[{"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-315":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},1205604,1561,"Chapter 315: Taking the Offensive; Firelock Warfare","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-315",315,"\u003Cp>Huang Taiji first called on Du Du, the Gūsa Ejen of the Bordered Red Banner: \"Beile of Anping, you were the first to engage Wang Dou at Tongzhou. Speak your mind.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Du hurried forward and said respectfully, \"In reply to His Majesty, this slave believes that the volley fire of Wang Dou's artillery is immensely powerful. When this slave led troops to assault his wagon formation at Tongzhou, his artillery fired volley after volley, and behind the artillery were firelocks. This slave's mounted archers suffered heavy losses under their guns and firelocks.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Taiji nodded slightly, then called on Dodo, the Banner Lord of the Bordered White Banner: \"Prince Yu, you have crossed hands with Wang Dou at Dingzhou. You speak as well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dodo said, \"The volley fire of Wang Dou's firelocks is immensely powerful, but his long-spear and saber-shield troops are also extremely fierce in close combat. They do not rely on artillery and firelocks alone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Apart from the stockade defense battle at Julu, the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner troops had also fought Wang Dou in open field several days ago. Huang Taiji called on Juntai, the Bayara Jalai Janggin of the Bordered Yellow Banner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Juntai still shuddered inwardly recalling that day's events. He said, \"...At that time, Wang Dou's army was arrayed in the same manner — just four thin ranks of firelocks, with several tens of artillery pieces in front of the battle formation. Oboi Meire led two thousand heavy cavalry to charge Wang Dou's formation. This slave thought that, judging by past results against Ming troops, the enemy soldiers would surely be terrified and lose color. Yet they stood firm as a mountain. Before our heavy cavalry charged within a hundred paces, their formation's artillery fired volleys of shot — all around was their rain of bullets. Oboi Meire at that time...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Juntai's voice grew choked: \"At that moment, he was blown to pieces, not a whole bone left. The heavy-armored warriors in front also suffered grievous losses, men and horses toppling. After the artillery, their formation's firelocks fired in rotation, bluntly halting the momentum of our heavy cavalry charge. That unit is trained to an extremely fine standard — they load and reload their firelock bullets swiftly, wave after wave of bullets without\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>ceasing. Our nearly a thousand charging warriors were thus lost in front of Wang Dou's battle formation. And their saber-shields and long spears had yet to even move out to engage...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Taiji had long known the specific battle details of the Bordered Yellow Banner that day, but hearing it again now, he still could not help the inward spasm of his heart. Those warriors — all of them were fierce fighters who had followed him for years, campaigning north and south — had been so senselessly lost in front of Wang Dou's battle formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The assembled ministers around him all sighed deeply, feeling that against this kind of warfare of Wang Dou's, they were like a dog trying to bite a hedgehog — utterly unable to find a place to sink their teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In particular, the ferocity of the soldiers in Wang Dou's army was vastly different from other Ming forces. Their own proud tactics and battle results, their strong bows and powerful crossbows, their warriors' outstanding close-combat ability — none of it could be brought to bear in the slightest against Wang Dou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was an entirely new realm, far beyond their comprehension, leaving them at a bewildered loss as to how to respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps there was one path — disregard casualties, use human-wave tactics to break open Wang Dou's battle formation — but this kind of warfare was something none of the Eight Banners troops could accept.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kong Youde was also listening carefully at the side. As early as the third day of the month, when he had followed Huang Taiji to Baodi, he had sensed that his several thousand bird-gun troops under his command might be sent into battle. At that time, he had reckoned he should have a sixty or seventy percent chance of victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after the defeat of Oboi's Bordered Yellow Banner vanguard, his heart had begun to pound. After linking up with the remnants of Juntai's Bordered Yellow Banner troops, he had several times invited Juntai to talk, beating around the bush, merely probing for the battle details of that time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Kong Youde surrendered to the Qing state, Huang Taiji had treated him with great generosity. When he led troops to seize the residences of officials and wealthy commoners, and when Yoto and others impeached him, Huang Taiji never even inquired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once when he fell from his horse and injured his hand, Huang Taiji immediately issued an edict of consolation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Toward his troops, Huang Taiji had also repeatedly issued admonitions that the soldiers must constantly drill with firearms and cannon. So although his Han Banner army excelled most in artillery, their firelock formations had not gone undrilled — though they were not very standardized, since he himself had come up as a cavalry Assistant Regional Commander.