[{"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-483":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},1205772,1561,"Chapter 483: Breaking the Camp","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-483",483,"\u003Cp>Jalangga Janggin Yanzha watched the armored soldiers and archers fleeing back, roaring endlessly. Unwilling to accept defeat, he still wanted to organize heavy cavalry to strike out, but was held back desperately by Niru Janggin Niugulu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Niugulu said times were different now — the Ming army's morale was sharp, and they had deadly firearms. They should hold the strong stockade tightly and use the trench walls to wear them down. They absolutely must not act rashly again, lest they wastefully lose the braves of the Jalangga for nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just in that brief battle earlier, the braves who sallied from several stockade gates in the Jalangga had suffered over two hundred casualties — they truly could not afford such losses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a mournful face, he said that counting the casualties caused by the Ming artillery, their Jalangga — just the armored soldiers of the Bordered White Banner alone — had already reached three to four hundred casualties. If they kept fighting, they would be wiped out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yanzha was actually panicking inside. Hearing this, he seized the chance to back down, merely shouting orders that all Qing troops in the defense line — whether Han troops, Korean troops, or Manchu soldiers — must stand ready in full battle array and hold the defense line at all costs, not allowing the Ming army to break through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bondservant laborers behind the defense line, at the critical moment, must also take up blades and serve as rear reinforcements for the main army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sally had been defeated. The Qing troops within the defense line no longer brought up the matter of striking out, only shrinking behind the stockade walls and closely watching the movements of the Ming army below the mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the cover of the arquebusiers, the Qing troops dared not strike out. The Ming army's wagon brigades to the rear, along with a great quantity of mountain-assault equipment, braved the Qing artillery from the main ridge and middle ridge and seized the chance to pull forward, densely clustered at the foot of the mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qing soldiers behind the stockade walls watched, their faces ashen. With so many cannons and siege engines, could their defense line truly hold?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First were the cannons of the various Ming wagon brigades — mostly medium and small breech-loading swivel guns firing balls of two catties or less, \"Barbarian-Destroying\" cannons, and hundred-ball guns firing canister shot, and the like.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These war wagons were all deployed in the open spaces on either side of the earthen carts. To assault the mountain, Hong Chengchou had mobilized four wagon brigades in total. In Yang Guozhu's division alone, there were two wagon brigades, with nearly four hundred breech-loading swivel guns and other cannons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although some war wagons had been lost during the advance, the greater part remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They spread out in a single line, following the foot of the mountain along the Qing army's stockade wall, winding all the way deep into both sides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every cannon on the war wagons was aimed at the stockade wall on the ridge, especially at each stockade gate, where multiple breech-loading swivel guns and hundred-ball guns were deployed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gunners of those wagon brigades, when earlier they had been dragging the war wagons and cannons forward, had been bombarded by the Qing artillery until they were bursting with rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of the slope, the Qing artillery on the main ridge and middle ridge could not hit them now. Since they were close — just over a hundred paces — among the handful of Tatar cannons on the stockade wall, the small red-barbarian cannons likewise could not hit them, for they all overshot to the rear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of the breech-loading swivel guns on the stockade wall were in the same situation. The remaining mere dozen or so very small breech-loading swivel guns — could they possibly be their match?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Firing from below the mountain against the mountain, the advantage lay precisely here: they could casually depress the muzzles and aim at the target, whereas firing from the mountain down below, no matter how much one depressed the muzzle, the cannonballs would still fly far overhead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gunners of the Ming wagon brigades were filled with heroic ardor, howling and yelling, determined to let the Tatar soldiers on the defense line see their prowess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arquebusiers of the forward battalions had already yielded their positions to these gunners, falling back to the earthen carts in the rear layer. If the Qing troops suddenly charged out from the stockade gates again, they would certainly advance and attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the war wagons came a great quantity of pontoon-bridge troops — trench carts. Before the main wall of the Qing army's position, though there were three trench lines, behind most of the trenches there were no low walls, only chevaux-de-frise and wooden stakes. The trench carts could easily push them aside or ram them open, laying