[{"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-35":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},1205324,1561,"Chapter 35: Men Die for Wealth","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-35",35,"\u003Cp>Wang Dou said to the troubled Zhang Gui, \"My lord, a frontal assault on the bandit lair would likely cost our troops heavy losses. It would be better if I take some men tonight to raid their camp; perhaps we can seize the lair.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Gui knew Wang Dou was formidable in night raids — that day's attack on the Later Jin army had succeeded by night raid — and sighed, \"Very well, I shall have to rely on you, my friend.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two agreed on a signal: if Wang Dou's raid succeeded, he would fire a rocket to report, and Zhang Gui would then lead troops to reinforce him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That afternoon Wang Dou secretly sent Gao Shiyin to contact Mo Tianchong, setting the secret signal for a rendezvous at the hour of the ox.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, Wang Dou selected some men from his two squads to go. Although these two combat squads had eaten their fill over the past few months and had some meat, it could hardly be called sufficient, so only half the men were chosen; the rest all suffered night blindness and could barely see at night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This also made Wang Dou consider the problem of night blindness. If an army was elite and obeyed orders absolutely, night raids were a powerful means of attack. Wang Dou had read some texts: to treat night blindness, besides sufficient meat and nutrition, there were also folk remedies that could be used, such as drinking juice boiled from pine needles or swallowing live tadpoles — both very effective methods. This problem could be addressed gradually in the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Chao, Han Zhong, and Gao Shiyin all went along. Including Wang Dou, there were fifteen men in the raiding party. All wore armor and, led by Gao Shiyin, crept silently up the mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After climbing for a while, they circled to the rear of the mountain. Led by Gao Shiyin, they followed a hidden path and quietly reached the stockade wall at the back. They could see the wall was tall and sturdy; without an insider to open the gate for them, it would be extremely difficult to climb in, and they had no idea what lay inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They waited silently beneath the stockade wall. The winter night was bitterly cold, perhaps dozens of degrees below zero. To keep warm, they had put on as many leather and padded jackets as possible before setting out, wrapped their hands, feet, heads, and faces tightly in thick cloth, and smeared any exposed skin with heavy grease. Yet even so, every man was shivering all over — especially with that thick layer of iron armor on their bodies, it was like wearing a suit of ice, the bone-piercing cold seeping to the marrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Late at night, a light snow began to fall from the sky. The snowflakes settling on the iron armor made Wang Dou think of the verse about cold light shining on iron mail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The icy wind cut like a blade, and every man's breath came out as thick white mist. Standing so long outside the stockade wall, Wang Dou felt his whole body about to freeze solid. He looked toward the stockade wall — still not a sign of movement. The hour of the ox had long passed; Mo Tianchong still had not come out to meet them. What was he doing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the way until the hour of the tiger, there was still no movement on the stockade wall. Wang Dou looked at his subordinate garrison soldiers; many were shivering violently. If this went on, he feared several of his men would freeze to death — and even if they did not die, they would surely suffer frostbite! A thought flashed through Wang Dou's mind: could Mo Tianchong be deceiving them with lies?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Shiyin was also extremely anxious about this situation. Mo Tianchong was his contact; if tonight's operation failed, how could he answer to Wang Dou?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At last, at the exact hour of the tiger, not far from dawn, the iron gate of the stockade wall finally opened, and Mo Tianchong stealthily slipped out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Shiyin rushed forward and said in a low, angry voice, \"What were you doing? Why did you only open the gate now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Tianchong protested his utter innocence: \"Qiu Zimao kept us all discussing battle plans — I simply could not get away. Even now, I only managed to slip out by stealing a moment.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou waved a hand: \"Enter the gate.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The men of Jingbian Fort, sharp blades in hand, filed in through the rear gate of the stockade wall. Wang Dou strode at the front and barked at Mo Tianchong in a low voice, \"Where is Qiu Zimao?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Tianchong said contemptuously, \"As soon as the council ended, they went looking for those women they captured. Right now they are debauching themselves with a bunch of headmen in the council hall!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou gave a cold snort. Facing death and still indulging in pleasure — bandits were bandits, incapable of achieving anything great!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They entered through the rear gate. There was not a single sentry in this area. According to Mo Tianchong, a few of his own men had originally guarded this place, but because the front stockade gate was under pressure, they had been transferred there to fight. Moreover, Mo Tianchong had kept his role as an inside agent for the government troops so secret that he had not even told those few subordinates of his.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The whole way was dark and deserted. Most of the bandits were gathered at the front stockade, and no one imagined that Wang Dou and his men would enter from the rear mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou, Han Chao, and the others headed straight for the council hall. It was brightly lit, and from within came bursts of women's frightened shrieks and sobbing mixed with the raucous laughter of men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was only a single sentry at the main door of the council hall. Seeing Wang Dou and his men charging toward him like divine soldiers descending from heaven, he stood dumbstruck, unable to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou stepped forward and slashed him to the ground with one sword stroke, then led his men straight into the hall. Inside, a dozen or so bandits were clutching naked women and committing their vile acts. The women were all struggling and weeping, which only provoked even wilder laughter and uproar from the bandits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the sentry's agonized cry and then seeing Wang Dou and his men suddenly burst into the hall, the bandits inside were all stupefied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou barked fiercely, \"Kill them!