[{"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-467":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},1205756,1561,"Chapter 467: The Bloody Wagon Fort (Part 2)","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-467",467,"\u003Cp>From the Ming army position, the swan call sounded again. This time, the hundred-shot guns and small falconets fired in unison — a great quantity of one-catty or five-tael balls, along with countless densely packed lead pellets, roared forth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In front of the Ming army’s wagon fort, it seemed a sheet of flame, accompanied by great billowing clouds of thick white smoke. Looking down from Liu Zhaoji’s position, the front and middle of the wagon fort appeared shrouded in smoke, and the choking reek of gunpowder reached all the way to his nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Zhaoji gazed toward the Qing army position. Over there, large numbers of shield carts were reduced to wreckage in an instant. One hundred-shot gun could hold two or three hundred lead pellets; ten guns meant two or three thousand pellets; a hundred guns meant twenty or thirty thousand pellets. Liu Zhaoji’s wagon fort had several tens of hundred-shot guns, capable of covering a range of nearly a thousand paces left and right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over ten thousand projectiles shot forth, piercing through the cover boards of countless shield carts, piercing through the leather on them, piercing through the thick cotton quilts draped over them. Pop-pop-pop-pop — amid a sound dense as raindrops, shield carts shattered, cotton wadding flew in all directions, and great gouts of bloody mist erupted. The Qing armored soldiers and unarmored soldiers behind the shield carts toppled like cut grass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lead pellets of varying sizes shot into their bodies, rampaging and tearing through them, rapidly churning their internal organs and chests and bellies into pulp. Many clutched their stomachs, staring at the large and small intestines spilling out, and let out inhuman howls of agony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the great chaos at the eastern slaves’ front line and the multitude of casualties, the Liaodong Regional Commander’s face broke into a smile — military merit was in hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qing army had several hundred shield carts in total. The hundred or so at the front were relatively well-made, but under the bombardment of falconets and hundred-shot guns, at least several tens were destroyed, and the rest were riddled with damage. Moreover, under the Ming army’s fierce cannon fire, the archers and cart-pushers who had lost their cover were thrown into utter chaos, hesitating and not daring to advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Liu Zhaoji furrowed his brow. The caitiff bandits at the rear, pressed forward by their elite troops and taking advantage of the wagon fort being shrouded in smoke, were still pushing the relatively cruder shield carts from the rear, screaming as they charged forward and rapidly entering within a hundred paces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The slave bandits’ behavior was somewhat unusual; by all reason they should have collapsed long ago. Liu Zhaoji gave a cold snort and continued issuing orders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The swan call sounded again. The wagon fort’s rockets fired in unison. The arquebusiers, holding fine arquebuses made on the Eastern Route, also began preparing for battle. From the loopholes in the mantlets at the front of each wagon in the fort, they thrust out one gleaming, thick-barreled arquebus after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These arquebusiers, wearing bright helmets and cotton armor, were likewise arrayed in three ranks, and only the best marksmen in the front rank fired; the other two ranks were all passing and loading powder and shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They aimed at the Tartar shield carts charging closer and closer, their faces streaming with sweat under the blazing sun, their cotton armor steaming with heat, jaws clenched tight, only waiting for the central command’s order. Beside and behind them, officers great and small were also roaring — no one was to fire without the order, or face summary military justice on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the arquebusiers, dense ranks of subordinate warriors, heads wrapped in folded kerchiefs and wearing short armored jackets, held shields, greatswords, and long spears, arrayed in strict formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some Qing troops darted out from behind the shield carts and fired their guns — crack, crack, the sounds rang out. But the Ming army still paid them no heed. The Tartar soldiers loved to fire empty shots to lure us into firing; in truth, they were all shooting blanks. The moment we fired, they would seize the chance to charge. Liaodong Regional Commander Liu Zhaoji’s subordinates had long been in contact with the Qing army and knew this trick of theirs like the back of their hand. Every soldier simply listened for the central command’s signal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The swan call sounded once more. The Ming army position again erupted in a sheet of flame, great billowing clouds of dense smoke spewed forth, and the roar of gunfire thundered. From the chests of some Qing archers who had not managed to take cover in time, streams of blood shot out, and they toppled backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Eastern Route’s arquebuses were powerful. At this distance, they could even punch through the cover boards and cotton quilts of many Qing shield carts, let alone the relatively cruder shield carts at the rear. Archers and cart-pushers behind the shields were constantly struck by projectiles that pierced through the shield carts, falling one after another with miserable screams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Zhaoji, watching clearly from the hilltop, his weathered face blooming with laughter — these Jingbian Army arquebuses were truly excellent — continued to pass orders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The swan call sounded again. The volley of several hundred fire-lances roared once more, and again, and again — dense rows of fire-lances thrust out from the mantlet loopholes, pouring great streams of gunpowder smoke forward with abandon. ...