[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army":3,"chapter-a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-173":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","A Little Soldier of the Late Ming Border Army",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1205462,1561,"Chapter 173: The Assistant Regional Commander Arrives","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-173",173,"\u003Cp>According to Feng Dachang, the newly appointed Assistant Regional Commander Mao Bin has already set out from Yongning City and will arrive at Baoanzhou Guard within these two days. After receiving the news, Guard Garrison Commander Li Yi'an and Acting Garrison Commander Xu Zucheng hurriedly notified Zhou Drill Officer Wang Dou, asking him to make the relevant reception preparations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mao Bin was originally the East Route Mobile Corps Commander. After Wang Dou shared out a portion of the severed heads, the original Yongning Assistant Regional Commander Zhang Guowei was promoted with honor to Vice Regional Commander, and Mao Bin naturally took over his post, shifting his garrison to Yongning City. He now already holds the official rank of Vice Regional Military Commissioner of the second rank, with jurisdiction over the garrison commanders and drill officers of Jinghu Fort, Sihaiye Fort, Baoan Old City, Baoan New City, Huailai City, and Yongning City, commanding the troops and horses of the entire East Route, supervising each man's drilling of troops, organizing of equipment, and repairing of city walls, beacon towers, and so on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the armies of the Great Ming's frontier garrisons, the troops directly commanded by the Regional Commander are called \"regular troops,\" those directly commanded by the Vice Regional Commander are called \"auxiliary troops,\" those commanded by the Mobile Corps Commander are called \"mobile troops,\" and those commanded by the Assistant Regional Commander are called \"reinforcement troops.\" These are all battalion troops, also known as combat troops, and only these men are entitled to receive the grain and pay issued by the imperial court. Garrison troops like Wang Dou and the others can only rely on the guard battalions for self-sufficiency, and must even pay garrison grain taxes upward to their superiors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire East Route government army numbers nearly ten thousand men, with several thousand horses and mules. Among them, the reinforcement troops commanded by Mao Bin number over two thousand three hundred men, with over one thousand five hundred mules and horses. Mao Bin took over the post of East Route Assistant Regional Commander at the end of last year and has been keeping silent and quiet in Yongning City all this time. Why would he suddenly come to Baoanzhou Guard for an inspection?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Dachang said in a low voice to Wang Dou, \"My lord, could Assistant Regional Commander Mao's visit be because of the matter with Zhang Xuejiao?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since being reprimanded by Wang Dou, Mao Bin's brother-in-law Zhang Xuejiao has been quite honest and well-behaved during this period. Wang Dou said, \"You need not worry about this matter. I have my own plans. Go and prepare the reception affairs.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Dachang responded respectfully. He made a bow and withdrew without a sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Gui and Company Commander Tian Changguo were both following behind Wang Dou. When they heard Feng Dachang's words, Zhang Gui said in alarm, \"My lord, Assistant Regional Commander Mao's visit to Baoanzhou is a major event. Should we not prepare carefully?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou said, \"The main business of farming the garrison lands is more pressing. I have already instructed Mr. Feng to handle it. There is no need to make a big fanfare.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Changguo drew close and said in a low voice, \"My lord, this humble official believes it would be better to be prudent... This humble official has heard that Assistant Regional Commander Mao is...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou pondered for a long moment, then said, \"Very well, Lord Tian. The reception affairs shall be managed by you and Mr. Feng. Handle them properly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Changguo responded with delight. The Drill Officer had entrusted such an important matter to him, which showed how highly he regarded him. Tian Changguo was quite stirred; his two large, sleepy, bleary eyes emitted a sharp gleam, and he went off in high spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Tian Changguo left, Wang Dou looked toward the fields before him. The open wilderness and flat plains were densely packed with heads, countless soldiers and civilians in the fields sweating like rain. Time was pressing. The autumn sowing was not far off, yet there were still many irrigation wells to be dug and just as many waterwheels to be erected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Starting from this year, the drought in Baoanzhou has been equally severe. The fields outside the prefecture have dried up. Without digging irrigation wells, soldiers and civilians would have to carry water from places several li, even over ten li away to farm. In that case, garrison farming would be out of the question. Therefore, digging numerous irrigation wells was imperative.