[{"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-533":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},1205822,1561,"Chapter 533: Pressing Toward the Nüer River (Part 2)","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-533",533,"\u003Cp>On the fourteenth day of the eighth month in the fourteenth year of Chongzhen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky had just begun to brighten at dawn, and the camps of both the Ming and Qing armies were already stirring with noise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Peering down at the great earth through the clouds and mist, the open fields were like a painting, the city walls and houses like a grid, each encampment like a small swelling rising up, like mushrooms growing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, inside and outside these small swellings, streams of people like ants were moving in and out, filled with an atmosphere of \"wind sweeping through the tower before the mountain rain arrives.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Xiaoling River was like a jade belt, winding its way from beneath the walls of Jinzhou and flowing past the southeast of Mount Shimen. Looking toward the northern bank, a sea of banners stretched beyond sight, and continuous encampments spread across the great earth. From these encampments, from time to time, some tough and fierce Qing army scout riders with small flags strapped to their backs would dash out. They would ride all the way to the river's edge, carefully observe the Ming army on the opposite bank preparing to cross the river, and then ride back to their camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These scout riders came wave after wave, in an unbroken stream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When threads of dawn light pierced through the mist and haze, from within the Ming army camp, the sounds of horns and gongs and drums merged into one continuous roar, startling Huang Taiji in the mountain fortress of Rufeng. He silently walked to the lookout point on the crenellated wall, held up his telescope, and gazed down at the land below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He watched below Songshan Fortress, along Songshan Ridge, Huangtu Ridge, and the western bank of the Xiaoling River, as Ming army messengers wearing uniforms and holding command flags dashed in and out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside each camp, patches of red banners were continuously gathering. He thought to himself, \"The Ming army is about to move out.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the command tent of the Jingbian Army, Wang Dou opened his eyes, feeling his energy abundant, his whole body filled with inexhaustible strength — he had slept wonderfully last night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was also strange: whenever a great event approached, Wang Dou could instead sleep very soundly, rarely ever tossing and turning through the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pushed aside the soft, smooth cloud-brocade silk quilt, and scrambled up from the thick mattress. His bare feet stepped onto the thick, soft cashmere carpet, and a feeling of warm, solid comfort welled up in his heart. Not far away, an incense burner was gently sending forth wisps of smoke, its faint, subtle fragrance drifting about, and when it reached his nose, it had the effect of calming the mind and concentrating the spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou was accustomed to sleeping naked — though of course, not completely bare. He still wore a pair of underdrawers, and the muscles exposed outside were knotted and coiled, gleaming with a healthy sheen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stretched his body slightly, and the bones throughout his frame crackled and popped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou nodded with satisfaction; his body and build were both quite good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing movement, several warriors from the guard battalion on duty entered the tent. They were all tall and burly, wearing bowl helmets and long body armor with armor plates exposed, all uniformly fine and exquisite in craftsmanship, matched with brass buttons and leather belts. In their bearing, they were fierce and valiant yet full of heroic spirit. Getting into the guard battalion was no easy task — one had to pass through layer upon layer of vetting by the Pacification Office and the Intelligence Office. Loyalty was the first requirement, and in personal martial prowess, they were all outstanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As these warriors entered, one of them, whose head was as large as a dou measure and whose expression was simple and honest, picked up the inner garment from the clothes rack nearby, looked at Wang Dou's body, and praised, \"The Grand General's physique is truly sturdy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou took the inner garment and put it on, laughing, \"Big Head, you're getting better and better with words.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching him scratch his head in embarrassment, the warriors beside him all laughed. Then they bustled about, helping Wang Dou dress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Toward his subordinates, Wang Dou was actually quite gentle, and sometimes he would crack a few jokes. Everyone in the Jingbian Army felt that the Grand General was dignified yet gentle — truly an excellent lord and master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under their service, Wang Dou quickly finished dressing, while some other guards were tidying up various items in the tent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside Wang Dou's great tent, besides all kinds of weapons, there were many bookshelves, filled to the brim with military texts, books of all kinds from every dynasty and era. By this time, several of the great literary classics had already appeared, and there were also various editions of The Plum in the Golden Vase. Wang Dou had also collected a few sets, reading them with dialectical analysis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The style of his great tent was one of grandeur and solidity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, at Wang Dou's current status and position, any kind of luxury or indulgence would not be a problem. However, Wang Dou was rather indifferent toward such things; after all, none of the enjoyments of this era could compare to those of later generations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, indifferent as he was, Wang Dou would not, when he had the means to enjoy comfort, deliberately live a life of hardship. In material requirements, he had only one point: comfort, just being comfortable and at ease was enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the tent, he finished washing and grooming. In this era, toothbrushes and toothpaste had long existed — the toothpaste was even made purely from Chinese herbal medicine. However, common folk mostly used tender twigs and green salt. The Jingbian Army was also the army most fastidious about hygiene; even an ordinary common soldier was fully equipped with toothbrush and toothpaste.