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the roiling smoke, the Tartars over there could be seen fleeing like wolves and charging like wild boars, thrown into utter chaos. Their bows had a range of fifty paces — how could they compare to the arquebuses made on the Eastern Route? For a time, they could only take hits without being able to strike back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the drumbeats from the Qing grand formation never ceased, and large numbers of archers, under the cover of shield carts, still pressed toward the Ming wagon fort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By this point, they could finally shoot their bows. But with the mantlets blocking their view, they could not see the situation inside the Ming wagon fort, so they all drew their bows and nocked arrows, firing in a high arc toward the wagon fort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of bowstrings thrummed loudly, and dense swarms of arrows flew toward the Ming wagon fort. The gunners and arquebusiers all pressed close behind the mantlets, while the cold-weapon troops at the rear raised their shields in a tight wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arrows fell from on high, wave after wave coming continuously. Some soldiers were still wounded, but Liu Zhaoji considered it well worth it — in battle with the Tartars, how could there be no casualties? And looking at the exchange ratio, their own side held a great advantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By this time, the Qing shield carts had all pressed up to the chevaux-de-frise in front of the wagon fort. But to move these obstacles aside, they had to step out from behind the shield carts and haul on them, making them perfect targets for their own army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ming fire-lances fired at them incessantly, knocking them to the ground. Coupled with the falconets and rockets firing from time to time, the Qing archers could gain no advantage whatsoever in the exchange of fire. They could hardly advance an inch within fifty paces of the wagon fort, and their casualties were grievous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheers erupted on the hilltop. By this point, their side could be said to have won. This battle had brought considerable military merit; the head count would likely exceed two hundred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At last, the Qing grand formation realized that relying on shield carts and bows, they could not break into a Ming wagon fort that was willing to fight. Their drums sounded, and the multitude of shield carts and archers retreated and pulled back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shortly after, dust and smoke rose, and unexpectedly, great numbers of heavily armored Manchu Bordered Red Banner and Bordered White Banner Tartars, driving large herds of horses, came rolling and surging toward the Ming wagon fort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eyes of these horses were all blindfolded with black cloth, and behind the great mass of horses came a wave of death-sworn soldiers of the two banners clad in heavy armor, followed by Bayara troops in bright helmets and armor. Were they actually going to use horses to charge the formation? The Liaodong Regional Commander’s brow furrowed. The Tartars were staking far too much on this; they were really willing to spend. Had they taken the wrong medicine today?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching these heavy cavalry galloping over with tremendous momentum, the faces of the Ming troops in the wagon fort finally changed drastically. At that moment, an officer on the hilltop shouted, “Grand Commander, the Tartars are attacking from the left and right flanks!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Zhaoji hurriedly looked. Sure enough, at the left and right front of the wagon fort, dust and smoke were rolling, and great swarms of Qing cavalry were sweeping in from both flanks. Liu Zhaoji’s face was grim as water. He gave a cold snort — his own side had plenty of cavalry, and he was not afraid. He immediately appointed two generals, each to lead fifteen hundred cavalry into battle, with orders to hold the safety of both flanks at all costs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking again at the wagon fort directly ahead — nearly two thousand charging caitiff-slave heavy cavalry were rolling toward them. The Liaodong Regional Commander’s expression was solemn. It seemed there would be a bitter fight today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Qing cavalry charged, the swan calls from the Ming wagon fort blared loudly. Guns and cannons roared in unison. The wagon fort’s falconets and rockets fired in ceaseless rotation, and Qing men and horses were continually struck down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In particular, the wagon fort’s hundred-shot guns, though not easy to reload, still had nearly half of them loaded with powder and shot. Their volley sent the charging horses and heavy cavalry ahead crashing down in a great swath. Men screamed and horses shrieked; large numbers of blood-drenched, terrified horses charged and bucked wildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But under the control of those death-sworn soldiers, the rolling mass of men and horses still surged madly toward the wagon fort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wagon fort’s arquebusiers fired three more volleys, but under the intimidating momentum of the Qing heavy cavalry, these three volleys were not as orderly or as dense as when they had faced the Qing shield carts earlier. After all, though they dared to fight, their discipline and combat power were far from comparable to the Jingbian Army’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blindfolded Qing horses rampaged and charged, breaking through the chevaux-de-frise ahead and surging madly toward each war wagon. They could not see the long spears mounted at the front of the wagons, and especially in their frenzied state, they feared no death. Amid thunderous crashes, before the ashen-faced eyes of the Ming arquebusiers, they burst through the war wagons and plunged straight into the wagon fort. ...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the rear, the rolling wave of Qing caitiff death-sworn soldiers and elite troops also came screaming straight into the wagon fort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kill the slaves!