their bridge spans over the trenches so that the assault troops could pass smoothly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even where there were obstacles like low walls behind some trenches, they could use assault carts and pointed-tip rams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These siege engines had thick wooden frames and solid planks, covered on the outside with raw cowhide and cotton quilts, which could effectively resist the impact of stones and arrows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the cover of these engines, they could leisurely dig at the walls and fill the trenches. Even if a breech-loading swivel gun hit an assault cart or pointed-tip ram, apart from piercing a few holes, it could not cause much harm to the whole engine — bows and arquebuses even less so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, if a heavy red-barbarian cannon scored a hit, the situation would naturally be different. Unfortunately, the Qing army's red-barbarian cannons had already been masked by the slope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The power of industry and machinery made what had originally seemed an extremely difficult mountain assault become light and easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the terrified gazes of the Qing troops on the stockade wall, the Ming army at the foot of the mountain finished deploying one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire position suddenly fell silent. On both sides, Ming and Qing alike, only the heavy breathing of each other remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was now mid-morning. The sun rose high, and the temperature grew ever more scorching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a shrill swan-call sounded from the central army position of the forward battalions. Instantly, cannons roared, and hundreds of breech-loading swivel guns continuously spewed great gouts of fierce flame and smoke forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the breech-loading swivel guns were less powerful than the red-barbarian cannons, and the shot these cannons fired was not large, the bombardment of several hundred cannons — how could that be a trivial matter?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The deafening roar of cannon fire rang out continuously. For several hundred cannons to finish one volley, even counting would take a long while, and the Ming army's cannons always fired by igniting in turn from left to right. For a time, the sound of cannon fire was unending, and the shriek of cannonballs was incessant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the thunderous din, a dense mass of shot, ranging from a few taels to two catties, shrieked and smashed incessantly against the stockade wall ahead. Countless fragments of stone and dust burst up; the entire Qing stockade wall seemed to shake and tremble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a tremendous display made Liu Yongzhong and the others behind tremble uncontrollably. Cannons, ah, cannons — the sharp weapons of the Great Ming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Throughout the Ming dynasty, the Great Ming had built over ten thousand breech-loading swivel guns, which had once played an enormous role, though now they were gradually yielding ground to the red-barbarian cannons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet in close-range combat, the breech-loading swivel gun still had an irreplaceable function.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the Qing troops behind the stockade wall were even more panicked and disordered than they had been under the earlier bombardment of the Divine Machine Battalion's red-barbarian cannons. Because the Ming army's breech-loading swivel guns were so numerous, and in close-range firing, their power was not to be underestimated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single two-catty cannonball could not blast down the stockade wall — but what about ten, twenty, fifty rounds?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the superior feature of the breech-loading swivel gun was its excellent heat dissipation; it could fire over a dozen rounds in one burst before stopping to cool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furthermore, because it used removable chambers, its rate of fire was extremely fast. If a gunner was well-trained, the total time for the first three shots would not exceed twenty seconds. That is to say, firing one shot required only seven or eight breaths — the red-barbarian cannon fell far short of this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although most of these wagon brigade gunners could not reach such a standard of proficiency, firing one shot every ten-odd seconds was still achievable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And these wagon brigade gunners, every one of them bursting with rage, now — many of them actually performed beyond their normal ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were mostly gunners in teams of four. After the breech-loading swivel gun fired, one man pulled out the iron wedge, one lifted out the spent chamber, another inserted a fresh chamber, the first man reinserted the iron wedge, and the last man fired the gun — making the cannon fire truly unending.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several hundred cannons firing without end — below the mountain ridge it was like thunderclaps ceaselessly booming, an endless torrent of shot, leaving the Qing troops behind the stockade wall in utter disarray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cannonballs shrieked, smashing and gouging incessantly against the stockade wall. The rumbling was unending, and stone fragments flew everywhere. Earthen walls fared better; when stone walls were hit, it was a disaster. This made the Qing troops on the defense line bitterly regret: why had they used stone walls when building the trench walls?