[{"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-243":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},1205532,1561,"Chapter 243: The Enemy","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-243",243,"\u003Cp>Wang Dou gripped his fine-iron long spear and charged at the very front of the Shunxiang Army cavalry, shouting his battle cry. His suit of imperial-bestowed armor gleamed brightly, and with his flying cape and great cloak, his martial splendor was matchless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him, Xie Yike carried the great banner bearing the character “Wang,” shouting with equal excitement, though he kept glancing at Wang Dou ahead, worried that one misstep might send him tumbling from his horse — then his own sister would become a widow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guards behind Wang Dou were even more cautious; the sunlight seemed to fall on Wang Dou far more than on anyone else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several thousand Xuan–Da iron cavalry, led by Lu Xiangsheng, surged forward in a rolling charge. The Qing troops ahead had long since fled; they had come only to probe, not truly to fight. Clearly, their probing this time had stirred up a hornet’s nest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These Qing troops naturally had no intention of fighting the Ming army to the death. Seeing the main Ming force charging, they immediately gave the order to sound the gongs and withdraw. The Qing detachment tangled with Wang Pu, upon receiving the signal, also wheeled their horses and fled. Wang Pu and the Datong Garrison cavalry were exhausted, but with such a fine chance to pursue right before them, how could they let it go?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the great mass of reinforcements charging up from behind, every man’s courage swelled and their resolve united. Wang Pu’s face and body were covered in blood, giving him a somewhat ferocious look. He bellowed, “Lads, pursue! Kill the slaves!” He swung his horse lance fiercely, spurred his warhorse, and led his lone force straight after them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hoofbeats rumbled like thunder. Looking down from the sky, several thousand warhorses raced and chased across the ground, raising an immense cloud of dust. Running at the very front were the Plain White Banner jala-i janggin and his men, who had not yet fought; their several hundred horses galloped at full speed, the riders occasionally leaping to switch mounts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trailing behind them, scattered and in no formation, were several hundred horses, with men constantly dropping out and falling behind — the several hundred Qing cavalry who had fought and were now fleeing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Close on their heels was a large body of Ming cavalry in uniformly red banners and armor — Wang Pu’s Datong Garrison riders. And at the very rear, several thousand warhorses came thundering in pursuit, the dense pounding of hooves seeming to shake the very earth. At the front of those several thousand horses, the figure of Lu Xiangsheng brandishing his long fine-iron blade was especially striking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, Qingdu county town lay ahead. The defending troops on the walls watched two large groups of Tartar soldiers retreating in defeat, galloping past without so much as a glance at the men on the walls, fleeing far toward the south of the town without stopping. Every one of them was dumbstruck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before they could recover, hoofbeats shook their ears deafeningly as a huge Ming force came charging in hot pursuit. At their head was a general, tall and handsome, in a suit of magnificent armor, his bright red cape and great cloak billowing in the wind. He was practically standing upright on his horse, controlling the reins with one hand while the horse lance in his other hand seemed ready to pierce the clouds. His eyes were deep and intense as he led the pursuit in grim silence. Behind him stretched a vast expanse of banners and Ming cavalrymen, every face equally grim. Just as they rounded the city wall, the general suddenly roared, “Soldiers, kill the slaves!” and swept his horse lance forward. A thunderous roar erupted behind him: “Kill the slaves! Kill the slaves!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though many men’s horses were already foaming at the mouth and panting like oxen, countless Datong Garrison troops still rolled on in pursuit behind that general.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A burst of cheering erupted on the city wall. Watching the heroic figure of that Ming general receding into the distance, the defending county magistrate and the local officers sighed with emotion: “A true Zhao Zilong of Changshan.” Their sighs had barely faded when yet another great mass of Ming cavalry came charging furiously after.