[{"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-211":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},1205500,1561,"Chapter 211: Interrogation","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-211",211,"\u003Cp>Around the ruined temple, the corpses of Qing soldiers lay strewn in disarray. The smell of fresh blood drifted through the cold night air, sickening to the senses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Er and his companions had robes covered in bloodstains, impossible to tell whether it was their own or the Qing soldiers'. They patrolled back and forth, casually finishing off the dead Qing soldiers on the ground with a stab. Three Qing soldiers with lighter wounds had been subdued by them and tightly bound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The brief and bloody battle was over. Only now did they feel the exhaustion and weakness in their bodies, along with the dull ache of every wound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They went to look at that woman. Her limbs were still nailed to the door plank, her eyes wide open. She was already dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Er and his companions sighed long and short. Da Ya, rich in emotion, looked at the dead woman, deep sorrow in his eyes: \"Better a dog in times of peace than a person in times of chaos. Little sister, in your next life, be born into a peaceful and prosperous age.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He closed the woman's eyes and took her down from the door plank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ban Deng and Da Ya were more seriously wounded; the other three each had minor wounds. The five took out wound medicine and applied it to each other, then divided the work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Da Ya insisted on digging a grave and burying the dead woman. Long Er and Ban Deng went to tally the spoils. Hu Ye gathered the scattered weapons on the ground and stripped the armor from the Qing corpses. Qiang Ye took a Qing short-axe and cut off the heads of the Qing soldiers one by one, then kicked the headless, bare corpses aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing the cleanup, the group gathered around a campfire to slightly dispel the chill. Long Er said: \"The haul is not small. We killed twelve Tartar soldiers, two of them Tartar squad leaders, and captured three. We seized twenty-five horses, over a dozen sets of armor, plus some weapons and supplies.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused, then added: \"There is also some silver, but not much, less than a hundred taels.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ban Deng and Da Ya rubbed their hands together, quite pleased. According to Wang Dou's army reward regulations, ordinary soldiers received thirty percent of the spoils, while Night Scouts received fifty percent. Anything under a hundred taels did not need to be turned in. This silver could be divided among the five of them. However, the horses, weapons, and supplies had to be turned in, and the army would distribute rewards uniformly based on their merits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time their meritorious haul was considerable; even just the silver would give each man a good share.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Wang Dou's army, the Night Scouts were the most elite and the wealthiest. But military hierarchy was strict — no matter how rich one was, as long as the man opposite held a rank one grade higher, one had to kneel and pay respects. For the sake of higher status and honor, the mentality of \"content with modest wealth\" was quite faint in Wang Dou's army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at his grinning brothers before him, Long Er said: \"We cannot stay here long. We should leave as soon as possible.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ban Deng's eyes flickered, glancing at the three Qing prisoners squatting on the ground nearby. He said: \"Squad Leader Long, one Tartar soldier looks like he won't make it. I fear he won't last until we get back for interrogation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cold gleam flashed in Long Er's eyes: \"Execute him on the spot!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at Hu Ye before him: \"I've heard that when Hu Ye beheads with his long saber, the blade never rolls its edge. Why not let the brothers witness it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Ye stepped forward proudly. He dragged out the seriously wounded Qing prisoner and made him kneel properly. He measured the long saber against the Qing soldier's neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That Qing soldier, terrified and fearful, screamed wildly in Manchu. He looked at Long Er and the others, his face full of pleading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a low shout, Hu Ye's long saber slashed through the Qing soldier's neck, bringing forth a spray of blood. The Qing soldier's head rolled to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Er exclaimed in admiration: \"Fine blade work!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Da Ya said: \"Fine skill!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ban Deng said: \"Hu Ye is mighty!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Ye's face showed a look of self-satisfaction. He leaned on his saber and clasped his fists: \"Brothers flatter me. Squad Leader Long flatters me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone examined his long saber; indeed, the blade edge was completely undamaged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qiang Ye carefully gathered the blood-dripping head. Long Er said: \"Brothers, move out.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The five men led out the captured Qing horses, loaded all the spoils onto them, and hung up the dozen or so blood-dripping heads. Finally, they tied the two Qing prisoners onto horses, stuffed rags into their mouths, and the five departed silently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ardai, as a soldier of the Great Qing's Plain White Banner, had already crossed into the interior many times. Each time he returned fully laden. He loved this military life, loved watching those Han commoners struggle and weep under his blade. Unlike other Manchu soldiers in his banner, he had another skill: he knew Chinese well, and was well-versed in certain pedantic pretenses among the Han people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To counter such pretenses, he also had an outstanding talent: playing pitiful. The Han emphasized that killing prisoners was inauspicious and were more easily moved to compassion. In his many years as a scout for the Plain White Banner, it was not that he had never been caught and captured. But under his pitifully pathetic expression, the other side would often be overcome with pity, giving him good food and drink, and often losing their vigilance against him, allowing him to escape alive and eventually return to take revenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like that woman last night... Two days ago, he and two other scouts had split up to reconnoiter, but unexpectedly encountered a group of audacious Ming army Night Scouts launching a sneak attack. His two companions were killed, and he was likewise captured. It was precisely under this pitiful guise of his that those Ming soldiers, after seizing him, lost their vigilance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, he escaped, led dozens of scouts back to besiege the hamlet. Those Ming Night Scouts were killed, one was captured and tortured to death alive, and the wife of one Night Scout was seized. After splitting forces to scout, last night they nailed her limbs to a door plank and violated her. Listening to her miserable screams, Ardai's heart attained the greatest satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recalling last night's events, cold sweat suddenly streamed down Ardai's entire body. Where had these few Ming men come from, so formidable? Fifteen of them had been completely wiped out under the sneak attack of five opponents. He himself was wounded and captured by the enemy. Judging by their offensive tactics, weapons, and their words and speech — these Ming men, which Ming army were they from?