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Zhaoji’s eyes went red. He rushed to a drummer’s side and personally beat the great war drum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kill the Tartars!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the rousing thunder of the war drums, the dense ranks of long-spearmen, great-club men, and saber-and-shield men behind the gun troops surged forward with howling battle cries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The long-spearmen stabbed the bandits above and the horses below. The great-club men specifically targeted the heads of the Qing cavalry horses and the heads of the Tartars wrapped in heavy armor. The saber-and-shield men followed close behind the long-spearmen and saber-and-staff troops, shouting furiously and filling the gaps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a time, the battle was a bloody, tangled melee. At the several places where gaps had been torn in the wagon fort, Qing and Ming troops were densely packed together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long spears stabbed madly back and forth; great clubs and long sabers hacked and slashed. In the narrow space, there was little room to maneuver — nothing but stabbing and more stabbing, nothing but smashing and more smashing. Under the scorching sunlight, the stench of blood spread, and hot blood ceaselessly flowed from the bodies of the fighters on both sides, moistening the parched earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had not expected the Ming army to be so tenacious, still fighting to the death without retreating even after the wagon fort was breached. Those Qing heavy-armored troops were momentarily indecisive. Once they charged into the wagon fort, they also lost the advantage of their warhorses; there was no choice but to dismount and fight face-to-face in close combat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qing heavy-armored troops kept pouring in. As the fighting reached its fiercest pitch, Liaodong Regional Commander Liu Zhaoji personally led his retainers into the fray. He brandished a heavy wolf-tooth club, swinging it in great sweeping arcs, and wherever he went, all before him fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qing heavy-armored troops — blades could not cut through them, spears could not pierce them — but when they met his wolf-tooth club, there was only death, as they were continuously smashed into pulp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aha! Liu Zhaoji let out a furious roar, and his heavy wolf-tooth club came smashing straight down. Before him, a Bordered Red Banner Boshoku instinctively raised a leather shield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a thunderous boom — sizzle, crack — the leather shield split apart, blood and flesh splattered, and the sound of snapping bones crackled. The Boshoku’s left arm was completely shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the break, stark white bone was exposed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aaaaah~~~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Boshoku howled and screamed in agony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Die, Tartar!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eyes red, Liu Zhaoji let out another great roar, and the heavy wolf-tooth club came crashing down on his head. Bloody mist flew — the Boshoku’s skull burst open, his upper body turned to pulp, and blood splashed everywhere in a gushing spray. His body, pinned between the war wagons at that moment, stood there dead, no longer in human shape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With their commander so valiant, all the Ming troops under him were greatly heartened. They pressed close behind the Liaodong Regional Commander, shouting as they slew the enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only that, the Qing heavy-armored troops who had entered the gaps in the wagon fort not only faced the Ming cold-weapon troops, but also had to guard against the nearby Ming arquebusiers, who howled as they fired wildly at them. These Ming arquebusiers, skulking and crafty, used the cover of blades and spears to constantly blast at them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the roar of arquebuses, flame and smoke shot forth, and round lead pellets ceaselessly hurtled toward them, easily breaking through their heavy armor, tearing into their bodies, tumbling and crashing through their insides, bringing them excruciating pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The immense impact force also sent those who were hit staggering and tumbling. Then, watching the streams of blood spurting from their bodies, they knelt on the ground or lay on the ground, weeping and howling in agony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how heavy the armor, no matter how luxurious the equipment, facing the bird guns of the Eastern Route at close range, there is only a dead end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kind of gun was exactly the one used by that damned Wang Dou army back then. How could this Ming army unit also have them? Some recalled the painful experience of facing the Jingbian Army’s guns and cannons, and terror surged up. Dragging their own spilling entrails, they screamed and fled wildly in all directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that even after charging into the wagon fort, the Ming army still would not collapse, and their own casualties kept mounting, such an exchange ratio was something they could not endure. At last, from the great Qing formation came the sound of gongs calling for withdrawal. The Qing assault troops receded like the tide, and even the cavalry attacking the two wings withdrew as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching them retreat, the Ming army’s position erupted in cheers. But how could Liu Zhaoji be willing to let it end there?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He personally led his retainers in pursuit for several hundred paces, determined not to let the Qing slaves carry away the wounded and dead from before the formation. Those heads, he was determined to take. Sure enough, in their flight, those Qing soldiers could not attend to the wounded and the corpses, allowing the Liaodong Regional Commander to smoothly reap a great number of heads...