[{"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-305":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},1205594,1561,"Chapter 305: Retreating with No Other Choice","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-305",305,"\u003Cp>Wang Dou, Cao Bianjiao, and Wang Tingchen set out at the hour of the Dragon. The great army, over twelve thousand strong, advanced in a mighty column along Gaolou Fort, Sungezhuang, and other places, pressing straight toward Pinggu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The army soon passed Gaolou Fort, a local civilian fort that had been plundered and abandoned by the Qing troops; traces of battle were still visible. Clearly, the vanguard of He Renlong and Gao Jie had fought a brief skirmish with Qing troops here yesterday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The army did not pause at all and continued toward Sungezhuang. In this area, some Qing sentry riders from Pinggu flickered in and out of sight around the army, but they were quickly driven far away by Wang Dou's night scouts and could not get within ten li of the army at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Shunxiang Army's furthest sentry riders had already reached the Sungezhuang area, and they sent back word that no large bodies of Qing cavalry had been found near Sungezhuang. Wang Dou ordered the army to keep moving without pause, still pressing mightily toward Pinggu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The smoothness of the march and the fierce bravery of the Shunxiang Army's night scouts filled their traveling companions Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen with admiration. In their usual marches, their own sentry riders feared the Qing and could not carry out effective reconnaissance at all, leaving the prospects of their marches uncertain and causing them to fall into ambushes time and again — how could it ever be as smooth as the Shunxiang Army?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as for why He Renlong had fallen into an ambush the day before, Wang Dou was certain it was because his army's scouts and patrols were incompetent. Wang Dou's night scouts, by contrast, always fanned out twenty to thirty li to the front, rear, left, and right, reporting the situation on every side at all times. With that time to prepare, and given the speed of cavalry, any attempt to launch a surprise attack on Wang Dou's army became an empty notion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"General Wang, at our marching pace, we can reach the walls of Pinggu by tomorrow afternoon.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen rode alongside Wang Dou, their own troops being led by their respective personal guard officers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking back, behind the several hundred cavalry of Wang Dou's central army great banner, the infantry advanced in orderly battalions, one after another. The plain was broad, so they marched ten men abreast. Though each wore heavy armor and had marched for several tens of li, every man was still full of vigor, and their ranks remained strict and unbroken from start to finish!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fine soldiers indeed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both men were full of praise. Having spent long years in the army, merely observing this marching formation was enough to see the toughness of Wang Dou's officers and men. With such valiant and battle-hardened soldiers under his command, it was no wonder Wang Dou could perform extraordinary deeds time and again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the Shunxiang Army's infantry came the army's large number of supply wagons, of every kind, numbering as many as seven or eight hundred. No matter where they went, the Shunxiang Army always carried half a month to a full month's worth of provisions and fodder — an ironclad rule that never changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that Wang Dou carried a large quantity of provisions, Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen were happy not to have to beg Chen Xinjia for supplies, which conveniently lightened their own marching burden, and Wang Dou generously let them eat from his own stores.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the main supply section, Zhao Xuan's artillery battalion of a thousand men was also present, accompanying the army with twenty-five medium breech-loading falconets, plus four 6-pounder red-barbarian cannons from the Viceroy's personal battalion. These four 6-pounder red-barbarian cannons had already been resupplied with a good deal of powder and shot from Chen Xinjia, enough to fight for ten days or half a month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The army's marching formation was spread out very wide. Behind the Shunxiang Army came the cavalry from the garrisons of Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen, several horses abreast in each rank. This mass of over ten thousand infantry and cavalry seemed to stretch endlessly to the edge of the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Indeed, even if the slave cavalry harasses us, our great army will certainly reach Pinggu tomorrow.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen speak thus, Wang Dou replied with a single sentence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the roads were easy to travel, with the army's large quantity of provisions, fodder, and heavy supplies, Wang Dou still decided that marching fifty or sixty li a day was enough. The Qing troops in Pinggu could not run away — unless they abandoned the captives and valuables they had seized — so there was no need to rush for the sake of an hour or half a day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"General, our army has marched another ten li since setting out from Gaolou Fort.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The garrison provost Chi Dacheng reported to Wang Dou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou nodded and said, \"Order the army to rest in place. After one quarter-hour, resume the march.