[{"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-371":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},1205660,1561,"Chapter 371: The Terrifying Government Troops","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-371",371,"\u003Cp>But if the roving bandits were coming to meet him of their own accord, that was just as well — he could slaughter them to his heart's content and spare himself the trouble of marching to Ruzhou to engage them. Gao Shiyin did not take ten thousand bandit troops seriously at all. Roving bandits, even when numerous, were mostly a disorderly mob; government troops often routed them with just a few hundred or a few thousand men, let alone the Shunxiang Army under his own command.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To halt the advance and request reinforcements from General Who Pacifies the State, Wang Dou, was absolutely out of the question. If he stopped his forward march here, he would lose all face before his colleagues in the future. So the moment that staff officer spoke those words, he immediately drew a furious roar from Gao Shiyin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet fury aside, the Shunxiang Army's combat regulations were thorough, with corresponding countermeasures for every situation. After discussing with his subordinate officers, Gao Shiyin and the others still settled on a detailed battle plan to meet the enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Gentlemen, our Shunxiang Army has never failed to win a battle. How can a mere rabble of roving bandits block the edge of our blades? We are all heroes who wish to follow the General Who Pacifies the State in sweeping the realm clean. Today's battle is precisely the moment to shine before the world, a fine chance to make our names and win renown. If you desire merit and fame, it all depends on your valiant fighting. Let those roving bandits see the unleashed majesty of my Ren Division soldiers!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crude and rash though he was, Gao Shiyin was after all a veteran commander who had followed Wang Dou for many years, and these words were highly stirring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a clang of iron armor, the officers roared their assent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mount up! Continue the advance!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the sound of bugle-horns, the soldiers swung themselves onto their horses. Iron hooves dense and grim, the great army rolled onward once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the mid-hour of shen, the army reached a local place called Xuzhuang. The forward scouts waved a yellow flag: enemy troops had been spotted ahead, roughly two to three thousand strong, already deploying into formation to block the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Shiyin gave a cold snort and barked, \"Continue advancing! Go meet them!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soldiers of Gao Shiyin's Ren Division spurred their horses onward. Soon, before a ruined, abandoned village ahead, a dense mass of enemy troops appeared, chaotically scrambling into formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Shiyin drew out his spyglass and looked. It was just as the scouts had reported: that mass numbered about two thousand or more. Through the spyglass, he could clearly see that the roving bandits were mostly infantry; perhaps only one or two hundred had horses. Most of these roving bandits wore red cloth wrapped around their heads; only those on horseback wore felt hats, with surcoats or leather armor draped over their bodies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Very few of those foot soldiers had armor. Besides the able-bodied young men, many were old and weak, each holding a long spear. Only a few who looked like archers wore sleeveless jackets or surcoats, with a waist saber at their side. By Gao Shiyin's estimate, these men were likely local government troops the roving bandits had absorbed in places like Henan Prefecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At their central command position, a great banner had been planted, on which could be seen embroidered a single enormous character: \"Chuang.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Shiyin lowered his spyglass and sneered: \"A disorderly mob.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ren Division's scouts had already ridden a circuit around the roving bandits' perimeter and returned to report: no enemy troops had been found inside the village. They had also discerned the true disposition of the bandit formation, for the bandit line had the village on one side and hilly, rocky ground on the other. To pass through this area, one could only go straight through the bandit formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Right here at the front, break open the enemy line.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Shiyin passed down the order. The army advanced again. When they closed to within two hundred paces of the bandit front line, all the Ren Division soldiers — except Gao Shiyin and some officers of the headquarters — dismounted and prepared for battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Horn calls and drumbeats sounded without pause. Following the signals, squad by squad, company by company, the soldiers began to dress ranks and form up. Quickly, taking the company as the unit, they assembled a large square formation balanced for both offense and defense. The two forward companies concentrated at the front; the two rear companies took positions left and right, guarding the flanks of the central command. The soldiers' horses were also gathered and led to the central command section.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing their own formation take shape in moments while the opposing side remained a chaotic mess, several headquarters officers at the central command laughed and said, \"Today we are certain to rout the bandits utterly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every one of them was brimming with high spirits. The cold wind whipped their cloaks and greatcoats, a surging blaze of fiery red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Shiyin gave a long laugh and shouted, \"Lads, are you all ready?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Guard!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mighty unified shout rang out — nearly a thousand officers and men roaring as one, their voices like a sudden clap of thunder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Beat the drums! Prepare to meet the enemy!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dong, dong, dong!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stirring war drums thundered. Gao Shiyin drew his sword in one motion and pointed it straight ahead: \"Jia Company, Yi Company — attack!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Might and valor!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soldiers of the two companies bellowed in unison and stepped forward in perfect order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Firelocks to the shoulder!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Firelocks to the shoulder!\" — the shouted commands rose and fell in waves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Advance!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ten thousand victories!