[{"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-357":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},1205646,1561,"Chapter 357: Departure","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-357",357,"\u003Cp>In the following days, Xue Guoguan and the others toured the Eastern Route. Though their visit was somewhat cursory, even the surface impression of Wang Dou's strength made each of them secretly shudder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone had a feeling that the power Wang Dou displayed was novel, vibrant, and carried a sweeping, irresistible momentum that seemed unstoppable. This feeling could only be sensed, not put into words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the Regional Commanders especially, they were dejected to realize that the troops under their command were simply not in the same league as the Shunxiang Army. To use a simple analogy, if the Shunxiang Army was a robust, vigorous, and sharp eighteen-year-old youth, then the soldiers under their command were not exactly decrepit, but certainly past their prime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With such disparity in spirit and bearing, how could they possibly be opponents on the same level? No wonder Wang Dou was unconcerned about letting them tour everywhere. Many also understood why the Shunxiang Army refused to take in old army riffraff; compared to tens of thousands of men arrayed in imposing and orderly formation for battle, what did a handful of so-called \"brave warriors\" amount to?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Guowei, the Regional Commander of Xuanfu, after touring for a few days, was also utterly dejected. Especially yesterday, when the Shunxiang Army formed ranks on the open fields northwest of the city for inspection, his face turned ashen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention the elite near-thousand cavalry, even the remaining several infantry Company Commanders all had men with horses and armor — such equipment was astonishing. Moreover, these men were all veterans who had survived a hundred battles; any one of them pulled out at random could match the retainers in any of their own combat battalions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by these several thousand troops arrayed before them, probably no Regional Commander present could be their match. According to everyone's private speculation, this was not even Wang Dou's full strength; they had heard the Shunxiang Army also had elite artillery, Night Scouts, a logistics Company Commander, and other branches — all fierce warriors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Add to that Wang Dou had begun training five thousand new troops, meaning his combat soldiers alone would number over ten thousand, surpassing the direct forces of any Regional Commander. They had also learned that Wang Dou would drill the able-bodied men from each garrison village — that meant tens of thousands. A chilling, colossal monster had already emerged in the Eastern Route...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Guowei was dejected to discover that with fewer than three thousand troops in his own camp, mostly old, weak, and disabled, if he fielded a thousand men and randomly faced any Squad Commander of the Shunxiang Army, he had absolutely no confidence of victory. And how many Squad Commanders were there in the Shunxiang Army?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder Wang Dou acted with such reckless impunity, openly suppressing the demonstrations of the route's wealthy and the literati, yet the imperial court turned a blind eye...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Zhang Guowei's expression, Wang Dou sneered inwardly. Displaying his own strength was good; it could reduce a great deal of unnecessary trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over these days, Wang Dou could also feel that Xue Guoguan and Yang Sichang had grown even more cordial toward him, summoning him daily for inquiries. Especially Xue Guoguan, whose eager intent was plain for anyone to see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Toward Xue Guoguan, Wang Dou could only say he was sorry. He admired Xue Guoguan's courage in targeting the wealthy households and powerful gentry. However, as a civil official in the late Ming, this move was a dead end for Xue Guoguan; Wang Dou had no need to board that sinking ship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou had no interest in participating in the power struggles of the Grand Secretaries. For him, he needed neither political maneuvering nor intrigue. If he had the idle time to join court factional fights, he might as well train a couple more soldiers. Subduing others by force — power was everything. All schemes and plots were but fleeting clouds before his thousands of troops and horses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In officialdom, the greatest taboo was refusing to pick a side or straddling multiple boats. But for Wang Dou, he possessed the strength to remain aloof. Toward those high-ranking civil officials, it was now Wang Dou who was qualified to pick and choose among them, not they who could pick and choose him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they harbored any treacherous designs, the frontier military officers had long developed a full set of countermeasures against the civil officials' tricks; he could simply copy them. The final outcome would invariably be that the civil official in question would be beheaded and exposed in the marketplace, while the court would further co-opt him, showering him with silver and official posts to appease him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, such a display of sharp strength would always invite wariness, whether from civil officials and military officers nearby or elsewhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But like a pearl in the sand, its dazzling radiance can never be fully concealed. Wang Dou would not, just because he was a pearl, deliberately smear a layer of filth on it to avoid attracting attention — that was not Wang Dou's style.