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the wild cheers and shouts of his subordinates, Liu Zhaoji and his retainers returned in triumph to the wagon fort bearing a great many heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the wagon fort was covered in blood, and everywhere were the groans of the wounded. The Liaodong Regional Commander was long accustomed to such scenes and paid them no mind. His heart was filled with heroic pride and boundless joy. By a rough estimate of this battle, his own side had taken over four hundred heads. This was an unprecedented great victory — how could it not make Liu Zhaoji excited?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking around at his subordinates, all were full of smiles. Ten thousand against ten thousand, his own side had won a great victory. Even when the Tatars used heavy-armored horse formations to charge the lines, they still failed. How could this not make all the officers leap with joy? Tatars — they were nothing more than this!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A close Assistant Regional Commander shouted, \"Great Commander, the Tatars are fleeing toward the Southern Mountain. Shall we pursue and strike?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Pursue and strike! Pursue and strike! Pursue and strike!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire Ming army position roared wildly. Liu Zhaoji hesitated briefly, then shouted, \"The Tatars want to flee — how could it be so easy? Lads, follow me in pursuit to kill the enemy!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The troops under the victorious Liaodong Regional Commander surged forward with wild shouts in the direction of the Qing army's rout, hoping to press their momentum and achieve even greater merit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Liu Zhaoji remained cautious. He sent the cavalry ahead first, while the infantry advanced with the wagon fort deployed. Along the way, they cut down some fleeing Tatar infantry and captured quite a few weapons and baggage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The troops pursued all the way to the foot of Mount Jiama, north of Xingshan, only to see the remnant defeated soldiers of the Tatars' Bordered Red Banner and Bordered White Banner gathered on a small hill ridge. They no longer had shield carts, and had formed a tight defensive line with shields, great blades, bows and arrows, and long spears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ming soldiers laughed wildly. The wheel of fortune had turned — now it was the Tatar soldiers' turn to defend tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Zhaoji gave a cold snort, thinking to himself that if his own side attacked with the wagon fort, even if the Tatars stood on a hill ridge, they could not withstand his guns and cannons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Zhaoji was just about to give the order to attack when suddenly he froze, and then his face turned ashen. \"Not good! The Tatars have deployed red-barbarian cannons here!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suddenly saw them, and saw them clearly. Beside this small hill ridge was a large mountain ridge. On its summit, one after another, large and small red-barbarian cannon carriages were densely pushed out, their muzzles aimed squarely at his own wagon fort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And his own wagon fort was less than one li from their cannon carriages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"An ambush!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Liu Zhaoji roared these words, as if the earth shook and the mountains swayed, from the great mountain ridge came an unending thunderous roar of cannon fire. Thick white smoke billowed up, and one after another, Qing cannonballs came howling in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wagon fort that the Qing army had needed heavy cavalry and horse formations to break through seemed utterly fragile under their cannon fire. The howling cannonballs continuously slammed into the war wagons, easily smashing them to pieces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the fierce bombardment, one war wagon after another was blasted into fragments. Sharp splinters flew everywhere, inflicting heavy casualties on the gun crews behind them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a tremendous crash, a large iron ball weighing over ten jin struck a war wagon squarely. With a boom, the shield boards and the tough wagon timbers exploded. The iron ball, carrying countless sharp spikes and broken branches, swept across the Ming soldiers in that area. At least a dozen men bled like fountains, rolling on the ground, convulsing and howling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another heavy cannonball landed in the infantry formation behind the war wagons. The great iron ball shot through, and at least a row of over twenty men were struck by it, their bones broken and limbs severed, a mist of blood spraying everywhere...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ming soldiers of the wagon fort and the infantry camp screamed loudly, thrown into utter chaos...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The red-barbarian cannons are indeed sharp and fierce!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the great mountain ridge stood several Qing officers, watching the miserable state of the Ming army below. Though each was excited, they also felt lingering fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, it was the Ming army taking the cannon fire. If it had been their own troops...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind these Qing officers, on the hilly slopes at the rear of the mountain ridge, elite cavalry were densely arrayed. Judging by their armor and banners, there were soldiers of the Manchu Bordered Red Banner, Bordered White Banner, Plain Red Banner, Plain White Banner, and Bordered Blue Banner. The riders of each banner sat steady on their horses, their eyes flashing with nothing but bloodthirsty light. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to come to (.) to cast recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)\u003C\u002Fp>",3600,"2026-06-03T14:05:53.320Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","81acf99709eacf5ad6afdac19d1af7c6760edf395fe23d46d07d647a928e1de2","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-468","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-466",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]