[{"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-317":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},1205606,1561,"Chapter 317: Mighty and Fierce — The Qing Troops Withdraw","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-317",317,"\u003Cp>Dozens of brothers beside them fell, yet the front rank of the Shunxiang Army musketeers remained utterly motionless, every man clenching his jaw and holding his musket steady as he awaited the order to fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the rear ranks, some musketeers moved up to fill the gaps in the front line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The death-god command rang out, and with it came the muffled thudding of muskets—thump thump thump—unending, fierce bursts of flame erupting from every muzzle... while each barrel also spewed dense clouds of smoke, until at last a broad belt of gunpowder haze stretched across the front of the Shunxiang Army formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the wake of that volley, thick sprays of blood mist burst from the bodies of the Han Bannermen musketeers opposite; they toppled in swaths, row upon row.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Shunxiang Army's muskets could pierce cotton armor at a hundred paces, and at seventy paces—a hundred meters by later reckoning—could punch through double-layered heavy armor. The cotton armor worn by the Han Bannermen musketeers had no iron plates sewn in; how could it possibly stop the Shunxiang musketeers' fire? And with their overwhelming advantage in firepower, the two-hundred-odd Han Bannermen musketeers in the front row were virtually swept away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the musketeers ahead of them collapse in droves before their eyes, the front line suddenly empty and almost no one left standing, the second rank of Han Bannermen musketeers stood somewhat dazed. Many stared blankly at their comrades of the same banner rolling and wailing on the ground, bodies riddled with bloody holes, some even shot so badly their entrails spilled out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike later-era bullets, the shot of this time tore ragged, shattered holes into a man's body. The irregular trajectory meant the final wound area could be several times—even dozens of times—the size of the ball itself. Such agony was beyond what ordinary men could endure, and few who took a ball to the torso ever survived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before they could recover, the terrifying voice rang out again from the Ming army opposite: \"Second rank, advance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Shield!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the resounding battle cry, the first rank of Shunxiang musketeers fell back, and the second rank stepped forward two paces in perfect unison. With a single shout, hundreds of muskets were leveled down in dense, layered rows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the standard battle drill of Kong Youde's Han Bannermen, the front rank of musketeers, having fired, should now turn and pass their empty guns to the rear for reloading, so as to maintain unbroken fire. But the front rank of musketeers was nearly all dead—how could they turn and pass their guns?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the Shunxiang Army opposite call \"advance,\" the second rank of Han Bannermen musketeers reflexively stepped forward as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ready...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both sides raised their muskets in dense black masses, but unlike the resolute faces of the Shunxiang musketeers, the Han Bannermen musketeers opposite wore only numbness and bewilderment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the crash of the volley, men on both sides fell one after another. But where the Shunxiang musketeers lost a few dozen, the Han Bannermen musketeers opposite were once again nearly swept away entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Third rank, advance...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mighty and fierce!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the resounding battle cry, the third rank of Shunxiang musketeers stepped forward without the slightest hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I understand now...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the Han Bannermen lines, Kong Youde's face was drained of all color. He murmured, \"No wonder they formed up in four tight ranks. So that's it, so that's it...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the hillock, Cao Bianjiao, Wang Tingchen, and the others watched with equally ashen faces. To stand and trade volleys like this—what immense bloody courage both sides must possess! Over on the other side, Huang Taiji and his men likewise rubbed their hands and shook their heads, each breathing low, as if afraid of disturbing their warriors locked in combat ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The banner lords exchanged glances, and each saw the deathly gray pallor on the others' faces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ready...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the hundreds of muskets opposite rise in dense, layered rows, the minds of the third-rank Han Bannermen musketeers who had stepped forward went blank with vertigo. Suddenly they screamed in heart-rending terror and broke as one. Like a tidal wave, the subsequent ranks of Han troops behind the front line, along with the musketeers on the left and right wings of Kong Youde's triple-layered formation, and finally the center army itself—all collapsed and fled in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kong Youde's efforts to hold the line were utterly meaningless now; swept up by the rout, he had no choice but to retreat under the protection of his retainers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing these Han troops surging toward them in a screaming tide, Tulai, the Bayara Banner Commander of the Plain Yellow Banner who was stationed at the rear to keep order... tried to suppress and halt them, but the fleeing Han troops, their eyes wild with panic, raised their muskets at his men. Dozens of elite Bayara cavalrymen tumbled senselessly from their saddles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing how things stood, Tulai had no choice but to abandon any thought of restoring order and fled rearward with his Plain Yellow Banner Bayara overseer troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Kong Youde's Han Bannermen flee in utter disarray, the Shunxiang Army troops who had taken the field still stood in silent, solemn ranks upon the open wilderness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rout of Kong Youde's Han troops had been within their expectations all along. They were the mightiest warriors under heaven; no one could block their advancing steps. Not the Manchu and Mongol Eight Banners, and certainly not Kong Youde—of this they were utterly convinced!