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The violent roaring and concussive force felt as though one's internal organs would burst. Many men's eardrums ached sharply from the shock. And the cannonballs kicked up showers of stone — to be struck by a fragment was no less than being hit by a bullet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a flurry of screams and chaos, very soon no one dared stand on the stockade wall. Apart from a few limited lookouts, the remaining Qing soldiers all kept far from the stockade wall, many of them pressing themselves tightly to the ground to avoid the flying stone fragments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From time to time, rubble and dirt fell from the air onto their helmets and armor. Very quickly, many men were covered head to foot in dirt and small stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the shrieking, the Ming artillery came wave after wave. Under the fierce bombardment, at last, thick clouds of dust rose, and in many places the stockade wall could not withstand the cannonballs, rumbling and collapsing one after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although there were hardly any men on the stockade wall at this moment, their wall-defense equipment was still there — things like rolling logs and hurling stones, numerous stone-throwers, and the like — all crushed beneath the earth and stone. Some breech-loading swivel guns were likewise destroyed. Watching this, the Qing soldiers howled in heartbroken anguish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the Ming artillery was still unwilling to let matters rest. Where the stockade wall still stood, they continued bombarding it. Where it had collapsed, they aimed at the breaches and sent cannonballs into the rear of the defense line, blasting the stone houses, wooden huts, and tents behind their ridge, pounding those places into utter ruin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In particular, the Qing army's stockade gates and the tower of the Temple of the Lady were the main targets of the Ming artillery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cannonballs shrieked over, punching bowl-sized holes everywhere in those drawbridges. Many stockade gates were shot through. At two of the stockade gates, the ropes of the drawbridge were severed, and the bridges came crashing down with a roar. The stockade gates behind them were blasted apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At last, in the ears of the Qing soldiers, the long-unending Ming artillery fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The breech-loading swivel guns of the wagon brigades had each fired at least ten rounds, sending forth several thousand large and small shot in total, before the Ming artillery fire finally came to a pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the results of their own artillery bombardment, the eyes of the wagon brigade gunners all showed satisfied expressions. Let the Tatars run wild — earlier they used red-barbarian cannons to blast us so comfortably; now, receiving the shells, does it feel good?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They cheered loudly, waves of raucous song rising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One gunner, gesticulating wildly, sang a little ditty: \"Surname Lang, surname Qi, the wife's surname Qi, the dowry maid's surname too is Qi. The Qi family's daughter marries into the Qi family, in the middle of the night they turn over, Qi to Qi...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another gunner took up the song: \"Surname Mao, surname Mao, the wife's surname Mao, the dowry maid's surname too is Mao. The Mao family's daughter marries into the Mao family, in the middle of the night they turn over, Mao to Mao.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several gunners beside the two sang in chorus: \"In the middle of the night they turn over, Mao to Mao, in the middle of the night they turn over, Mao to Mao! A-hu!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone burst into laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now, the Qing army's rampart, already battered by the earlier bombardment from the Divine Machine Battalion and the current shelling from the Frankish cannons, had collapsed in countless places and no longer formed a defensive line. A single all-out assault would surely carry it in one sweep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the central army position in the rear, Yang Guozhu lowered his telescope with satisfaction and bellowed, \"Pass my order: the central army is to beat the drums — begin the assault on the hill!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not far from him, a huge war drum boomed, its deep, resonant sound rolling outward in waves, spreading to every direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Tatars are on the move!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the blazing sun, Wu Sangui gazed into the distance. From behind the foot of Huangtuling on the left front, and from the foot of Songshan Ridge to the southeast, the thunderous rumble of hooves swelled from far to near. Two enormous black lines emerged from the distant hills and plains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It seems the Tatars intend to pincer us from both Huangtuling and Songshan Ridge!