In the dead of winter in Shuozhou, the cold wind is as sharp as a knife, blowing up fine snow foam and splashing it on the towering city walls and the faces of busy pedestrians.
However, in this war-torn land, an unprecedented current of warmth is surging.
The center of the heat flow is the increasingly magnificent Zhenbei General’s Mansion.
This place is no longer just a military command center, but more like a huge and sophisticated innovation workshop, which gradually forges concepts that transcend the times into the bones and flesh of the prefectures under the jurisdiction of the General Zhenbei's Mansion.
To the west of the city, the vast Shuozhou Parade Ground is the main camp of the Zhenbei Army.
Among them, three of the four most elite troops directly under the General's Mansion are stationed: the 2,000-man Cavalry Battalion, the 1,000-man Shenji Battalion, and the 500-man Modao Battalion.
In the wind and snow, the cavalry battalion's captain and deputy captain Wu Shangzhi and Guo Luoge led a team of cavalry and were conducting an unprecedented "red-blue confrontation exercise."
Unlike previous dusty battles with real swords and guns, today's martial arts training ground appears particularly civilized, yet harbours hidden murderous intent.
The cavalry was divided into two groups. Wooden training swords with lime-wrapped ends were hung next to the saddles, and key parts such as the chest and back were wrapped with thick cloth dyed red and blue.
They did not just charge forward blindly, but instead carried out complex tactical maneuvers according to the "Basic Cavalry Drill Manual" which Zhao Muyun had personally drawn up and had had clerks copy and distribute to the captain level.
"Look! That three-three team on the left wing of the Red Army!"
Guo Luo was wearing a cloak and pointing at the field, his eyes flashing.
Three red cavalrymen advanced in a V-formation. One of them made a feint attack from the front to attract attention, while the two wingers on the left and right rushed out like poisonous snakes out of their holes, using the speed difference to "kill" down two blue cavalrymen in an instant.
Their chests were left with striking white lime marks.
“Great!”
Wu Shangzhi clapped his hands in admiration. A layer of frost formed on his eyebrows and white air came out of his mouth, but he could not hide his excitement.
"Zhao Tou's method of training cavalry really makes the most of them!"
"In the past, when practicing cavalry combat, you either deployed your formations and charged forward, which inevitably resulted in casualties; or you just raced in vain, failing to develop real skills."
"Now, this not only trains individual courage and riding skills, but also team coordination and tactical acumen! This lime mark is more effective than any scolding from a military judge!"
At one side of the field, dozens of straw "moving targets" pulled by ropes and able to move quickly were erected to simulate enemy cavalry.
A team of blue cavalry is passing by at high speed. They must accurately chop or avoid these constantly changing targets while running. If they are a little slow or inaccurate, they will be "hit by an arrow" and fall off their horses.
"Discipline! Coordination! Precision!"
Guo Luo muttered, repeating the key points Zhao Muyun had emphasized. "The general said he wanted to turn the cavalry into 'mounted infantry,' so they could be used as easily as one's own arms. Now it seems that his words were true!"
The most intimidating force on the entire parade ground was the Modao Battalion led by Xi Sheng.
Five hundred burly, muscular men, each wearing heavy armor weighing dozens of kilograms, holding specially made extended and heavy Mo Dao, the blades of which were chilling in the light of the snow.
They formed a tight array and, following Xi Sheng's roaring commands, practiced Zhao Muyun's improved "hack and slash array" which combined the Tang Dynasty's Modao formation with modern infantry drills.
"Enter!"
"ha!"
"cut!"
"kill!"
The steps were heavy and uniform, and the sound of their steps was like thunder.
The rise and fall of the Mo Dao were not chaotic, but uniform, with slashing, stabbing, and circling blocks. The movements were simple, efficient, and full of power.
The blade cut through the air, making a teeth-grinding scream.
Their imaginary enemy was a formation of dozens of wooden stakes covered with double-layer thick cowhide and filled with straw.
"boom!"
With a loud bang, a Modao warrior chopped down with all his strength, splitting the wooden stake in front of him in half and leaving a deep mark in the frozen soil behind him.
"Stand still like a mountain! The sword is as sharp as a wall!"
Xi Sheng's voice was like a loud bell, and he walked among the troops with a gaze as sharp as lightning.
"The general has ordered! My Modao Battalion is the wall of the battlefield and the courage of infantry combat!"
"No matter how many cavalry the enemy has, we will make them crash into each other and bleed, and their horses and men will be crushed to pieces by our Mo Dao!"
"Everyone, cheer up! If you train well, you'll have plenty of mutton! If you don't, don't even think about eating tonight!"
The soldiers roared louder and their swords swung faster.
This heavy infantry, which is ahead of its time, is using sweat and perseverance to sharpen the edge that will determine victory or defeat on future battlefields.
In a valley more than ten kilometers west of the parade ground, Liu Yi's Shenjiying camp seemed much quieter.
But the smell of gunpowder and rust in the air was even stronger than that of the cavalry.
Hundreds of archers with extraordinary arm strength and sharp eyes lay on the snow covered with fur, using improved composite bows equipped with simple "rules" and "sights".
In the distance, one hundred and fifty steps away, the target had an arrow point as small as a copper coin.
"The wind is east, force three, adjust the scale up half a notch..."
A sergeant whispered a reminder to the shooter beside him.
This was a new concept introduced by Zhao Muyun. Although the shooters had only a vague understanding of terms such as "wind speed" and "parabola", after repeated practice, they did find that their hit rate had been significantly improved after adjusting according to these "rules".
This is a huge shift from "relying on experience and feeling" to "relying on data".
Further inside, the "experimental area" tightly surrounded by wooden fences is an absolute restricted area.
A dark, heavy iron pipe with a cold glow was mounted on a reinforced wooden gun mount.
This is Shuozhou’s biggest secret at present, and also Zhao Muyun’s greatest hope.
The prototype of the original artillery is undergoing its third live-fire test today.
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