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the troops returned to camp, the encampment was filled with wild rejoicing. In this battle, they had taken over three hundred and fifty Qing heads, captured over three hundred and eighty Qing warhorses, along with countless suits of armor, blades, spears, and baggage. Once back at camp, Lu Xiangsheng immediately held a victory celebration for the Datong Garrison troops who had fought. Not only were the Datong Garrison men all delighted, but their Regional Commander, Wang Pu, was also immensely pleased with himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bulk of these military merit heads were credited to him, and they were genuine Tartar heads won in hard combat, no longer the old practice of killing civilians to fake merit. In truth, when Wang Pu had first led his troops into battle, they had taken only a little over a hundred Qing heads; the majority of the remaining heads were taken during the pursuit. Lu Xiangsheng, Wang Pu, and the others had stopped pursuing the enemy not far past Qingdu county town, for the Qing horses were simply better, and no matter how they tried, they could not catch up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this battle, Wang Pu’s command suffered over two hundred casualties — nearly twenty percent — most of them his own retainers, which pained Wang Pu deeply. Fortunately, with these military merits in hand, Wang Pu considered it worthwhile. At the same time, over two hundred of his horses had been ridden to death; Lu Xiangsheng replenished most of them with the captured Qing warhorses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Today’s great victory — our Xuan–Da troops have taken another three hundred-odd heads! This minister shall dispatch a victory report by flying courier to His Majesty; I expect His Majesty will be overjoyed to hear it. In today’s battle, it was Regional Commander Wang who led the Datong troops to fight with no thought for life or limb and seized the foremost merit, while the other commanders fought with equal valor, and thus we gained this result. Come, commanders all — a toast to today’s victory!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone in the tent raised their cups together, all delighted. Although the lion’s share of the military merit went to Wang Pu, each man still had a few dozen heads credited to him; everyone had gained something. More importantly, after today’s great victory, the fear of the enemy and reluctance to fight that had existed among the Xuan–Da troops was considerably turned around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Pu’s face was flushed with excitement. Swelling with pride, he shouted, “This is all thanks to the Viceroy’s excellent instruction! Only then did we junior officers remember the principle of serving the nation with utter loyalty!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiangsheng laughed with satisfaction and said, “Beginning with General Wang, and now today’s great victory — it shows that so long as our Great Ming officers and soldiers possess a heart willing to sacrifice for the nation, those caitiff riders are nothing to fear!” The men shouted in unison, “Loyal and brave, without fear — kill the enemy and serve the nation!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, the tent was filled with jubilation. In the wake of a great victory, everyone cast off restraint, drinking tea in great gulps and eating meat in huge mouthfuls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou watched Wang Pu, who was exchanging toasts with everyone and making an endless racket, and smiled. A lion leading a flock of sheep can defeat a sheep leading a pride of lions. With Lu Xiangsheng’s inspiration of leading from the front, the encouragement of his own example, and sufficient provisions, the historic victory at Qingdu — where Lu Xiangsheng had taken only a little over a hundred heads — had today risen to over three hundred. Even a runaway general like Wang Pu had dared to fight with valor. Wang Dou sighed with emotion: the government troops of the Great Ming were not incapable of fighting; it was only lamentable that…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he pondered, Lu Xiangsheng spoke again in a loud voice: “Today’s great victory has lifted the siege of Qingdu. While our spirits are keen, our Xuan–Da government troops shall rest and reorganize in Qingdu for one day. Tomorrow we strike camp and march for Dingzhou, to lift the siege there. We must then rouse our remaining valor and continue to Gaoyang, to relieve Grand Secretary Sun!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A clatter of iron armor rang out as all the commanders rose to their feet and shouted, “We are willing to follow the Viceroy’s banner, slay the rebels and serve the nation, not begrudging our very lives!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiangsheng loudly cheered them on and was about to speak further when a clamor of piping and drumming was heard outside, heading toward the encampment. A moment later, a personal guard burst into the tent and cried, “Reporting to the Viceroy: the county magistrate of Qingdu, leading a group of the town’s gentry and commoners, bearing pigs, sheep, wine, and rice, says they have come to reward the troops.