[{"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-366":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},1205655,1561,"Chapter 366: To Keep Me Here, You Must Pay a High Price","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-366",366,"\u003Cp>Chen Yongfu led Wang Dou all the way to the Provincial Governor's government office of Kaifeng City. This government office was located on Bell Tower West Street, southwest of Prince Zhou's mansion. The Provincial Administration Commission office, the Provincial Surveillance Commission office, the Regional Military Commission, and the Xuanwu Guard command office were all located in this area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yongfu politely had his son Chen De entertain Wang Dou's personal generals Xie Yike and the others, then he led Wang Dou into the main hall of the Provincial Governor's government office. It seemed Chen Yongfu had some urgent matter to discuss with Henan Provincial Governor Li Vanguard Commander; he went into the rear hall for quite a while, leaving Wang Dou in the hall drinking tea and waiting quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long while, a large group of people came out from behind the screen. Besides Chen Yongfu, there were Henan Provincial Governor Li Vanguard Commander, Henan Regional Inspector Censor Gao Mingheng, Military Defense Vice Commissioner Wang Yinchang, the Prefect of Kaifeng, the County Magistrate of Xiangfu, and others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were also over a dozen local officials of various ranks. Such a grand array clearly showed that Li Vanguard Commander and the others attached considerable importance to Wang Dou's arrival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...The bandits have successively overrun Lushan, Jiaxian, Yiyang, and other places, faintly showing signs of threatening Luoyang. The territory of the imperial princes must not be lost. This governor fortifies the city day and night, stores up treasury funds and grain, and selects and commissions resourceful and brave officials to command and protect Luoyang against unforeseen events. Yet Henan has few troops, *** rebellion and chaos, the roving bandits clamor and roar. Whenever this governor ponders this, my heart aches and my bones chill.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a round of pleasantries and inquiries, Henan Provincial Governor Li Vanguard Commander wagged his head and launched into a long string of principles. Wang Dou merely listened quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Wang Dou's impassive expression, Li Vanguard Commander had no choice but to clear his throat and get straight to the point: \"Of all affairs under heaven, none is more urgent than the plight of our sovereign and father. I have heard that General Wang fought at Julu, fought at Pinggu, and the slave chieftains fled at the mere rumor of his approach. The troops under his command are the most fierce and hardy. To campaign against mere roving bandits would be as easy as picking something up with one's hand, would it not?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The roving bandits rampage unchecked; the military situation seethes like boiling soup. This is truly a critical juncture for the safety of the realm. This governor proposes that General Wang remain with his army in Henan to jointly serve the nation in its hour of need. With the General's strength, the rebels may well be captured and the great calamity quelled. If the General agrees, this governor will certainly provide generous rewards and provisions and will never go back on his word.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou inclined his body slightly: \"Rebellion is the greatest evil under heaven; suppressing bandits is the greatest righteousness under heaven. The bandits Li Chuang and his ilk defy the Way of Heaven above and offend the public wrath below. Although I, your humble officer, am not a commander of the Henan region, I cannot sit by and watch this crisis in peace. However, local responsibilities are not my original duty. I carry a directive from the Ministry of War requiring me to reach the Sichuan and Huguang regions by a set deadline; otherwise, military law is merciless. It is not that I am unwilling to stay in Bianliang, but that I cannot.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Vanguard Commander and Regional Inspector Gao Mingheng exchanged surprised glances. Among military men, someone with Wang Dou's eloquence was truly rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Mingheng had been paying close attention to Wang Dou. Watching him sit quietly, his gaze deep and his expression neither servile nor arrogant, his estimation of Wang Dou rose another level in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were many rumors about Wang Dou, especially concerning the campaign that began in the eleventh year of Chongzhen. Wang Dou had rushed a thousand li to reinforce, willing to follow Lu Xiangsheng to his death, which moved Gao Mingheng deeply and even made him rather envious of Lu Xiangsheng. To have such a loyal, brave, and fine general under his command follow him—surely he could smile in the underworld?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that campaign, Wang Dou's fame soared. The Chongzhen Emperor even issued an edict ordering Wang Dou's troop-training methods to be disseminated throughout the realm. However, the results in various places were actually quite unsatisfactory. With the additional levies of the three military taxes and the collection of funds and grain, everywhere the pressure to meet quotas was fierce. The common people grew ever more destitute, and this widespread training of new armies dragged on sluggishly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Up to the present, Ji Garrison had trained only 3,500 new troops, Baoding Garrison even fewer, a mere 300. As for the rest of the Nine Frontier Garrisons, how many new troops there were was truly hard to say. The Ministry of War ordered every prefecture in the Great Ming to train at least 1,000 new troops, every department 700, and every county 500, but for the most part, troop numbers existed only on the muster rolls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kaifeng Prefecture was the same. The three taxes had been levied, yet they had not even trained 1,000 new troops. How could such officers and soldiers withstand the burgeoning growth of the roving bandits?