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having put on his armor, Wang Dou stepped out of the tent. Outside were layer upon layer of armored warriors. Seeing Wang Dou, they all saluted him with the spear salute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou nodded slightly, and then he saw that in the central army encampment outside the tent, soldiers were busily working, packing up armor and weapons, preparing for the great battle that was about to come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet on each person's face, there was not much sign of tension. Fighting battles, fighting great battles, had long become a matter of routine for the Jingbian Army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The layout of Wang Dou's great camp was such that the central army was in the middle, with the remaining camps distributed to the front, rear, left, and right — a tight and rigorous structure. Around his command tent were the tents of officers such as the guards, advisors, pacification officers, and morale officers. Further out were the various battalions under the central army, such as the artillery battalion, cavalry battalion, scout battalion, and supply battalion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The central army officer and guard commander Zhong Diaoyang was directing his subordinates, packing and organizing Wang Dou's command carriage, the Jingbian Army's command banner, the observation tower cart, the various great drum carts, and so on, fitting each vehicle with saddles and harnesses, ready to be pulled away at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the battle at Huangtu Ridge that day, Wang Dou had lent his command carriage to Yang Guozhu. After the battle, Yang Guozhu returned it, and Wang Dou did not make any polite refusals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, he himself would also be going to the front line, so of course he would ride in his own command carriage — after all, this vehicle of his was a sharp weapon capable of withstanding the heavy cannons of the Red Barbarians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Wang Dou emerge, Zhong Diaoyang came over to pay his respects. He was normally in charge of camp affairs, and Wang Dou merely asked a few routine questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, every department now performed its own duties, and at any time, the Jingbian Army was in perfect order. Much of the time, most of Wang Dou's work consisted of signing his name and applying his seal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Very quickly, the pacification officer of the command camp headquarters, Chi Dacheng, the medical officer Wang Tianxue, the advisor Qin Yi, and others came out of their tents one by one and all came over to salute Wang Dou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou led everyone in a routine inspection tour of the central army camp. The cavalry battalion and the scout battalion had also long since finished their preparations. The supply battalion, compared to usual days, was considerably emptier. After receiving intelligence from Xie Yike, Wang Dou had sent most of the supply soldiers in the camp back to the Changling Mountain defense line, leaving only those few hundred grenadiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they arrived at Zhao Xuan's artillery battalion camp, it was also a scene of bustling, fervent activity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xuan was over there shouting and yelling, directing the men in his camp to hitch the cannons to mules and horses, and to load shells and gunpowder onto the ammunition carts. Then the ammunition carts were likewise hitched to horses and mules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The artillery battalion's role in this battle was critical. They needed to follow the cavalry and quickly reach the Nüer River to block any Qing troops that might cross the river.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And on the ammunition carts of the artillery battalion, many of the cotton cloth powder bags had already been replaced by silk powder bags.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that day, having obtained Wang Dou's consent, Zhao Xuan had swiftly sought out silk merchants and ordered a batch of silk, rushing to produce a batch of silk powder bags.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through testing, it was indeed true that when firing with silk powder bags, compared to cotton cloth powder bags, the degree of barrel overheating was greatly reduced. The artillery battalion's Red Barbarian cannons could even fire ten to fifteen rounds before needing to cool down. Also, for the priming powder at the touchhole, Zhao Xuan had found a large number of goose quills and chicken quills. After testing, he finally decided to use goose quill powder tubes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These seemingly insignificant reforms had greatly enhanced the power of Zhao Xuan's artillery battalion, making him grin from ear to ear all day long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the hourglass, the time was now the hour of Mao, still some time away from the hour of Chen when the various armies were to assemble. Wang Dou instructed that the officers of the central army camp, as well as the rear camp officer Han Chao and the right camp officer Zhong Xiancai, come to his great tent for a meal, and also to once more review and discuss the grand battle strategy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the entire Jingbian Army had also reached breakfast time. Today's meal was extremely sumptuous, with more seafood dishes in particular. To be honest, many soldiers and civilians from the interior were not accustomed to eating seafood. But that was a picky notion from later generations; in this era, as long as it was food, as long as it was meat, no one would refuse to eat it or drink it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right Camp, Rear Division, Second Company, Fourth Platoon, First Squad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Kaixian tasted a mouthful of oyster soup and found it strange, a flavor hard to describe. But after tasting it carefully, there was also a fresh, savory taste. After drinking more, he also came to feel that the oyster soup was not bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Never mind that — battle was about to begin, so he would eat his fill first. Thinking this, Han Kaixian shoveled the rice in his bowl into his mouth in great mouthfuls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking around at the brothers in his squad, every one of them was eating with a loud, sloppy gusto.