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bird guns in his army were all of the finest quality, with no risk of bursting the barrel — after all, they were the excellent bird guns that Sun Yuanhua had spent a fortune to forge back in the day. In the era of the Qi Family Army, the Ming army had already adopted granulated gunpowder. The bird-gun soldiers in his army, though they did not use pre-packaged paper cartridges, likewise used granulated powder. Though the bird gun's caliber was small, at fifty paces it could still penetrate iron armor, and at a hundred paces it was still quite lethal against unarmored soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So with this to rely on, though Wang Dou's army had a towering and terrifying reputation and the Eight Banners soldiers paled at the mention of him, Kong Youde had boasted before Huang Taiji that he had a sixty or seventy percent chance of victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now... seeing Wang Dou's battle formation on the open field ahead, and hearing the fearful talk of the various Banner Lords, Kong Youde began to waver. He could not easily put it into words, but he faintly sensed that the firelock loading, the use of gunpowder, the battle formation layout, and so on of the bird-gun soldiers in Wang Dou's army were all vastly different from his own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What particularly baffled Kong Youde was: why were Wang Dou's firelock soldiers arranged in several ranks just standing there? If the opponent had guns and cannon, wouldn't they just be one big target after another? Were they just standing there stupidly, waiting to be shot and shelled?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there had to be a reason Wang Dou's army was arranged this way. After all, their battle record was outstanding — the fact that they could win battle after battle proved the soundness of this battle formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more he thought this way, the more Kong Youde's heart\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>pounded. He dared not imagine: both sides standing in several ranks, aiming and firing at each other — would his own soldiers have the resolve to dare such a fight? Could they hold firm under the bombardment of the enemy's firelocks?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike arrows, Kong Youde understood all too well the damage firelock bullets did to the human body. If an arrow missed the vitals, a soldier could basically survive. But if hit by a firelock bullet, nine out of ten would either die or require amputation, crippled for life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In later generations, within the Eight Banners Han Army there were many surrendered Ming troops from various units. The reason their battle effectiveness was a notch higher than before they surrendered — apart from training and being incorporated into a more regular system — was that their families were all held as hostages in the Qing state. If they did not fight desperately, they had no choice, so naturally their battle effectiveness was much higher than before. But even this kind of battle resolve had its limit...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kong Youde pondered inwardly, but seeing Huang Taiji's gaze turn toward him, he immediately put on an expression of fervent ardor and utter loyalty. He had already sold himself into servitude; there was no path of retreat. Even if Huang Taiji soon ordered him into battle and his troops might suffer massive casualties, Kong Youde could not afford to care about that now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The great earth lay in utter silence. It seemed the battle formations of both sides had stood solemnly for a long time — no one attacking, no one striking — the soldiers of each side staring at each other across a distance of two li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ashan, the Gūsa Ejen of the Plain Yellow Banner, seeing Huang Taiji gazing out unceasingly, coughed once and said, \"Your Majesty, the warriors have already completed their battle array. Shall we send out troops to probe their formation?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Taiji said, \"The Han people's art of war says: 'The first drum rouses the spirit, the second drums it flags, the third drums it is exhausted.' We shall not move; we shall wait at ease for the weary. If Ming cavalry come to harass, we shall send out warriors to meet them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone around him breathed a sigh of relief — especially Dorgon,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>who let out an even greater exhalation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The assembled ministers said in unison, \"His Majesty is sagely wise.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the sighs of relief around him, Huang Taiji's expression did not change, but inwardly the taste was bitter. It was undeniable: the Eight Banners soldiers of his Qing state all harbored hearts full of dread toward Wang Dou opposite them. Everyone was afraid to fight — this, in times past, would have been unimaginable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the Qing army opposite motionless, Wang Tingchen said in astonishment, \"What trick is the slave chieftain playing? Why are they still standing there like idiots, not moving?