[{"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-563":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},1205852,1561,"Chapter 563: The Great Collapse, Capture (Part 2)","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-563",563,"\u003Cp>Old White Bull: Didn’t expect to climb a few spots from the tail end of the monthly ticket rankings — delighted. 23 Literature Network, fs23. This site has no ads, no pop-ups, updates fast, full text, dear. If you like it, please share it with everyone. Also recommending the author who looks tall, honest, and loyal but whose protagonists are always scheming — ‘Sui Qingfeng Qu’s’ major work ‘Da Ming Guan,’ a very good book. Also recommending ‘Late Ming,’ another historical masterpiece, an exquisite piece of writing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Excellent!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou on the hill took in all the battle conditions ahead. Zhong Diaoyang and the others were also extremely excited. The Jingbian Army and the Xuanzhen New Army, with fewer troops against many, braved cannon fire and endured casualties, and in a short time routed over forty thousand Han Eight Banners troops who possessed large numbers of firearms and cannons. To speak of such a battle achievement would be enough to fill anyone with pride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Yike clapped and cheered, but then said bitterly, “In this great battle on the left wing, our army suffered no small number of casualties, and moreover, Old Wen he…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wiped away his tears with one swipe and ground his teeth: “It’s all the fault of that traitor Kong Youde. We must capture him and flay him alive!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cold light flashed in Wang Dou’s eyes. He decisively ordered the central army to sound the horns and drums. The Jingbian Army and the others attacked along the entire line, pursuing and pressing hard. Wen Daxing was gravely wounded and unconscious and was urgently sent away for treatment. At this time, the Sharp Scout Camp was temporarily led by Xie Yike. Wang Dou ordered his Night Scouts, and even some soldiers from the Guard Battalion, to be sent out in pursuit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He issued a special order: “Kong Youde must be taken alive, and so must that red-barbarian cannon officer. As for the remaining Korean soldiers and officers, Han Bannermen, and the like — whether to kill or capture, let the soldiers choose as they wish!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Advisor Qin Yi pondered briefly and said, “Grand General, the Han Army Plain Blue Banner’s Gūsa Ejen, Zu Zerun, is Marshal Zu’s eldest son. Should we…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou waved a hand and said coldly, “Let the soldiers choose as they wish!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The central army officers all stood with heads high. Advisor Qin came from a scholarly background and considered more factors, but what they loved most was to repay grudges with pleasure. How could they fear the discontent of Zu Dashou or the Liaodong troops? Whoever dared to surrender to the Qing state and oppose the Jingbian Army, no matter their status, had only a dead end!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pursue!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everywhere were cries of wailing. Across the hills and fields, Han troops of every banner struggled and fled for their lives. Every passable place was crammed full of people. Those who carelessly fell were instantly trampled into the dirt by their own comrades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their formations had already completely disintegrated. Even those who had the heart to stop and resist were involuntarily swept along in the desperate flight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the torrent-like fleeing crowd, the Jingbian Army and the Xuanzhen New Army shouted and gave chase. Even in pursuit, the Jingbian Army men still paid attention to their battle formations, mostly spreading out into the small Three-Talents formation convenient for pursuit. The masses fled ahead and pursued behind, chasing north among the various fields.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Tingzhu, his queue disheveled, stumbled and fled eastward under the cover of some trusted personal guards. He had originally been on horseback, but in such terrain, not only could the warhorse not run fast, it was also prone to stumbling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was in his panic that Shi Tingzhu failed to notice a gully ahead. Both man and horse fell. His riding crop was flung far away, and moreover, several of the horse’s legs were broken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The routed soldiers everywhere further obstructed his escape. At this moment, they no longer cared whether Shi Tingzhu was a Gūsa Ejen of a banner or not. In their fury, some even thrust spears at him. Two of his personal guards fell to the ground in disbelief just like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To make escape easier, they abandoned their horses. Shi Tingzhu was rich in escape experience. Back in his Ming Army days, he had fled who knows how many times. Fleeing for his life again this time, he was well-practiced. He skillfully leaped over some fallen bodies, careful not to step on them, lest he himself fall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had only one thought in his mind: flee, flee, flee to the Emperor’s central army. Only there would there be a sliver of survival. From behind him, Zu Zerun’s distant