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though young, Wu Sangui was a seasoned campaigner and immediately grasped the Qing army's intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, he and Ji Town Regional Commander Bai Guangen had led their troops, along with a great number of civilian laborers, to the ground between Huangtuling and Songshan Ridge, deploying their great formations left and right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Guangen was on the left, guarding against enemy forces that might descend from the southeast side of Huangtuling, as well as reinforcing cavalry from Mount Shimen, Xiaolinghe, and other points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Sangui was on the right, guarding against Qing cavalry descending from Songshan Ridge. He was not worried about the enemy at Songshan Ridge circling behind them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because not far to the rear lay Hong Chengchou's central army grand formation. If the enemy tried to circle behind, they would be caught between his own troops and the central army grand formation in a two-sided pincer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And indeed, the Qing cavalry from Songshan Ridge appeared to be coming down from the northeast side of the ridge, merely delivering a somewhat oblique flanking attack against their own forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Wu Sangui and Bai Guangen had each deployed their grand formations. Between the two formations, dense masses of civilian laborers were digging trenches for all they were worth across the open plain. Whether the link between Songshan Ridge and Huangtuling could be severed depended entirely on the effect of their desperate efforts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing obliquely toward Songshan Ridge, Wu Sangui had deployed two wagon-fort battalions, containing large numbers of small cannons such as Frankish breech-loaders and hundred-shot guns, along with the battalions' soldiers, plus two thousand Eastern Route arquebuses…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the Ministry of War purchased five thousand fine arquebuses from Wang Dou, the bulk of them were sent to the Liaodong front. Because Hong Chengchou thought highly of him, Wu Sangui's command had been allotted two thousand of the Eastern Route arquebuses, along with a large quantity of powerful priming powder — far more than even Liaodong Regional Commander Liu Zhaoji had received.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In addition, the various battalions under Wu Sangui's command had a total of six thousand cavalry, including two thousand of his own retainers, deployed to the rear and on both flanks of the grand formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Sangui swept his gaze across the field; his experience told him that the Qing cavalry pressing toward his grand formation numbered over ten thousand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Wu Sangui was not worried. His own wagon-fort battalions were solid, and he possessed sharp firearms and arquebuses. His only concern was whether Bai Guangen on the left could withstand the slave cavalry's assault. Looking over there, the Qing cavalry on that side likewise exceeded ten thousand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Ji Town Regional Commander Bai Guangen was seated with an air of supreme confidence atop his command war wagon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Town was a major garrison. He had led twenty thousand troops to reinforce Liaodong — though twenty thousand was merely the nominal figure. Because the various commanders in the town universally pocketed pay for phantom soldiers and bled their troops dry, the actual number sent as reinforcements was no more than sixteen or seventeen thousand. With some men left behind to hold the camp, the force he had brought out now numbered less than fifteen thousand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Guangen's own main-force battalion was, however, at full strength: five thousand troops, of which thirty-five hundred were cavalry. The remaining infantry battalions were led by the town's various vice commanders, cavalry commanders, and mobile corps commanders. Their cavalry-to-infantry ratios were mostly three to seven, but all their battalions were wagon-fort battalions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Town was the very place where Marshal Qi had once held command, and it placed the greatest emphasis on wagon-fort battalions. Thus, every infantry battalion in Ji Town, whether formally a wagon-fort battalion or not, was equipped with numerous war wagons within its ranks. Bai Guangen's own command was especially dense with war wagons, from light two-wheeled carts to heavy side-screened wagons — everything one could want.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These wagon-fort battalions were also equipped with large numbers of Frankish breech-loaders, enemy-smashing cannons, rockets, and other sharp weapons. Seeing the Qing troops bearing down, Bai Guangen was not worried. During the Battle of Xingshan, the then Liaodong Regional Commander Liu Zhaoji had managed to reap considerable spoils despite being at a numerical disadvantage; he himself could do the same. Moreover, on the face of it, his own forces still held the advantage in numbers. And looking at the dense mass of war wagons and cannons within his army, his heart grew even calmer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sat there with an ostentatious swagger, surrounded front and rear by his elite cavalry retainers. He watched the Qing cavalry slowly approach — a vast host, boundless banners, and even though they were merely walking their horses, they carried an intense, oppressive momentum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Guangen gave a cold snort. In his mind, he was merely calculating how many heads he could take in this battle, and how soon he could be enfeoffed as a count.