[{"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-210":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},1205499,1561,"Chapter 210: Close Combat","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-210",210,"\u003Cp>Several men nimbly leaped onto their horses. Reaching the hilltop, the Night Scout nicknamed \"Big Tooth\" mounted up just as swiftly. With Long Er at their head, the five followed the sloping path along the creek out of the mountain pass and headed beyond the hills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few li beyond the mountains lay flat open country. The five galloped across the wilderness. This land had once been the richest near the capital region, but now the villages along the way lay ruined and deserted. At times they saw large groups of fleeing common folk, dragging their families along, panicked and terrified, heading only westward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qing troops had invaded several times, and the local people had learned from experience. Small forts and hamlets were not safe, and large cities were equally unsafe — in fact, because they gathered people and wealth, they became the main targets of the Tartar raids. The only option was to flee west into the mountains. But winter was approaching, and everyone lacked clothing and food. Out in the desolate wilderness, no one knew whether they would survive or not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Er led the squad's Night Scouts on a swift ride. At times he spurred his horse into a wild gallop, at times he reined in and halted, and sometimes he even dismounted to examine the ground carefully. Then the group would whistle and ride off again. Leading these Night Scouts, he displayed his outstanding tracking ability, quickly catching up to the dozen or so Plain White Banner Qing scouts. They hung far back, trailing them the whole way without being discovered by anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Near evening, not far from the borders of Zhuozhou, a few li ahead lay a river the locals called the Liuli River. Long Er suddenly reined in his horse. The men behind him halted at the same time, a chorus of neighing and snorting rising up. They had galloped dozens of li in one stretch, and though they had switched horses from time to time, the mounts beneath them still snorted ceaselessly, blowing thick white plumes of breath, clearly exhausted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A shrewd light flickered in Long Er's eyes. He said, \"The Tartars have stopped. They're just over there, not far from the riverbank.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Night Scouts beside him all stirred with excitement. Stool said, \"Perfect. Tonight will be those Tartars' death-day.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, he licked his lips, a bloodthirsty gleam flashing in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Er instructed, \"Everyone stay cautious. Don't alert the enemy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They crept forward quietly. When darkness fell, they reached the riverbank. Ahead, about one li away, faint firelight glimmered. Long Er and the others knew that place — there was a ruined temple there, with a scattering of trees around it, quite convenient for resting and watering horses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Er and his men had rested at that spot before. The banks of this Liuli River were rugged and uneven all around; only near the ruined temple did the water flow gentler. They had reckoned that the Qing troops, with their many horses, would certainly choose to spend the night by that ruined temple for the ease of resting and watering — and sure enough, so it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside a stretch of bare woods, Long Er and his four companions halted. Leaving three men to guard the horses, Long Er took Stool and crept quietly toward the ruined temple. After some unknown length of time, he returned with Stool and said in a low, grave voice to Tiger, Qiang, and Big Tooth, \"We've scouted it clearly. Fifteen Tartars — one Fende Boshiku, one Zhuangda, and thirteen common soldiers. All are mounted scouts from the Plain White Banner's Aliha Chaoha Camp. Do we do it or not?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Huang Taiji ascended the throne, in order to disperse the power of the various banner lords, the niru ceased to be a military unit. Instead, a certain number of able-bodied men were drawn from each niru to form the army. By the time of this Qing incursion, the Qing state's three great camps — the Bayara Camp, later known as the Guard Brigade; the Aliha Chaoha Camp, later known as the Elite Cavalry Brigade; and the Gabshishiyan Camp, later known as the Vanguard Brigade — were already fully formed and perfected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond these three great camps, they had also begun organizing an infantry brigade, a Rui Jian Brigade, a firearms brigade, a Tiger Spear Brigade, and a Shan Pu Brigade, among others. Only by this point had the Manchus truly cast off their tribal clan military system and begun to take on the appearance of a national army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For now, however, the Gabshishiyan Camp generally served only as sentries and guards when Huang Taiji and others made inspection tours, and did not accompany the army on campaign. The leaders of each banner's Bayara Camp, the Bayara Tu Zhangjing, commanded at most six or seven hundred Bayara soldiers, and they were not easily deployed. They were used only when breaching border walls, scaling cities in assaults, or on the most critical reconnaissance missions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For ordinary scouting like this, it naturally was not the turn of the banners' most elite Bayara troops to go out. The Qing soldiers resting in the ruined temple were all common mounted scouts from the Plain White Banner's Aliha Chaoha Camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou paid very close attention to the movements of the Qing troops and invested great energy in this area. Matters concerning the Qing state's military reorganization were, at the very least, known to every Night Scout in Wang Dou's army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stool ground his teeth, his expression ferocious. \"Military merit is hard to come by. If we let this chance slip, we'll regret it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Big Tooth was also panting heavily, his eyes red as he said, \"Do it — why wouldn't we do it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flesh on Tiger's and Qiang's faces twitched a few times, and they forced a single sentence from their mouths: \"We'll do it!