[{"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-245":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},1205534,1561,"Chapter 245: Taking Hits Without Being Able to Strike Back","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-245",245,"\u003Cp>At such close range, both sides could see each other's situation with perfect clarity. Within the great Qing formation, beneath the largest woven-gold dragon banner, the Plain White Banner commander Duoduo, clad in gilded armor, sat imposingly astride a fine steed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After clearly making out the Ming army's disposition across from him, Duoduo could not suppress a burst of cold laughter: \"I have long heard that Lu Xiangsheng excels at deploying troops. For this battle, could he truly be so foolish and contemptuous of the enemy?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw very clearly that the Ming army's center and both wings were without issue — each was not only guarded by a Regional Commander leading several thousand cavalry, but also possessed a large number of cannons. If his own side attacked their wings or center, it would indeed be difficult to gain any advantage. However, the vanguard...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That position held only Wang Dou's several thousand troops, arrayed in a mere six ranks — three ranks of arquebusiers, three ranks of pikemen. Was it Lu Xiangsheng's arrogance or Wang Dou's? Even if Wang Dou's troops' firearms were formidable, could those thin three layers of arquebuses withstand the fierce archers in his own army, or the dismounted formation charge of the death squads and shock troops?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder Duoduo was brimming with confidence. Compared to mounted combat, the Qing troops were indeed more adept at foot combat. The Ming record *Qingjian Xinlüe* states: \"It is said the slaves' infantry excel at leaping through mountains and short engagements. Their horse troops are weak. The Yehe horse troops are fiercest, their infantry weak. Thus the slaves fear the northern cavalry, and the north fears the slaves' infantry. The Yehe's Bai Yanggu and his ilk said: 'We fear the slaves' infantry, the slaves fear our cavalry; our strengths oppose each other, our skills rival each other.'\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Qing military operations, fifty to sixty percent of the main force consisted of lightly armored archers, mostly foot soldiers or auxiliaries within the army. These men used bows at long range and short weapons like rattan shields and sabers in close combat. Apart from these men, the army also had forty to fifty percent heavily armored pikemen, essentially the elite armored cavalry and armored infantry of the army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These men were equipped with both long and short weapons, but when arrayed for battle, every single one wielded long pikes and great halberds. Against their formation charge, the Ming army's tragically flawed firearms were fundamentally incapable of holding them back. Coupled with lax training, their melee capability was far inferior to the opponent's. Thus, when Qing troops dismounted for foot combat, it was rare for them not to break through a Ming army formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Wang Dou's troops were formidable, such a disposition still made Duoduo shake his head repeatedly. The opponent's formation was not only thin, but apart from arquebuses, they did not even have cannons. In this light, within the entire Ming grand formation, Wang Dou's troops were actually the weakest in strength. That was just as well. A direct frontal clash, a battle arrayed in proper and open order — after crushing Wang Dou's army in the field, they could greatly dampen Ming morale! Look, if even Wang Dou's troops, renowned for valor across the three armies, could not withstand the assault of his great army, what need was there to speak of other units?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After today's battle, perhaps the Eight Banners' great incursion would encounter no further resistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, the Plain White Banner commander Duoduo burst into another fit of loud laughter. He turned his head to Abatai beside him and said, \"Seventh Brother, I see Wang Dou is nothing more than this. Beneath a great reputation, the reality is hard to bear.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Abatai did not respond to Duoduo's words. He merely gazed intently at the Wang Dou army across from them, a thoughtful expression showing in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that Abatai had not answered him, Duoduo snorted in dissatisfaction. At his shouted command, horns sounded, and wave after wave of Qing troops emerged from the formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the ninth year of Chongzhen, when Abatai led the Plain White Banner troops to attack Shunxiang Fort, they had suffered some losses. However, over these past few years, those had been replenished. Now, beneath Dingzhou's walls, among the five thousand Plain White Banner Qing troops, there were roughly two thousand armored soldiers, and there had been over four hundred Bayara guards. But in yesterday's bridge defense battle, the Plain White Banner's Bayara guards had lost nearly a hundred men in vain, leaving only a little over three hundred now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Duoduo's command, large masses of Qing troops came forth and formed dense formations in front of the battle line. At the very front were roughly two thousand archers. Within them, besides the five hundred skilled archers from the banner's armored infantry, there were also about fifteen hundred auxiliaries from the banner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These auxiliaries were likewise able-bodied men from each Niru company. They wore cotton armor. Although they were not on par with the armored infantry soldiers who carried soldier's sabers, scaling-ladder sabers, bore shields on their backs, and wore iron-reinforced cotton armor, they too had practiced archery and horsemanship since