[{"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-422":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},1205711,1561,"Chapter 422: You Slave!","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-422",422,"\u003Cp>Meng Ruhu, Sun Yingyuan, Huang Degong, Zhou Yuji, and others sounded out Wang Dou’s opinion, asking whether they could purchase bird guns, cannons, weapons, and the like from the Eastern Route.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After discussing it with the generals of the Shunxiang Army, Wang Dou agreed. The Eastern Route should also have its own external trade, and arms would be one part of it; trade would commence as soon as he returned. Of course, the trading partners must be carefully vetted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also gifted each Regional Commander, as well as Song Yihe and Wan Yuanji, ten bird guns along with corresponding fixed-paper-cartridge ammunition, and everyone was delighted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the evening of the twenty-second day of the second month in the fourteenth year of Chongzhen, Zuo Liangyu and He Renlong finally arrived from Xing’an in Shaanxi. With their combined armies numbering in the tens of thousands, they followed the Han River downstream, and when they reached Xiangyang, their boats and oars covered both banks of the Han River.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arrival of the two armies made the atmosphere inside and outside Xiangyang City considerably more tense; after all, neither army could be called virtuous, especially the General Who Pacifies Bandits, Zuo Liangyu, whose evil reputation spread far and wide, and whom everyone in Huguang feared, whether civil officials or military officers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many people also debated whether Zuo Liangyu would clash with the State-Stabilizing General Wang Dou upon his arrival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Wang Dou had killed many of his subordinates, including the brother of his beloved concubine, and had even declared that if Zuo Liangyu dared to shield disorderly soldiers, he would surely be executed — it could be said that Wang Dou had given him absolutely no face. And Zuo Liangyu was hardly an easy man to deal with; would he let the matter rest?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regarding this matter, the Huguang Provincial Governor Song Yihe and Army Supervisor Wan Yuanji were both quite worried. Not long after arriving in Xiangyang, they sought out Wang Dou to ask about it, suggesting whether some mediation might be needed. Wang Dou merely said it was no matter, but seeing that both the Provincial Governor and the Army Supervisor were still uneasy — and they were senior civil officials at that — it was clear that Zuo Liangyu’s ferocious standing in Huguang was no mere talk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, some people took pleasure in others’ misfortune; for instance, the eunuch Liu Yuanbin and his ilk were just waiting to enjoy the show.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Zuo Liangyu did not enter the city that day, undercurrents were already surging inside and outside Xiangyang, and everyone kept their eyes wide open, watching how events would unfold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Zuo Liangyu and He Renlong had arrived, on the morning of the twenty-third, Regional Commander Yang Sichang summoned everyone to his field headquarters to discuss military affairs. By this time, Yang Sichang’s illness had grown even more severe, so he did not hold the council in the White Tiger Hall, but instead called everyone to a side hall for the discussion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Wang Dou arrived, Wan Yuanji, Song Yihe, Meng Ruhu, and others were already there. Yang Sichang reclined against a sandalwood daybed, covered with a thick brocade quilt, coughing from time to time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His son Yang Shansong and several private secretaries attended him nearby. Judging by the expressions of Wan Yuanji and the others, they were clearly very worried. With the Grand Secretary so gravely ill, could he continue to command the army? If the Regional Commander were replaced, would the situation change? After all, looking across the entire Great Ming, among the high officials, those who possessed Grand Secretary Yang’s prestige were exceedingly few.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Wang Dou, Yang Sichang forced a smile and said, “Guoqin, you’ve come? Sit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou thanked him and took his seat. An attendant even served tea, placing it on a small side table beside him, from which it could be seen that the atmosphere of this council was quite relaxed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after, Zhang Yingyuan, Sun Yingyuan, Huang Degong, Zhou Yuji, and others arrived one after another, along with the eunuchs Liu Yuanbin, Lu Jiude, and the rest. Everyone took their seats one by one. Only the eunuch Liu Yuanbin, upon seeing Wang Dou, had an extremely dark expression and gave a cold snort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As these high officials arrived one by one, in the end only Zuo Liangyu and He Renlong remained. Yet after everyone had waited for a long while, Zuo Liangyu and He Renlong still had not appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Sichang and Wan Yuanji both had very ugly expressions. These two men were far too domineering. During the joint encirclement campaign in Sichuan, He Renlong had clamored to return to Shaanxi. Zuo Liangyu, despite nine urgent summons, failed to appear nine times, and even let the bandit Zhang Xianzhong go, allowing him to flee east into Huguang. Had Wang Dou not happened to come to the rescue, the consequences would have been unthinkable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, hearing that Wang Dou had slain the bandit Zhang Xianzhong, they had rushed over to Xiangyang, yet still behaved with such insolence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At last, everyone heard a clamor coming from outside the second gate, and faintly someone was shouting: “…We are also Assistant Regional Commanders; why is it that Wang Dou can enter, but we cannot?