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Er said, \"Good. Brothers, today is the day we kill slaves and earn merit. Even if we die in battle, the Mobile Corps Commander will look after our families.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He barked softly, \"We do it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He ordered, \"There are many Tartars. No need to leave anyone to watch the horses. All five of us go in together.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They took their weapons and equipment from their warhorses. In the cold night, under the starlight, each saw the fiercely sharp, cold gleam in the others' eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Er and his four companions crept stealthily toward the ruined temple. The firelight and the clamor grew clearer and clearer, and among the noise came the shrill, wretched cries of a woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The area around the ruined temple was all flat open ground, with only the occasional tree. Just over ten zhang ahead lay a stretch of scattered rocks, some large, some small. Long Er and his four men crouched behind these rocks and looked toward the ruined temple. The sight that met their eyes made their gazes split with fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A woman still wearing remnants of Ming clothing had her hands and feet nailed to a door plank with thick wooden spikes — the plank seemed to have been torn from inside the temple. Her front was bared, and a Qing soldier was sprawled atop her, thrusting. Her four limbs were nailed down. As she struggled, blood welled ceaselessly from her hands and feet. The immense agony made her wretched screams come one after another without pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman's pitiful cries only excited the Qing soldier more. He laughed wildly and loudly without stopping. Beside him, other Qing soldiers roared with laughter, pointing and gesturing at him. Two more Qing soldiers had even pulled down their trousers and were waiting impatiently nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scene before them made Long Er and his men tremble with rage. But they knew this was not the moment to charge out and rescue her. They had only five men; the enemy had over a dozen. They could strike only when the odds of victory were greatest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking out, they saw several campfires burning in front of the ruined temple. Qing soldiers in twos and threes were gathered around the fires, setting up pots to cook, warming themselves by the flames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These Qing soldiers all wore pure white padded armor, without any red-trimmed edges or other colors — they were all soldiers of the Plain White Banner. Some wore helmets of dark iron with red tassels; others had removed their helmets, and as they moved, their bare, shaved heads and the long, thin queues of the money-rat-tail style behind them were exposed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking around further, they saw warhorses scattered about, every one unsaddled and unbridled, quietly eating their fodder. Firelight also came from inside the ruined temple — no doubt the Qing Fende Boshiku and Zhuangda were inside resting and enjoying themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This group of Qing soldiers acted with reckless impunity. They had posted only two or three sentries, who idled listlessly around the campfires. In their minds, tonight would surely be peaceful and uneventful; posting sentries was merely a matter of routine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman's struggling, wailing cries drifted over from beside the campfire again and again. Hearing her pitiful, helpless screams, Long Er and his men clenched their fists tightly. Not yet, not yet the time. They could not bear to watch, yet they had to keep their eyes fixed on the scene, waiting for the moment when those Qing soldiers were at their most off guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One Qing soldier replaced another on top of her, and the woman's cries gradually grew fainter. Nailed to the plank, she only twitched occasionally now. At last, the Qing soldiers had had their fill of sport. Yawning, each stripped off his armor and clothes. Many simply wrapped themselves in a military blanket and lay sprawled on their backs beside the campfire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The time had come. Long Er quietly took out his heavy bow; in the hand gripping the bow, he also deftly held several sharp arrows. Tiger, Qiang, and the others likewise took out their own heavy bows. Big Tooth was not skilled with the bow, so he took out his tread-drawn heavy crossbow and loaded a poisoned bolt. The five men exchanged glances. Their squad of five worked together with seamless coordination; in that single glance, each understood the others' intentions and plans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of bowstrings seemed to ring out from all sides. The screams of Qing soldiers tore through the dark sky. First, the few sentries were shot down. The remaining Qing soldiers jolted awake in alarm, grabbing the weapons beside them and leaping up with loud shouts and yells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Er and his men darted through the darkness. With every arrow loosed, a Qing soldier was shot to the ground. Many of the Qing soldiers had already stripped off their armor, and Long Er's arrows often struck their vital points. Moreover, the arrows were coated with potent poison. In a very short time, at least half the Qing soldiers were dead or had lost their fighting ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, men shouted and horses screamed. The Qing soldiers, not knowing how many troops had surrounded them, fell into chaos. A furious roar erupted as two stocky Qing squad leaders burst out of the ruined temple, weapons in hand — they were the Fende Boshiku and the Zhuangda.