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By Shunxiang Army regulations, the troops rested fifteen minutes for every ten li marched. Upon hearing Wang Dou's order, the gong and drummers of the central army immediately struck the brass gongs in their hands. Amid the clanging sounds, the officers' shouted orders spread out from the central army: \"Halt the advance. Rest in place.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At once, the marching army came to a stop like a train braking. The soldiers either stood or sat, each taking out drinking water and dry rations, and a hubbub of noise and bustle arose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marching long distances in full armor was still very tiring, and resting once every ten li was truly necessary, especially since the greater part of the Shunxiang Army was infantry. Although Wang Dou had captured a good number of horses and mules at the Battle of Zhuozhou, many of his soldiers could not ride. Using the mules and horses to carry the armor would also increase the army's fodder burden, so for the time being he let them march on foot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the Shunxiang Army rest, the cavalrymen behind Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen also took the chance to relax a little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou, Cao Bianjiao, and Wang Tingchen also dismounted, drank a little water, and briefly discussed military affairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All three agreed that this march had been too quiet. Abatai of Pinggu was one of the Qing state's renowned commanders and would not so quietly and passively allow a great army to bear down directly on Pinggu. That the Shunxiang Army's night scouts had not found large bodies of Qing cavalry at Sungezhuang did not mean Abatai had not placed troops in ambush elsewhere. Presumably, by the afternoon or the next day, Abatai would play whatever tricks he had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou was not worried. On this expedition, the army had nearly eight thousand cavalry with it. Abatai's troops were not numerous; no matter how he jumped about, he could not alter the overall situation of the great army pressing straight toward Pinggu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Very soon, the sound of the horn rang out, and the soldiers rose again and rolled onward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the afternoon, when the great army had advanced to the area of Xukezhuang, the night scouts came to report that on the eastern bank of the Bao River, over ten li away, a force of several hundred slave cavalry had been spotted, rapidly bearing down on the army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Bianjiao gave a hearty laugh: \"The slave thieves in Pinggu can't hold back any longer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"With a mere few hundred men, they think they can delay the advance of our great army?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou said with a smile, \"Meeting and striking these harassing slave cavalry — I must trouble you two military commanders for that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Bianjiao smiled slightly and said, \"General Wang is too courteous.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He ordered his subordinate, Mobile Corps Commander Yang Shaofan, to meet the enemy. Guided by the Shunxiang Army's night scouts, Yang Shaofan led over a thousand cavalry under his command and set off with an aggressive, surging momentum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou and the rest of the great army continued to advance without the slightest change to their marching formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the great army pressed forward, the night scouts discovered more and more harassing Qing cavalry in the surrounding area, in groups of several dozen, or over a hundred, or several hundred — of varying sizes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Troops were sent to meet the enemy, and water was banked to cover the earth. The cavalry under Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen were dispatched in squadrons. Every time an enemy force was discovered, they met it with superior numbers, firmly keeping them blocked ahead or beyond five li on the flanks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After nearly five thousand cavalry from the two Regional Commanders' forces had been dispatched, no more reports of harassing Qing cavalry came from the night scouts. Wang Dou estimated that Abatai had already sent out over three thousand men from Pinggu to harass them and could not possibly send out any more troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These mere three-thousand-odd men could of course do nothing to obstruct this great army of his. So far, the Shunxiang Army's marching formation had not changed in the slightest. Behind his great army, Cao Bianjiao's main-battalion three thousand cavalry had still not been deployed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The great army's advancing steps would not stop — unless Abatai gathered all the Qing troops in Pinggu and fought a decisive battle with the Shunxiang Army right here in the open field, which was exactly what Wang Dou was hoping for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That evening, the great army encamped by the Cuoshui River not far from Machangying. With Pinggu's outskirts in sight for the next day, the entire army was filled with laughter and cheerful talk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the army was making camp, the cavalry of the two garrisons that had been sent out also returned one after another, every man in high spirits. Those harassing Tartar cavalry were fierce in appearance but cowardly at heart; seeing their large bodies of cavalry coming to meet them, they dared not engage in a tangled fight and simply turned and fled, letting themselves be chased and driven off for a good while from behind — most satisfying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That evening, as the officers of the three garrisons feasted, Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen were brimming with heroic spirit. Once they reached Pinggu, within two days at most they could defeat the enemy there and rescue the captured common people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first day of the second month of the twelfth year of