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the rhythmic tramp of marching feet, a sea of steel strode in great strides toward the enemy line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Panic spread through the roving bandit formation. They sensed that these government troops were very different — not only because every man had fine horses and armor, but because of their very bearing, something never seen before among government troops. The feeling was deeply unnerving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Shiyin, mounted on his horse, drew out his spyglass again and looked. In moments, that tide of red armor and eight-petaled iron-tipped helmets had already closed to within a hundred paces of the bandit front line. On the bandit side, a great shouting arose; their archers had already come forward, drawing bows and nocking arrows, aiming straight at the advancing Shunxiang Army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Halt!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Check powder and shot! Light the match cords!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the officers' shouted commands, the sound of striking fire-strikers crackled everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The roving bandit archers opposite were already shooting arrows with all their might. They numbered over a hundred, arrayed in three ranks. On this side, the two Shunxiang Army companies numbered over four hundred men — four hundred combat troops, half firelock soldiers and half pikemen. The firelock soldiers of the two companies formed small squads, each squad fifty men, ten men per file, arranged in five files.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they advanced in formation, when they halted, each small squad had already clustered together, so that across the entire formation the firelock soldiers were arrayed in five ranks, forty men per rank. The pikemen followed behind, arranged in the same manner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing the roving bandits' arrows, they were utterly composed. Arrows at a hundred paces had no real power, to say nothing of the fact that all the soldiers wore excellent armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Preparations complete.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Front rank, make ready! Prepare to fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A continuous clatter rang out as the front-rank firelock soldiers, in a dense black mass, lowered their firelocks and aimed at the roving bandits ahead. In this interval, the bandit archers had already loosed several volleys. Here and there, a few arrows hung loosely, about to fall, from the armor of some firelock soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heaven and earth suddenly fell silent, leaving only the sound of the cold wind sweeping dust across the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The squad commander on the right flank of the formation drew his sword: \"Fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A crackling burst of firelock shots erupted like beans popping. The roving bandits on the other side saw only a sheet of flame ahead, then a cloud of smoke billowing up from that side. Before they could react, they saw jets of blood mist burst from the sleeveless jackets or surcoats of their own archers, who then tumbled to the ground screaming in agony. They all stood dumbfounded — what kind of firearm were these government troops using, to be so fearsome?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A metallic clatter rang out. On this side, the Shunxiang Army's first rank of firelock soldiers, having fired, immediately fell back. They nimbly drew their ramrods, cleaned the barrels, and reloaded with pre-packaged paper cartridges. To an outsider, their movements seemed dazzlingly swift; to them, they were practiced to the point of flowing like water, requiring no time at all. Some did not even need to look at their barrels to reload.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After years of training and campaigning, the firelock soldiers of the various First-Class Army units could basically fire three rounds a minute; some could even manage five.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the first rank of firelock soldiers withdrew, the second rank stepped forward. At the squad commander's order, they pulled their triggers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Streaks of fierce muzzle flash shot forth. On the opposite side, more jets of blood mist burst from the roving bandit archers, who staggered and were knocked to the ground one after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They all howled madly. The first three ranks of these Ren Division firelock soldiers going into battle all used Lumi muskets. The long Lumi muskets could pierce heavy armor at a hundred paces, both accurate and lethal. How could these roving bandit archers, wearing only sleeveless jackets or surcoats, withstand them? Many were shot clean through, blood arrows spurting from their chests and backs, their bodies sent flying by the force of the musket balls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly struck by such ferocious firepower, the roving bandits had never experienced anything like it. Whether the archers in front or the bandit pikemen behind, every one of them stood dumbstruck as wooden chickens, staring blankly as the volleys from the government troops opposite thundered again and again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Very quickly, the fourth rank of firelock soldiers had already stepped forward and pulled their triggers at the roving bandits, who were now milling about like ants on a hot pan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A deafening volley rang out. By this point, even the firelock soldiers using the army's original firearms were firing ammunition whose formula had been perfected by the Ordnance Department, and its power could likewise break heavy armor at a hundred paces. These large-caliber firelocks made a tremendous noise and packed enormous power; with each shot, a great hole was torn into whoever was struck on the opposing side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a great cloud of gunpowder smoke belched forth, several dozen more roving bandits collapsed on the opposite side. Those struck were all rolling on the ground, wailing in inhuman voices. Many had been hit so badly their internal organs spilled out; clutching their entrails, they wept and screamed, trying only to stuff them back inside their bodies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wave after wave of the stench of blood drifted over. Watching their own archers and pikemen howling in agony on the ground, seeing the ghastly sight of them drenched in blood, the remaining men all trembled, their faces drained of color. Where had these government troops come from? They were truly devils...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fifth rank, forward!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Guard!