[{"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-485":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},1205774,1561,"Chapter 485","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-485",485,"\u003Cp>\"General Tang, after all is said and done, it's still our side that's comfortable and easygoing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of cannons and guns drifted faintly from the various strongholds at Huangtuling. Shanhai Pass Regional Commander Ma Ke listened intently for a moment, then turned and said with a laugh to Miyun Regional Commander Tang Tong:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The fighting is fierce!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Tong, clad in exquisite armor and a bright red cape, sat astride a fine, spirited steed, listening with equal concentration. Hearing Ma Ke's words, he sighed: \"The slave rebels at each Huangtuling stronghold are firmly entrenched. Taking those mountain ridges is no easy task. General Yang and the others will likely suffer losses in men and officers.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face showed concern, but his tone carried more than a hint of schadenfreude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Ke snorted inwardly. This pretty boy looked harmless, but he was sly underneath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the surface, however, he merely chuckled and said, \"But Viceroy Hong has his own arrangements. We need only obey military orders.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Tong raised a thumb: \"Marshal Ma speaks true reason. As military officers, whatever the Regional Commander arranges, we simply carry out. Especially Marshal Ma, seasoned through long years of service, mature and experienced, handling matters with a steady heart. With me following Marshal Ma, my heart is at ease!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Ke laughed: \"General Tang, given our friendship, such words make you sound like a stranger.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced at the military formations before and behind him, his expression not without pride: \"The Regional Commander has ordered us to hold Songxi. I, Ma Ke, can say here and now: so long as General Tang and I are present, we shall not permit a single Tartar soldier or horse to cross Songshanbao and threaten our comrades attacking Huangtuling!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Tong offered another round of flattery. The two men chatted and laughed, exceedingly cordial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After receiving Hong Chengchou's military orders, the two immediately pulled their troops out and deployed them on a hill southwest of Songshanbao, about two li from their own main camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For this relief expedition to Liaodong, Tang Tong led a claimed ten thousand troops, and Ma Ke led a claimed thirty thousand — all nominal figures, of course, with actual numbers several thousand short for each. Their camp was also west of Songshanbao, situated on both banks of the Songshan River. Though the river was dry, in terms of drinking water, their troops had it far more convenient than the other armies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this deployment, Tang Tong left a thousand men to guard the camp. Of the remaining seven thousand, three thousand were horse and foot combat soldiers from his main battalion. The other two battalions were led by an Assistant Regional Commander and a Mobile Corps Commander respectively, with a horse-to-foot ratio of three to seven, and many war wagons and chevaux-de-frise within the battalions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Ke pulled out ten thousand men. His main battalion had five thousand troops, mostly cavalry. The remainder was also divided into two battalions, both commanded by Assistant Regional Commanders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For this relief expedition, Ma Ke nominally had the largest force under his command. But each general harbored his own schemes, and in terms of actual troop control, Ma Ke could not compare with Wang Dou or Yang Guozhu, nor even with Datong Regional Commander Wang Pu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Wang Pu had one main battalion and one new army battalion, with his core troops numbering over six thousand, and their equipment was superior to the Shanhai Army's as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shanhai Pass and Ji Garrison were both called great military garrisons, yet their core troops lagged far behind. In terms of reputation and prestige, they also fell far short of Yang Guozhu and Wang Dou. Men like Ma Ke were naturally envious and resentful at heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, Ma Ke was capable enough to be appointed Shanhai Pass Regional Commander. He had immediately spotted this hilly high ground southwest of the camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as they entrenched here and deployed a grand formation, no matter whether the Qing troops came from the west or the north (the south was not worth discussing for now — could the Qing army possibly come from Xingshanbao?), they could not ignore this Ming force, which would provide a solid rear screen for the Ming troops attacking the mountains east of Songshanbao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like traditional Ming army formations, both men's troops placed their wagon battalions in front, with cavalry behind and on the flanks. They had been deployed in formation for quite some time now, and the sun was slowly climbing high. Ma Ke gazed into the distance; the western wilderness remained long undisturbed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He chuckled: \"It seems today the western front has no battle. All the Tartar troops near Songshan have gone to Huangtuling!