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the voices of Zuo Liangyu’s subordinate general Wang Yuncheng and his son Zuo Menggeng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone in the hall furrowed their brows. These subordinates of the General Who Pacifies Bandits were far too arrogant, actually kicking up a ruckus inside the field headquarters — truly going too far. Only Liu Yuanbin’s face showed a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a good while, the sound of footsteps was finally heard, and two senior generals walked in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of them was the Shaanxi Regional Commander He Renlong, whom Wang Dou had met before. The other man was tall and burly, with a slightly ruddy complexion, around forty years of age, wearing a luxurious thick velvet cloak of raccoon-dog fur. The treasured sword hanging from his belt was also adorned with gold thread, and together with his gleaming armored sleeves and gauntlets, he looked all the more majestic and extraordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His bearing was both dignified and wildly arrogant, and he carried an indescribable ferocity. Clearly, he was one who slaughtered men like cutting grass, ruthless and heartless by nature. This was precisely the Huguang Regional Commander, the General Who Pacifies Bandits, Zuo Liangyu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the two men entered, there was a slight stir in the hall. Yang Sichang’s expression was dark, and he merely coughed softly a few times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Yuanji’s face was grim. Meng Ruhu glared at Zuo Liangyu with bitter hatred; if not for this man, he would not have suffered the great defeat at Huangling City, and his sons and nephews would not have died. But now he did not dare to jump out and say anything; his own troops had suffered severe losses, their strength less than thirty percent of what it once was, far from comparable to Zuo Liangyu’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Renlong had sharp eyes and spotted Wang Dou at a glance. He let out a loud laugh and called out, “Brother Wang, your elder brother sees you again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou, seated in his place, cupped his hands with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zuo Liangyu’s gaze swept over Wang Dou, and a cold gleam flashed through his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Sichang said slowly, “General Zuo and General He, please be seated.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Renlong said with a cheeky grin, “Many thanks, Grand Secretary Yang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zuo Liangyu sat down without a word, his pair of eyes glaring at Wang Dou with a fierce, flashing light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Sichang sat up with difficulty, swept his gaze over everyone, forced himself to be alert, cupped his hands toward the north, and said, “Ever since this Regional Commander received His Majesty’s weighty appointment, I have exhausted my heart and strength, drilling the troops, vowing to exterminate the bandits. Now Heaven protects our Emperor: the bandit Zhang Xianzhong has been destroyed, and the remaining bandits are in panic. This is precisely the time to press on with our momentum…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly Zuo Liangyu spoke up: “Grand Secretary, your subordinate has a matter to inquire of Assistant Regional Commander Wang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Sichang’s face was expressionless as he merely asked, “What do you have to ask?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone in the hall felt their spirits lift. Here it comes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zuo Liangyu looked at Wang Dou and said in a deep voice, “Assistant Regional Commander Wang, I had over a hundred subordinates who were killed by you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou unhurriedly took a sip of tea and said, “That is correct. They plundered the common people and violated military law. Was it wrong to kill them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zuo Liangyu was furious. He arched his body slightly, staring fixedly at Wang Dou without blinking, and said grimly, “They were my soldiers. When did it become your place to speak?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou gave a cold laugh. “Soldiers? You call them soldiers? Facing the roving bandits, they feared death and clung to life — a pack of trash! Facing the common people, they were like wolves and tigers — a herd of beasts! They should be thankful they weren’t my subordinates, or I would have slaughtered them long ago! Your soldiers, Zuo Liangyu, are no exception!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zuo Liangyu laughed in extreme rage. “It seems Assistant Regional Commander Wang does not take me, this General Who Pacifies Bandits, seriously, nor does he take my tens of thousands of troops seriously. Good, very good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He braced his arms, supporting his body, his expression that of a man-eating tiger. Had it been anyone else, they would have long been scared out of their wits by Zuo Liangyu’s intimidating presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou, however, merely sneered. “General Who Pacifies Bandits? I have heard that General Zuo’s soldiers most enjoy breaking into commoners’ homes to extort them, and whenever they encounter a fat person, they sandwich them between planks and roast them over a low fire. Dare I ask, are the men you lead, Zuo Liangyu, soldiers or bandits? Are they men or beasts? You, the General Who Pacifies Bandits — you might as well drop one word and call yourself General of Bandits!