shouts came: “Marshal Shi, Marshal Shi, wait for your younger brother, Marshal Shi…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice was frantic and despairing. In ordinary days, Zu Zerun always carried a sense of superiority toward Shi Tingzhu. His father was Zu Dashou, the de facto leader of the Liaodong military aristocracy, one of the most senior Regional Commanders. Shi Tingzhu was merely his father’s subordinate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, because Huang Taiji, in order to entice his father to surrender, always regarded Zu Zerun with special favor, even though both were Gūsa Ejens of the Han Eight Banners, Zu Zerun still felt a sense of loftiness toward Shi Tingzhu. Now that arrogance was completely gone. He only shouted frantically, hoping Shi Tingzhu would stop and wait for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long before, Shi Tingzhu had seen the Korean general Jin Yuze, the Bordered Red Banner Gūsa Ejen Liu Zhiyuan, and the Bordered White Banner Gūsa Ejen Wu Shoujin stabbed to death by the Jingbian Army’s random spears. His own petty life was what mattered. How could he care about any Zu Zerun or Shi Zerun?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Escape with his life first, then talk. In a critical moment, never mind Zu Zerun — even if his own parents were beside him, he would surely only look after himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But with an inadvertent glance, he groaned inwardly. He was rich in escape experience and had stripped off and thrown away all armor and clothing that revealed his status. Unlike Zu Zerun, who flaunted himself and still wore gilded armor while fleeing for his life. Perhaps Zu Zerun’s shouting had drawn attention, for several fierce Jingbian Army spearmen pushed through the crowd and came after them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Tingzhu let out a strange cry, tumbled and crawled, scrambling on all fours, and fled forward even more frantically. He did not even know when the personal guards beside him had scattered and disappeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He ran with all his might. Those spearmen soldiers pursued relentlessly. From the shouts of that second-Tartar general just now, they could tell that the fellow ahead left in only his underclothes was definitely a big fish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t come closer, don’t come closer!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zu Zerun screamed, his hands propping against the ground, his legs kicking furiously, retreating at an indescribable speed. Yet his expression was one of terror, like a frail young woman encountering several escaped convicts in a deserted wilderness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Zu Dashou’s eldest son, he had been specially cultivated by the family on ordinary days and possessed the bearing and depth of an aristocratic scion. He usually handled matters with considerable steadiness. But at the moment of life and death, the cowardice deep inside him all surged forth. All courage and composure were thrown to the nine heavens beyond the clouds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was not the Liaodong Provincial Governor Qiu Minyang, nor was he the great generals Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen, who could face death without changing expression. If he were, he would not have surrendered to the enemy at the Battle of Dalinghe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before him were several armored Jingbian Army spearmen. They wore eight-petaled iron-tipped helmets and donned grayish-blue short-sleeved fur winter coats. The blood-dripping long spears in their hands, and the arm-guard plates on both arms, gleamed with a heart-chilling light under the autumn sun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their faces were filled with murderous intent, and they also looked with disdain at this second-Tartar general with disheveled hair and armor covered in wild grass and mud. Judging by the color of his armor, he was a high-ranking officer of the Gūsa Ejen level, and from the Han Army Plain Blue Banner at that. Killing him would earn them military merit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching them press forward step by step, trampling over the scattered corpses on the ground — all his personal guards, now completely dead — Zu Zerun tumbled and crawled, shrieking even more. As he crawled, he wept loudly and begged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly he felt emptiness behind him. There was a wide trench at his back. Looking up again, a robustly built spearman with a gloomy expression had already stepped out from the group and was slowly raising a gleaming long spear toward him. Zu Zerun howled loudly, “Don’t kill me, my father is Zu Dashou…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Jingbian Army spearman stabbed down without the slightest hesitation. The long spear instantly pierced through the armor and sank deep into Zu Zerun’s chest. Zu Zerun screamed a heart-rending shriek, his body twisting, his hands beating the ground frantically. The spearman withdrew his long spear, then stabbed deeply again. The splashing rain of blood spread in the cold wind with each pull and thrust of his spear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll join too!