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The men of Jingbian Fort pounced like wolves and tigers. Agonized screams rang out continuously. Some bandits scrambled to find weapons to resist; others, stark naked, fled in all directions. Word spread, and before long the entire Sipingliang mountain stronghold was in chaos. Hearing that government troops had broken into the stronghold and were slaughtering their way in, the bandits inside lost all will to resist and each sought a place to flee for his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon the bandits in the hall were slaughtered to the last man. Qiu Zimao was slashed by Han Zhong, then pinned to the ground by several Jingbian Fort garrison soldiers. Together with a few surviving bandits, he was bound hand and foot and dragged before Wang Dou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qiu Zimao hung his head in dejection, wearing only a single garment draped over him, blood still streaming from his right arm. He suddenly turned his head and saw Mo Tianchong. First he looked incredulous, then his eyes shot out a gaze of extreme fury. He bellowed, \"So it was you, Mo Tianchong! I wondered how the government troops got into the stronghold — it was you, you cur, playing the traitor within!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Tianchong stepped forward and dealt Qiu Zimao a heavy slap across the face, striking him so hard that his face and mouth were covered in blood. He grinned savagely: \"Still talking tough when death is at hand? Qiu Zimao, when you treated me shabbily in days past, did you ever imagine this day would come?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qiu Zimao spat out a mouthful of blood. He glared furiously at Mo Tianchong and said through gritted teeth, \"Mo Tianchong, don't look so smug now — you won't come to a good end either!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou stopped Mo Tianchong, who was about to step forward again, and barked, \"I hear you were once a militia squad leader. Why did you turn bandit?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qiu Zimao looked at Wang Dou as if trying to sear his face deep into his memory. He said through clenched teeth, \"The officials oppressed us, taxes and levies were crushing — we could not survive, so we had no choice but to take to the wilds as outlaws!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou shouted, \"Absurd! Is that your excuse for brutalizing the common people?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pointed at the terrified women huddled together nearby and said sternly, \"Did these women oppress you? Did the villagers of Fangjiagou oppress you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qiu Zimao said through gritted teeth, \"Blame only their weakness. In this world, if you don't kill others, others will kill you!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou laughed coldly: \"In that case, since I am fiercer than you, killing you is only right and proper?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qiu Zimao's face turned ashen and he said nothing. Wang Dou barked, \"These bandits have utterly extinguished all conscience and will never change their thieving nature. Execute them all!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At once Han Zhong and several others stepped forward, forced Qiu Zimao and the others to the ground, and amid their curses and struggles, cut off their heads one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Qiu Zimao's head being chopped off, Mo Tianchong felt immense satisfaction. He stepped forward, pointed at Qiu Zimao's corpse, and laughed loudly: \"Ha ha ha! Qiu Zimao, your death is more than deserved!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that the sky was faintly brightening and time was pressing, Wang Dou left only a few garrison soldiers to look after the women in the hall, then had Mo Tianchong lead him to the storehouses where grain, fodder, and supplies were stacked within Sipingliang. Having been in the stronghold for a long time, Mo Tianchong naturally knew the layout like the back of his hand. He led Wang Dou and the others straight along, and soon they arrived before a room whose iron door was tightly locked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou ordered the door battered open. They entered and were all stunned. Inside were large chests; opening them, they found them piled full of gold, silver, and valuables — who knew how much silver there was. According to Mo Tianchong, not far away there was another storehouse, and inside that one were stacked grain, fodder, and supplies!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou and his men laughed heartily — this trip had yielded no small harvest. Wang Dou glanced at Gao Shiyin and said with a faint smile, \"Brother Gao, look around everywhere. Be careful that no outsiders enter!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Shiyin answered cheerfully and turned to go out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, the men searched the room in every direction. Mo Tianchong kept opening chests, now and then picking up an ingot of silver and examining it from left to right, muttering to himself, \"This one is mine, and these are mine too!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suddenly turned his head, still clutching two silver ingots in his hands, and said excitedly to Wang Dou, \"Lord Wang, you promised me — half of all this wealth is mine!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The men were silent. A cold smile surfaced on Wang Dou's face. Looking at Wang Dou, Mo Tianchong suddenly realized something, and his smile froze on his face. He knew that kind of smile on Wang Dou all too well — in the past, he himself had often worn it when looking at others, and others had often worn it when looking at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, noticing that Gao Shiyin had already vanished, his heart sank even further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Tianchong stood dumbly for a long moment. Suddenly he let out a great cry, turned, and dashed for the doorway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Zhong abruptly drew his blade and hacked straight at Mo Tianchong's head. Mo Tianchong clenched his teeth and barely twisted aside to avoid the vital spot, but Han Zhong's blade had already severed his right arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood gushed like a fountain. Mo Tianchong screamed in agony; the pain of his severed arm nearly made him faint, yet the desire to live still drove him to flee with all his might. He ran howling, his left hand still clutching the two silver ingots by instinct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Zhong chased after him, slashing several more times until he had hacked him to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Tianchong lay on his back on the ground outside the door, his eyes wide open, as if he died with a grievance unredressed. His blood flowed out and quickly froze into ice in the cold night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Zhong wiped his waist saber on Mo Tianchong's body and muttered, \"Damn, that bastard ran pretty fast — I almost couldn't catch up!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou walked over with his hand on his sword. He came beside Mo Tianchong's corpse, bent down to pick up the two fallen silver ingots, tossed them lightly in his hand, and smiled faintly: \"Men die for wealth, birds die for food — the ancients did not deceive me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words carried a deeply meaningful tone. Meeting his gaze, everyone around felt a chill and unconsciously stood a little straighter. In these days, Wang Dou's authority had grown heavier by the day. Coupled with his decisive and ruthless methods, without their noticing, all the men had come to feel both awe and submission toward Wang Dou.\u003C\u002Fp>",2277,"2026-06-03T14:05:19.908Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","a3e6e8d8f2575bc632aab1b7659118ca42ce613288fce78f39368384c167a251","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-36","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-34",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]