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, in western Henan, in places like Henan Prefecture and Ruzhou, the roving bandits were growing ever more rampant. The government troops there simply could not stop Li Zicheng and his ilk from attacking cities and seizing territory. Luoyang must not be lost. If an imperial prince's fief fell, everyone in Kaifeng Prefecture would be held culpable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou had finally arrived. It was heard that his battle record was outstanding, that even Qing troops fled at the rumor of his approach. Just earlier in the rear courtyard, Chen Yongfu had also praised Wang Dou's army without end. With such a strong army, going to attack the roving bandits would surely offer a great chance of victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking around, there were no more troops that could be deployed. Like clutching at the last life-saving straw, Li Vanguard Commander and Gao Mingheng were determined to keep Wang Dou's army in the locality no matter what.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Mingheng said: \"This concerns survival itself. We beg the General to stay for the time being. The imperial court, and Grand Secretary Yang's side—this inspector and the Provincial Governor will jointly submit a memorial, and we will certainly not make things difficult for the General. Kaifeng and Luoyang are where the imperial princes reside; the military situation is urgent as fire. We expect that neither Grand Secretary Yang nor His Majesty will miss this opportunity to relieve the nation's crisis.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou pondered in silence for a long while, then said: \"Since the local forces in Henan are insufficient, I, your humble officer, will stay in Kaifeng to meet the sovereign's urgent need and jointly achieve the merit of exterminating the bandits. However...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou looked at each person with piercing eyes: \"I am willing to follow the orders of you, my lords. As the saying goes, before troops and horses move, grain and fodder go first. The soldiers cannot fight on empty stomachs. As for the disbursement of funds and grain, and various expenses, I wonder...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Provincial Governor Li Vanguard Commander was somewhat displeased. He had already said that generous rewards and provisions would be given afterward, yet this Wang Dou was still haggling with him. However, the status of military men nowadays was no trivial matter. Civil officials relied on military men to fight to keep their positions secure, especially now when they had a favor to ask of this Assistant Regional Commander of Xuanfu Garrison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regional Inspector Gao Mingheng, however, remained impassive and asked Wang Dou how much money and grain he required.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Wang Dou stated the figure, everyone was greatly shocked and looked at each other in dismay: \"Three months' pay and provisions to be paid in advance, totaling 100,000 taels of silver including mobilization pay and family settlement pay, and 20,000 shi of grain and rice.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coming out of the Provincial Governor's government office, Wang Dou returned to his camp. From the looks in everyone's eyes, Wang Dou saw the words \"exorbitant demand\" written large, but Wang Dou thought nothing of it. If they wanted him to stay in the locality, they had to pay a certain price. His army could not fight on empty stomachs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before returning to camp, Chen Yongfu also invited Wang Dou to a tavern by the Drum Tower for a banquet. There, Wang Dou met Regional Commander Wang Shaoyu, Mobile Corps Commander Liu Jianyi, and Luo Tai. However, these three did not leave a good impression on Wang Dou. They were typical good-for-nothings; perhaps they were adept at embezzling pay and exploiting the soldiers, but asking them to fight would be putting them in a difficult position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere during the banquet also made it clear that Chen Yongfu was not on good terms with them. Seizing a private moment, Chen Yongfu secretly told Wang Dou that he hoped Wang Dou would stay, and that he would strongly urge Provincial Governor Li and the others to agree to Wang Dou's demands. His words also revealed a desire to jointly relieve Luoyang with Wang Dou and seek wealth and rank together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It could be seen that Chen Yongfu was a man of some ambition. Historically, when Li Zicheng attacked Kaifeng three times, he was fairly loyal to his duty. When Wang Dou left the city, Chen Yongfu saw him off all the way. In particular, his son Chen De had already become fast friends with Xie Yike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eleventh month of the thirteenth year of Chongzhen, by the Sha River near Zhuxian Town.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The weather was already quite chilly. The soldiers of the Shunxiang Army in the camp had each donned their red cotton cloaks lined with sheep's wool, put on their gloves, and wore warm woolen inner caps under their iron helmets. When Wang Dou entered the camp, a guard reported that Vice Regional Commander Chen Yongfu of Kaifeng City Defense had come to visit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou nodded. He had just returned from Zhuxian Town, where he had paid respects at the Yue Fei Temple in the town. The retinue of guards like Xie Yike still carried with them woodblock New Year prints bought in the town, along with local specialties like five-spice dried tofu—a fairly fruitful trip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the Tang and Song dynasties, Zhuxian Town had been a vital water and land transportation hub and commercial port for Kaifeng City, and was even Kaifeng's only water-land transshipment dock. In the late Ming, it was ranked alongside Foshan Town in Guangdong, Jingde Town in Jiangxi, and Hankou Town in Hubei as one of the Four Great Towns of the nation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this time, the town had over 40,000 merchant households and a population of more than 200,000. Even with the natural and man-made disasters in Henan during the late Ming, local commerce and trade remained very prosperous. Zhuxian Town was forty li from Kaifeng City. Wang Dou had encamped the Shunxiang Army here partly to be near the Sha River for convenient watering of the warhorses, and partly out of admiration for this historically famous town.