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strolling leisurely at the crest of the storm, guiding the tide — for Wang Dou, this was both a challenge and a pleasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the tenth day of the ninth month of the twelfth year of Chongzhen, the Assistant Regional Commander residence of Yongning City was filled with laughter and cheer. Here, Wang Dou and Army Supervisor Ma Guolei were holding a farewell banquet for the various officials and generals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The civil officials — Xue Guoguan, Yang Sichang, Hong Chengchou, Chen Xinjia, Ji Shiwei, and Ma Guolei — sat together at one table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the Grand Secretariat, although Xue Guoguan and Yang Sichang fought each other to the death, on the surface they maintained an appearance of perfect harmony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou sat together with the Regional Commanders: Yang Guozhu, Hu Dawei, Wang Pu, Wang Tingchen, Wu Sangui, and Jin Guofeng. This was at the request of Yang Guozhu and the others, and also the result of Wang Tingchen's insistence. Perhaps in everyone's mind, Wang Dou, this Assistant Regional Commander, had long since earned the right to sit as their equal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the toasts and clinking of wine cups, Wang Dou observed the guests at the banquet whispering to each other. Their hushed conversations were all about how to emulate the Shunxiang Army and train new troops once they returned. The banquet lacked the usual unrestrained rowdiness of military men; many sat quietly, lost in their own thoughts. Even Wang Pu, the Regional Commander of Datong Garrison, normally so sociable, was the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the table, Wu Sangui seemed somewhat distracted, holding a cup of wine and lost in thought. Seeing Wang Dou's thousands of armored soldiers had also left him deeply shaken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention ordinary camp soldiers and military households, Wu Sangui actually had a thousand retainers under his command — cavalry established at great expense in silver. In the past, this was the capital he took pride in, but after seeing Wang Dou's Shunxiang Army, that sense of superiority vanished like smoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His Wu family, as Liaodong local magnates, had achieved their current status through many years of effort, but this achievement, compared to Wang Dou's, was like a small witch meeting a great wizard. And yet...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou was merely of common garrison soldier origin... This gave Wu Sangui a sense of urgency and crisis. After returning to Liaodong, what should he do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he was pondering deeply, he heard the conversation beside him between Wang Dou and Jin Guofeng, the Regional Commander of Ningyuan's militia:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Commander Jin, I have something to say, but I am unsure if I should say it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou's expression was very solemn, even somewhat grave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The experiences of the past days had left Jin Guofeng, this old general, sighing repeatedly. He had pulled Wang Dou to sit beside him and, without shame in asking one of lower rank, had continuously sought his advice on many issues. His two sons were naturally sociable, young and warm-hearted, and had also become fast friends with the various officers under Wang Dou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Wang Dou's expression now, Jin Guofeng was somewhat puzzled. He laughed heartily and said, \"General Wang, if you have something to say, please speak. I am all ears.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou said, \"Commander Jin, when you previously defended Songshan with fewer than three thousand troops, you were able to resist a powerful enemy and ultimately preserve that isolated city. What do you think you relied on?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Guofeng pondered for a long moment and said, \"The officers and men harbored hearts of loyalty and courage, willing to serve the country, resolved to fight the bandits to the death.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Resolved to fight the bandits to the death.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou said, \"Commander Jin, your insight is profound. I believe the same. However...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou continued, \"I also believe it was because you, Commander Jin, held unified authority, issued orders as one, and the men's hearts were disciplined and aligned.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hesitated for a long while, then finally spoke: \"Yet now that Commander Jin has been promoted for his merit to the senior command of Ningyuan, with the troops under your command suddenly swelling to ten thousand, I fear this may be a misfortune, not a blessing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Guofeng's expression changed: \"Why does General Wang say this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the two spoke, those nearby — Yang Guozhu, Hu Dawei, Wu Sangui, and others — all listened attentively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once they quieted down, Wang Pu and Wang Tingchen, who had been chatting and laughing, also turned to look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou said, \"These nearly ten thousand men presumably belong to various separate battalions. Ningyuan is close to the slave territory. If the slave army advances in force, how many officers and men do you think you could command, Commander Jin?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Guofeng's face showed a bitter expression: \"I fear only the nearly one hundred retainers I brought from Songshan, and my two sons.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou sighed inwardly. Ningyuan City had garrison commanders, army supervisors, provincial governors, military defense commissioners, and other officials — authority was fragmented and constrained. Though Jin Guofeng bore the title of Regional Commander, he probably could not easily mobilize a single unit. To avert his future tragedy, Wang Dou had spoken these words, also out of respect for this loyal and virtuous general.