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as these Qing soldiers were about to retreat into the temple, wild shouts rang out. From both left and right, several stout Ming men charged forth, each bearing a shield and gripping a weapon, lunging at them with ferocious intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One Qing soldier saw a burly man rushing at him. This stout fellow carried a round shield in one hand and an enormous iron hammer in the other. His body was immensely solid, with a huge head that seemed to sit atop a squarely built frame. Before the Qing soldier could even raise his guard, the stout man's iron hammer had already smashed into him. Sinew and bone shattered, flesh and blood flew everywhere. The Qing soldier let out a grunt and was crushed dead to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qiang slashed a Qing soldier with his blade, then lunged forward fiercely. He thrust out the shield in his left hand — a sharp spearhead was mounted on his leather shield, and it silently pierced through another Qing soldier's throat. That Qing soldier had been raising a tiger-headed saber high to strike Qiang from the left side; as the spearhead stabbed in, an expression of disbelief appeared in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qiang pulled his shield back. Blood gushed wildly from the Qing soldier's throat. Still holding his arms high in the striking pose, he crashed to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first Qing soldier, still wearing his padded armor, had been slashed once by Qiang but could still move. Gripping a heavy sword, he endured the pain and bellowed furiously, hacking viciously at Qiang's flank. But then he suddenly realized that his upper body had already separated from his lower body. Carried by a spray of blood, his torso, still clutching the heavy sword, toppled to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tiger was the only one among the five who did not carry a shield. Paired with Qiang, he wielded a two-handed long saber, thick-backed and razor-sharp. With one horizontal sweep of his long saber, he had cleaved that Qing soldier cleanly in two at the waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mass of indistinct viscera spilled from the Qing soldier's body. Only then did an indescribable agony surge through him. Staring at his own severed lower half, he let out a howl that no longer sounded human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Waist-cutting!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of the cruelest execution methods used by ancient government offices on criminals. The condemned would not die immediately, but would writhe on the ground for a considerable length of time, fully conscious of every ounce of pain. This Qing soldier had been cut in two. As a battle-hardened warrior, his body was tough and his life force even more tenacious — his agony would last even longer, until he slowly died from the pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Er, Big Tooth, and Stool formed a group of three. Among the three, Stool's close-combat ability was the strongest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the three made Stool the main fighter, while Long Er and Big Tooth guarded the flanks and supported him. After earlier smashing one Qing soldier to death, Stool now pounded another into a pulp of flesh. The hot blood splashing from his enemies made Stool's own blood boil. He subconsciously licked his lips — this feeling of close combat, he loved it too much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside him, blades clashed. Big Tooth had engaged the Qing Zhuangda. In a flash of lightning and spark of flint, the two had already slashed at each other several times. The Zhuangda had been deeply cut by Big Tooth from neck to chest, and Big Tooth had taken a heavy slash from the Zhuangda on his right arm. The sound of the blade biting into bone grated harshly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stool swept out his right leg in a horizontal kick. A fierce gust of wind howled past, and a mist of blood filled the air. The Zhuangda's head had been kicked clean off by Stool and sent flying away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A heavy sword came chopping down. Instinctively, Stool raised his great hammer to block.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a thunderous clang, the web of Stool's hand split open, and his great hammer fell to the ground. The heavy sword slashed down again fiercely, splitting Stool's breastplate and drawing a great spray of blood. He staggered back several steps and looked up with reddened eyes — it was the Fende Boshiku.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Fende Boshiku bellowed madly in Manchu and was about to raise his sword to strike again when a curved blade silently sliced into his waist — it was Long Er on the left flank, landing a blow on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Fende Boshiku howled in agony, his long sword dropping from his grip. He roared furiously without pause. Stool cursed, \"You damned Tartar!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He flung away the shield in his left hand and lunged forward violently, grabbing the Fende Boshiku by the collar of his armor. With his right fist, he began pounding blow after blow savagely into the man's head. He wore iron gloves on his right hand. After a few punches, the Fende Boshiku's face and head were already a bloody pulp of flesh, yet Stool kept on striking with ferocious force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Er looked around; the Qing soldiers nearby were either dead or wounded, already completely wiped out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He let out a breath. Seeing that Bandeng was still cursing and beating the man furiously, he stepped forward and said, \"Enough. This Tatar is already dead.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bandeng released his grip and only then noticed that the Fende Boshiku's head and face had been battered beyond recognition; in the one remaining eye, a faint glint of terror still lingered. Cursing under his breath, he flung the Qing soldier's corpse aside.\u003C\u002Fp>",2827,"2026-06-03T14:05:36.780Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","ba4fcac4394e9c725c574d97c2d547f4d98169b86d37ea332b9459856879e074","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-211","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-209",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]