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To dig the wells, Wang Dou had already mobilized the soldiers and civilians of the entire Baoanzhou, over ten thousand people laboring together, letting them witness the power of collective effort. In the past, for the soldiers and civilians of the prefecture city, digging a single deep brick-and-stone well would take over a month and cost dozens of silver taels. But under Wang Dou's organization, the entire city's soldiers and civilians worked day and night. Usually, several dozen people could dig one irrigation well in twenty days, even within ten-plus days. One could see irrigation wells being dug and lined one after another in the fields, and waterwheels being set up one by one. This speed was truly astonishing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Wang Dou's irrigation well digging, the raw materials of earth and wood could be contributed by the soldiers and civilians, or they could be organized to dig and fell them. The construction of waterwheels also mobilized large numbers of men and women to assist the craftsmen of Shunxiang Fort in their labor. Raw materials and manpower required no payment, but the food for the laboring soldiers and civilians was supplied by Wang Dou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over ten thousand people eating and drinking was no small amount, and they had to be fed well. During busy periods, over a thousand dan of grain were needed per month. Irrigation wells in various places had been dug successively starting from the third and fourth months, and especially entering this fifth and sixth month, it had already cost Wang Dou several thousand dan of grain, all of which Wang Dou bought with silver. The Wanshenghe Rice Shop in the prefecture city, doing business with Wang Dou alone, had naturally become the largest rice merchant in the prefecture city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the organizational support of the government, they could dig wells for their own fields and have full bellies. The enthusiasm of the soldiers and civilians of Baoanzhou for digging wells soared. They actively sought out and surveyed places with water, carrying earth, hauling stones, bustling about with great pleasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment before Wang Dou, over fifty soldiers and civilians were digging an irrigation well. More than half of them were able-bodied adults. They dug vigorously with spades and shovels, hammers and chisels, occasionally using buckets to hoist the crushed stone out of the well. When this well reached a depth of three zhang, they encountered rock. The more this was the case, the more it proved there was an aquifer below, and the soldiers and civilians dug downward with even greater effort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By today, this well had been dug to a depth of nearly twenty zhang, having been worked on for ten days. The mud and stone dug out alone were piled high beside the well. The owner of this well was a military household under the command of Company Commander Tian Changguo. Their family of six included an old matriarch already over eighty years of age, which in this Great Ming was considered very long-lived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their family had reclaimed fifty mu of wasteland. Hearing that the Drill Officer was digging a well for her family, the old matriarch was very happy in her heart. Every day, leaning on her cane and supported by her family, she came to the wellside. Every day she murmured, hoping that water could be drawn soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the soldiers and civilians busy at the wellhead, she felt very apologetic and instructed her family to brew tea every day to share with everyone. At this moment, seeing Wang Dou nearby and hearing that the tall military officer before her was the Drill Officer Lord Wang often mentioned by the military households, she personally brought a bowl of tea. Supported by her family, she walked forward tremblingly and said respectfully, \"My lord's grace and virtue, this old woman has nothing with which to repay you, only this bowl of tea to express a fraction of my feelings.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou smiled slightly and said, \"Good. Many thanks, venerable elder.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Wang Dou drink the tea, the old matriarch's cracked lips parted in a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly a joyful cry rang out: \"Water's coming out.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, the irrigation well that had been dug for ten days finally bubbled forth spring water. Everyone around cheered without end, congratulating one another on the successful well-digging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou was also very pleased. Having reached this stage, this well only needed its bore widened and filled with cobblestones to become a completed well, which would not take much time. He estimated this well's water output would be considerable. Originally, with such irrigation wells, if one had items like later-era water pumps, a single well's daily output could meet the water needs of several hundred pigs, over a thousand chickens and ducks, and over two hundred mu of nearby fields. But for now, with only manpower and waterwheels, it could only meet the water needs of fifty mu of fields.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old matriarch was overjoyed. She circled the wellhead for a while, then led her family over to kowtow in thanks to Wang Dou. She wept, saying, \"This old woman thanks my lord. My lord's grace and virtue, this old woman's family will never forget as long as we have teeth.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her family kowtowed unceasingly along with her. Everyone around felt the same empathy. This household now had fields and an irrigation well, and could soon live a good life. All this was thanks to being under the Drill Officer's governance that such good fortune existed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou said gently to the old matriarch, \"Venerable elder, there is no need for this. Please rise.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This field was not far from an official road. At that moment, a graceful horse carriage was stopped on the road. Inside the carriage, Young Lady Ji was sitting calmly with the Young Madam, watching the scene over there. Young Lady Ji said, \"Sister Wanyun, look at how well that Wang Dou curries favor and wins people's hearts. Those soldiers and civilians all treat him like a living bodhisattva.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Young Madam seemed somewhat distracted. She said, \"Lord Wang digs wells and distributes land for the soldiers and civilians, saving countless lives. That the common people feel grateful is only natural and reasonable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said with a smile, \"Sister, you were doing well in Lucheng. Why did you think of coming to the prefecture city again?