Everyone in the Tang dynasty was drunk, but Meton didn't care about the mess he made. He rode his horse to the outskirts of Chang 'an and stared at the west. According to the news, today was the day the Firearms Supervisor would return.
Carriages came and went on the brick road, but there was still no sign of the Firearms Supervisor. However, Meton didn't feel anxious at all and continued to wait.
Slowly, a commotion could be heard on the official road. Soon, it turned into a series of exclamations. A long convoy of carriages was returning. On the carriages, one could clearly see the marks left behind by swords and crossbows. There were also many black marks left behind by gunpowder.
Combined with these, it was not difficult to guess that this was the Firearms Supervisor's team that became famous in one battle.
"Greetings, Chancellor!"
Seeing Meton waiting outside Chang 'an, the soldiers of the Firearms Supervisor dismounted their horses and bowed. It was the Chancellor in front of them who led them to create one miracle after another and gave the Firearms Supervisor the highest honor.
"Everyone, we have returned in triumph. We have finally arrived at Chang 'an." Meton looked at the troops that followed him and couldn't help but shout.
Immediately, the soldiers of the Firearms Division let out a burst of proud cheers. The Firearms Division truly deserved to call this battle a triumph.
"However, now is not the time for you to return to the mountains. His Majesty has heard of your achievements and is ready to see the Firearms Supervisor's drill in the West Mountain Barracks. Now, I order you to return to the barracks to replenish your firearms and accept His Majesty's inspection!" Meton ordered.
"His Majesty's inspection?" Suddenly, all the soldiers of the Firearms Supervisor held their breath. They didn't expect to have such an honor.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The morale of the soldiers of the Firearms Supervisor soared and they said proudly.
Soon, the soldiers of the Firearms Supervisor rushed back to the armory and replenished all the used firearms. In an instant, the Firearms Supervisor was revived and full of murderous intent.
In the West Mountain Barracks.
When Li Shimin and the other officials saw the Firearms Supervisor, they couldn't help but narrow their eyes. After going through the baptism of iron and fire, the Firearms Supervisor had transformed into a real elite division.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, out of the 1000 officers and men in the Firearms Supervisor, there are 820 of them. Please inspect them, Your Majesty," Meton said proudly.
"One thousand, eight hundred and twenty." When the general heard this, his face darkened. The remaining 180 people had naturally been killed in battle.
The civil officials quickly understood what Meton meant. While they felt sad, they couldn't help but be amazed by the strength of the Firearms Supervisor. It must be known that Gao Chang didn't lose a single person in the Firearms Supervisor's expedition to the west. Even when they defeated five thousand Tubo cavalry, they only lost a hundred and eighty people. This strength made the civil officials' hearts palpitate.
Li Shimin couldn't help but be solemn as he faced the Firearms Supervisor.
"Let's begin!" Li Shimin ordered.
"Understood!" Meton bowed and accepted the order. With a wave of his hand, the Firearms Supervisor's formation whistled. This was the alarm that signaled the Firearms Supervisor was in danger.
At almost the same time, the Firearms Supervisor's caravan began to move. Several dozen carriages formed an inner formation while more than a hundred formed an outer one. All of this took only one incense stick's worth of time.
"What is the meaning of this?" Li Shimin curiously asked.
Li Shimin and the others stood on the inspection platform, holding binoculars to clearly see the Firearms Surveillance's carriage array. They saw that the Firearms Surveillance's inner formation was circular, and the outer formation was like a hedgehog. The top of the two carriages protruded from each other, one after another, sharp and uneven, just like a prism.
Meton explained, "This is Mo Shou's most powerful formation — the Prism Formation. Once the Prism Formation is formed, no matter which point the enemy attacks from, the enemy will be exposed to the other prism. One enemy will face the attacks of two or three soldiers. The Firearms Supervisor's soldiers can form a cross attack. Once the enemy breaks through to the front of the formation, the pressure will multiply and greatly increase the defense."
Li Shimin's heart trembled. He was a battle-hardened veteran and naturally knew that once attacked from the left and the right, on such a large battlefield, no matter how strong one's martial strength was, they would be attacked from both sides. The Mo Clan's formation was indeed extraordinary to be able to form such a fearsome formation with just carriages.
Many of the generals' eyes flashed. Currently, most of the major cities of the Tang dynasty had straight walls with moats protecting them. If the walls were modified into a Prism Formation, their defense would definitely multiply.
"What a pity! What a pity! Such a fearsome formation was born at the wrong time. If it had been born a hundred years earlier, it would have been famous. Unfortunately, in front of gunpowder, even a powerful castle can be broken in one strike. The Prism Formation can be said to be born at the wrong time! "A civil official suddenly sighed.
The ministers could not help but sigh in their hearts. Not only did the gunpowder attack shock the Western Regions, it also shocked the Tang dynasty. In terms of the number of city walls, the Tang dynasty was undoubtedly the one with the most city walls. However, now that the Tang dynasty had produced the strongest spear, the Tang dynasty's strongest shield, the city walls, had become awkward.
"Not really! With the advent of gunpowder, the use of prism formations on city walls was meaningless. However, Marquis Mo was able to use them on a small scale formation of wagons. It was like a fortress full of spikes. Using a small number of soldiers to defeat a large number of enemies, the prism formations were extremely valuable.
"Yes, this Prism Formation is indeed very useful. If the border outposts are built with this Prism Formation, their defense will be greatly increased. With very few people, the enemy will be helpless and retreat." Li Shimin nodded slightly. The Tang dynasty reopened the Silk Road, and the border outposts along the Silk Road were the most important. With this Prism Formation, the safety of the Silk Road would be doubled.
No one had expected that Mo Jiazi would give them such a big surprise before the review had even begun. They finally knew that Tubo's defeat this time was not unjustified.
However, the greater surprise was yet to come. The Mohists were actually able to play with small iron caltrops to perfection. This was especially true for the caltrops that were scattered on the ground. Not to mention Li Shimin and the generals, even the civil officials knew about them in detail.
What really stunned them were the caltrops made of steel ropes wrapped around the carriages. Above the carriages, there were spikes on the coils of caltrops, making the entire formation look like a hedgehog. No one knew where to start.
Cheng Yaojin was itching to try it out. He picked up his lance and prepared to personally test the power of the new caltrops. However, even a fierce general like Cheng Yaojin could only cut through one caltrop. The remaining caltrops were like tigers blocking the road, undamaged.
Cheng Yaojin's expression was ugly. He was confident that he could cut through these obstructing caltrops as long as he had enough time. However, in this short amount of time, he would have already been shot countless times.
"This thing is even better than a barricade." Cheng Yaojin was defeated and immediately praised. The caltrops were tough and not easy to break. Moreover, they were small and could be rolled up for easy carrying. Coupled with the spikes, they were the bane of cavalry.
The generals nodded. This was only the preparation stage, and they already felt that this trip was worth it.
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