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Kaixuan strode forward, and Liu Lie hurriedly followed. The remaining spearmen swarmed forward, stabbing furiously at Zu Zerun. His life force was extremely strong. He was still wailing after being stabbed dozens of times, though his body had already twisted into a deathly shape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, his body stopped moving, and no more sound came from his mouth. The body, covered in spear holes and bloody cavities, occasionally twitched a few times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Dingguo slowly drew his long spear from Zu Zerun’s body, repeatedly wiping the flesh and blood from the spear onto his armor. He spat, “You second-Tartar. Don’t say your father is Zu Dashou. Even if your father were Hong Chengchou, it would be useless.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Lie asked innocently, “Squad Leader Han, we killed this second-Tartar big official. How much military merit is that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Kaixuan shook his head: “Not clear. Ask Squad Leader Mu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Dachang shook his head: “I’m not clear either. Ask Company Commander Zhao…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Tingzhu faintly heard Zu Zerun’s miserable howls in his ears. A chill made his entire body shudder. He let out a great cry and exerted the strength of a suckling babe. At that moment, even the most outstanding marathon champion in history could not match his escape speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud. A burst of golden stars swirled before his eyes. It was because Shi Tingzhu had run too hastily and failed to notice his footing. He carelessly tripped over a field ridge and fell flat on his face. Hearing heavy footsteps right behind him, Shi Tingzhu’s body trembled like chaff in a sieve. Summoning strength from who knows where, he pressed both hands down, about to leap up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a hiss, a long spear pierced through Shi Tingzhu’s calf. Shi Tingzhu howled sharply. He struggled to crawl forward. Another hiss — an incomparable pain came from his right hand. A long spear had pierced through his palm and sunk deep into the mud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Tingzhu roared and struggled. Suddenly he felt his limbs loosen as the spears were withdrawn. Then his scalp tightened. A thick, powerful hand grabbed his small, scattered money-rat-tail queue and yanked him upward with force. Shi Tingzhu felt as if his scalp was about to be torn off. As he screamed loudly, he was forced to stand up following that hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before him were several Jingbian Army armored soldiers wearing petal helmets. The man pulling his hair was even more covered in knife scars across his face. Shi Tingzhu considered himself fierce, terrifying in appearance, and full of killing intent, but compared to this man, he was a small witch before a great one. Seeing the murderous glare in each of their eyes, Shi Tingzhu, in his terror and utter mental and physical exhaustion, suddenly saw black before his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he lost consciousness, he seemed to faintly hear a few lines of dialogue: “…Do you recognize this second-Tartar?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t recognize him…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t know what status he is. Tie him up first, then talk…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could keep his life for now. Shi Tingzhu’s heart relaxed, and he completely lost consciousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not far from the right mountain of Yijia Ridge, watching the Jingbian Army armored soldiers pressing in layer upon layer, Kim Jajeom and Eduardo sighed involuntarily in unison. The Gabsihiyan Janggin Loosa and Kong Youde had fled first to save their own lives, utterly ignoring whether they lived or died. The two of them and some of their subordinates had fled too slowly and were caught up and surrounded by some Ming troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kim Jajeom straightened his Korean official robes of a first-rank grand minister. The Ming sovereign and ministers had always been friendly toward vassal states. They were also striving to win Korea away from the Qing state and return it to the Great Ming. Perhaps he could use this point to preserve his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eduardo straightened his Portuguese military uniform and tidied the beard and hair on his lips and temples, trying his best to make himself appear neat. He was also calculating. The Eastern nations had always been friendly toward distant barbarians, whether Tartars or Chinese. He hoped he could use this point to preserve his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, his own cannon-firing skill was very useful. No matter how much resentment he held in his heart, staying alive was the first priority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching those Ming troops stride forcefully closer, their fine iron helmets and armor, and their fierce bearing, he inwardly trembled: “These Ming troops would be first-rate warriors even if placed in Europe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When those Jingbian Army soldiers were not far off, Eduardo abruptly raised both hands and shouted in stiff Chinese: “Long live the Great Ming! Might to the Loyal and Brave Count!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Long live the Great Ming! Might to the Loyal and Brave Count!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The four remaining Franks beside him raised their hands in unison and shouted: “The sun and moon never set, forever shining upon the Great Ming!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The sun and moon never set, forever shining upon the Great Ming!