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After being tied onto the horse, he pondered this question carefully. He had been slashed across the right chest. Those Ming men showed not the slightest pity, had no intention of bandaging his wound at all, and last night had publicly executed a prisoner, causing a feeling of unease to surge within him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was tightly bound. Escape was hopeless. It seemed only one last trump card remained: playing pitiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But judging by the conduct of these Ming soldiers, he did not know whether it would work or not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was tied and placed behind the horse's back, jolted all the way, aggravating his wound, causing him such pain he wished he were dead. At some point, he had passed out. When he awoke, it was bright before his eyes; it was already daylight. He found himself thrown on the ground. Sweeping his gaze around, he realized he was on a hillside, with no idea where in Ming territory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he saw those few Ming men from last night again. A chill surged in his heart. Those Ming men were sizing him up with cruel eyes. Ardai was very familiar with this kind of look; he had often seen it on the faces of his companions. When facing those Ming soldiers and Ming commoners, presumably he himself had worn this same expression?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ardai made a prompt decision. He struggled to crawl up, tears welling in his eyes, about to hoarsely plead and weep, when suddenly he heard a hair-raising cold laugh ring out beside him. A sinister voice said: \"Tell us everything you know, and you'll be given a quick end.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ardai was startled. The other party was actually speaking Manchu, and very fluently. Among the Ming army, only the elite Night Scouts could speak Manchu and Mongolian fluently. These men were Ming soldiers. But with only five men, why were they so formidable? Could they be frontier Ming army elite scouts? Why would there be elite scouts deep inside the Great Ming interior?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one speaking to him was a Ming man in his forties, wearing only a sheepskin robe and felt hat, dressed like a very ordinary Ming commoner. He was very tall and thin, especially his high, prominent cheekbones, and a pair of triangular eyes with slanted brows, staring at him like a venomous snake. Dark, gloomy, and cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ardai stared blankly at this Ming man. The man's gaze made his hair stand on end. The fear in his heart grew stronger and stronger, and for a moment he forgot to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that the Qing soldier before him would not answer, Qiang Ye gave a cold snort. He stepped forward, grabbed his right arm, and twisted it backward. With cracking bone sounds, the Qing soldier howled long. His right arm had been brutally twisted and broken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ardai wailed piercingly. With his right arm broken, all his prospects were gone. Even if by luck he escaped alive, his military career was over. Moreover, there was not the slightest chance to escape before his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hardening his heart, he struggled and shouted: \"I, Ardai, am a warrior of the Great Qing's Plain White Banner. I will not submit to you southern barbarians.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He broke into a torrent of abuse, cursing fluently in both Manchu and Chinese, his vocabulary quite rich.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Er and the others all watched him with keen interest. Qiang Ye unhurriedly pulled off his boots and said: \"Our government offices have a cruel torture, which is driving bamboo splinters under the fingernails, called the squeezing torture. The ten fingers connect to the heart, truly excruciating. Yet few realize that the toes are even more painful than the fingers.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, he had already pulled off the boot from Ardai's right foot. From his bosom, he took out a small, delicate iron pry and said slowly: \"Will you speak, or not?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ardai's face turned pale, but he still glared angrily and said nothing. Very soon, his agonized wailing sounded again. Qiang Ye's small iron pry slowly probed under Ardai's toenail. The toenail of Ardai's right big toe was pried off alive by Qiang Ye, who held the bloodstained toenail in his hand to examine it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qiang Ye's methods made Long Er and the others turn pale. In truth, all Night Scouts in Wang Dou's army were trained in interrogation techniques, with Qiang Ye being the most proficient. Even a man of iron could have his mouth pried open by him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, if Night Scouts fell into enemy hands, under cruel torture, probably few could endure it either. Therefore, although the Night Scouts in Wang Dou's army also had some reaction training for facing torture, most Night Scouts, when trapped with no way out, would choose suicide, and each had their own method for instant death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That Ardai was quite tough. Only after Qiang Ye had pried off all the toenails on his right foot, leaving the entire right foot a bloody mess, and was about to switch to the other foot, did Ardai tremble all over and say weakly: \"I'll talk... I beg you... give me a quick end...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Da Ya sighed: \"Why suffer? If you had spoken earlier, wouldn't you have gone on your way without pain?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qiang Ye smiled darkly and turned to another Qing soldier nearby. That Qing soldier was also wounded but would not die immediately. Having seen Ardai's miserable state, how could he play the hero? He only begged that after speaking, he be given a quick end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Da Ya was proficient in secret codes, but during last night's battle, his right arm had been severely wounded and he could no longer write. After this battle, disabled, he would likely have to retire. So the coded intelligence was written by Long Er. He questioned meticulously in Manchu while rapidly recording. After a long while, the intelligence report was completed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ardai and the other man were made to kneel in a row for execution. Facing death, the two struggled to straighten up. Unbidden, they hummed a ballad from their mouths, seemingly a folk song of their Manchu homeland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Ye slowly drew his two-handed long saber, his eyes sweeping over Ardai's neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The long saber rose high, then slashed down!\u003C\u002Fp>",2215,"2026-06-03T14:05:36.780Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","aae4b5dc315ab4c7bd249c049abc669bd198d539c1c0ea8b41428702db9d2b9f","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-212","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-210",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]