[{"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-516":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},1205805,1561,"Chapter 516: Scout Riders","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-516",516,"\u003Cp>\"The Tatars' movements are very strange. With them acting like this, are they going to take Jinzhou or not?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>East of Jinzhou lies Mount Muye, to its west are the Eastern and Western Hongluo Mountains, to its southwest is Xingshan, to its southeast is Rufeng Mountain, and further east are the Daling River and Xiaoling River. Shamao Mountain and Putuo Mountain lie a little over ten li west and northwest of Jinzhou City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, within the forests of Putuo Mountain, several Night Scouts from the Sharp Scout Battalion of the Jingbian Army were raising their spyglasses, gazing down at Jinzhou City below the mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sensing the strangeness of the Jinzhou situation, Wang Dou had mobilized a large number of Night Scouts to conduct detailed reconnaissance of the area. Without sufficient intelligence support, he would never act rashly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even before the Battle of Huangtuling, a large number of Night Scouts, led by Sharp Scout Battalion commander Wen Daxing, had dispersed in small groups to scout all directions around Jinzhou. They crossed the Xiaoling River, the Nüer River, and the Daling River, ranging widely. Jinchangbao, Shahebao, Dalinghebao, and various places in Yizhou were all targets of their reconnaissance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, compared to past campaigns, with several hundred thousand troops entrenched in such a narrow area, the range of movement was inevitably somewhat smaller, and the danger was greater, because the Qing army had intensified their efforts to hunt down Ming army scouts, especially the Jingbian Army's Night Scouts. Several Jingbian Army Night Scouts had already been killed in succession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, these Night Scouts were all dressed like local commoners, wearing only mail armor underneath, and were extremely cautious not to let the reflection of their spyglasses expose their position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were lessons paid for in blood. Brothers from the Sharp Scout Battalion had once been spotted by Tatar Bayara scouts while raising their spyglasses to observe in the sunlight, and in the end, outnumbered, they fought to the death. Even their bodies could not be recovered. So the Sharp Scout Battalion had summarized their experience and lessons: they would not observe in sunlight, they would stay in shadowy places as much as possible, and they would also avoid letting the spyglasses catch the light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Putuo Mountain was known as the foremost Buddhist mountain beyond the Pass. It was vast in scope, full of strange caves and grotesque rocks, with countless places to hide. Yet these Night Scouts remained cautious. Not far below the mountain was the Tatars' main camp; they were surrounded by enemies on all sides, as if in a tiger's den or dragon's pool, which forced everyone to be extremely careful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, because enemy cavalry roamed all around Jinzhou during the day, they hid by day and moved by night, doing their best to operate after dark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one speaking was Sharp Scout Battalion Company Commander Long Er. Since returning from Liaodong, because of his military merits, he had been promoted from his original rank of Squad Commander to Company Commander, and had also been rewarded with two hundred merit points, which if converted to land, would be two hundred mu of fertile land beyond the frontier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside him was Night Scout Squad Commander Yu Mao'er. Similarly, because Yu Mao'er had followed Long Er on the reconnaissance mission to Liaodong, he too had earned military merit and was promoted from Squad Commander to Squad Commander. Rewarded with a large amount of merit, this former retainer of Lu Xiangsheng's Personal Battalion had already become a fully qualified Jingbian Army Night Scout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside Yu Mao'er was Qian Hai, a soldier who had recently joined the Jingbian Army Night Scouts not long ago. He wore a tattered cotton-padded jacket and a folded cap on his head. Judging by his attire, he looked just like a poor, local peasant from Liaodong—silent and utterly inconspicuous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He leaned quietly against a large tree, his gaunt body seeming to merge with the tree's shadow, clearly well-versed in the secrets of scouting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the other Night Scouts beside them, every single one was the same. In fact, the standard uniform of the Jingbian Army Night Scouts was a short, deep-red surcoat, worn without arm guards, prioritizing speed and lightness. However, when out on reconnaissance, this attire was inevitably conspicuous and increased the risk of exposure. Therefore, unless scouting directly before the battle lines, Night Scouts on external missions would all disguise themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the Tatar main