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Tong adjusted his cape and said, \"Indeed, as Marshal Ma says, we shall have an easy day today. Without moving a single soldier or blade, the credit for guarding the rear flank will fall into our hands...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he finished speaking, his eyes suddenly widened. On the plain ahead, a black line was spreading toward them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both men's faces instantly changed color. Each thought: \"Today, ease may be hard to come by.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly, the Qing troops became clearly visible — fluttering banners, a vast host of men and horses, likely exceeding ten thousand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Ke and Tang Tong's faces grew even grimmer. Both thought: \"It seems a bitter fight lies ahead!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then their expressions relaxed. Tang Tong laughed: \"So it's just those second-rate Tartars of the Han Banners.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They could see clearly now: though the approaching Qing force exceeded ten thousand, most bore the banners of the Eight Banners Han Army. Among them were only a few thousand Eight Banners Manchu armored soldiers, along with some Eight Banners Mongol troops and Outer Mongol vassal troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking again at their own side — numerous and powerful, with sturdy wagon fortifications and advantageous hilly terrain — as long as they held firm and did not sally out, nearly twenty thousand men against just over ten thousand Tartars would be easy. Not to mention that true Tartars made up only a small portion of the enemy force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ming army stood in strict formation, watching as the Qing troops likewise deployed a grand formation on a hilly rise about two li ahead of their own formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly Ma Ke's face changed drastically. Tang Tong's fair face turned ashen. He stammered: \"Th-those... what are those second-rate Tartars pulling out...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Ke's face also alternated between pale and flushed. He ground his teeth: \"Those are Hongyi cannons. By the look of it, quite a few of them — over forty heavy cannons that fire balls of ten catties or more...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless Qing heavy cavalry charged into the wagon camp. Instantly, Bai Guangen's wagon camp gunners and musketeers collapsed, scrambling over each other to flee to the rear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They turned their backs to the charging cavalry and were continuously trampled, cut down upon the ground. Wails and shrieks of agony split the eardrums.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some musketeers wanted to resist, but everyone around them was fleeing, or they saw the Tartar heavy cavalry sweeping around to encircle them, with Qing riders outside continuously firing arrows as they rode. Under such terror, they too had no choice but to flee along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the front camp, left camp, and right camp of the wagon fortifications, war wagons were constantly overturned and smashed aside. Wave after wave of heavy cavalry poured in through the breaches from all directions. They continuously encircled, divided, tore apart, and drove the defenders, making the Ming troops feel as if enemy forces were everywhere, that the wagon camp had been breached at every point and could no longer be defended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In their terror, the routed soldiers fled blindly. Most followed the human tide, driven by the Qing troops, surging toward the main formation to the rear. Many were packed together, pushed down, trampled to death, or fought and killed each other in tangled struggles to carve out a path to survival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, the several wagon camps Bai Guangen had deployed were like several hollow square formations. Together with the rear formation of the central army, they could effectively provide fire support in all directions — front, rear, left, and right. But once routed, the soldiers scattered like a landslide, and no deployment mattered anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the musketeers and gunners were the cold-weapon fighters of each battalion. When the Qing cavalry first broke through the wagon camp, they still wanted to form ranks and resist. But then countless men came charging at them as if a nest had exploded, immediately jamming or scattering their formations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Packed together, how could they form ranks and fight?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at that moment, the Qing cavalry kept driving from behind. Those at the rear, in their terror, pushed forward with all their might. With a roar, like a flood, these cold-weapon formations also collapsed, merging into an even greater torrent of rout surging toward the rear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Garrison Regional Commander Bai Guangen never imagined his army's formation would collapse so quickly. Had it only been the blink of an eye?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dumbstruck, he could only mutter: \"Hold! Hold, I say!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly a fierce light flashed in his eyes. He bellowed: \"Hold, goddammit!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He roared: \"Pass the order! Routed soldiers shall not charge the central army's main formation! Those who disobey shall all be shot down!