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath the great yellow dragon canopy, Huang Taiji stepped forward and helped Kong Youde, who was kneeling on the ground begging for punishment, to his feet. \"Prince Gongshun, rise. Wang Dou's army has sharp muskets and cannon; in this battle, Prince Gongshun has already done all he could.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Kong Youde rose, weeping with gratitude, Huang Taiji looked thoughtful. He gazed long toward Wang Dou's position, then slowly turned and swept his eyes over the assembled crowd. \"We have come in person to Pinggu to observe their battle formation. Wang Dou is indeed a mortal foe to our Great Qing. There will be time enough; there is no need to force a decision in this battle. Withdraw the troops.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The officials around him let out a collective sigh of relief and spoke in one voice: \"His Majesty is supremely wise!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The slave chieftain is withdrawing his troops.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the sound of horns, Wang Dou, Cao Bianjiao, and the others on the high ridge watched the Qing troops regroup and reorder their ranks. Their rear guard became the vanguard, and they withdrew slowly in formation. Though they were retreating, their military bearing remained strict and flawless, offering no opening to exploit. It left Wang Dou and the others with no inclination to pursue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching them depart, infantry and cavalry intermingled, a sea of banners flowing away, they followed Huang Taiji's great yellow dragon canopy with their eyes until it slowly vanished. The decisiveness of this Qing emperor left a deep impression on Wang Dou. It seemed that between him and himself, there would be many more encounters in the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the eighth day of the second month of the twelfth year of Chongzhen, the Ming forces of Wang Dou, Cao Bianjiao, Wang Tingchen, and others fought the army personally led by Huang Taiji at Xindian in Pinggu. Huang Taiji was defeated and withdrew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides sending a victory report to Tongzhou, the three also dispatched large numbers of scout riders to confirm Huang Taiji's departure, and finally verified that he had indeed withdrawn. Their main army did not take the road through Tongzhou, but instead traveled by the route Pinggu—Sanhe—Xianghe—Wuqing and so on, all the way to Tianjin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the tenth day of the second month, Chen Xinjia, Hong Chengchou, and the others led the entire Tongzhou army in a forced march to Pinggu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing the news of the Pinggu victory, Chen Xinjia and his colleagues were both shocked and overjoyed. Chen Xinjia hastily dispatched a victory report to the capital, stating that tens of thousands of the slave chieftain's troops had invaded, and that under his own steady command, the Xuan-Da Army and the Guan-Ning Army had joined forces at Pinggu to repulse the enemy personally led by the slave chieftain Hong Tai, thereby saving the hundred thousand rescued civilians of Pinggu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After sending off the victory report, Chen Xinjia brought the entire Tongzhou army forward. On one hand, with Wang Dou at Pinggu, having the main army there felt safer. On the other hand, Tongzhou had scant provisions, and feeding tens of thousands of troops was extremely difficult. Pinggu had the vast stores of grain, rice, cattle, and sheep that Wang Dou and the others had seized from the Qing army's plunder; moving the army there would neatly solve the provisions problem for his own tens of thousands of troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the several days before Chen Xinjia's main army arrived, Wang Dou went daily to the east of the city to comfort the captured civilians. He had already decided to bring all one hundred thousand of these civilians back to Baoanzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These captured civilians, rescued by Wang Dou, had been eating and drinking well every day in the refugee camp and were already endlessly grateful. Moreover, the Tatar emperor himself had personally led his army to attack Pinggu, only to be sent fleeing like a rat by General Wang, whose valor was renowned throughout the three armies. And when they heard the Shunxiang Army heroes extol the many wonders of Baoanzhou, a place like a paradise beyond this world, every heart was stirred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this age, a place with full bellies, free of bandits and Tatar raids, was probably found nowhere in the entire northern territory of the Great Ming except Baoanzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While comforting and encouraging the civilians, Wang Dou was also busy visiting the soldiers wounded or killed in this battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the battle at Pinggu against Kong Youde, Wang Dou's musketeers suffered nearly a hundred casualties. The dead were few, fewer than twenty; the rest were soldiers with injuries of varying severity. Every Shunxiang Army musketeer wore a breastplate of fine steel, and most also had a suit of chain mail captured from