camp right below the mountain, everyone was very cautious. The mouths of all the horses were fitted with bits, and their hooves were wrapped in cloth. As per the old rule, each Night Scout possessed three warhorses, making their mobility extremely formidable. Relying on these many fine horses, they could often escape with their lives even when encountering large groups of enemy cavalry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were the branch of the Jingbian Army with the most horses. In truth, a qualified cavalryman also needed three warhorses—one primary mount and two spares. Wang Dou very much wanted to equip each man in his cavalry battalions with three warhorses, but that would require ten thousand warhorses for a single battalion of cavalry, which, at present, he could not afford to maintain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Er half-crouched beside a large boulder, letting the boulder's shadow envelop his entire body. He raised his spyglass and cautiously gazed down the mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking down the mountain, the Xiaoling River was like a strip of cloth, winding and inlaid across the brown-yellow, vast wilderness to the south.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the southern bank of the Xiaoling River was Jinchangbao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the northern bank of the Xiaoling River, northwest of Jinchangbao and at the southern foot of Putuo Mountain, was Shahebao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And looking east from Putuo Mountain, a little over ten li away, was Jinzhou City. Jinzhou was located in what would later be the Guta District area, not very far from where Long Er was. Looking through the spyglass, one could see the situation over there very clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the spyglass, seemingly boundless, tide-like Qing cavalry were fiercely assaulting Jinzhou City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sounds of cannons, the shouting and killing cries of both attackers and defenders, could be faintly heard even from far up the mountain. There were also dense masses of Qing soldiers and camp followers moving in and out of Jinchangbao and Shahebao, transporting supply wagons and horses back and forth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The section of the Xiaoling River that entered Shahebao and passed southwest of Jinzhou City, though somewhat dried up, was still not fordable by men and horses. At the Jinchangbao section, spanning both banks of the Xiaoling River, pontoon bridges were densely constructed, and on the bridge surfaces, there was an ant-like swarm of human traffic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Long Er's view, although the Qing soldiers' assault on Jinzhou City was massive in scale and fierce in intensity, he vaguely felt that they seemed not to be using their full strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These past days, he had also observed that the Qing cavalry from Dashengbao and Dafubao, west of Putuo Mountain, were continuously converging on the Jinchangbao and Shahebao areas, and the garrisons of those forts had all been withdrawn. Before the Battle of Huangtuling, Long Er had scouted those forts over there; each fort had at least several thousand troops defending it. Now they were completely emptied—what did that mean?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although their scouting personnel were only responsible for collecting and reporting, with specialists analyzing the hidden mysteries within, Long Er still could not help pondering the Tatars' intentions. He had also observed that the Tatar troops at Jinchangbao were communicating frequently with the Tatar troops at Baimiaobao. There seemed to be a conspiracy afoot here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To find out what the Tatars are planning, it would be best to capture a few live ones and interrogate them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Er thought this, but compared to before, capturing live Tatars was not easy now. Their scouts always moved in groups, and lone Tatar soldiers were almost never seen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made intelligence gathering for the Jingbian Army much more difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This time, I must scout out concrete intelligence on Baimiaobao.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he urged his horse forward, Xie Yike thought this to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, he was leading a squad of Jingbian Army Night Scouts, galloping across the wilderness on the way from Daxingbao to the Nüer River.