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His personal officers dared not delay. If routed soldiers were allowed to crash into the central army, the entire army would be routed, and then the whole Ji Garrison Army would be finished. Even if friendly troops rescued them in time, under the Qing cavalry's pursuit, the losses would likely be seventy to eighty percent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Bai Guangen also dared not send out his cavalry. Without the wagon camp to meet the enemy head-on and coordinate, sending out a thousand or two thousand of his own cavalry would merely be serving up dishes to the Tartars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under his shouted orders, the main battalion, both infantry and cavalry, rapidly formed a circular formation suited for defense. The outer perimeter was a dense wall of shields and long spears facing the direction of the routed troops, with numerous archers also deployed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like Yang Guozhu's main battalion, the core troops of the other Ming Regional Commanders were mostly cavalry, and essentially all cold-weapon fighters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arrogant soldiers and fierce officers aside, every one of them was a veteran of many battles. Drawing a bow was mere routine for them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had just finished deploying when, in the blink of an eye, a tide of routed soldiers came surging toward them. On the right flank, there were also many screaming, fleeing civilian laborers mixed in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Between Bai Guangen's and Wu Sangui's main formations, both sides had deployed some war wagons, some cold-weapon units, and some cavalry to cover those civilian laborers digging trenches. No one expected that in the blink of an eye, Bai Guangen's several wagon camps would collapse, leaving those laborers utterly exposed beneath the iron hooves of the Qing army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over ten thousand civilian laborers instantly exploded into chaos, howling. With just a slight attack and driving by the Qing troops, they scattered in all directions, screaming. Everywhere was a panicked cry: \"Tartars! It's the Tartars!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They merged into a vast human torrent, crashing through the formations and cavalry behind them. One part surged toward Wu Sangui's main formation, another toward Bai Guangen's formation. Some even fled far toward Hong Chengchou's central army formation, merely begging that the Tartar soldiers would not notice them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And those Qing riders, in squad after squad, pursued and slaughtered, continuously driving from behind. Anyone who fled a little too slowly was speared to death on the open plain. They also mingled among the masses, continuously hacking and shooting arrows at the slightly more orderly formations and cavalry ahead, accelerating the chaos among both civilians and soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Useless trash!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And within Wu Sangui's military formation, he could clearly see the situation on the Ji Garrison side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Sangui was first dumbstruck, then his face turned ashen. In just one exchange, Bai Guangen’s several wagon-forts had collapsed? How long had it been? The time it takes to burn one stick of incense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the cavalry of the Eight Banners’ Manchu Bordered Blue Banner and Plain Blue Banner, along with a portion of the Eight Banners Mongol army, likewise launched a fierce assault on Wu Sangui’s battle formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Wu’s army had strict commands and each wagon-fort coordinated closely, although they suffered considerable losses under the fierce attack of the Qing cavalry, they also made quite a few kills. Those Qing riders could do nothing but circle around the outside of the wagon-forts. Wu Sangui sent out cavalry to strike from time to time, and the two sides fought to a standstill. Presumably after the battle, a major merit would be inevitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never expected the situation to turn sharply downward. Bai Guangen was defeated, and their own left flank was laid bare before the iron cavalry of the Qing army, with multitudes of routed soldiers and civilian laborers rushing toward their own battle formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flash of cold malice passed through Wu Sangui’s eyes. He gazed at Bai Guangen’s command banner in the distance and muttered, “Commander Bai, you must fend for yourself. I can barely look after myself right now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Bai Guangen’s battle formation had held firm, Wu Sangui would naturally have sent reinforcements to support each other. But now that the Ji army was collapsing in chaos, even if he sent reinforcements, it would be of no help, and they might even be scattered by the disordered troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, with Bai Guangen’s formation broken, the Qing troops on both wings could freely mass heavy forces and strike him from left and right. If he divided his forces and sent them out, his own battle formation would be in danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only course left was to wait for reinforcements from the central army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shouted, “Pass down my command: all officers and men are to hold the formation tightly. Any routed soldier or civilian laborer who dares to charge our battle formation shall be killed without mercy!” (To be continued. ‘This text is provided by @XiaoAi 332335.’ If you enjoy this work, welcome to the original site to cast recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)\u003C\u002Fp>",2402,"2026-06-03T14:05:53.320Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","6f086f829dc5dba61cef9c73c654b56226e1c995bf9597a21d201e221c707d9c","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-486","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-484",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]