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Young Lady Ji's face showed a look of dejection. She sighed and said, \"Don't even mention it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou and Zhang Gui were making an inspection tour among the fields and plots, observing the bustling activity everywhere. At this pace, before the autumn sowing, everyone's irrigation wells should be dug and waterwheels set up. With irrigation wells and waterwheels, by next year at the latest, the soldiers and civilians of the prefecture city could be freed from hunger and cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since he arrived in the Great Ming in the seventh year of Chongzhen, he had been toiling tirelessly. His official rank grew higher and higher, the number of soldiers and civilians under his jurisdiction grew larger, and the number of people he had to feed grew greater. The mental pressure was no small matter. As the head of the household, Wang Dou had one feeling: exhaustion!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he had no choice. As the parent-official of the common people, he had the responsibility to let them live stable lives, at the very least to let them eat their fill. He had already worked hard, but as for what the future of Baoanzhou would be like, Wang Dou had no certainty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Gui was similarly filled with emotion. Looking at the reverent gazes of the soldiers and civilians all along the way, he could not help but say to Wang Dou, \"My lord's benevolence and virtue are rarely seen by this humble official. To be able to follow my lord, this humble official feels deeply honored.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou shook his head and remained silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a clamor was heard up ahead. Wang Dou frowned: \"What is the matter?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Gui said, \"This humble official will go and see.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hurried off, and returned shortly after, saying, \"My lord, it is some civilian households making a disturbance, saying why the well-digging teams have not yet helped them dig wells.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou said, \"Oh? Why have the well-digging teams not helped them dig wells? I promised Department Magistrate Li that even the civilian households within the department would receive unified assistance in well-digging.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Gui said in a low voice, \"My lord may not be aware, but those making trouble are all sons and younger brothers of the local gentry. This humble official has looked into it; their fields are not even registered with household names and field acreage in Department Magistrate Li's land reclamation register.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou's expression did not change: \"So, these people reclaimed wasteland, but are unwilling to register their fields in the books, unwilling to pay grain taxes in the future, and still want this official to dig wells for them for free?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Gui said resentfully, \"Those gentry sons usually boast of being thoroughly versed in the books of the sages, yet they are utterly miserly. It would be strange if they were willing to pay grain taxes. My lord, among the civilian households of the prefecture city, such matters are numerous.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou said with a cold laugh, \"For those without field acreage and names in the register, we will uniformly not dig wells. Since they are unwilling to pay grain taxes, let them carry water themselves!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said to the Garrison Provost Officer Chi Dacheng, \"Lord Chi, lead troops on patrol. Anyone who dares to make trouble and obstruct the well-digging teams in their work, arrest them all. Give each of them twenty military rods first, then we'll talk!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the blazing sun, on the twenty-fifth day of the sixth month of the tenth year of Chongzhen, a procession of insignia and banners grandly entered the territory of Baoanzhou. Among them, a huge flag bearing the character \"Mao\" glittered brightly under the sunlight. Behind the flag were several dozen retainers and bodyguards clad in armor. Under the scorching sun, every one of them was drenched in sweat, their expressions quite weary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind these retainers, East Route Assistant Regional Commander Mao Bin rode on a warhorse. His long, narrow eyes observed the scenery on both sides of the official road for a while, then his shrill voice rang out: \"This Wang Dou is quite bold and resolute. Even in Yongning City, I heard that he was distributing land and digging wells in Baoanzhou. Sure enough, as soon as one enters the department, one sees bustling activity.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside him, Acting Garrison Commander of Baoan Guard Xu Zucheng, upon hearing this, smiled and said, \"This Wang Dou is indeed very driven. He is a man of talent.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mao Bin gave a sly laugh and said, \"It is good for young men to be driven, but if one is overly driven and does not know the heights and depths, that is not so good.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zucheng was taken aback. Why would Assistant Regional Commander Mao say such a thing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Shiyan and Wang Captain, who were behind Mao Bin, felt a stir in their hearts. They exchanged glances, each seeing the delight in the other's eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>",2644,"2026-06-03T14:05:19.908Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","f35ddf4ec5908751f599afdccf3a2e4cbe8a73768496ce99d513ed341a738456","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-174","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-172",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]