[{"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-571":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},1205860,1561,"Chapter 571: Bombardment and Slaughter","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-571",571,"\u003Cp>---------------------- Old Bai Niu: What happened? I set the previous chapter to publish on a timer — how did it become an instant publish?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the central battlefield north of the Daughter River, the time entered the Wei hour (1:00 PM – 3:00 PM).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the Two Blue Banners collapse in rout ahead, Wang Dou's Jingbian Army, Yang Guozhu's Xuanzhen cavalry and others, along with Hong Chengchou's central-army rear formation, also slowly caught their breath. They completely surrounded Haoge and the remaining troops of the Plain Blue Banner. The Board of Revenue Chancellor Ying Erdai, the Khorchin Tusiyetu Prince Badali, and others looked ashen. Ying Erdai murmured, \"How could this happen?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Censorate Assistant Censors Zhang Cunren, Zu Kefa, Duan Xuekong, Sheng Zhong, and the others also rubbed their eyes forcefully, their expressions utterly incredulous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They knew the Great Qing's might, and it was precisely in awe of the Manchu iron cavalry's ferocity that they had abandoned the Great Ming and surrendered to the Qing state. They had witnessed the Qing's victory after victory, the Ming army's defeat after defeat — yet the scene before them far exceeded anything they had imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first the battle unfolded as they had foreseen: the Ming center collapsed, the Great Qing iron cavalry effortlessly broke through their forward and middle formations, the rear formation routed, and the beheading of the Ming Viceroy Hong Chengchou was imminent. But who could have expected that Wang Dou would swiftly crush the Han Eight Banners, strike at the flank, and change everything? Could it be that this Wang Dou was truly the nemesis of the Great Qing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Haoge surrounded, with death a very real possibility, and the battle of Jinzhou perhaps ending in defeat for the Great Qing — this turn of events shocked them, and even more, they could not accept it. If the Qing state failed, would that not prove the folly of their abandoning the Ming and surrendering to the Qing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind Ying Erdai, Zhang Cunren also murmured to himself, \"This is not real. None of this is real!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Taiji's face grew ever more pale. He suddenly looked toward the Two White Banners on the battlefield. At least Dorgon and his brother had led the main force of the Two White Banners to provide support, leaving only the Two White Banners' Mongol troops and a small portion of Manchu troops on the army's left wing, circling listlessly outside the range of the Ming artillery. Only...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What were Dorgon and the other one doing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Two Blue Banners had already been crushed. Having lost their disciplined formation, how could they be a match for the Ming army's relatively complete battle arrays? Although Jirgalang and the Two Blue Banners' Mongol Ejen Wu Lai and Hushibu had escaped, in their haste they could hardly organize a battle formation. Only Dorgon's Two White Banners could deliver a thunderbolt strike and break through the heavy encirclement. Yet they...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They shouted as if charging to the heavens, putting on a show of giving their all. But what kind of man was Huang Taiji? With a single glance he saw through it — loud thunder but tiny raindrops, utterly disregarding his edict to break the siege. Huang Taiji gritted his teeth and swallowed blood, hating them bitterly in his heart: \"Fine, Dorgon. Fine, Dodo. I was not wrong about you!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking again toward where Haoge's troops faintly appeared within the heavy encirclement, Huang Taiji burned with impatience. In that moment, he even had the impulse to personally lead the Gabshiyan elite troops to break the siege, but reason forcibly suppressed that thought. The center was utter chaos; going there now would only add to the confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Haoge cannot return... perhaps I should begin considering what comes after the battle. A thought suddenly surfaced in Huang Taiji's mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ten thousand victories!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A roar like crashing mountains and surging seas erupted across the central battlefield. The Two Blue Banners had scattered in rout; the Qing Crown Prince, Prince Su Haoge, was heavily encircled by the Ming army. Every Ming soldier's spirit soared — if they could just slay Haoge, a great victory was at hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when Haoge and his men realized they were surrounded, and that the Plain Blue Banner troops around them were dwindling, they no longer had the strength to launch attacks. The only thing left to consider was breaking out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This instantly relieved the pressure on Hong Chengchou. He was certainly no ordinary figure; he immediately reorganized the battle formations, gathered routed soldiers, and launched a counterattack, coordinating with the Loyal and Brave Count and the Loyal and Upright Count to encircle Haoge, ensuring he could not escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Ruoqi and Wang Dehua were likewise invigorated. Wang Dehua especially — his plump, round body trembled. Today's experience was far too intense; from great joy to great sorrow and back to great joy, even for the Seal-holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, weathered by countless storms, it was nearly unbearable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And today was an opportunity. If they could slay Haoge and witness the birth of a great victory, upon returning to the capital in the future, not only would he have forged a sterling record of service, but His Majesty would also regard him with special favor — and it would be bragging rights for a lifetime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suddenly bounded in front of a large central-army drum, snatched the drumsticks from a drummer's hands, and shrieked in that distinctive eunuch voice: \"Kill the slaves! Kill the slaves! Soldiers, kill the slaves!