[{"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-405":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},1205694,1561,"Chapter 405: Decisive Battle (Part 2)","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-405",405,"\u003Cp>128030072\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Writing a book is not easy. Everyone is welcome to help Old Bai Niu increase his click-through rate, recommendation votes, and monthly tickets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A portal to The Little Soldier of the Late Ming Frontier Army\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over a thousand soldiers of the Shunxiang Army stood in formation, not a single sound escaping, yet a mountain-like aura of might spread forth, suffocating the heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The officials of Luoyang were all both awed and reverent. Chen Yongfu also watched with burning envy; if he possessed such a powerful army, the position of Henan Regional Commander would be within easy reach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after, Chen Yongfu's troops also finished assembling. Aside from the five hundred soldiers left to guard the city, over fifteen hundred ordinary battalion soldiers and more than five hundred retainers likewise formed ranks on the right side of the Shunxiang Army. Though their armor and equipment were not as fine as the Shunxiang Army's, their morale was equally high, full of anticipation for the coming battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The common people of Luoyang City had long been stirred. The rebellion of Liu Jianyi and Luo Tai the previous night had kept everyone from sleeping well, and all sorts of rumors flew everywhere. Waking this morning, before anyone could digest the events of the night, shocking news arrived again: the Shunxiang Army had succeeded in a night raid, and today they would leave the city for a decisive battle to utterly crush the roving bandits outside the walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without anyone organizing them, the residents of every ward in Luoyang City came out of their own accord, families crowding along every street to see them off and watch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time the sky brightened, every street and alley was already packed with a tide of people. They watched as the soldiers of the Vanguard Battalion and the Shunxiang Army filed out of the city in columns, their eyes brimming with hope, praying that the government troops would win a great victory and thoroughly preserve the peace of Luoyang City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the hour of Chen, all the troops marching out finished assembling. Amidst a cluster of guards, Wang Dou and the others descended the city tower, only to find the area around the North Gate and North Main Street already a sea of people. Countless Luoyang residents were packed there, even the rooftops in the area crawling with onlookers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Wang Dou and Chen Yongfu approach, a tidal wave of cheers erupted. Countless commoners shouted, \"We wish General Wang and General Chen a great victory! Slaughter the roving bandits until not a single piece of armor remains!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou and Chen Yongfu clasped their fists in salute, drawing another wave of roaring cheers. Under the gaze of tens of thousands, even the officials behind Wang Dou, including Wang Yinchang, all wore expressions of solemn dignity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Walking outside the city gate, not far from his army, Wang Dou stopped and turned to look back at the towering, massive silhouette of the ancient capital of thirteen dynasties. The moments spent in Luoyang City during this time welled up in his heart. Undeniably, although his original intent in sending troops was merely to win fame and merit in places like Luoyang, this land had still left him with unforgettable memories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing the city and the crowds before him, Wang Dou made a deep, formal bow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he raised his head, a resolute look showed in Wang Dou's eyes: \"The matter of Luoyang must be thoroughly concluded.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He abruptly drew his personal sword and shouted, \"Victory!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Victory!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seven thousand soldiers of the Shunxiang Army and the Vanguard Battalion drew their weapons and roared in unison, their voices shaking the highest heavens, their gleaming long blades and sharp spears piercing the firmament.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Victory!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yongfu raised his sharp sword high, his expression ferocious. Chen De, Xie Yike, and others brandished their blades and howled, their faces contorted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Victory!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The heir Zhu Youchu's blood boiled. He suddenly raised both fists and shrieked loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice startled the officials beside him, including Wang Yinchang. Before they could speak, a sound like mountains crumbling and the earth splitting exploded in their ears — the entire military and civilian population of Luoyang City had been swept up. Countless soldiers and civilians roared, and finally the sound swept through the whole city like a mountain roar and a sea tsunami.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is that sound?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the old camp of the Chuang Army, Li Zicheng jolted awake, looking toward Luoyang City with alarm and uncertainty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The failure of Liu Jianyi and the others' inside operation the previous night had dealt a massive blow to him and his subordinate commanders. Moreover, not long after returning to the West Gate, news of the fall of Jianshan had also arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a sudden clap of thunder on flat ground, it nearly made Li Zicheng faint. Jianshan stored a vast amount of the Chuang Army's provisions, at least half of the entire army's supply. The importance of provisions went without saying; as the saying goes, no scheme is more vicious than cutting off food supplies. Losing their provisions put the Chuang Army at risk of collapse, especially at this critical juncture of repeated military setbacks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zicheng personally led the old camp soldiers to Jianshan. Not bothering to punish his trusted generals Tian Jianxiu and Liu Xiyao, who had been guarding the provisions, he repeatedly directed his commanders to try to retake the supplies. Unexpectedly, that Ming army unit was extremely tenacious. Piles of corpses were left at the foot of Jianshan, yet they could not advance a single step up the hill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not until the sky began to lighten did the utterly exhausted Li Zicheng, urged by his subordinates, return to the Fujiatun camp where the old camp troops were originally stationed to rest. He did not return to the West Gate, directing the battle from nearby. Unexpectedly, just as he lay down, he was jolted awake by the heaven-shaking roar coming from Luoyang City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The General's troops are on the move.