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever he saw that insufferably smug look on Wang Dou's face, he felt thoroughly irritated. A beardless boy — back when he himself was leading armies into battle, that whelp didn't even know where he was. A man who grows arrogant the moment he achieves a little success — truly an eyesore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qing cavalry advanced slowly — four li, three li, two li. Gradually, their armor and horses became ever more distinct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the cavalry, he could see some Eight Banners Manchu soldiers: armored troops of the Plain White Banner and Bordered White Banner, as well as some armored troops of the Plain Yellow Banner and Bordered Yellow Banner, along with many Eight Banners Mongol troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Woooo — a mournful horn call rang out. They began to accelerate gradually. When they entered within one li, warhorses suddenly screamed, and the thunder of hooves erupted as countless Qing cavalrymen spurred their mounts and came charging wildly toward the army formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ji Town Regional Commander could sit no longer. He sprang to his feet and roared at the men before him: \"All of you heed the central army's command! No one opens fire with arquebus or cannon until the signal sounds! Any who disobey will be beheaded!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a tide bursting forth, thousands upon thousands of Qing cavalry, bearing a cloud of banners, surged swiftly toward Bai Guangen's formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire great formation seemed to shudder violently beneath the iron hooves!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those charging at the front appeared to be some Eight Banners Mongol troops, every man clad in light armor, with swift horses and light bows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Guangen calculated the power of his wagon-fort battalions. He would wait until they charged within two hundred paces, then give the order to attack with cannons and rockets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was tensely gauging the distance, just on the verge of waving his hand, when those Mongol cavalrymen, who had been surging forward like a tide, suddenly executed a maneuver with masterful horsemanship, pulling their mounts aside and sweeping away to the left and right of the wagon-fort battalions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Guangen froze. Before he could react, the crack and roar of firearms erupted in a continuous din — his own wagon-fort battalions had opened fire. It began with the wagon-fort formation of the forward battalion firing, and then, as if contagious, the wagon-fort battalions of the remaining army formations all could not restrain themselves and opened fire as well…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a furious thunderclap roaring, the booming and cracking of Frankish breech-loaders and arquebuses resounded. Rockets launched like a myriad of shooting stars blooming. The gunpowder smoke from all manner of firearms roiled and churned, and in the blink of an eye it blotted out the sun and sky, shrouding the front of every wagon-fort battalion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Guangen was stupefied. He stood dumbstruck for a long moment before snapping back to his senses and roaring, \"Who gave you permission to fire?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The answer he received was an even fiercer bombardment and volley of arquebus fire. Great billowing clouds of gunpowder smoke belched forth. Every cannoneer and arquebusier in the wagon-fort battalions discharged their shot and powder in one frantic burst. The rocket carts in each wagon-fort battalion also launched without pause, as if they would not rest until every rocket in their hands was spent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At last, the cannon and arquebus fire thinned somewhat. Bai Guangen hurriedly looked out. The Mongol cavalrymen downed ahead were pitifully few. And after those several waves of Mongol cavalry had split off to either side, wave after wave of light cavalry came charging right behind them — Manchu cavalry and Mongol cavalry alike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They pressed in close to the war wagons, loosing wave after wave of sharp arrows, along with volleys of javelins, throwing axes, throwing knives, and iron maces. Cries of agony rang out as cannoneers and arquebusiers in the wagon-fort battalions fell one after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Guangen bellowed, \"Engage them! Cannoneers, fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the shot and powder of every wagon-fort battalion had already been expended in the earlier volley. Reloading — how could that be easy? And under the threat of the Qing soldiers' sharp arrows, the men grew all the more flustered and clumsy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few cannoneers and arquebusiers managed to fire their pieces now and then, but how could that possibly match the wave after wave of mounted archery the Qing army was delivering?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Round after round, the Qing cavalry came rolling in, giving the Ming troops no time to catch their breath, ceaselessly galloping and shooting as they killed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a moment, Bai Guangen's several wagon-fort battalions were in danger of collapsing. Bai Guangen burned with anxiety, roaring incessantly, but it had no effect whatsoever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, his eyes dimmed. \"It's over!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dust and smoke rolled in — no one knew how many Qing heavy cavalry were bearing down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With heavy armor and heavy horses, amid a thunderous din, they overturned war wagons, rammed war wagons aside, or leaped into the air and vaulted over them, smashing into the camp and breaking through! (To be continued. \"This text is provided by @XiaoAi332335.\" If you enjoy this work, welcome to the original site to cast recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)\u003C\u002Fp>",4070,"2026-06-03T14:05:53.320Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","b5f56f921d851deadf09413f5881466663149cb092055aba8d994b95ded73bc7","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-484","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-482",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]