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a stratagem Eduardo had urgently devised with his fellow countrymen. Easterners liked hearing fine words; perhaps shouting this could increase their friendliness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This action of theirs made the Jingbian Army and Kim Ja-jeom both freeze for a moment. An officer pushed through the crowd and strode over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eduardo saw that this officer wore a zhaojia armored vest, with thigh-guard skirts and a cloak. The gleaming scale armor on him looked extremely valuable at a glance. His military rank was surely not low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eduardo knew that Easterners, even a common soldier, liked being addressed as General. Although this officer before him was tall, brawny, and had a face full of fierce flesh that gave off an indescribable oppressive force…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He still forced down his fear and politely performed a nobleman’s salute: “Eduardo Filipe de Meneses Lopes, of the House of Lopes, Spanish-Portuguese Empire, greets Your Excellency the General… Your Excellency. Please understand my difficulty. I once followed Assistant Regional Commander Gonçalo Teixeira and Mobile Corps Commander Lu Weilue, fighting through blood and fire for the Great Ming. Only because of defeat was I brought to the Qing realm and forced to serve them. Yet my body is in the Han camp while my heart remains with Cao. I am very willing to serve the Great Ming, and you, General, once more…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zeng Jiuyi stared coldly at this red-haired barbarian, watching his mouth open and close in an endless torrent. Abruptly, he struck a heavy punch into his lower abdomen. Eduardo doubled over in pain. Forcing himself to endure the agony, he cried out indistinctly: “Long live the Great Ming! Long live the Loyal and Brave Count…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The four red-haired barbarian subordinates trembled. Shivering with fear, they echoed: “Sun and moon never set, sun and moon never set…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zeng Jiuyi grabbed Eduardo by the lapels and yanked him right before his own eyes. His expression was ferocious: “You red-haired devil. Do you know how many casualties your cannon battalion inflicted on our army? Company Commander Huang — he was my old superior. He was blown to pieces by your cannon…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He ground his teeth, but recalling the Grand General’s instructions, he still flung Eduardo aside and ordered his attendants: “Tie him up. Take him back to the Grand General, then we’ll deal with him properly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eduardo was thrown to the side, yet still cried out in terror without cease: “Long live the Great Ming! Long live the Loyal and Brave Count…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zeng Jiuyi strode over toward Kim Ja-jeom. Watching this fierce-faced Ming general approach, Kim Ja-jeom’s face turned pale, his heart filled with extreme dread. Yet he still forced himself to remain calm and unmoving, his expression reserved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him were several advisors wearing robes, soft-soled high-waisted cotton boots, and wide-brimmed hats on their heads. At this moment, one advisor stepped forward, cupped his hands in salute, and said in fluent Chinese: “Greetings to the General of the Superior State.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He introduced Kim Ja-jeom: “This is His Excellency Kim Ja-jeom, Right State Councilor of the State Council of our Joseon Kingdom.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fearing that Zeng Jiuyi might not understand the meaning of Kim Ja-jeom’s official rank, he added a reminder: “Equivalent to a Grand Secretary of the Superior State.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, his tone carried a clear note of pride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zeng Jiuyi stared at him for a long moment, then abruptly swept a heavy slap across his face. With a resounding crack, the Joseon advisor’s teeth and blood sprayed wildly. His body spun in circles, staggering and falling to the side, unable to struggle up for a long while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zeng Jiuyi roared: “To hell with your mother! You lowly Goryeo dog, you dare put on airs in front of me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the state of that advisor, the Jingbian Army men burst into laughter. Kim Ja-jeom, however, was so furious his whole body trembled: “Outrageous! Utterly outrageous! A disgrace to refinement! Truly a disgrace to refinement…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zeng Jiuyi glanced at him sideways and struck backhanded with another slap. Amidst the cracking sounds, he struck left and right, landing over a dozen slaps on Kim Ja-jeom in one breath, hitting him until his mouth and nose bled, his official hat fell off, his temple hair scattered in disarray, his elegant, refined image completely gone. Then Zeng Jiuyi pulled Kim Ja-jeom right before his eyes and stared at him coldly: “Still dare to talk back?