Chongzhen. High noon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Near Daxingzhuang, Abatai, the Beile of the Bordered White Banner, watched the Ming army formation slowly pressing closer in the distance, a complicated expression appearing in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already exhausted every trick he knew, yet he still could not alter the Ming army's step-by-step approach. Wang Dou and the others advanced on Pinggu without leaving any opening. They combined infantry and cavalry; the Guanning Army's cavalry relied on Wang Dou's momentum, and Wang Dou relied on their horsemen. All of his own side's cavalry superiority had turned to nothing before their eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had sent out large numbers of cavalry to harass, but he could not even delay them for a short while. To stop Wang Dou from closing in, there was only one path left: a decisive battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But a decisive battle…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Abatai looked at the various banner commanders beside him. They were watching the approaching formations of Wang Dou and the other Ming forces, their eyes all showing fear — especially those remnants of the Plain Red Banner… In such a state, would they still dare to fight Wang Dou's army?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Rao Yu Beile, we must not fight. On this incursion, the warriors of our Great Qing's various banners have already suffered considerable losses. If we lose more, will our Manchu and Mongol banners even still exist?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If we do not fight, are we to wait for Wang Dou to take Pinggu and seize the captives and valuables we have toiled so bitterly to gather?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There is a saying in the Ming country: 'The monk may run, but the temple cannot.' As long as the warriors of our Great Qing state remain, we can come and take them at any time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hude Jiala speaks rightly. Wealth and goods can be plundered again. If our warriors all die, then there will be nothing left at all.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If we fight a decisive battle, the Ming army has over ten thousand men, especially over four thousand under the Ming general Wang Dou. Our army is only six thousand, with the rest left to guard inside and outside Pinggu city. If we fight, victory or defeat is hard to predict.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hude Jiala speaks rightly. From Tongzhou to Dingzhou, then to Julu, and then to Zhuozhou, every one of you lords has crossed hands with Wang Dou and knows how fearsome their guns and cannons are. Once we start fighting, I fear it will not be a matter of one or two thousand dead.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hulemu, you coward! You and Hudetai sing the same tune, fearing the enemy and dreading battle to this degree — you truly disgrace the face of our Great Qing state.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A burst of sharp, cold laughter rang out: \"Aole Jiala, since you are so eager to fight, then let Rao Yu Beile send you as the vanguard to go fight a battle with Wang Dou first.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rough, roaring voice from before fell silent, and everyone present was quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long while, a Plain White Banner Jalai Zhangjing said, \"We need not fight a decisive battle with Wang Dou. We can withdraw to the camp at the Pinggu city site and wait for reinforcements to arrive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bordered Red Banner Jalai Zhangjing named Hu Detai said, \"Reinforcements will not be coming. This morning, did Rao Yu Beile not receive the intelligence on reinforcements sent by the Commanding Grand General? The several thousand relief troops dispatched from Tianjin have already been blocked by Ming Regional Commander Yang Guozhu, Hu Dawei, and others along the Xianghe line.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I fear they will not arrive for several days. You all know Wang Dou's ability to assault camps. If several days pass… look at the Manchu Plain Red Banner…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced at Luoluohuan, son of Yoto, whose face was twitching, and sighed: \"With Wang Dou present, our Great Qing troops can never divide our forces. Now with the main force in the Tianjin area, our large army at Pinggu can only watch helplessly as Wang Dou breaks through.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Before battle is joined, it is better to withdraw the troops, leave Pinggu, and preserve as many of the banner warriors' lives as possible.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words won unanimous agreement from the Qing officers present. Abatai sighed inwardly: \"When did our Great Qing warriors come to fear Wang Dou so much?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the Ming army formation continue to advance, unstoppable, while his own officers and men had no will to fight, this battle boded ill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Abatai frowned for a long while, then decisively issued the order: \"The entire army withdraws! Leave Pinggu, and head for Tianjin!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words were met with a burst of cheers from those around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second day of the second lunar month, afternoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Abatai, leading the Pinggu army in retreat, was not far from Baodi, a panting Plain Yellow Banner messenger arrived from the direction of Xifengkou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hearing the military situation, the messenger slapped his thigh in regret and said, \"His Majesty has already entered the pass. Why has Rao Yu Beile abandoned Pinggu?\"\u003C\u002Fp>",2604,"2026-06-03T14:05:36.780Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","78daf2f1b30a0ce52a68344cf5754acaf6f90cd5e4688b649f6f9c041df67524","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-306","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-304",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]