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thunder of hooves rumbled. Although their party was only fifty men, each man had three horses, and most were plump, sturdy warhorses. The sound of hooves striking the yellow earth created quite a commotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The terrain in this area was flat, with occasional hills that were very gentle. Along the way, small streams were visible from time to time, but most were dried up. The iron hooves charged right through, splashing through the shallow water with a rushing sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was already the hour of You, still some time before dark. For Xie Yike, this was just right; by the time they reached the banks of the Nüer River, it would be getting dark, and they could cross the river under cover of darkness. There was no other way—the Tatar troops' security on both banks of the Nüer River was far too tight. In broad daylight, it was simply impossible to evade the Tatars' endless stream of scouts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had even set up a security cordon stretching dozens of li upstream along the Nüer River, and had deployed a large number of hunting dogs, making it impossible for Ming army scouts to outflank them from the upper reaches. Of course, it was not that Ming army scouts could not outflank them from even further upstream, but that would be outflanking them far too distantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the Qing troops' security was so tight, the Jingbian Army Night Scouts had already lost several men trying to gather intelligence on Baimiaobao. Whenever Xie Yike recalled this, he felt deep hatred in his heart, so he decided to go out personally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During this period, he had mostly stayed inside Daxingbao. Besides the local Liaodong troops, Daxingbao also housed part of the new army of Qiantun Guard Regional Commander Wang Tingchen. Not far south of the fort was the Wudaoling mountain area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like the Jingbian Army's Changlingshan defense line, the Wudaoling area and other places had also established a three-tiered, vertical firepower defense line. The new armies under Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen were stationed to guard the mountain ridges.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Yike had a lively personality and enjoyed making friends. During his time at Daxingbao, he had gotten along famously with the local garrison commanders. Of course, this was also because Xie Yike was an officer of the Jingbian Army, and moreover, the brother-in-law of the Loyal and Brave Count, so everyone deliberately cultivated good relations with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he left the fort, the garrison commanders inside had seen him off warmly, and before his departure, they had even treated Xie Yike and his men to a sumptuous dinner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After leaving the fort, the group traveled onward. The countryside was desolate, with few signs of human habitation on the wilderness. A faint, bleak melancholy greeted them head-on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, before the Battle of Jinzhou began, the area from Daxingbao to the Nüer River had been considered densely packed with settlements and forts. After all, the soil quality in this area was excellent, and there were multiple rivers everywhere, making drinking water and irrigation very convenient. But once the great battle involving several hundred thousand people erupted, the military households of each fort had no choice but to take refuge inside the larger forts, and these settlements were temporarily abandoned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the men passed through these villages and forts, in many places only ruined houses and broken walls remained. All around was vast, silent, and devoid of human traces, as if Xie Yike and his group were the only living things left between heaven and earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Xie Yike did not have so many sentimental reflections. As his fine horse galloped, his mood was joyful and bright. Ah, this was the life he liked—tense and thrilling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the party accompanying him on this reconnaissance mission was said to be only one squad, among these few dozen men, there were many Night Scout officers and commanders; one could say there were more officers than soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Daxing's entire Sharp Scout Battalion only had six hundred men, divided into three companies. Although Xie Yike was a Company Commander, he only commanded two hundred men. At this moment, besides himself as Company Commander, the squad also included Squad Commander Ma Ziren, a Night Scout who had gone on reconnaissance with him back in the ninth year of Chongzhen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reflecting on it, fate was truly peculiar. Back then, Xie Yike had been the Squad Commander, taking Wen Daxing, Li Youde, Huang Guoxiang, Ma Ziren, and others out on reconnaissance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the blink of an eye, several years had passed. Wen Daxing had become the commander of the Sharp Scout Battalion, while Xie Yike had instead become his subordinate. Ma Ziren had also been promoted to Squad Commander, and after Xie Yike returned to the Sharp Scout Battalion, he once again served under his command. Regrettably, among the brothers from that same squad back then, Huang Guoxiang, Li Youde, and others had all died in battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the brothers from that first reconnaissance mission, each man's official career and fate had turned out vastly different.\u003C\u002Fp>",2229,"2026-06-03T14:05:53.320Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","eedfc3b0d3664cd88183578e9037b15cabbe3d43199f4375e008ccc9c4459a12","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-517","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-515",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]