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Could it be a ruse?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Bianjiao was also pondering, utterly unable to fathom it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had always been the Qing army attacking and the Ming army defending. Now the Qing army had long finished their battle array, yet remained motionless — no wonder Wang Tingchen and the others were overthinking it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou shook his head: \"They fear our army and dare not attack.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pondered for a long moment. Huang Taiji and the others' battle formation was arrayed two li away — a distance artillery could not reach. If they would not attack, then he would attack himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said, \"Our army will take the offensive. My infantry will fight first. If enemy cavalry come to harass, then I must rely on you two Military Commanders.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Tingchen said, \"General Wang, rest assured. The lads under my command are willing to live and die together with the General.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Bianjiao said solemnly, \"General, you are too courteous. This is Cao's bounden duty. The lads under my command will firmly guard both flanks of the Shunxiang Army and not let the enemy cavalry approach even half a step.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou thanked them both and shouted, \"Pass the order: the Shunxiang Army, advance!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The great banner of the central army waved. Seeing this signal, Wen Fangliang breathed a sigh of relief and said to Han Chao with a smile, \"Finally going into battle. I was starting to think we'd be standing here like fools until noon mealtime.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Chao smiled: \"The slave chieftain has come to Pinggu but dares not attack and fight. Then we shall attack — let this Qing Emperor have a good look at the tiger-like might of our Shunxiang Army warriors!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shouted: \"All troops, shoulder arms!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Shoulder arms!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the rising and falling shouts of the officers, with a \"hua-hua\" of uniform sound, whether firelock soldiers or long-spear soldiers, all brought their weapons to rest against their shoulders, both hands gripping them firmly. Instantly, a neat forest of spears and firelocks presented itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Form ranks and advance!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The marching drums of each Company Commander beat out. Keeping time with the drumbeats, the firelock soldiers and long-spear soldiers standing solemnly in the unit, gripping their spears and firelocks, began to move slowly. Four ranks of firelock soldiers, six hundred per rank. Behind them, several more ranks of long-spear soldiers and saber-shield soldiers — they formed ranks and advanced like a wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Forward!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xuan directed the artillerymen, pushing the twenty-nine artillery pieces to the very front of the great army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Forward!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A uniform sound of marching footsteps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From Huang Taiji's side, what pressed toward them seemed a sea of iron helmets and red military coats. The Shunxiang Army, uniformly in their eight-petaled iron-tipped caps, uniformly in their vivid red cotton-lined, fleece-trimmed cloaks or greatcoats. The shimmering layers of red light, like rippling scales, dazzled his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their several thousand men pressed forward in unison, and even as they advanced, they had no need to dress ranks — the entire march, their battle formation remained strictly ordered. The closer they came, the greater the oppressive force. A mere several thousand strong, yet they seemed to possess a sky-covering, earth-sweeping, chilling momentum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching this battle formation, the banner lords who had fought Wang Dou all showed expressions of shock and fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Taiji sighed: \"Wang Dou's army formation is strict and imposing — truly outstanding!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>toward Kong Youde beside him: \"Prince Gongshun, lead your banner's soldiers out to battle and crush their arrogant bluster!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the intimidating momentum of Wang Dou's battle formation, Kong Youde knew he was bound to lose this fight. But what could he do — would he dare defy Huang Taiji's order? Fortunately, from the meaning His Majesty had let slip, they would later form the Han Army Eight Banners. Even if all these men under him were wiped out today, as long as he left a good impression in His Majesty's heart, there would come a day when his troops could be rebuilt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At once he loudly acknowledged the order, shouting: \"Your Majesty, hold the central army — await your humble servant's tidings of victory.