[{"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-248":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},1205537,1561,"Chapter 248: Wang Pu Departs, Southward to Zhending","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-248",248,"\u003Cp>Wang Dou and Chen An arrived at the encampment of the Viceroy’s Personal Battalion, in the area around the local Nangquantou. From Nangquantou to Weijiazhuang, along both banks of the Xiaoyi River, the troops of the three Xuan–Da garrisons had pitched an enormous camp, their banners stretching on as if endless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Wang Dou reached the Viceroy’s traveling headquarters, a procession of local gentry and commoners who had come to cheer the troops was just being sent off with fanfare and music. Lu Xiangsheng, in high spirits, led the three Garrison Regional Commanders and the various officers in watching them depart. He did not forget to instruct his commanders: “…So long as our Great Ming imperial forces devote themselves wholly to slaying the rebels and serve the realm with all their hearts, the common people will welcome the royal army with baskets of food and jugs of drink.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The commanders all murmured their assent. Seeing Wang Dou approach, Lu Xiangsheng said with delight, “General Wang, you have come?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those behind him also greeted Wang Dou warmly. Wang Pu, the Regional Commander of Datong Garrison, called out loudly, “General Wang, your brother here and all the military commanders have been craning our necks, waiting for you to dispel our doubts and impart your teachings.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou hurriedly said, “I dare not, I dare not. It should be I, your humble subordinate, who seeks instruction from all you commanders.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cupped his hands in salute to each Regional Commander one by one, and the group crowded into Lu Xiangsheng’s central command tent to continue the discussion from the previous days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone agreed that Wang Dou’s troops were fierce and capable in battle. In truth, weapons and armor were not the main issue. No one could speak for the entire garrison’s officers and men, but at least within each commander’s own core personal battalion, achieving fine equipment and weaponry was not really a problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou further seized the moment to request from Lu Xiangsheng a portion of advanced self-igniting firelocks and Lumi muskets, hoping to study them carefully after returning. Lu Xiangsheng generously agreed. As for battle formations, which Regional Commander’s study or residence did not have a great pile of military treatises? Even if some were illiterate, every commander had no shortage of staff advisors and strategists under his command. Coming from officer families, they also had their own insights into battle formations, so this too was not a problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Dawei, the Regional Commander of Shanxi Garrison, mused, “That being the case, it comes down to the soldiers and their training.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou said, “Commander Hu is absolutely right. Marshal Qi once said: the key to troops lies in selective recruitment; the general has his regulations, the soldiers have their fixed quotas, and pay and provisions have their set limits — the method lies solely in excellence. Therefore, the venerable marshal, when selecting soldiers, always chose honest men from the countryside and never used slick city-dwellers. With such soldiers trained, the troops would fear military law, obey regulations, and in battle could be wielded like an arm directing a finger, capable of standing in a grand and imposing formation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words Wang Dou had just spoken were among the essential insights Qi Jiguang distilled from his experience in training troops. At the Battle of Hunhe, the Qi family army fought to the very last man. The venerable marshal’s words were naturally words of pure gold and fine jade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone sank into thought. They understood Wang Dou’s meaning, and each man knew his own affairs. The military discipline in their various battalions was rotten; soldiers were no longer soldiers. Fearing battle and becoming deserters was bad enough, but killing the innocent to claim false merit was rampant, and the ranks were full of hardened army riffraff. Some of these men might possess personal martial valor, but their presence in the army did more harm than good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they followed Wang Dou’s advice, all these men would have to be discharged. Then the several thousand men in each camp would be reduced to a few hundred. The lack of a source of soldiers was one problem, but how to settle those who were discharged? And if they recruited new soldiers, where would the grain and pay come from?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou said, “They can be set to opening up and tilling farmland. At present, there is uncultivated land everywhere across the Great Ming; there is no shortage of places for military farming colonies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Pu, the Regional Commander of Datong Garrison, asked, “Where would the funds for establishing the farming colonies come from?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou smiled faintly. “That would require the imperial court to devise ways and means.