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While shouting at the top of his lungs, he pounded the great drum until it boomed to the heavens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he was drumming with gusto, he suddenly sensed a figure flash beside him, and then the great drum next to him also began thundering. He looked up and saw the exceedingly refined Zhang Ruoqi looking back at him. The two could not help but exchange a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One a eunuch, the other a civil official — on the surface they were cordial, but deep down they looked down on each other. Yet at this moment, they both felt as if they were fighting shoulder to shoulder, comrades sharing life and death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Shenjiying officer like Fu Yingchong excelled most at exploiting chaos. With victory right before his eyes and a chance to achieve extraordinary merit, how could he not seize the moment? He immediately reorganized the Shenjiying's remaining musketeers and pressed forward to join the encirclement and slaughter!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Troops surged in like a tide from all directions. The cry of \"Kill Haoge\" blanketed heaven and earth. More and more of the Plain Blue Banner's remnant troops scattered in disarray — some broke out, some fought on their own. Beside Haoge, in the end, fewer than a thousand men remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But many of them were elite Bayara guards and armored cavalry. The Plain Blue Banner Bayara Commander Aljin also fought desperately to protect him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now Haoge had gone utterly berserk. His eyes were blood-red, his helmet long since lost — probably picked up by some Ming soldier. He still wore his own Plain Blue Banner gilt armor, holding the gold-threaded dragon banner in one hand while swinging a heavy sword with the other, hacking madly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood dripped from his body; no one knew how many wounds he had suffered. He roared like a frenzied tiger: \"I am the next Great Qing Emperor, the next Great Mongol Bogd Khan! I have fought a hundred battles — I will not die here, I will not die at the hands of you Nikan...!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bellowing, he cleaved another Ming Company Commander who tried to take advantage in two. Covered head to toe in blood and flesh, he struggled to break toward where the troops were thinner. But on all sides were Ming soldiers, all shouting. Like Haoge, they were just as frenzied, just as desperate. The supreme merit of slaying the Qing Crown Prince, Prince Su, made them throw their lives away without a second thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, Haoge and his men tried to break toward the Jingbian Army's side, because that was closest to his Ama, and the Two White Banners were providing support outside. But those damned Jingbian troops not only withstood the Two White Banners' attacks, they still had strength to spare to deal with these crazed, breakthrough-seeking Plain Blue Banner elite remnants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They fought in formation, not one bit inferior to these Bayara and armored cavalry warriors with years, even over a decade, of bloody combat experience. Moreover, after being trapped in the heavy encirclement, not only could they not unleash their cavalry's momentum, but they also made easy targets for the Ming infantry. So most of them abandoned their horses and fought on foot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charging on foot against the Jingbian Army's musket and cannon formations was a death sentence. Their volley fire rang out in waves, and especially the cannon's grapeshot came like a storm. His men charged with all their might, suffering terrible casualties, and when they finally reached the front, the pike formations met them, routing Haoge and his men once more and sending them reeling back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they tried to break toward Yang Guozhu and the others, their cavalry formations charged wildly. But Haoge and most of his men had lost their horses and were no match for their cavalry. In the end, they had to pick the softest persimmon and charged once more toward Hong Chengchou's side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their numbers were large, but their combat strength was ordinary — perhaps they could break through. In the past, there were many examples of the Great Qing fighting the Ming army with a few thousand, even a thousand men, routing tens of thousands of Ming troops. Not to mention, many of his own troops were still elite Bayara and armored cavalry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for breaking through Hong Chengchou's great formation and heading forward — a few li ahead was the Ming army's riverside main camp. In his chaotic state, Haoge could no longer think of that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he had miscalculated again. It was true that the troops on Hong Chengchou's side had ordinary combat strength, yet just like himself, they too had gone mad. Killing him was far too great a temptation for them. They charged recklessly, roaring. Especially the remnant troops under Zuo Guangxian and Li Fuming — many of them had reddened eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Haoge had no choice but to break out in another direction. Killing and charging, charging and killing, in the end he no longer knew where he was. Only one thought remained: \"Kill, kill, kill — I cannot die here!