The First Killer God of the Tang Dynasty

Seeing Li Siye's sincere expression, Zhang Yang stopped hiding his intentions.

He picked up the wiping cloth on the table, wiped his mouth, and stood up.

"The Mo Dao (陌刀) team is indeed formidable, but how many were lost in the Battle of Qingqu? And how many have been lost since An Lushan's rebellion? General Li, how many Mo Dao soldiers do you still have under your command?"

Upon hearing this, Li Siye felt a little embarrassed.

Compared to the original Mo Dao (陌刀) team of over 10,000 people, it is now less than a quarter of that number.

"The Mo Dao is indeed powerful, but it was built at great expense, a legacy from the Tang Dynasty's peak, costing countless amounts of public funds. Each battle reduces its quantity, and it can only withstand direct attacks from enemy forces, lacking flexibility. Even scarcer than the weapon itself are the Mo Dao operators—one in a hundred, even one in ten thousand. Ordinary soldiers, without years of training, simply cannot use the Mo Dao effectively. So, General, how do you plan to quickly replenish your ranks?"

To put it bluntly, the Tang Dynasty's Mo Dao (陌刀) troops were like a small gold mine; each battle was like digging out a piece of gold.

If this continues, we'll just be wasting our resources.

Warfare, especially protracted warfare, requires a continuous supply of troops, like a spring, to ensure that combat effectiveness is not diminished.

"If I say it's a path to death, what meaning does it hold for the general?"

Given Li Siyuan's prestige, recruiting thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of soldiers would not be a big deal.

However, the selection process for the Mo Dao team is too rigorous.

Li Siye also strongly agreed with this, but in his view, the problem was unsolvable.

The Tang Dynasty needed their Mo Dao (陌刀) troops, and there was no weapon more powerful than the Mo Dao in the world.

"Brother Li, you've said so much, yet you haven't offered any solutions. What's the use besides humiliating my Great Tang Mo Dao Brigade? I know you're afraid of the extreme dangers on the battlefield..."

Who is Zhang Yang?

The King of Special Forces, a modern man who has lived two lives.

Li Siye's provocation was so effective that he recognized its meaning as soon as he opened his mouth.

Smiling, he picked up a glass of wine and walked up to Li Siye.

He said with a smile, "General, you don't need to goad me. I came to the camp to give you a solution."

As he spoke, Zhang Yang picked up the paper and pen on Li Siye's desk and started drawing.

Before long, a new weapon appeared on the paper.

Li Siye looked at the weapon with a surprised expression.

"What is this? It looks strange. Can it be even more powerful than the Mo Dao?"

Zhang Yang said with a smile.

"This thing is called a wolf-tooth spear. It is made from large, densely packed, and sturdy bamboo, about sixteen feet long. The top is fitted with an iron spearhead, and the branches and leaves are heated into hook shapes, soaked in tung oil, and coated with poison. It is specifically designed to counter the Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword). In battle, it dazzles the enemy, making it impossible for them to get close to the Mo Dao. Not only can you use the spearhead to kill the enemy, but you can also add a hook to the spearhead to lure the enemy into your own camp, where you can then quickly kill them..."

At this point, Li Siye was completely dumbfounded.

All I could think of was a battlefield scene where the two weapons clashed.

Indeed, according to Zhang Yang's plan, this wolf-tooth rake could play a significant role.

Once the enemy is dragged into the camp, they will have no power to resist. When facing the enemy, the length of the wolf-tooth rake will prevent them from getting close.

"sharp!"

In the end, Li Siye could only describe this weapon with these two words.

Zhang Yang continued.

"This wolf-tooth spear has another advantage: it's easy to source. There are sturdy bamboos nearby outside Chang'an City, which, when coated with tung oil, become indestructible. Most importantly, it doesn't require extensive professional training; newly recruited soldiers can use it just as well."

Upon hearing this, Li Siye was extremely excited.

With this weapon, he only needed to recruit a few thousand soldiers to defend the Mo Dao team against the enemy's fierce attacks.

In this way, his Mo Dao team could dominate the battlefield and be invincible.

No longer do we have to fight with our brothers' flesh and blood against the enemy, where we would lose more than half our men in a single battle.

Seeing Li Siye's shocked reaction, Zhang Yang felt a surge of secret joy.

In fact, there were some things that Zhang Yang didn't say at all.

The wolf-tooth spear combined with the long-handled sword is not invincible, but when combined with a musket, it becomes unparalleled.

We can wipe out the enemy without suffering any losses ourselves.

However, the manufacturing process of muskets is slow, and there is a lack of craftsmen nowadays, so there is no need for me to say it out loud.

Li Siye, the war god of the Tang Dynasty, was ultimately inexperienced. If I had shown him all the blueprints for the composite bow, musket, smoothbore gun, and tiger-squatting cannon, he would probably have knelt down before me, and I would have tied him up to the Mo Dao (陌刀) team.

"Excellent! With this divine weapon, our Tang Dynasty's Mo Dao (陌刀) team is fearless. Brother Li, you should stay with my Mo Dao team. I'll give you the salary of a centurion, and in the future..."

Zhang Yang refused again.

"General Li, I have the utmost respect for you, but I am utterly disappointed in the officialdom of the Tang Dynasty. Don't forget how Gao Linggong died unjustly when he was defending Xianyang."

At this point, Li Siye's expression turned grave, and he let out a deep sigh.

Gao Linggong was Gao Xianzhi, Li Siye's benefactor and former superior.

After the An Lushan Rebellion, Gao Xianzhi was stationed at Tongguan, but he was framed and executed by Emperor Suzong of Tang.

This matter has always been a thorn in Li Siye's side.

"Even a great general like Gao Linggong, who made outstanding military achievements, met such an end. How can a commoner like me possibly find a place to live in the chaotic imperial court?"

He knew Li Siye's good intentions; the other party wanted to promote him.

But Zhang Yang had no interest in the already corrupt Tang Dynasty.

Zhang Yang's subsequent words further stirred Li Siye's appreciation for talent.

Zhang Yang cupped his hands and said, "General, although I am dissatisfied with the court, I am a citizen of the Tang Dynasty, a son of the Han people, and I will never side with the rebel army of the Great Yan. If the Mo Dao Brigade clashes with the rebels, I, Zhang Yang, will definitely lead my brothers to lend a hand!"

Li Siye hugged Zhang Yang's shoulders with great excitement.

"Very well, this is the kind of man my Tang Dynasty men are! Since you, brother, are unwilling to stay with my Mo Dao Brigade, I will not force you. Here's what I'll do: I will write an imperial edict appointing you as the head of Guo Du Town, with the independent authority to cultivate land, recruit soldiers, and collect taxes. If you have ten men, you will be a squad leader; if you have a hundred, you will be a centurion; if you have a thousand, you will be a chiliarch. You will be an unofficial member of my Mo Dao Brigade, how about that?"

Li Siye knew that Zhang Yang was a rare talent. If he only let him lead these ten or eight brothers, no matter how strong their fighting power was, they would not be able to effectively help him in future battles.

Upon hearing that he had been granted an independent organizational structure and the right to cultivate land, recruit soldiers, and collect taxes, Zhang Yang was overjoyed.

It doesn't matter if there are few people now; as long as he is given the opportunity to develop, he will surely be able to sweep across the world in the future.

A moment later, Zhang Yang's expression darkened slightly as he looked at Li Siye with some embarrassment.

"General, aren't you satisfied with just giving us empty titles? Could you exchange the heads of those Great Yan rebels for some food?"