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The commanders exchanged meaningful glances. The soldiers in Wang Dou’s army all had excellent nutrition. This was naturally because Wang Dou had large sums of money and grain. Wang Dou had previously been a mere guard battalion commander or Garrison Commander. Not only did the court not issue him grain and pay, it even levied taxes, yet he had the ability to richly sustain so many fierce and hardy soldiers. He must have his own ways of raking in money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a matter that could only be grasped intuitively, not spoken of openly. This secret formula was the core esoteric art by which Wang Dou had built his career and achievements; he could not possibly reveal it. But then, among those seated here, who had risen to become a Garrison Regional Commander without possessing a few tricks of his own, without his own channels for making money? Relying solely on the grain and pay allocated by the court — could they even support their own retainers?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou’s words had opened a new line of thinking for everyone. With Wang Dou’s successful example before them, perhaps they could give it a try.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiangsheng, of course, knew exactly where the money and grain for Wang Dou’s troop training came from. He shot Wang Dou a glare, but Wang Dou simply pretended not to see it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, what Wang Dou had told the commanders, he had long ago told Lu Xiangsheng. Many things that were simple for Wang Dou became incomparably complex from Lu Xiangsheng’s position, often leaving him with the will but not the strength. He sighed inwardly, then composed himself and said, “Good. Now, let all commanders deliberate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At once, everyone in the tent sat ramrod straight. Lu Xiangsheng said, “After the great victory at Dingzhou, the capital was stirred, and His Majesty issued successive edicts of commendation. The morale of the officers and men in every battalion is also soaring. Now the main force of the slave rebels has moved south toward Zhending. While this keen spirit lasts, our Xuan–Da army will conclude its rest and recuperation at Gaoyang. This Viceroy has resolved that tomorrow we shall march the army to Zhending, to relieve the suffering of the people there, who are hanging upside down in misery.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a clang of iron armor, everyone rose to their feet and shouted, “We are willing to follow the Viceroy’s saddle and horse, slay the rebels and serve the realm, and win new merit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the great victory at Dingzhou, the fear and timidity the Xuan–Da garrison troops had once felt toward the Qing soldiers could be said to have been swept completely away. The army’s morale and fighting spirit had reached a peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiangsheng was also very satisfied. “The victory at Dingzhou proves that the slave rebels are fierce in appearance but cowardly within. So long as our Great Ming imperial forces are brave in slaying the rebels, their heads will be our military merit. Commanders, to leave our names in the annals of history — that day is now. Let every gentleman strive!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A chorus of shouts rang out: “Slay the rebels and serve the realm! Slay the rebels and serve the realm!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou also shouted along with the others. Buoyed by the victory at Dingzhou, more and more Ming troops were now daring to leave the cities and engage the enemy in field battles. The military situation was optimistic. This Qing incursion was far more difficult than it had been historically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, a bodyguard hurried into the tent and reported to Lu Xiangsheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiangsheng rose with a face full of smiles. “Another imperial edict has arrived. Commanders, follow this Viceroy out to receive it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the central command tent, yet another eunuch read the imperial edict to Lu Xiangsheng and the others. Besides commendations, it urged Lu Xiangsheng to immediately lead his troops to Zhending.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was entirely within Lu Xiangsheng’s expectations. What was beyond his expectations was that the latter part of the edict also mentioned that the military situation in Shanxi was urgent. It required Lu Xiangsheng to detach a portion of his forces and have Wang Pu, the Regional Commander of Datong Garrison, lead his own troops back to relieve Shanxi immediately, to resolve the crisis at Taiyuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiangsheng was stunned for a moment, but he promptly accepted the edict and received his orders. Wang Pu also received the imperial edict, along with a directive from the Ministry of War. When he received the edict, his expression was very strange. Then, with a look of deep sorrow, he came over, kowtowed to Lu Xiangsheng in farewell, and said in a choked voice, “Viceroy, your humble general is leaving. It is a pity that I can no longer follow at your saddle and stirrup, pursuing and slaying the enemy in your train.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A glimmer of tears faintly appeared in Lu Xiangsheng’s eyes. He personally helped Wang Pu to his feet and said to him gently, “General, you need not be so. Returning to relieve Shanxi is also serving the realm; it is not absolutely necessary to follow under this Viceroy’s command.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He instructed Wang Pu, “Wherever you go, General, you must always remember the principle of serving the realm with loyalty and righteousness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Pu choked with emotion. “The Viceroy’s teaching — your humble general has engraved it in his heart.