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at Zuo Liangyu with a smile, his expression scornful and his gaze sharp. “As for your so-called tens of thousands of troops, I truly do not take them seriously. In my eyes, they are all mere rats. My seven thousand men of the Shunxiang Army could slaughter them clean in a single day!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He continued, “When I executed those disorderly soldiers that day, I said that if you, Zuo Liangyu, dared to condone or shelter them, I would surely execute you! General Zuo, do you intend to avenge those disorderly soldiers?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hall was as cold as ice. Wang Dou still wore a smile on his face, but the killing aura emanating from him, a pressure like that of a mountain, rapidly spread outward, weighing heavily upon every person present.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This killing intent and pressure came from Wang Dou’s ever-victorious army. From the seventh year of Chongzhen onward, fighting at Dingzhou, at Julu, at Pinggu, rescuing a prince twice, and slaying the bandit Zhang Xianzhong in battle — this army had won a hundred victories in a hundred battles, wading through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. They lent Wang Dou a mountain-like presence that pressed down heavily on everyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Wang Dou’s imposing aura, the entire hall fell silent. Zuo Liangyu’s face was ashen, but he hesitated and did not dare to respond. He had secretly observed Wang Dou’s great army and truly did not dare to actually fall out with him. Yet now, having ridden the tiger and finding it hard to dismount, he did not know how to end this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The various private secretaries in the hall, Song Yihe, Meng Ruhu, Sun Yingyuan, Huang Degong, and the others, all looked at Wang Dou in astonishment. In all their interactions these days, Wang Dou had always appeared gentle, like a refined gentleman. They had never imagined he possessed such killing aura, nor that he would so utterly disregard Zuo Liangyu, leaving not the slightest shred of face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eunuch Lu Jiude’s mouth even gaped wide as he stared blankly at Wang Dou, as if seeing him anew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Sichang and Army Supervisor Wan Yuanji wore cold smiles, as if seeing Zuo Liangyu thwarted brought them great satisfaction. One thing subdues another; even you, Zuo Liangyu, have your day!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Shaanxi Regional Commander He Renlong knew how formidable Wang Dou was. Truly fearing that Wang Dou and Zuo Liangyu would come to blows, he kept trying to smooth things over from the side: “Say a little less, both of you. We are all brothers in arms; harmony must be valued, harmony must be valued.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a cough came from within the hall. It was the eunuch Liu Yuanbin speaking up: “Tsk, tsk, General Wang is so awe-inspiring. With just one sentence, he wants to slaughter clean the tens of thousands of loyal and brave soldiers of the General Who Pacifies Bandits… Tsk, tsk, such tyranny and bloodthirstiness must be thoroughly investigated. Were those several thousand heads of the bandit Zhang Xianzhong’s men, chopped in Xiangyang City a few days ago, really genuine? Could it be a case of killing innocents to claim credit…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Huguang Provincial Governor Song Yihe and the Military Defense Vice Commissioner Zhang Kejian and others changed color. By saying this, wasn’t Liu Yuanbin also questioning them? After all, they had also concurred with this merit report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yuanbin rattled on, thoroughly pleased with himself, completely oblivious to the expressions on others’ faces, and to the signals Lu Jiude was desperately sending him with his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more Wang Dou listened, the uglier his expression became, until finally he erupted in towering rage. He slammed his palm onto the tea table beside him with a thunderous crash, sending the teacup clattering and jumping. He rose to his feet, pointed at Liu Yuanbin, and roared in a fierce scolding: “Impudent wretch! You slave! How dare you insult my blood-soaked soldiers like this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This thunderous crash startled everyone. All looked at Wang Dou in disbelief. Even Zuo Liangyu, watching Wang Dou, revealed an expression of incredulity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having just offended him, this Wang Dou was now offending an inner-court official as well? Even he himself did not dare to lightly offend the eunuch army supervisors, yet this Wang Dou was utterly reckless — truly, he had the gall of a bear and the courage of a leopard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yuanbin stood there dumbfounded. First came disbelief, and then his whole body trembled and shivered. His face alternated between blue and white as he pointed a trembling finger at Wang Dou and stammered: “How dare you, you brat! Such insolence, you brat! How dare you, you brat…”\u003C\u002Fp>",2476,"2026-06-03T14:05:53.320Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","767ac6dfb2af481501480e61d6d327dbe461c4074574907e384779932b8d7185","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-423","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-421",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]