[{"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-29":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},1205318,1561,"Chapter 29","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-29",29,"\u003Cp>Considering that none of these military household teams had ever studied martial arts, complicated drill movements would only confuse them, and complex things are also useless on the battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Wang Dou decided to select the most suitable moves from his own spear techniques and teach them some simple, effective killing skills. On the battlefield, the simpler the move, the more effective it often is. As long as they practice repeatedly, it can still unleash tremendous power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The final decision was one move — the thrust! And this one move was broken down into two steps: first step, turn sideways and grip the spear; second step, thrust forward with force. From then on, every day he had them practice these two movements over and over, until their movements became standard, became lightning fast, became conditioned reflex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for blade practice, it was also the same one move, divided into two steps: first step, raise the blade; second step, diagonal slash. The blade-raising movement also had to be standard, and the angle of the downward slash was also strictly regulated!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From then on, every day these teams of able-bodied men practiced spear and blade outside the fort. Without exception, Wang Dou also came out to practice together with Han Chao and the other three every day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now it was already the beginning of the twelfth month of the seventh year of Chongzhen. Every night it snowed, and by the next morning the remaining snow froze solid into hard ice, making the ground incredibly slippery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At present, even sitting indoors by the fire, everyone found the cold unbearable. Out here in the open, standing for just a while made one freeze stiff all over. Yet Wang Dou had them practice without interruption every day. Wang Dou had made it clear: those who couldn't endure could quit, but thereafter they and even their families would be expelled from Jingbian Fort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this season, being driven out of the fort was truly a dead end. Seeing others grit their teeth and persevere, why couldn't they themselves? Dying from training was still better than being driven out in disgrace and then starving or freezing to death. So no matter how bitter, every able-bodied man gritted his teeth and endured. However, to prevent the military households from freezing, Wang Dou prepared some ginger soup every day to help them ward off the cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This day, as usual, everyone went out of the fort early to practice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky was gray and heavy, the cold wind cut like a blade. Everyone's faces were frozen blue-purple, many had cracks splitting open on their faces, and thick white breath poured from their mouths. To keep warm, they tried every means possible. The clothes they wore were a motley assortment: some wore thick cotton-padded jackets, others wrapped themselves in thick fur coats. The hats they wore were equally varied — cotton hats, fur hats, in all kinds of styles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou was also wrapped in a thick fur coat, a fur hat on his head. Like everyone else, his fur coat and hat were old and worn. In such extreme times, no one cared about appearances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After drilling formations for a while, everyone began practicing spear and blade again. The twenty-odd spear users stood in several rows, each gripping a spear. The blade users likewise gripped their own waist swords.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The long spears Wang Dou had bought from Dong Family Village that day had merely been poorly maintained; in fact, they were still usable. After being re-polished and reforged, they once again showed their sharpness. And the several blade-using able-bodied men used those waist swords captured from the Later Jin troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing everyone lined up, Wang Dou gave a great shout: \"Ready!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a sharp sound, everyone stood ramrod straight!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou bellowed: \"Raise spears!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Kill.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of long spears thrust out together — a spectacular sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Raise blades!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Kill!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A burst of furious roars, a flash of blades rising. Although there were only twelve blade users before them, their uniform diagonal slash downward carried a fierce, imposing might in the cold wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Raise spears!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Kill.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Raise blades!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Kill, kill, kill!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Kill! Put your strength into it! Before your eyes are bandits and foes. No fancy flourishes, no empty postures. You only need to thrust — thrust harder, thrust faster. If you thrust faster than them, you live. And those bandits will be your military merit heads.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou roared as he paced back and forth, carrying a club. Whenever he saw someone whose posture or power was off, he went up and gave them a beating with the club, making everyone even more alert.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the uniform movements of everyone on the field, the faint aura of going into battle and killing the enemy already emerging, Han Chao beside him sighed: \"Just over a month, and they already look like this. Think how long we trained back in Zunhua — four months, five months, or half a year?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Zhong was also staring open-mouthed at the men on the field. Beaming with delight, he said: \"To think that these soldiers will all be led by us in the future — I'd die content!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Wang Dou's harsh training of these military households for over a month, they could now be said to be ready for battle. If they could train another three months and see some blood in formation, at least among the Great Ming's guard battalion troops, they would count as a combat-capable force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During this time, Wang Dou also made slight adjustments to these teams, selecting a few more men from within the fort to fill them out, forming three combat squads. Each squad had twelve men: four blade users and eight spear users. The squad leaders were Han Chao, Han Zhong, and Yang Tong. Such numbers could better bring out the power of the formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Qi Tianliang, after over a month of training, he clearly could not keep up with the others' progress, so Qi Tianliang was chosen to manage the newly established supply team. In the future, the army would still need a supply team when on campaign. Zhong Rong only managed documents and certainly could not accompany the army. Qi Tianliang at least knew a few characters and was an old hand at the fort, so he was put in charge of the supply team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, their