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that he abruptly stood and descended the hill with an imposing air. Below the hill, the central grand formation formed by the Two Yellow Banners and the Plain Blue Banner was already densely arrayed; his Han Banner army was among them, with the troops of Dorgon and others on the two wings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The banners, armor, and uniforms of Kong Youde's Han Banner army were all white with black trim. The soldiers uniformly wore padded armor and carried matchlocks. Of these soldiers, over a thousand were old subordinates he had brought out back then; the rest were drawn from the Han population within Qing territory, one man taken from every ten able-bodied males.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kong Youde, Li Jiucheng, and others in his army were all fierce veteran generals from Mao Wenlong's former command, and they fought with considerable ferocity. Back when Sun Yuanhua was Provincial Governor and poured heavy funds into building that firearms force, Kong Youde had harbored great ambition in his heart, hoping to take Qi Jiguang as his model, to recreate the glory of the Qi Family Army and forge a Kong Family Army of his own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After surrendering to the Qing, he knew that this army in his hands was the capital on which his life and position depended, so he drilled his troops quite diligently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, for a Great Ming military officer, even diligence was relative. After a rousing speech, he led this Han Banner army out to form up in the same manner. His\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>formation's march, however, could not compare with the Shunxiang Army's; every few steps they advanced, they had to halt and reorder for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this way, after his formation had advanced half a li, the Shunxiang Army's battle formation had already closed to within less than one li. At this moment the battlefield presented a strange sight: two infantry forces advanced toward each other, yet the cavalry on both sides remained completely motionless — as if they had come purely to watch the fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having advanced to this distance, Kong Youde had already given the order to form a defensive array and halt the advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his conception, matchlocks seemed to be for defense; as for offensive engagements, he still did not know how to fight them. Although he could see the Shunxiang Army's battle formation layout with his own eyes, copying it outright was no simple matter. A hasty imitation would only throw his own familiar formation into chaos and collapse his command structure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the outcome, only fighting would tell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The formation Kong Youde deployed was the Great Ming's traditional three-tier formation. It had a front army as the main force, a left wing and a right wing, plus a central army and a reserve force, with each wing further divided into forward, middle, and other columns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this formation's operation, when the forward line was several hundred paces from the enemy, the forward and middle units would hold still while the rear unit rapidly advanced and deployed ahead of the forward unit, ready to meet the battle. When the enemy came within fifty to one hundred paces, the urgent beat of drums would signal the foremost soldiers to surge forward and strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the course of battle, the positions of the forward, middle, and rear units would cycle continuously, with fighting and resting alternating. When the gongs sounded to recall the troops, the forward unit would swiftly withdraw behind the rear unit, while the middle and rear units held their ground, prepared to deal with any pursuit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be able to lay out such a formation — among Great Ming military officers, Kong Youde actually counted as talented. Many Ming officers did not even understand basic battle-formation flags and signals;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>when it came to fighting, they would lead their retainers in a headlong rush, and when defeated, they would scatter in chaotic rout for a thousand li, with no formation to speak of whatsoever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus after Kong Youde deployed his formation, his three thousand matchlock soldiers were divided into several blocks: five hundred matchlock soldiers on each wing, one thousand matchlock soldiers in the front army, and another one thousand matchlock soldiers in the central army as a reserve. The front army's one thousand matchlock soldiers were further divided into forward, middle, and rear units.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The front army's rear unit, over three hundred men in total, would be the first to fight. Watching the Shunxiang Army opposite them steadily closing in, their eyes all showed tense expressions. The enemy also had firearms — with no cover when the time came, what were they to do? Standing in the central army, Kong Youde was fretting over this very problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had ridden in lightly with Huang Taiji as reinforcements, bringing no baggage train or craftsmen, so even if he wanted to build shielded carts, there was no way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they carried shields, then how were the matchlock soldiers supposed to fight?(!)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>。\u003C\u002Fp>",3165,"2026-06-03T14:05:36.780Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","c50ccae1a2272db3679bda5d4c73e08d5c3fdd9f897c6e10fb213846a02ea789","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-316","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-314",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]