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On Jianshan, the air was thick with the heavy stench of blood. Corpses of the Chuang Army lay everywhere, scattered east and west. The shouts from Luoyang City were faintly audible. Gazing in that direction, Wen Fangliang's refined, handsome face showed a grave expression. \"Has the great battle come? The government troops are pouring out in full force, and their main strength is that Wang Dou's Shunxiang Army?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, waves of mounted scouts reported all the movements in Luoyang City to Li Zicheng. He was initially startled; with the righteous army suffering repeated defeats, the government troops pouring out in full force boded ill. However, Li Zicheng was resolute by nature, had experienced countless battles great and small, and had faced untold hardships in his life. He quickly calmed down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rose to his full height, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes: \"So be it. Let me, Li Zicheng, and Wang Dou decide this in open field. Let us see if that Shunxiang Army truly has three heads and six arms.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He issued orders: \"Tian Jianxiu and Liu Xiyao remain in place, continuing to watch the army on Jianshan. All righteous army forces from the three passes are to withdraw to the main camp. Summon the leaders of every camp to the old camp immediately for a council of war.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the sixteenth day of the first month of the fourteenth year of Chongzhen, at the hour of Chen, Wang Dou and Chen Yongfu led the Shunxiang Army and the Vanguard Battalion, totaling over seven thousand men, advancing from the North Gate toward the Chuang Army's main camp a dozen or so li away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, the outskirts of Luoyang had \"horse-blocking walls,\" scattered houses, broken walls and ruins, and fields and ditches in the near suburbs. They could only advance in squads, companies, and platoons. But after marching several li, the land became vast and desolate, ruined villages left far behind. The great army had already merged together, advancing in formation, their armor and weapons a stern display.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ahead lay the Chuang Army's sprawling encampments, stretching from the north all the way to the south.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This battle gripped the hearts of all soldiers and civilians in Luoyang. Not only did the remaining garrison troops and militia conscripts all climb the city walls to watch, but even the commoners inside the city displayed their own ingenuity, scrambling to seize every high vantage point in the city. The Imperial Consort Zhu Changxun also brought palace attendants and climbed to the top floor of the Wenfeng Pagoda, straining to look westward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"With ten thousand hearts as one, even Mount Tai can be shaken. Only loyalty and righteousness can surge as high as the Dipper and Ox constellations. The commander cherishes us more than our own parents...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>General Qi's \"Song of Triumph\" was sung across the land. It was not only one of the Shunxiang Army's military anthems, but also sung by everyone in Chen Yongfu's Vanguard Battalion. At this critical moment of bloody decisive battle, perhaps moved by the occasion, the deep military song rose from Chen Yongfu's Vanguard Battalion and quickly spread throughout the entire formation. Accompanied by the marching drumbeats, the heroic military song soared to halt the clouds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Those who violate military orders cannot control their own fate. Orders are clear, rewards and punishments are certain. Whether plunging into water or fire, who dares to delay or linger!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The great army formed ranks and pressed forward irresistibly. Chen Sheng, a arquebusier of the First Company, First Platoon, of Gao Xun's unit, marched with his firearm, singing along. He trod across fields, crossed rivers, facing the great battle and over a hundred thousand roving bandits, his eyes resolute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Life is like morning dew. His father and elder brother died under the blades of the northern barbarians. In his midnight dreams, all he saw were the despairing, sorrowful eyes of his loved ones as they faced death. Following the army south, bandits and rebels everywhere, devastation as far as the eye could see. Faced with such scenes, what did his heart ponder, what did it think?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He did not know if others understood why they fought when they joined the army, but he understood. He had long set his ambition: in this life, he was determined to slaughter all the northern barbarians, follow the General to pacify the realm, and restore peace to the nation. Even if this path was strewn with bones, he would not fear. When life withered away with the wind, it would still have its own brilliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, Chen Sheng's eyes narrowed. Through the icy, bone-chilling snowflakes and mist of the early morning, the end of the wilderness ahead was covered with endless roving bandits. Countless banners of every color stretched boundlessly, impossible to number.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The great battle begins!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Sheng gripped his arquebus tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The government troops are here!