the Qing army underneath. In the hundred-pace volley exchange, even the fine muskets in Kong Youde's army could hardly penetrate the armor on their bodies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the shot struck with such force, like a heavy iron hammer slamming into the body, that some men suffered internal injuries and died of internal bleeding; some of the fallen soldiers perished this way. The remaining soldiers had injuries of uncertain severity and still required careful observation to see if any hidden ailments lurked within. During these days, Wang Tianxue led the medical officers on daily rounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this battle, the Shunxiang Army had shot dead several hundred of Kong Youde's Han Bannermen musketeers. Their cotton armor, Wang Dou took into his own stores. As for the heads, Wang Dou again gave them to Cao Bianjiao and the others to divide among themselves, earning their tearful gratitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Shunxiang Army also captured over a thousand muskets that the Han Bannermen had discarded on the ground. These muskets, Wang Dou likewise took into his stores; these firearms would be of use to him in the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That the Qing troops had deployed firearms units against him in this battle was beyond Wang Dou's expectations. History had already changed somewhat, and his corresponding tactical thinking would likewise need to change. Trading volleys was one thing, but if the Qing army deployed cannon in the future, how should this army of his respond?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the question Wang Dou discussed daily with Han Chao, Wen Fangliang, and the others during these days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Near noon on the twelfth day of the second month of the twelfth year of Chongzhen, Chen Xinjia, Hong Chengchou, Sun Chuanting, and the rest of the army of over eighty thousand reached Pinggu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou, Cao Bianjiao, Wang Tingchen, and the other officers all went to the west bank of the Cuoshui River to welcome them. Chen Xinjia, Hong Chengchou, and the others dismounted and saw Wang Dou and his two companions prostrating themselves. Chen Xinjia hurried a step forward, helped the three to their feet, and said with a face full of smiles, \"You three generals have repulsed the slave chieftain and saved the people of Pinggu. You have rendered great service to the state. There is no need for such grand ceremony, no need at all...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then addressed Wang Dou directly: \"General, you truly live up to the title 'Valor Renowned Throughout the Three Armies' personally bestowed by His Majesty. For the Xuan-Da region to have such a general is truly a great blessing for the nation, a great blessing indeed!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He laughed heartily. Hong Chengchou also smiled, stroking his beard, and said to Wang Dou, \"The General is valiant.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Sun Chuanting looked at Wang Dou with a complicated expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou clasped his hands and said, \"My lord, you overpraise me. This victory relied on the utmost cooperation of Army Commander Cao and Army Commander Wang; only then was this humble officer able to luckily repel the slave chieftain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xinjia looked at Wang Dou, smiling without speaking. Then the various Regional Commanders and officers behind them came forward to greet Wang Dou and the others, their expressions unable to hide envy and jealousy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the surface, however, they all congratulated Wang Dou, Cao Bianjiao, and the others on repelling the slave chieftain's incursion. In particular, Shanhai Pass Regional Commander Ma Ke clapped Cao Bianjiao on the shoulder, sighing repeatedly with admiration. He knew full well that Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen held the military merit of over two thousand severed heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shaanxi Regional Commander He Renlong also stepped forward to offer a few words of congratulations. As he left, he muttered under his breath, \"Damn donkey balls, stick by Wang Dou's side and you'll never lack for military merit heads or gleaming silver taels.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Guozhu and Hu Dawei also came forward with smiles, their expressions awkward. Without Wang Dou's coordination, they had actually suffered defeat at Tongzhou, leaving the two old generals deeply ashamed. Yang Guozhu's central army personal general, Guo Yingxian, clapped Wang Dou on the shoulder and shook his head with emotion: \"...Old Wang, truly, words fail me...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The grand army encamped along the river outside the city. Senior civil officials like Chen Xinjia naturally lodged inside Pinggu city, occupying the city's Garrison Commander residence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After conveying the imperial court's condolences to the commoners east of the city, Chen Xinjia summoned the various generals to discuss matters. He praised Wang Dou and the others to the skies. When the conversation turned to the Great Qing army at Tianjin, Chen Xinjia coughed once: \"The slave chieftain has come in person. He has a grand army of one hundred thousand, their military bearing most formidable. We must not underestimate the enemy; prudence must be our priority.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou remained silent, sighing inwardly: \"Chen Xinjia dares not close in on Tianjin. Perhaps, for me, this campaign that began in the eleventh year of Chongzhen is already over.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",2534,"2026-06-03T14:05:36.780Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","7c8e3b6b4760d4429a10dab5cd44e62107e3dea866502b9372367047259b5559","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-318","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-316",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]