childhood. Their combat ability matched that of ordinary Ming garrison troops, or was even somewhat stronger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the two thousand archers were another thousand Qing soldiers clad in double-layered heavy armor. Most of these men were the banner's elite armored cavalry and armored infantry, each wielding an Eight Banners long pike or tiger spear. They awaited only the moment the archers shot open the Ming troops of Wang Dou's unit before they would form up and charge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the very rear were five hundred heavy cavalry. Not only was each soldier clad in double-layered heavy armor and wielding a long pike, but even the horses' bodies were covered in thick iron-reinforced cotton armor, following behind these infantry. Finally, there were over two hundred Bayara guards, uniformly in mercury-bright heavy armor, wielding long iron-hafted sabers or long pikes, riding their horses and following at the very back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duoduo committed nearly four thousand men in one breath, showing his determination to break through the Ming army formation frontally. However, apart from those infantry advancing slowly to the sound of drums and gongs, those cavalrymen still roamed in front of their own formation — on one hand following behind the infantry to act as the situation demanded, and on the other hand preventing the Ming formation's wing cavalry from attacking while their own center was depleted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qing infantry and cavalry slowly pressed forward. On this wilderness outside Dingzhou's walls, amid the howling cold wind, Wang Dou watched them come in silence. The great battle was about to arrive. Wang Dou slowly exhaled a breath and looked at the soldiers beside him. Each of them clenched their teeth, but their eyes all showed a resolute expression as they tightly gripped their weapons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Shunxiang Army had already clashed with the Tartar soldiers many times. They had nothing to fear — each man consoled himself thus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiangsheng stood atop the command wagon, observing the utter silence around him, broken only by the desperate sounds of everyone drawing breath and panting. The Qing troops' offensive intent was already very clear: their main infantry force was attacking precisely where Wang Dou's vanguard was positioned. However, the direction of their cavalry attack was unclear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiangsheng had fought the Qing troops before and knew their riders were extremely elusive and hard to defend against. They might attack the vanguard position, or they might strike at the wings. His gaze turned toward Wang Dou's vanguard position. Seeing that they remained utterly silent, maintaining the solemn discipline of their formation, he could not help but nod. He then looked again at the wings — Yang Guozhu's and Hu Dawei's units had each already dispatched several hundred to a thousand cavalry to roam the periphery of the wings. He hoped they could properly protect the flanks of Wang Dou's unit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the Qing troops press forward in dense swarms, forming several waves of assault arrays, Lu Xiangsheng suddenly bellowed: \"Beat the drums! Send word for General Wang's vanguard to engage the enemy!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost simultaneously, the stirring drumbeats within both armies' formations rang out. Wang Dou shouted: \"Advance!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, the several thousand Shunxiang Army troops of Wang Dou's unit advanced, their formation like a moving wall. Across from them, within the Qing ranks, their dense black banners also pressed forward. Behind the tightly packed layers of archers at the front were layer upon layer of pikes like a forest, and within each unit's ranks, dense clusters of white banners with red borders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Advance!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two sides drew closer and closer. Amid the orderly tramp of footsteps, the opponent's armor and weapons, the fluttering red-tasseled greatcloaks, and even the twisted, ferocious expressions on each warrior's face were all visible with perfect clarity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Halt!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The central army's drumbeats ceased. At a distance of less than two hundred paces from the Qing army, Wang Dou shouted the order to stop. Immediately, the orderly tramp of the Shunxiang Army's footsteps came to a halt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou passed the order: \"Arquebusiers, check your powder!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long before forming ranks, the Shunxiang Army's arquebusiers had already loaded their fixed paper cartridge ammunition. Now, amid the rising and falling shouts of the officers, the dense ranks of Shunxiang Army arquebusiers removed the wooden plugs from their muzzles and once more carefully inspected the condition of their firearms' charges.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Light your matchcords!