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said, \"Indeed, when battalions are numerous and tangled, orders are hard to enforce, and men's hearts are not united — this is a grave taboo in military affairs. Commander Jin must prepare for a rainy day.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Guofeng nodded silently. Though he found it strange that Wang Dou understood Ningyuan's affairs so well, what he said was indeed sincere and truthful. He must bring this issue to the attention of Hong Chengchou, the Viceroy of Ji-Liao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Sangui, listening carefully beside them, felt an even deeper sense of unfathomable depth toward Wang Dou. This Wang Dou...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, the observing garrison generals took their leave one after another. Each wore a face full of smiles, all feeling they had returned with a full load.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once back, nine out of ten would likely emulate the Shunxiang Army and train new troops — this was within Wang Dou's expectations. However, the Shunxiang Army had formed under its own unique conditions. He would watch to see how they each displayed their own talents and what kind of troops they would produce in the future. How their imitation troops would compare to his genuine troops, Wang Dou would wait and see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Guozhu, Hu Dawei, Wang Pu, and Wu Sangui all bid Wang Dou farewell with smiles. Guo Yingxian, Hu Zichen, Wang Tingchen, Cao Bianjiao, and others even embraced Wang Dou, reluctant to part. Watching them leave, Wang Dou also felt a touch of sorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the moment of departure, Jin Guofeng clasped his hands in salute to Wang Dou and said with a hearty laugh, \"General Wang, if you ever come to Ningyuan in the future, I will welcome you by rushing out with my shoes on backwards.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou returned the salute: \"Commander Jin, the road is long. Take care.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Guofeng laughed heartily, spurred his horse, and rode away. His two sons followed behind their father, constantly turning back to wave at Wang Dou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching their figures disappear on the loess road, Wang Dou silently said, \"Take care.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group of civil officials likewise departed. Ji Shiwei was naturally satisfied. Xue Guoguan and Yang Sichang had obtained what they wanted from this trip and were also in good spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Hong Chengchou left, he said to Wang Dou with meaningful depth, \"General Wang, what you said to General Jin — I deeply concur. Upon returning to Liaodong, I will petition the court to have all military affairs in a city centralized under the Regional Commander's disposition.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the observing officials and generals had all left, according to the intelligence Wang Dou received, as soon as Yang Sichang returned to the capital, he immediately received a special imperial edict from the Chongzhen Emperor, appointing him as Regional Commander for bandit suppression, and also bestowing upon him the Imperial Sword for discretionary punishment and reward. He was further granted forty thousand taels of reward silver and fifteen hundred silver medals. Yang Sichang submitted seven proposals, and the Chongzhen Emperor approved them all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In late October, Yang Sichang arrived at Xiangyang. He immediately tightened military discipline: he had a Vice Regional Commander flogged, beheaded an Assistant Surveillance Commissioner serving as Army Supervisor, and impeached and arrested Fang Kongzhao, the Provincial Governor of Huguang. The entire army was awed into submission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few days later, Yang Sichang held a grand oath-taking ceremony for the three armies at Xiangyang and advanced to suppress the roving bandits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As early as his time in Yongning, Wang Dou had promised Yang Juanchang that when the time was right, he would lead troops out to fight the roving bandits, with a force no fewer than five thousand men, sending Yang Juanchang away satisfied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This campaign was not for Yang Juanchang. To Wang Dou, the interest bloc he represented — composed of eastern route landlords, freeholding peasants, and intellectuals — had irreconcilable contradictions with Li Baicheng's roving bandit bloc. Sooner or later the two would collide, as incompatible as fire and water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A battle was inevitable sooner or later, and a late battle was not as good as an early one, which could better probe their true strength and tactics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, at a council of his staff officers convened by Wang Dou, he made clear the necessity of going to war against the roving bandits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that day's council, Wang Dou also set the strategy: probe their true strength, observe their tactics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through this battle, Wang Dou also wanted to understand one question: what was the root cause behind Li Baicheng and his men sweeping across the realm, and why historically they were able to destroy the Great Ming. (To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next!\u003C\u002Fp>",2510,"2026-06-03T14:05:36.780Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","d1def40e91d49f60fd4883012a4bcd4be3236e56117c9db89f1026d735b2327a","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-358","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-356",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]