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou furrowed his brow, looking at the battlefield before him. Corpses and wounded lay piled in layers — who knew how many were Qing soldiers and how many were Ming soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked again toward Dorgon and Dodo's side, then gazed toward the distant Huang Taiji, and said flatly, \"Prolonged battle brings no benefit. It is time to end this. Inform Viceroy Hong, Commander Yang, and the others to tighten the encirclement. Bombard these Plain Blue Banner remnants with cannon fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Yike's Vanguard Scout Battalion immediately dispatched night scouts to relay the message. After an unknown length of time, horns sounded from every part of the Ming army. The frenzied, shouting encircling troops came to their senses and, some faster, some slower, gradually pulled back — but the heavy encirclement on all sides still trapped Haoge and his men tightly in the center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou looked at Zhao Xuan and said, \"Brother Zhao, deploy the cannons. Each left battalion will dispatch a unit of pikemen and musketeers to cover the gunners as they bombard and kill!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xuan clasped his fists and shouted, \"Your general obeys the order!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He designated a hundred cannons in one breath — both red-barbarian cannons and Frankish breech-loaders. The flat, hard earth before them made them easy to push forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Advance toward the enemy chieftain!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Majestic and imposing, Zhao Xuan gave the command.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A hundred cannons, along with several ranks of pikemen and musketeers, formed up neatly and strode toward Haoge in great strides. The sun-moon wave-tide banners fluttered and snapped in the cold wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now, the Plain Blue Banner remnants gathered around Haoge and Aljin were even fewer. They watched the Ming army withdraw like the tide, only to maintain the tight encirclement, and then saw the dark, dense mass of Jingbian Army cannon formations advancing toward them in formation with great strides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Must I still die?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Haoge laughed madly. He struggled to prop up his body with the gold-threaded dragon banner. He looked at the sky, at the earth — this land, how many heroes had fought and killed for it? He suddenly recalled something a shaman had told him in his childhood: a person's life is fragile and brief; what matters most is that single moment of beauty. He thought and laughed, yet hot tears rolled down from his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at Aljin beside him, who was also shedding tears. He suddenly raised the gold-threaded dragon banner in his hand high and shouted at the top of his lungs: \"Warriors of the Great Qing, charge!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Charge!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aljin and the others, along with several hundred Plain Blue Banner remnants, all followed behind Haoge, raising their weapons with all their might and roaring as they charged forward!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xuan shouted at the top of his lungs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A deafening roar — the Jingbian Army's hundred cannons fired in unison. Lead shot sprayed out like a violent storm, and great plumes of blood mist erupted among the charging Plain Blue Banner remnants ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xuan shouted again. The gunners, having frantically reloaded, once more blasted grapeshot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Xuan's shouts grew increasingly hoarse, so loud they nearly drowned out the roar of the cannons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thick white smoke continuously belched from the artillery pieces. The hundred cannons of the Jingbian Army fired volley after volley, unleashing ten rounds before they ceased. Looking again at the Plain Blue Banner troops who had been charging ahead, not a single man remained standing. Across the battlefield, only the acrid smell of gunpowder and the nauseating stench of blood lingered, drifting endlessly into the sky above...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dorgon suddenly stared in that direction and said, somewhat uncertainly, \"Hooge should be dead?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dodo nodded emphatically. \"Definitely dead. Unless he's a great shaman, he's dead beyond any doubt!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yibai and Suna stood somewhat apart from the Dorgon brothers, unable to make out their whispered words. Yet the expressions on the two men's faces were vividly clear, and a chill surged through them, making their hairs stand on end.\u003C\u002Fp>",2443,"2026-06-03T14:05:53.320Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","18b9d134217c11f4bcb0c77f99194a3cfe7fc42babfef979ec844cd8a890f7ee","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-572","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-570",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]