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A chorus of fire-lighter striking sounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Front rank, prepare! Ready to fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dense rows of arquebuses swung down. The five hundred arquebusiers in the Shunxiang Army's front rank all aimed their dark muzzles at the advancing Qing troops ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qing formation across from them was still pressing forward densely. Their two thousand archers were likewise divided into four ranks. At the very front were the five hundred skilled archers of the Plain White Banner's armored infantry. Behind the archers, the one thousand Qing heavily armored pikemen were arrayed in rows of one hundred or two hundred men, forming many dense layers. Each man wielded a long pike or great halberd, fierce and menacing, merely waiting for the archers ahead to shoot open a breach in the Ming ranks before they would form up and charge to kill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Viewed from the air, the dense masses of heads on both sides drew closer and closer. At one hundred fifty paces, the Qing troops, also forming a broad frontage formation, were still advancing in great strides. They could already see that the Ming troops across from them were all clad in iron armor. Given this, with the power of their bows, they would need to enter within fifty paces to have lethal killing effect against the enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon they approached one hundred paces. The Ming troops across from them still had not fired, which somewhat surprised these Qing soldiers. In these men's impression, Ming bird guns were of poor quality, prone to bursting their barrels, and in the howling winter wind, they were often difficult to ignite. In particular, their will to fight was low — they would fire wildly before their own side even entered range.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many in the army had already heard tales of the Ming Wang Dou unit. It was evident that this Ming unit was indeed different from the rest. Even now, they were still waiting patiently, not a single man stirring. Their soldiers also each had resolute gazes — truly well-trained, with strict battle discipline. Moreover, they dared to face them in direct confrontation without relying on chevaux-de-frise or war wagons. This was truly rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what of it? No Ming army could withstand the strong bows and powerful arrows of their Great Qing troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The death-defying Plain White Banner archers were still advancing in great strides. The five hundred Shunxiang Army arquebusiers in the front rank steadily aimed their firearms at them while keeping a corner of their eyes on the matchcords of their arquebuses to ensure they did not go out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the blink of an eye, those archers entered one hundred paces. The arrogant and overbearing expressions on their faces, and the thick white breath they exhaled in the freezing cold, were already visible. At one hundred paces, these Qing soldiers clad only in cotton armor or iron-reinforced cotton armor were already within the striking range of their arquebuses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou exhaled a breath: \"The great slaughter... begins!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At his shouted command, a bugler at the central army position beside him immediately sounded the clear, resonant swan call!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two Company Commanders, every Squad Commander, every unit officer — all, as if by prior agreement, pointed their long sabers forward. The men roared in unison: \"Fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A deafening roar of arquebus fire erupted. The front rank arquebusiers fired in volley. Along the Shunxiang Army's battle line stretching several hundred meters, a long, dense belt of gunpowder smoke billowed forth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the dense ranks of Qing archers ahead, sprays of blood mist burst from their cotton armor. In an instant, a great swath of them collapsed. After being hit, many had expressions that seemed to freeze for a moment, then they came back to their senses and rolled on the ground, shrieking wretchedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if a fierce gale had swept through, a commotion ran through the Qing archers across from them. Among the front-rank archers, some stood dumbstruck as wooden chickens, while others turned and fled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two ranks of Qing archers behind them began desperately loosing sharp arrows. But at such a long distance, the arrows had very little power. The arquebusiers across from them merely needed to lower their heads and use their eight-petaled iron-tipped helmets to ward off the incoming arrows. Some men were struck in the chest or body, but the arrows could not penetrate their fine iron breastplates. Several dozen arquebusiers were struck in the arm, grunted, and withdrew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the front rank arquebusiers finished firing, they immediately withdrew behind the third rank to reload. Under the terrified gazes of the Qing troops across from them, the second rank of several hundred arquebusiers advanced several steps. They raised their arquebuses, their dark muzzles aimed squarely at the Qing troops opposite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Great plumes of gunpowder smoke belched forth. Ahead, another large batch of Qing archers collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qing troops fell into greater chaos. Taking hits without being able to strike back, watching one archer after another beside them fall — this psychological pressure was too immense. Moreover, after a great swath of the front-rank archers had fallen, those remaining were the auxiliaries of the Plain White Banner. Their will to fight was not as steadfast as that of the armored soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the Ming army's two arquebus volleys, seeing that their own archers were on the verge of collapse, a retreat order sounded from within the Qing formation. Immediately, these archers collectively exhaled a breath of relief and scattered to both sides, revealing behind them rank after rank of heavily armored pikemen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dense layers of long pikes and great halberds rose up, flashing with dazzling light in the winter cold. Wave after wave of Qing heavily armored pikemen, shouting battle cries, charged forward with leveled pikes.\u003C\u002Fp>",2551,"2026-06-03T14:05:36.780Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","8c42d759e84d8e3c7cb9cfc69d2b88831b109153c065c3560e7acd1e95cc445c","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-246","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-244",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]