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood from Kim Ja-jeom’s nose dripped steadily, staining his first-rank official robes red. Looking at Zeng Jiuyi, he shook his head in utter terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zeng Jiuyi tossed Kim Ja-jeom aside and looked at his remaining advisors, each one shivering like frightened rabbits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gave a cold snort: “What crap is a Right State Councilor? He’s not a Right State Councilor of my Jingbian Army. Tie them all up for me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bone-chilling sound of long spears piercing flesh, the booming of arquebuses, the panicked cries of routed troops — all merged into a symphony of rout and pursuit. On a low, gentle hill, several dozen Han soldiers had gathered in a circle. Surrounding them were large numbers of Jingbian Army pikemen and arquebusiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These Han soldiers were mostly men of the Plain Red Banner, with some troops from other banners as well. Many of them were former veterans of the Dongjiang Army under Kong Youde, Shang Kexi, and others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These veterans were quite fierce and brave. Though routed and hunted down, they had still managed to inflict some casualties on the Jingbian Army and the Xuanzhen New Army soldiers. Had it not been for the rout of Shi Tingzhu’s and others’ men, those troops under Kong Youde and the rest would not have collapsed so easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around them, at their feet, corpses and wounded lay piled in layers. They were covered with all manner of arquebus shot holes and some spear wounds. Lying in pools of blood like small rivers were Shen Zhixiang, along with the twisted corpses of Cao Shaozhong, Liu Chengzu, and others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the surrounding Jingbian Army once again raise their arquebuses in dense ranks, the remaining Han soldiers, though their faces were pale, showed surprisingly little fear. With a sudden great roar, they raised their blades and spears and charged wildly down the hill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amidst the explosive cracks of the arquebuses, they toppled to the ground one by one. Peering through the white gunpowder smoke after the volley, Xie Shangbiao saw that before him there was no one left standing. He nodded with satisfaction. No matter how fierce these secondary Jurchen-collaborators were, they could not outmatch the arquebus. Yet recalling the great battle on the left wing and the casualties among some of his unit’s first-class troops, his heart sank again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, he saw that among the fallen crowd ahead, one man was struggling to rise. A nearby arquebusier raised his weapon. Xie Shangbiao gestured for him to lower it. He watched the man force himself to stand upright — a body as sturdy as an ox, a coarse, dark, fierce face of a man in his forties. He had been shot once in the leg and once in the left ribs; his entire body was drenched in fresh blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the Jingbian Army before him, he suddenly burst into wild laughter. He tore open his cotton armor, revealing a chest covered in thick black hair, and roared: “Come on! Shoot! Shoot right here! I’ve lived enough in this life! Lived enough!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He laughed wildly: “I’ve killed Jurchen. I’ve taken a hundred lives in Dengzhou. I’ve slept with official’s daughters. I’ve hacked down children not yet three years old. I’ve had enough!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amidst his laughter, blood flowed unceasingly from his mouth, making him appear even more ferocious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Shangbiao said coldly: “And in the end, didn’t you just become a dog for the Jurchen? Licking their arseholes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man’s laughter stopped abruptly. He gazed at the sky and murmured: “Yes… perhaps I, Lin Renzhen, should have followed Marshal Mao in death back then.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Shangbiao drew his own personal execution knife and threw it over: “You must die. But considering that you have killed Jurchen, you count as a man. End it yourself!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man slowly picked up the knife: “So be it. Dying under a blade is better than dying under a gun.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, tears streamed from his eyes. He cried out to the heavens: “Such regret! How I regret it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He abruptly plunged the knife into his own heart and died instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Shangbiao walked over, pulled out his knife, and sighed: “When a man is about to die, his words are true.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He instructed his attendants: “Bury him separately. Carve a marker with words. Without a name or surname, he’d become a lonely, wandering ghost.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Preliminary estimates: captured Han and Joseon troops already exceed ten thousand. Beheaded chieftains Liu Zhiyuan, Jin Yuze, Zu Zerun, Wu Shoujin, Shen Zhixiang, and others. Captured alive Shi Tingzhu, Kim Ja-jeom, the red-haired barbarian dwarf, and others. However, Geng Zhongming, Shang Kexi, and Ma Guangyuan may have already fled.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the central army hill, the various generals gathered around Wang Dou. The Judicial Commissioner Chi Dacheng reported the preliminary battle results to Wang Dou. In front of the hill, stretching all the way to the rear, a dense mass of dejected prisoners was being escorted away by some Jingbian Army and Xuanzhen New Army troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surrounding generals were all beaming with joy, especially the several officers from Xuanzhen. This battle — a great victory! In one breath, they had slain and captured multiple gūsa ejens and subordinate generals of the Han Banners, and even seized the Right State Councilor of Joseon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou nodded: “What about Kong Youde? Has he been captured?