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jingbian Army was richly equipped with all kinds of gear. Even when camping in the field, the army now had a large number of camp stools, so they did not need to sit on the ground when eating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, in Han Kaixian's squad, there was one large camp stool per squad, used as a table, while the remaining soldiers sat on small camp stools.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the battles of the previous days, these second-class troops had all rapidly matured. From the time they first set out on campaign, when they could hardly swallow their food in the face of fine meals, to now wolfing down their food, the coming battle did not affect anyone's appetite in the slightest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, at this moment, Han Kaixian's squad was missing three men. It was from the battles of the previous days — Chen Chong and a few others had died in combat, causing everyone from Squad Leader Zhao Rongcheng above down to the common soldier Han Kaixian below to grieve inconsolably. Yet the blood of their comrades had also made them grow up quickly. Still, a squad missing several soldiers could not be replenished in a short while; they needed to wait for the arrival of the Eastern Route reserve troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After eating and drinking their fill, the mess soldiers took away the large camp stool and the bowls and chopsticks. Han Kaixian took out a piece of soft, fine cloth and carefully wiped down his beloved long spear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking around beside him, the densely packed Jingbian Army soldiers wearing bowl helmets and bright red surcoats were all doing the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially those arquebusiers — their equipment preparation work was even more tedious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sitting beside Han Kaixian was Liu Lie. Although he was younger than Han Kaixian, he was tall and stout, and the small camp stool creaked and groaned under his backside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He finished wiping his long spear, then drew his head‑taking knife and kept honing it on a whetstone. He clenched his teeth, his dark face turning somewhat flushed. He could be heard muttering to himself, “These damned Tartars, daring to kill my little sweetheart — once we meet in battle, I’ll make sure to stick a few Tartars white‑blade‑in, red‑blade‑out…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the battle that day ended, because Chen Chong and several others had died in combat, the Guard Office investigated the First Squad and found that Liu Lie had failed to coordinate closely with friendly forces during the fight and had neglected formation discipline. He was given a demerit and made to recite the importance of battle formations and military law several times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, Liu Lie had been blaming himself all along for Chen Chong’s death in battle. Now, with a major fight ahead, he swore he would kill a few more Tartars to avenge his brother Chen Chong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was just gnashing his teeth when — *smack* — his helmet was slapped by Squad Leader Zhao Rongcheng, who cursed, “Stick what in! We’re long‑spearmen, not head‑taking knife‑men… You damned fool, remember this: we’re an army, not scattered stragglers. In battle, formation is paramount. ‘A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit’ — do you still not get it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the others around snickering, Liu Lie opened his eyes wide and said innocently, “Squad Leader, I never said I was a head‑taking knife‑man…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if I fight with everything I’ve got, I’ll still remember how important the formation is…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The whole First Squad burst into laughter. Han Kaixuan also smiled faintly, wiping his long spear while carefully pondering and recalling every detail of that day’s fighting — what he should do the next time they clashed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He abruptly gripped his long spear tight, a cold gleam shooting from his eyes: “This time, I’ll be sharper than last time, and kill even more Tartars!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Kaixuan once more tightened his grip on his long spear, rested the shaft against his right shoulder, and, following the shouted commands, slowly moved forward with the tide of the red‑clad sea of men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not far from his formation, the sound of hoofbeats came from time to time as mounted dispatch soldiers on their horses raced toward their respective destinations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When it was still a quarter of an hour before the hour of the Dragon, the troops of the Right Battalion received their orders: leave camp, assemble, and prepare to march out for battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the wailing of horns, the men and horses of the Jingbian Army surged out of the camp like a tide. Five squads merged into one company, four companies into one battalion, four battalions into one regiment — forming distinct, clearly separated formations, until finally they converged into one vast whole, orderly and disciplined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing within the battle array and looking left and right, he saw only tough, seasoned warriors like himself. Square formations stretched densely block after block; as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but uniform bowl‑shaped helmets and fluttering Sun‑Moon‑Wave banners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Kaixuan felt his own insignificance, yet at the same time he felt the surging power of the collective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The army advanced slowly across the land, heading toward its objective, the heavy footfalls making the very earth tremble.\u003C\u002Fp>",2848,"2026-06-03T14:05:53.320Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","58bd475f359eae9c70ae7b4799a2d65ef49c61348a9534d531a1efa7feeee008","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-534","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-532",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]