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cupped his hands and bid farewell to Yang Guozhu and Hu Dawei. The two men were also full of sighs. No matter how much they had previously looked down on Wang Pu as a profligate son who had bought his official rank and post, these days of fighting side by side had fostered some measure of comrade-in-arms sentiment. At parting, both were reluctant to see him go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the moment of leave-taking, Wang Pu also clapped Wang Dou on the shoulder and sighed, “It is a pity I can no longer fight shoulder to shoulder with you, General. After this campaign, if you ever come to Datong, your brother here will surely welcome you by wearing his shoes backwards in his haste.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou solemnly exchanged a salute with him in farewell. Regardless of how disgraceful Wang Pu might have been historically, at least in this current campaign, he had conducted himself methodically and was worthy of respect. At the same time, a shadow rose in Wang Dou’s heart. Everyone assumed that Shanxi was in crisis and that the Ministry of War’s transfer of Wang Pu back to relieve it was perfectly logical. Only Wang Dou knew that this matter might well be Yang Sichang pulling strings behind the scenes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That man Yang Sichang possessed considerable political and military talent, but he was short-sighted, narrow-minded, and extremely vindictive. Just because his political views differed from Lu Xiangsheng’s, he would go to such lengths, disregarding the greater picture out of personal pique? How lamentable, how regrettable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That very day, Wang Pu led his troops in striking camp and departing, leaving behind a vast expanse of empty encampment. Seeing that several thousand more of their brothers in arms were gone, the Xuan–Da soldiers’ originally soaring morale inevitably dipped somewhat. Lu Xiangsheng again assembled the entire army’s officers and men to rouse them, which only slightly lifted the fallen spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Wang Pu’s departure, the forces under Lu Xiangsheng’s command consisted only of Yang Guozhu, Regional Commander of Xuanfu Garrison; Hu Dawei, Regional Commander of Shanxi Garrison; plus Wang Dou; Xuanfu Assistant Regional Commander Zhang Yan; and others — roughly ten thousand troops in all. Early the next morning, amid a send-off by the entire city’s gentry and commoners led by Sun Chengzong, Lu Xiangsheng led his army away from Gaoyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the road away, Wang Dou repeatedly turned his head to gaze back at Gaoyang county town. Leaving Gaoyang this time for Zhending, the road ahead was unpredictable. What comforted Wang Dou was that, under his earnest insistence the previous night, Sun Chengzong had finally agreed to leave Gaoyang city and go to Baoding, removing a hidden worry from Wang Dou’s heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Historically, before the Qing army besieged Gaoyang city, Sun Chengzong’s close friends Cai Ding and Mao Yuanyi, among others, had all urged him to take refuge in Baoding, or simply go south. Sun Chengzong had politely declined them all. In the end, at the advanced age of eighty, he led his entire family — sons, nephews, and the people of Gaoyang — in rising up to resist. Ultimately, his six sons, two nephews, and twelve grandsons and grandnephews all died for the realm. Perhaps moved by the sorrow of this Qing siege, Sun Chengzong could not bear to refuse Wang Dou’s goodwill and finally agreed to his request, to preserve this still-useful body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou finally left Gaoyang with his mind at ease. Although his own strength was limited, of the Great Ming’s loyal and righteous men, he would save as many as he could.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A simple and unadorned wish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From Gaoyang city to Zhending prefectural city was nearly three hundred li. Lu Xiangsheng, Wang Dou, and the others traveled steadily southward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By this time, the Qing troops had already penetrated deep into Hengshui, Zaoqiang, Zanhuang, Lincheng, Gaoyi, and other places within Zhending Prefecture. Although they encountered many Qing cavalry forces, both large and small, along the way, these Qing riders, wary of this army’s fearsome reputation, merely watched from a distance and did not dare to approach too closely. Thus, throughout the march, though there were occasional small-scale skirmishes, the overall advance was smooth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mindful that the army had a large quantity of grain, fodder, and heavy baggage, Lu Xiangsheng and the others had all experienced the agony of going hungry and knew that in the chaos of war, procuring provisions was exceedingly difficult — there were places where even silver could buy nothing. The grain and fodder the army carried with it was the lifeline of this force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, although the Ministry of War’s dispatches urged them on with great urgency, Lu Xiangsheng heeded the advice of Yang Guozhu and the others that it was best to march steadily. In general, the entire army advanced sixty to seventy li per day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few days later, on the twenty-ninth day of the eleventh month of the eleventh year of the Chongzhen reign, Lu Xiangsheng, Wang Dou, and their party arrived with the entire army beneath the walls of Zhending prefectural city.\u003C\u002Fp>",2533,"2026-06-03T14:05:36.780Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","1e0163af7463ae7ce5489cfb940ad1406feab1205c45af264b71d29d4222b935","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-249","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-247",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]