo's intentions, Andrew and the others still strictly followed his orders and reluctantly took off all their armor, placing it together with the broken armor they had taken from their horses. These armors were originally bestowed by Chen Mo, so it was understandable to take them back. However, knowing their lord, these items, which were extremely precious to most people and even most nobles, had never been valued by Chen Mo.
The soldiers of the territorial guard also confusedly threw their weapons together. Dozens of heavy knight armors and hundreds of weapons piled up into a small mountain, weighing several tons.
In this backward medieval era, not to mention the enormous value of the armor and weapons, the steel alone was worth a lot.
With puzzled expressions, Andrew and the others watched as Chen Mo turned to the old man beside him and ordered, "Cain, throw all this junk into the furnace and melt it down."
"Yes, my lord," the old man replied respectfully, bowing, and then called people over to move the armor and weapons away.
Only then did Andrew and the others understand that the lord intended to melt down all these valuable items. Not only were the metal materials precious, but the manufacturing of these weapons and armor was also extremely complex, requiring a lot of manpower and resources, which is why they were so expensive.
Although the armor and weapons had been broken by Chen Mo, they could still be used after being repaired by a blacksmith. However, Chen Mo ordered them to be melted down directly.
Ignoring the distressed expressions of Andrew and the others, Chen Mo turned and walked towards a separately built, much larger building.
Cain quickly stepped forward, took a key from his neck, and unlocked the heavy iron lock on the thick door.
This standalone house was entirely built of bricks, with two large heavy doors and no windows.
As the two doors were pushed open, sunlight streamed in, revealing a dazzling silver light, and the items inside the house were finally revealed.
After adjusting to the sudden burst of silver light, Andrew and the others saw the items inside the house.
In the center of the spacious room, rows of majestic silver knight armors were neatly arranged, like a knight regiment ready for battle, exuding a strong aura of killing intent.
On either side of the armors were hundreds of sets of horse armor and full sets of weapons, including lances, long swords, and shields.
These weapons and armors were simple yet elegant in design, with smooth and flat surfaces that showcased advanced manufacturing techniques. Compared to them, the knight armors they had previously treasured looked like crude products from small workshops. No wonder the lord called them junk and had them melted down as scrap iron.
Looking at the finely crafted armors and weapons in the armory, everyone was in disbelief and deeply moved.
The sight of so many well-made, uniform knight equipment was incredibly shocking.
Seeing the stunned expressions of Andrew and the soldiers, Chen Mo found it amusing.
When he first took over the territory, he gathered all the craftsmen in the territory and established this workshop, gradually realizing some of the technologies in his mind, and many things were manufactured.
Chen Mo started with steelmaking, as in this dark and chaotic era, military power was fundamental, and steel was undoubtedly the foundation of strong military power.
During this period, steelmaking technology was underdeveloped, with low production and quality of steel. Although steel was expensive, to achieve sufficient defense, the thickness of the armor had to be increased.
Therefore, the knight armors of this era, although highly defensive, were too heavy and cumbersome, greatly limiting the knights' flexibility and requiring high-quality warhorses that were tall, strong, and had excellent endurance and speed.
Chen Mo "purchased" top-quality warhorses from Count Warren, capable of carrying fully armed knights into battle.
Using the knowledge in his mind, Chen Mo refined coke, built blast furnaces, and used advanced steelmaking methods to produce high-quality steel in large quantities. With improved production processes, the armors, shields, and weapons manufactured in the workshop were not only much stronger and sharper than the knight equipment of this era but also much lighter, greatly enhancing combat flexibility.
Andrew and the territorial guard soldiers quickly began equipping themselves with the new armor and weapons, excitedly following Chen Mo's orders.
Once they put on the armor, they noticed the difference.
The knight armors they had previously worn weighed over 30 kilograms and were very cumbersome, severely affecting combat flexibility.
The new armor, however, was much lighter, weighing only about 20 kilograms, and had cleverly designed joints that provided comprehensive and solid defense without hindering movement.
Although the new armor appeared much thinner than the old ones, a simple knock revealed that the hardness and toughness of these armors and shields far exceeded that of the heavy old armors.
Although they hadn't tried the long swords and other weapons, the sharp and bright blades indicated their superior quality.
It wasn't until they actually used these weapons in battle that they realized their power. In this era, they could be considered divine weapons. While they might not cut through iron like mud, they could easily cut through opponents' weapons and pierce heavy armor with full force.
Andrew and the others, who had been reluctant to melt down the captured knight armors, quickly forgot about them. Compared to the new equipment, the old ones were indeed junk.
While equipping their warhorses with horse armor, they noticed strange metal rings on either side of the saddle. Cain explained that these were called stirrups, which helped them mount the horses more easily and maintain better balance while riding, making it easier to control and fight.
Andrew, skilled in horsemanship, was particularly excited, understanding the significant impact of stirrups.
In the early medieval period, stirrups had not yet been introduced to Europe, and knight training was very strict, usually starting from a young age and taking years to master combat on horseback.
This was one of the reasons why knights were rare in this era. Besides the enormous cost of warhorses and equipment, training a qualified knight took a very long time.
Therefore, it was extremely difficult for commoners to become knights, except for nobles and knight families.
However, with the introduction of stirrups, everything changed.