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dark clouds hung low, the biting wind cutting to the bone. Under the great banner bearing the character \"Chuang,\" Li Zicheng sat astride his black piebald horse, gazing eastward. Even the piercing cold could not make him flinch in the slightest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him were Liu Zongmin, Liu Fangliang, Li Guo, Gao Yigong, Yuan Zongdi, Song Xiance, Niu Jinxing, Li Yan, and other commanders and advisors. Like Li Zicheng, their expressions were extremely solemn. They clearly understood that this battle was of immense consequence, especially with their provisions seized and the righteous army suffering repeated defeats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond them were the infantry and famine-recruit leaders from the various camps. They had hurried over, their faces full of fear. The loss of provisions had dealt them a severe blow. Had the old camp not forcefully suppressed and monitored the assembly, many of them would have already fled with their men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the oppressive atmosphere, an unknown amount of time passed. Suddenly, Li Zicheng's thick brows furrowed. Amidst the faint sounds of horns and military songs, a black line suddenly spread across the eastern horizon. Once this black line appeared, it was like a rolling torrent of steel, its killing intent surging through heaven and earth, suffocating and terrifying!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone was startled and stared even more intently toward the east. Just then, the cold mist cleared, and the entire Ming army formation revealed itself before their eyes. A dense forest of spears, layers upon layers of banners, fiery red armor, fiery red flags — an orderly sea of red, slowly advancing across the land. In the center of the great formation, two large banners bearing the characters \"Wang\" and \"Chen\" were particularly conspicuous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red sea pressed forward with shocking force, backlit by the morning sun. As everyone gazed, they all felt a strange sensation of spatial distortion. The military song from that direction became even clearer, filled with boundless heroism: \"How can you say you have no robe? I will share mine with you. The king is raising his army; I will sharpen my spear and halberd, and share your foe...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At such a display of might, everyone's faces changed color. Li Zicheng laughed heartily, raised his whip to point, and said, \"What a fine unit of government troops, what a man this Wang Dou is!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned his head to look at his own commanders. His trusted close generals — Liu Zongmin, Liu Fangliang, Li Guo, Li Shuangxi, Gao Yigong, and others — though somewhat pale from being awed by the Ming army's imposing presence, still had resolute expressions. Only the famine-recruit leaders looked nervous, their expressions varied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sneered inwardly, knowing that with the failed attack on Luoyang, the loss of provisions, and facing the repeatedly victorious, sharp and fierce Wang Dou army in this battle, these men had already developed disloyal thoughts. He paid them no mind, merely asking, \"Leaders of the various camps, who has yet to arrive with their troops?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Wang Dou and the others had come so suddenly and swiftly, upon learning that the government troops were leaving the city, Li Zicheng had only had time to summon the leaders from nearby camps for a council and to prepare for battle. For men like Waguanzi and Yidougou, who were stationed at places like Nashan, he had only sent fast riders and messengers ordering them to quickly bring their troops to join him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, on the peasant army's position, thousands upon tens of thousands of famine recruits were continuously converging, assembling into a great formation. Then their leaders hurriedly came to report to the Chuang King. The famine recruits were growing more and more numerous; a rough count already exceeded a hundred thousand. Yet even at this moment, Waguanzi and the others were still nowhere to be seen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hearing the report from Yuan Zongdi, who was in charge of Luoyang’s general affairs, the hot-tempered Liu Zongmin was already cursing furiously, and the faces of the other commanders were also grim. Only Li Zicheng remained impassive. Raising his whip toward the ceaselessly advancing Ming army formation, he said: “Brothers of every banner, I, Li Zicheng, have never admitted defeat. From the day I rose up, whether following Gao Chuangwang, fighting at Yiguan, or campaigning in Baxi, I have been trapped and risen again several times. Even before a thousand armies and ten thousand horses, what have I to fear?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He abruptly spurred his horse, weaving through the various formations, and raised his arm to shout to the starving soldiers: “Brothers and sisters of every banner, the imperial court is without virtue and ignores whether the common people live or die. The Prince of Fu in Luoyang possesses wealth rivaling the realm, yet in such a famine, he refuses to release a single coin from his stores to relieve the people. The nobles and magnates exploit and squeeze the poor, leaving them to freeze and starve. They wallow in luxury and debauchery while we suffer in misery and desolation — is this fair?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After successive defeats, with the government forces growing in power, their grain and fodder seized, and a sudden battle forced upon them, the starving soldiers of the various divisions, though gathered and outnumbering the government troops ten to one, were all terrified. But upon hearing Li Zicheng’s words, they slowly quieted down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, was this fair? They were all common folk, every one of them toiling bitterly to till the land. Even in years of plenty they had never eaten their fill, and when disaster years came, they had to sell their sons and daughters, scraping by in bitter hardship day after day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially in the great disasters of recent years, the poor had stripped the land of tree bark and grass roots until nothing was left, then ate dried cowhide, sheepskins, and wild goose droppings — and even resorted to cannibalism. Yet those in power shut their gates to drink wine, living lives of shameless debauchery and corruption. By what right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Remembering all this, many shed tears, and their hatred for the government officials and soldiers deepened further.\u003C\u002Fp>",2838,"2026-06-03T14:05:53.320Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","bed4e20ca54d554d6d63aa7dc9c20caac8e14bc6e46773702279d397bf4f8041","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-406","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-404",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]