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiangsheng smiled. After he had led the army to lift the siege of Qingdu today, the county magistrate had come out of the city in person to thank him; he had not expected them to come all the way to the camp to reward the troops as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of firecrackers, gongs, and drums outside grew steadily closer. Looking around the tent at the commanders, every face was lit with joy. Throughout history, common folk always fled at the sight of soldiers; such a spontaneous tribute was far too rare. Everyone felt a warmth in their hearts. Lu Xiangsheng said with a smile, “The people of Qingdu have come to reward the troops. Commanders, follow this Viceroy out of camp to receive them — let soldiers and civilians rejoice together.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That day, the camp was filled with jubilation. Qingdu was only a small county, so the provisions they brought could not be many — just a few hundred dan of grain and a few dozen pigs and sheep. But the heartfelt gratitude of the Qingdu people and their sincere words of thanks still warmed the hearts of the Xuan–Da troops. For the first time, many realized what they, as government soldiers, ought to do and ought not to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qingdu county magistrate warmly invited Lu Xiangsheng to station his troops inside the city, but Lu Xiangsheng politely declined. That evening, Lu Xiangsheng hosted a banquet in his command tent for the magistrate and his party, and even made an exception by allowing the commanders a little wine. At the banquet, the Qingdu gentry lavished praise on Datong Garrison Regional Commander Wang Pu, lauding him as having the heroic bearing of Zhao Zilong of Changshan, which made Wang Pu grin so wide he could not close his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the banquet, Wang Dou returned to his own camp with a face full of smiles and gathered Company Commander Han Zhong, Wen Fangliang, and the various squad commanders and headquarters officers to celebrate. At the gathering, everyone except Han Zhong wore an expression of wanting to speak but hesitating, which filled Wang Dou with puzzlement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, prompted by a look from Wen Fangliang, Xie Yike stood up and said, “Brother-in-law, regarding today’s battle, my brothers and I have a slight criticism of you.” Wang Dou frowned. “Criticism?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now, Wang Dou’s word in the Shunxiang Army was absolute, his authority growing heavier by the day, and no one dared question him. Hearing for the first time that his subordinate officers had a criticism of him, Wang Dou was somewhat taken aback. He said in a deep voice, “Yike, if you have something to say, say it plainly. Don’t beat around the bush!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the sharp gleam that suddenly flared in Wang Dou’s eyes as he stared at him like a hawk, Xie Yike’s heart pounded. He shot a secret glare at Wen Fangliang and thought, “This fellow is cunning enough — pushing me out front while he sits back and enjoys the show!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He coughed, summoned his courage, and said hesitantly, “It’s about today, brother-in-law, when you went into battle charging at the very front. This is something you could have entrusted to Company Commander Han, or Company Commander Wen, or Squad Commander Li. Why did you have to charge at the front yourself? If, heaven forbid, something happened to you, what would become of my sister?” By the time he finished speaking, despite the freezing weather, cold sweat was pouring down his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Fangliang rose to his feet and said with a grin, “General, Brother Xie speaks reason. Every officer and soldier of our Shunxiang Army is willing to die for you. Why must you steal from your brothers the chance to kill the enemy and earn merit?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Yike pushed forward a guard from his own unit and said, “Brother-in-law, here is the view of a common soldier in our army. You may listen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned and glared at a guard who was shrinking to one side and barked, “Datou, come out! Tell the General the words from your heart.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guard called “Datou” shuffled out timidly, kowtowed several times to Wang Dou with the utmost respect, then raised his face and said, “What this humble one says are words from the heart. The General distributed land and fields to us humble folk in Bao’an Prefecture, letting our families live in peace and comfort. We are all grateful in our hearts. But at the same time, we are uneasy, fearing that one day this good life might vanish — just like today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said, “We humble ones are willing to die in battle for the General, but we beg the General to take good care of himself. Your person is worth ten thousand in gold; the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Bao’an Prefecture depend on you. If, in an affair like today’s, the unthinkable were to happen, how could we humble ones answer to the Lady? Not to mention, who would provide for and care for our families back in Bao’an Prefecture? Could our fields be kept safe?” He continued, “We earnestly beg the General, from now on, not to lightly venture into danger. Leave the business of killing the enemy to us humble ones!” At this, he kowtowed heavily again, and soon his forehead was streaming with blood — a startling sight. Everyone else also knelt and said, “The General’s person is worth ten thousand in gold. We earnestly beg you to take care of yourself and not lightly venture into danger!