[{"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-58":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},1205347,1561,"Chapter 58: Astonishment","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-58",58,"\u003Cp>Wang Dou calmly instructed Qi Tianliang to prepare supplies according to their earlier discussion, then he bellowed: “Pass the order — sound the alarm gongs! Soldiers, don your armor!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The alarm clappers and gongs of Jingbian Fort rang without pause. Squad after squad of soldiers emerged from the barracks, rapidly assembling and converging. The armory was thrown open; suits of iron armor were taken out, and gunpowder and shot were frantically distributed. Besides the soldiers, every able-bodied military household male in the fort was issued a long spear, and even the women, the old, and the weak were each given a wooden club.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, the entire Jingbian Fort was mobilized. As the military households gathered, every face was filled with fury — whoever dared come knocking to pick a fight must have eaten the gall of a bear and a leopard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, outside Jingbian Fort, the settler military households from the three forts of Zhouzhuang, Huzhuang, and Chafang Fort had converged by the Dongfang River. Led by several fort chiefs, they came bearing knives, clubs, and other weapons — several hundred people, a dark mass pressing toward Jingbian Fort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when they were still several li from Jingbian Fort, they noticed a few cavalrymen circling back and forth, spying on them. By the time they reached the outskirts of Jingbian Fort, the area was already packed with Jingbian Fort military households gripping spears and clubs, brimming with hostility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the fort walls of Jingbian Fort, some military household barracks had been built to house the newly arrived households. Around the barracks, trenches had been dug, along with trap pits and hidden cellars. Across the trenches, a rough low wall and stockade gate had been thrown together using earth, stones, and wooden planks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today it was Zhong Diaoyang leading the patrol. Behind the stockade gate, he stood with his squad, coolly watching the large crowd of military households from the various forts heading their way. Several arquebusiers already had their match cords lit, aiming at the ever-approaching households from outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The military households from Zhouzhuang, Huzhuang, and Chafang Fort halted a hundred paces from the stockade gate and began shouting in a chorus: “Hand over our people! Wang Dou, get out here…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they shouted, they brandished the spears and clubs in their hands, yelling without pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the crowd, the fort chiefs of Zhouzhuang, Huzhuang, and Chafang Fort stood at the very front.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhouzhuang fort chief was named Jia Duonan, a man in his forties with a shiny, oil-slick scalp, holding the rank of Platoon Leader. He said, “Do you think that by coming here today, Wang Dou will actually submit? That man is a desperado.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xianyang, the Fort Chief and Platoon Leader of Chafang Fort, replied, “Relax, Old Brother Jia. This time our three forts have come together — so many of us, plus we have backing from higher-ups, and Wang Dou is in the wrong. What can he possibly do about it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was nearing forty, with a large tumor growing on his chin, and his speech carried a sinister, chilling air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Huzhuang fort chief, Zhang Shutang, was a short, stocky man, also holding the rank of Platoon Leader, in his thirties. He simply stared greedily at the scene inside Jingbian Fort beyond the stockade gate and sighed: “This Jingbian Fort has grown to such scale in so short a time. I’ve heard that Wang Dou has plenty of wealth. Today, since we’ve come, we must make that brute Wang Dou bleed heavily.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three of them all laughed smugly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their three forts each had a few dozen households, and in the past they had simply farmed in peace. They never expected that after Jingbian Fort rose to prominence, the military households of the other forts would periodically flee, draining away their able-bodied population. After the three fort chiefs made inquiries, they found that those military household members had all fled to Jingbian Fort — which infuriated them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had long harbored this grievance, and with a powerful figure acting as liaison this time, the three forts joined forces to come demand an explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, over a Company Commander from the three forts — several hundred people in all — came out in full force. The able-bodied men carried long spears and wooden clubs; the women, the old, and the weak likewise carried hoes, carrying poles, and the like. It could be called an imposing show of strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking behind them, Jia Duonan and the other two grew increasingly confident. Spurred on by them, the shouts and howls of the military household men and women behind them grew louder and louder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the din of shouting, the stockade gate ahead suddenly swung open. Hoofbeats rang out as about seven or eight riders burst forth from within — every horse a sturdy mount. The riders carried either long spears or large blades; they merely gathered off to one side at a distance, reining in their horses and keeping watch over the area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The leader, a military officer with superb riding skills, armed with a hooked spear, a bow and arrows slung across his back, and sharp, piercing eyes, was none other than Han Chao. He trained the night scouts day and night. During the bandit suppression in the seventh month, Jingbian Fort had acquired some horses and mules. Wang Dou allocated some of the horses to Han Chao, letting him select riders from among the night scouts. Han Chao was a master rider and had been training them all this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd fell silent for a moment, sensing the threat posed by these few cavalrymen. Watching them, Zhouzhuang Fort Chief Jia Duonan snorted: “I never imagined a tiny little fort could have crack night scouts. This Wang Dou is willing to spend serious coin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xianyang, the fort chief of Chafang Fort, narrowed his eyes and watched for a moment. “Those few night scouts are indeed not to be underestimated,” he said. “But a piddling little fort