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he returned to his central command tent, Wang Dou saw Chen Yongfu sitting steadily inside drinking tea, while his son Chen De was pacing back and forth restlessly. Seeing Wang Dou return, Chen Yongfu stood up with a smile. Wang Dou hurried forward a few steps and said, \"To have kept Military Commander Chen waiting so long is truly a sin.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He raised the five-spice dried tofu in his hand and said with a smile, \"Coming early is not as good as coming at the right time. I, your humble officer, have bought some local products, just right to enjoy with Military Commander Chen.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yongfu laughed heartily: \"Thanks to General Wang's good fortune, I am in for a treat.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After both sides had politely yielded and taken their seats, Chen Yongfu said with a serious expression: \"General Wang, I have come this time on the orders of Provincial Governor Li to discuss with the General the matter of relieving Ruzhou.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou nodded. Calculating the time, it was indeed about time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That day, after he had met with Henan Provincial Governor Li Vanguard Commander and the others, he had demanded 100,000 taels of silver and 20,000 shi of grain and rice. Li Vanguard Commander and the others were quite angered, thinking Wang Dou was making \"exorbitant demands\" and suspected him of coercion. However, Li Vanguard Commander and the others truly had no alternative. Moreover, Wang Dou had clearly stated that he carried a directive from the Ministry of War requiring him to reach Sichuan by a set deadline and could only stay in Kaifeng for three days, leaving Li Vanguard Commander little time to hesitate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, Provincial Governor Li Vanguard Commander led all the officials of Kaifeng en masse to Wang Dou's military camp to observe. After seeing Wang Dou's 7,000 elite troops, his mind was made up. It was heard that afterward he visited Prince Zhou, and then the officials of Kaifeng Prefecture, great and small, held lengthy discussions and agreed to Wang Dou's conditions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, Wang Dou stayed on like a mercenary force hired by the Kaifeng officials. Of course, Wang Dou also engaged in a round of intense bargaining with Li Vanguard Commander and the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou's meaning was that he must first receive the 100,000 taels of silver and 20,000 shi of grain and rice before awaiting orders to march. How could Li Vanguard Commander agree? What if Wang Dou took the money and grain and ran? One must know that raising these funds and grain would require him to exert the strength of nine bulls and two tigers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After bargaining, Wang Dou finally agreed to accept 30,000 taels of silver and 10,000 shi of grain and rice first, with the remaining silver to be given several months later. However, if the army provisions ran out in the meantime, they must be promptly replenished—this was the bottom line. Li Vanguard Commander found this acceptable. Although raising grain and fodder was difficult, it was not coming out of his own pocket, and if the siege of Luoyang could be lifted, spending this money and grain was completely worth it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That day, after observing Wang Dou's military formations, Li Vanguard Commander was filled with confidence in the Shunxiang Army. They were a true army of tigers and wolves, full of assurance for victory against the roving bandits. Moreover, if Wang Dou lifted the siege of Luoyang, he, as Provincial Governor, would have the merit of rescuing an imperial prince, and the prospects were clearly excellent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two sides hit it off immediately. Li Vanguard Commander swiftly sent official dispatches to the capital and to Yang Sichang, who was far away in Sichuan, explaining that the roving bandits were about to besiege Luoyang, local forces were insufficient, and Wang Dou's army was being temporarily borrowed as a guest force to save the people from dire straits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Vanguard Commander played a sly trick. The dispatch sent to Yang Sichang was delayed a few beats compared to the one sent to the capital. When the dispatch reached the capital, it caused considerable debate within the Grand Secretariat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although in the Chongzhen Emperor's mind, exterminating Zhang Xianzhong was far more important than exterminating Li Zicheng, the matter concerned his own uncle. After careful consideration, the Chongzhen Emperor decided to approve Henan Provincial Governor Li Vanguard Commander's request, temporarily keeping Wang Dou's army in Henan to exterminate Li Zicheng and lift the siege of Luoyang first. The pay and provisions needed by the Shunxiang Army were to be raised locally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>※※※\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old White Bull: What follows is one battle after another. Let's see how the Shunxiang Army fights the roving bandits. Compared to the eastern slaves, what are the fighting strength and tactics of the roving bandits like? Old Bull will try to write it as realistically as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>",2740,"2026-06-03T14:05:36.780Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","f35a68463eb050a09b4e34a24ed267ecf2d6f94cf684392b88f7629d5f98e33f","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-367","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-365",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]