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou was stunned for a moment. Only now did he realize that, without his noticing, a solid interest group had already formed around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This group was centered on him; his every move was tied to the group’s safety, their honor and disgrace shared as one. Yes, the officers and soldiers could die in battle. As long as he remained, their families would receive pensions and keep their fields, and could live a life of warmth, sufficiency, and dignity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without some of them, the group could still function. But he could not afford the slightest mishap; otherwise, everything surrounding him, everything in Bao’an Prefecture, would vanish like smoke. In the hearts of his subordinates now, his life already outweighed everything they had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou sighed. Indeed, the Shunxiang Army’s daily training and combat were as coldly precise and rigorous as automatons, everything proceeding by the book. It was incompatible with individual martial prowess or the kind of combat inspired by a commander’s personal example. Perhaps from this day forward, the kind of exhilarating battle he had fought today could never appear on his person again. Wang Dou said in a deep voice, “Commanders, please rise!” The ninth day of the eleventh month, the eleventh year of Chongzhen. Afternoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the banks of the Tang River, it was now the depths of winter. The river, about a hundred meters wide, was already frozen over, but the ice was neither thick nor thin — men, horses, and carts could not cross. The boats along the river had all been burned by the Qing troops. To go from Qingdu to Dingzhou, only a local stone bridge called Dingzhou Bridge could be used, but at this moment, that stone bridge was firmly occupied and defended by the Qing troops of the Bordered White Banner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The several thousand Bordered White Banner troops besieging Dingzhou, upon hearing the scouts’ reports and the accounts of the defeated Plain White Banner troops from the Qingdu area, were extremely surprised. This Ming relief force coming from Qingdu numbered over ten thousand. Unlike Ming troops elsewhere, they were mostly cavalry, dared to fight and fight hard, and were personally led by the Ming Minister of War, Lu Xiangsheng, rolling forward with the keen spirit of their fresh victory — a military momentum not to be taken lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both Duoduo and Abatai of the Bordered White Banner were very cautious, especially upon hearing that among their ranks was the Wang Dou detachment, whose valor was famed throughout the three armies and the talk of Ming troops everywhere. They dared not be negligent. Dudu’s scout riders of the Bordered Red Banner had already spread the word through every banner: when encountering the Ming Wang Dou detachment, you must be more than careful, more than cautious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That Ming unit was extremely fierce, especially with their sharp firearms. They had already suffered heavy losses; including the Eight Banner Mongols, the three-banner troops left to guard Tongzhou had lost over thirteen hundred warriors, the majority of them armored soldiers — a grievous loss. Inspired by the victories of the Wang Dou detachment, many Ming troops around the capital were already stirring restlessly. Dudu and the others left to hold Tongzhou felt the pressure acutely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regarding the matter of Wang Dou, Duoduo and the others had already confirmed it from captured Ming soldiers. News from their spies in the capital reported that the Wang Dou detachment had indeed taken a great many heads; the skulls of their banner’s warriors had even been ordered by the Ming Emperor to be piled into a Jingguan, which drew crowds of onlookers like clouds every day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In light of this, after Duoduo and Abatai discussed it, the troops defending Dingzhou Bridge were the several hundred most elite bayara of the Bordered White Banner, tasked with ensuring that this Ming relief force was blocked within the borders of Qingdu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There will be another chapter tonight!\u003C\u002Fp>",3115,"2026-06-03T14:05:36.780Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","ef54cb62a3cc7b040d8406d2dbb5da2b5edaf203823d3e6cbe99201a34ea45da","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-244","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-242",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]