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the opposite side came another unison shout of response; the firelocks over there were raised again in a dense black mass, and the few luckless surviving bandit archers at the front could no longer suppress the terror in their hearts. With a yell, they threw down their weapons, clutched their heads, and fled backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The remaining bandits had long been stricken with panic; when they saw those in front running and shouting at the top of their lungs as if afraid no one would hear, a roar erupted and the entire bandit formation boiled over. Shrieking madly, they collapsed in an instant and fled backward like a tide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When their own side suddenly crumbled, the hundred or two hundred mounted men in the formation were slow to react, but they were very quick-witted — they immediately wheeled their horses and fled, whipping their mounts to a gallop and vanishing in no time. They seemed exceedingly experienced at running away; even in the chaos, they did not forget to carry off that great banner bearing the character \"Chuang.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Utterly worthless!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Shiyin retracted his spyglass. Through the spyglass he could see the myriad postures of the fleeing bandits. Although he knew these bandits were only a small decoy force, even if they had been sent to lure the enemy, under his army's assault this rout was probably genuine by now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A rabble.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhenfu Officer beside him lowered his spyglass and also spoke a remark. The Ren Division was equipped with only two spyglasses; Gao Shiyin had taken one, and this one was for his use. He too had just been surveying the scene through the spyglass, and the entire battlefield lay within his sight. Those two or three thousand bandits had scattered with fewer than a hundred casualties — truly worthless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"First battle a victory; our Ren Division troops have earned a merit.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several staff officers nearby also laughed heartily. They had no spyglasses, but the distance was not great, and they could see the situation ahead clearly enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Shiyin issued the order: \"Sound the recall. This battlefield shall be cleared by the baggage unit; leave one company of troops to guard and assist. The remaining troops, mount up and continue forward!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief regrouping, the Ren Division troops all mounted again and continued onward. The battle just now had been entirely one-sided: nearly a hundred of the enemy killed or wounded, and not a single casualty on their own side. As their iron hooves tramped across the recent battlefield, they could see bandit corpses and wounded *** on the ground, along with weapons, even hats and shoes, strewn everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were no longer their concern; their iron hooves rolled on, pressing only forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After riding a few li, they caught sight of the routed bandits ahead, running so hard they were gasping for breath. Seeing these government troops in pursuit, the bandits shrieked in even greater terror, sprinting like mad in every direction. The Ren Division troops ignored them and continued riding forward; only a few scout riders peeled off to drive them onward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After advancing a while longer, they saw gold, silver, and valuables scattered on the ground, along with gaudy silks and brocades. Gao Shiyin laughed heartily: \"These bandits are indeed cunning, trying to use wealth to throw our Ren Division's army into disorder. Do they take my Shunxiang Army for those bean-curd government troops?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Shunxiang Army had long had relevant military regulations for such a situation. Gao Shiyin issued the order: \"The baggage unit shall collect the valuables; the Zhenfu Officer shall supervise the collection. The remaining troops shall maintain strict formation and continue forward.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After riding further, the scouts reported back that even more gold, silver, and valuables lay scattered ahead — a patch here, a patch there — stretching across an area two li around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It seems the bandits intend to ambush us there.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Shiyin chuckled grimly. According to the scouts' reports, the terrain ahead was in fact still open flatland. Indeed, from Ruzhou to Jiaxian, this river-plain region was level ground, with hardly any suitable mountain valleys or ideal ambush sites.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, what the scouts had learned was that on the opposite riverbank from that area ahead, there were some undulating hills and dense, thick thatch — certainly enough to conceal a fair number of troops — and the river there was shallow and dry, easy for infantry and cavalry to cross.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Shunxiang Army had pursued the routed troops and fallen into disorder fighting over gold and silver, with no martial spirit or formation left, and the bandits had suddenly attacked with cavalry and infantry in a pincer, caught off guard they would truly have suffered a great loss. Government troops had often been routed by this very trick of the bandits in the past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Understanding this, Gao Shiyin would of course not fall for it. With the Shunxiang Army's self-discipline, they could also resist the temptation of those valuables and still maintain their formation intact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced at the sky and looked around: \"Good. These bandits' wicked hearts are not yet dead. We shall fight a battle right here and let those bandits taste once more the prowess of my Shunxiang Army's stout fellows.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He issued the order: \"Seize that slope, form ranks, and wait at ease for the weary foe.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Shiyin had observed clearly: beside the army at this moment, on the left and right against the riverbank, there was a slope — a rather gentle hill. Occupying that rounded commanding height would open up three sides, convenient for the army to fight while saving troops on one flank; the riverbank there was steep and the water fairly deep, likely difficult for men or horses to cross from that side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Gao Shiyin, a slope right by the riverbank meant easy access to water — a place good for both offense and defense. As for being surrounded by bandits and possibly trapped in a dead end, Gao Shiyin was not worried. He wanted exactly to fight to his heart's content and show those bandits a thing or two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With water and the dry rations the troops carried, even in a pessimistic scenario the army could hold out for many days — if the bandits decided on a long siege, the main Shunxiang Army force following behind would not mind giving them a total annihilation.\u003C\u002Fp>",2995,"2026-06-03T14:05:36.780Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","053884e7e84d75b50178dee57459daa5bdd5ad3f0aca7a7aad5e50d8b0e6d6fc","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-372","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-370",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]