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Diaoyang said: “The soldiers and the brothers of the Vanguard Scout Camp are still in pursuit. Kong Youde cannot escape!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou said flatly: “Kong Youde must be captured, and captured alive. When the time comes, I will hand him over to Brother Wen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gazed ahead. On the right flank, dust rolled, and several riders were racing over at high speed, weaving in a zigzag pattern across the complex terrain, displaying their superb riding skills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they galloped near, the man at the front, his face covered in beads of sweat but his expression one of exuberant joy, was Xie Yike. From afar, he was already shouting joyfully from horseback: “Grand General… Grand General, great news… Our army’s soldiers have already slain… the Jurchen vanguard camp janggin Loosa, and captured alive the great bandit Kong Youde… A great joy, Grand General…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was riding too fast and too busy shouting. Just as he reached the edge of the hill, by a moment of carelessness, his horse stumbled and lost its footing. Xie Yike tumbled, man and horse rolling over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He nimbly scrambled up. Fortunately, he was not injured. He cursed: “Damn it…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the hour of Si, the sun rose high, bringing a trace of warmth to the increasingly cold weather.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The scout riders report back: the Loyal and Brave Count is engaged in a great battle with the Han Eight Banners. The current state of the battle is unknown.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The battle on the left wing tugged at Hong Chengchou’s heart. But it was far away, the terrain there was difficult to traverse, and scout riders were inconvenient, so firsthand intelligence could not be known immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, according to the scouts’ reports, beneath the walls of Jinzhou, the generals Wu Sangui, Ma Ke, and Tang Tong had already begun fierce fighting with the Manchu-Mongol troops of the two Red Banners below the city. Zu Dashou was leading his retainers and garrison troops from time to time, charging out of the city to provide support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the situation there did not permit optimism. Sixty thousand Ming troops were battling forty thousand Qing troops, many of whom were still laborers and auxiliary soldiers, and they were still struggling considerably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the army's right wing, the massed cavalry and the two White Banners of the Manchu-Mongol forces clashed fiercely many times, locked in an indecisive slaughter; the two Yellow Banners were pressing toward Xingshan again — how would it go over there? These were all matters weighing on Hong Chengchou's mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He withdrew his gaze and looked toward his own central grand formation, his face showing even more worry. The two Blue Banners of the Manchu-Mongol army, along with part of the Outer Vassal Mongol forces, had charged and fought fiercely several times, already breaking through his forward frankish gun position once. Hong Chengchou urgently shifted reinforcements, and the right wing also came over to support them, only then did they fall back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But their offensive waves grew fiercer each time, and the slave chieftain Hong Tai deployed officers and shifted troops, increasing or reducing the soldiers of each banner at any moment according to the battle situation. It was not necessarily the two Blue Banners alone attacking the center; even if only they attacked, their tactics were quite flexible, and Hong Chengchou felt it was very taxing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"May the Loyal and Brave Count win a great victory on the left wing and send aid soon!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Chengchou hoped fervently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qing cavalry on the right wing launched another assault. The surging iron torrent shook the great earth. The Divine Machine Battalion's Divine Might Grand General cannons and the large and small mortars fired ceaselessly. Finally their rockets screamed forth like ten thousand golden serpents, and the Divine Fire Flying Crows hurtled across, their sound shrill and mournful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, the Manchu-Mongol two Blue Banners launched another attack on the center. They came galloping with ten thousand horses, charging so that even the blazing sun overhead seemed to tremble unceasingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the sound of swan calls, the densely packed frankish guns of the wagon fortresses roared in unison, gunpowder smoke blanketing the great earth. Amid the thunder of hooves, the rolling Mongol cavalry split to both sides, revealing the heavy cavalry behind them, and countless herds of horses.\u003C\u002Fp>",4728,"2026-06-03T14:05:53.320Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","ff5ad6b55b67c22188a33ef5d00a24e4b510fd3032066a764815ae0ab0767533","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-564","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-562",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]