team, including Qi Tianliang, had only eight people — all the originally old and weak men within the fort. There was no helping it; these were all the manpower the fort had. Fortunately, they usually did not need to drill much, so even though their physiques were somewhat poor, they could barely manage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Tong, on the other hand, had a tenacious ferocity and persevered all along, so he was also appointed as a combat squad leader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet although these three squads of soldiers somewhat resembled soldiers, their uniforms, banners, and insignia could hardly be called regulation. Everyone wore a motley assortment of clothes. The three squad leaders each carried a long-shafted weapon with a tattered flag hung on it, which barely counted as a squad banner. Fortunately, each man had a waist tag indicating his identity, so they could be recognized as soldiers of Jingbian Fort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At present, Wang Dou's force had only one infantry drum, originally stored in the warehouse at Jingbian Watchtower. Though old and worn, it could still be used. The rest of the command gongs and drums did not yet exist and could only be acquired in the future. Anyway, with so few men now, they made do by shouting orders at the top of their lungs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the drumbeats during formation drills, Wang Dou temporarily had the supply team men do the beating — he utilized every bit of manpower he could.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That day, Wang Dou also selected half of the twelve blade users to practice with shields. The shields, naturally, were the round shields and leather shields captured from the Later Jin troops that day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou himself took a shield. Although he had mainly studied spear techniques since childhood, he had also practiced blade, staff, and shield, and though not as good as his spear technique, it was more than enough to teach those greenhorn military household men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holding the shield in his left hand and a waist sword in his right, he signaled Han Chao opposite him to take a long spear. He loudly addressed everyone: \"The shield is the bulwark of an army. Apart from being unable to block bullets, it can cover against arrows, stones, spears, and blades. Moreover, shield-bearers are close-combat short-weapon troops, always serving as support for all units facing the enemy. Combined with their ability to advance and retreat freely, they are truly a fine weapon! Mastering the shield can greatly bolster an army's courage.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Wang Dou finished speaking, he shouted: \"Watch carefully, all of you!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He signaled Han Chao opposite him to attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Chao gave a cry. Though it was a drill, he still showed no mercy, the long spear in his hand thrusting straight at Wang Dou from the side like lightning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou shouted: \"Well done!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a block and a parry of his shield, he immediately stopped and deflected Han Chao's long spear. His body remained completely covered. As he parried the spear aside, following this momentum, Wang Dou closed in right beside Han Chao. Suddenly, his blade flashed — the waist sword was already chopping down at Han Chao's head. Han Chao hurriedly parried, but no matter how Han Chao parried, Wang Dou kept slashing one blade after another, his blade momentum fierce and powerful, as if he meant to cleave Han Chao in two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The onlookers all watched with pounding hearts and trembling fear. Abruptly, Han Chao leaped away, waving his hands repeatedly, panting heavily: \"My lord is fierce and mighty. This humble one knows his inferiority and concedes defeat.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou nodded, turned his head, and said to the military household men, whose faces had turned ashen: \"You have all seen it — this is the advantage of the shield-bearer! Once mastered, except against fine firearms and cannon stones, it can cover against all other blades, spears, and arrows. Of course, there is also this…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time he signaled Han Chao to take the shield, then he took Han Zhong's great club. To be precise, it was a blade-staff, about eight chi long and two cun thick, with a five-cun short blade added to the base of the great club, shaped like a duck's bill. This weapon was commonly seen among the cavalry of the Great Ming's frontier forces — it could thrust from horseback and strike on foot, and was used by a great number of cavalrymen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could the Han Chao brothers have been cavalrymen before? The thought flashed through Wang Dou's mind. Holding the great club, he signaled Han Chao to begin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Chao held a blade in one hand and a shield in the other. His shield tightly covered and protected his body as he constantly shifted his steps, watching Wang Dou opposite him warily. Wang Dou's body turned with Han Chao's movements. Holding the great club in both hands, he was merely probing for an opening. Suddenly, Wang Dou gave a great shout and brought the great club smashing straight down onto Han Chao's shield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Chao raised his shield to block. The force of Wang Dou's strike was so fierce that Han Chao's form could be seen to freeze for a moment. Wang Dou smashed down several more blows, each strike landing exactly where the previous one had. One could see Han Chao's form already becoming disordered, his body exposed from behind the shield. Abruptly, Wang Dou changed from smashing to thrusting, and the short blade on the great club stopped right at Han Chao's heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou withdrew the club and said to the stunned men below: \"You see? The shield fears not blade, spear, or arrow, but it fears firearms and great clubs. In the future, when you encounter these two kinds of bandits, you must be careful — just call for brothers with firearms to step up!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The men below had not yet recovered from the demonstration just now. Everyone was exclaiming and discussing it incessantly. Han Zhong was also grinning and grimacing, never imagining that the great club in his own hands, when switched to Wang Dou's hands, could possess such power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next, Wang Dou had several blade users practice with shields, likewise breaking it down into several movements. Actually, each shield-bearer should ideally also have two javelins to go with the shield, but Wang Dou had no javelins on hand now and could only deal with that in the future. For now, he would first let the shield-bearers master the shield-and-blade techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time quickly reached the eighth day of the twelfth month. This day was the Laba Festival, and everywhere in the Great Ming, people ate Laba congee. And on this very day, the head craftsman Li Maosen came looking for Wang Dou in high excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>",2189,"2026-06-03T14:05:19.908Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","64ebd15e43864569f5c1f7c45e7afd1719d574c0291df4371db4eb014aa4f3f4","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-30","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-28",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]