like Jingbian Fort — I’m afraid these few are the only ones capable of fighting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others all nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, from inside the stockade gate came a sound like the orderly thunder of marching feet. The noise drew nearer and nearer. The people outside the fort looked at one another in bewilderment, unable to tell what the sound was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, everyone collectively gasped. From within the stockade gate, row after orderly row of Jingbian Fort soldiers came jogging out. Every one of them was fully armed, arrayed in squads of five. At the very front were the squad leaders, bearing shields and clad in iron armor; behind them came the long-spearmen gripping their spears; and further back, the arquebusiers carrying their matchlocks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They formed up six squads per rank, three ranks in total, each rank separated by only a few paces. These hundred-plus men advanced in perfect order, their footfalls a single thunderous roar as they ran — an overwhelming pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the sight of these Jingbian Fort soldiers emerging, the military households outside the fort fell utterly silent. Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined that Jingbian Fort possessed such strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhouzhuang Fort Chief Jia Duonan stammered: “Th-this… how can Jingbian Fort have soldiers like these? These are no old and feeble military households farming the land — these are clearly crack government troops! I fear even the retainers under Lord Xu of Shun Fort may not measure up to this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither Lu Xianyang, the fort chief of Chafang Fort, nor Zhang Shutang, the fort chief of Huzhuang, answered him. Both men’s faces were grim; they could only stare fixedly at the squads of Jingbian Fort soldiers emerging one after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first time, Jingbian Fort openly and without concealment displayed its power to the outside world. The moment it appeared, it thoroughly awed everyone present.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jingbian Fort soldiers filed out through the stockade gate squad by squad, weapons in hand, jogging in perfect unison. Though they came at a jog, their military bearing was strict and their formation not the slightest bit disordered. None of the people outside the fort had ever seen such strict military bearing; they all stared dumbfounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sun blazed fiercely overhead, the weather scorching hot. Sweat streamed down the faces and bodies of every Jingbian Fort soldier, yet not one of them made the slightest move to wipe it away. Their faces were all rough and dark; originally just ordinary military households, now, advancing in formation, every man bore a resolute expression and a stern countenance, like seasoned, rigorously trained crack troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them, the soldiers in the frontmost ranks were all veterans who had joined Jingbian Fort the previous year. Every one of them had undergone harsh training and had suppressed bandits and seen blood. Having experienced the battlefield made all the difference — as they filed out in formation, they exuded a distinct sharpness and pride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the soldiers in the rear two squads were newly formed recruits, within this atmosphere of supreme self-confidence, they too kept their faces taut, their eyes fixed straight ahead, merely gripping their weapons tightly and moving meticulously with the formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once they exited the fort and were a few dozen paces from the military households, they halted in formation and stood in solemn silence, not uttering a sound. An aura of lethal severity spread outward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at their formation now, even after running and assembling in formation, the ranks remained strictly ordered. From whichever direction one looked, they formed a straight line. Such military bearing was utterly astonishing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking further at their physiques and equipment — every man was sturdily built, youthful in appearance, uniformly able-bodied and in their prime. Among these hundred and several dozen men, there were actually several dozen suits of iron armor and helmets, as well as numerous firearms and arquebuses. They stood there gripping their weapons, solemn and silent. That sheer presence struck awe and fear into those who beheld it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Duonan, Lu Xianyang, and the others looked at one another, none of them knowing what to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they glanced back at the military households behind them, every face showed fear, with a strong inclination to shrink back. No one dared utter a sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou rode his horse alongside this battle formation. Beside him were several Jingbian Fort officers, also clad in iron armor and mounted on warhorses, along with a few drummers carrying pace drums. Gazing at the military formation before them, every man’s heart swelled with pride — these were their own troops, the fruit of everyone’s painstaking efforts within the fort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Duonan, Lu Xianyang, and Zhang Shutang stared at one another wide-eyed for a moment. The three of them had expended enormous energy rallying the military households of the various forts to come here. Although Jingbian Fort’s strength had taken them by surprise, having entered a mountain of treasure, how could they return empty-handed? How would they explain that to all the parties involved?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three conferred in low voices for a moment. Jia Duonan, acting as their representative, was just about to speak when Wang Dou’s stern voice rang out from the other side: “You three forts have gathered a mob and come here — this is an act of aggression against our Jingbian Fort. If you do not withdraw immediately, we will treat this as a bandit raid and launch an attack against you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You are ordered to withdraw completely within the time it takes one incense stick to burn!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Duonan shouted: “Wang Dou! Your Jingbian Fort has stolen our military households and encroached on our garrison farmlands! You must give us an explanation!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd behind him hollered: “Yes, yes! Give us an explanation!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the voices were sparse and scattered, no longer the clamorous, unified roar they had when they first arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou’s icy voice came through: “Final warning. If you do not withdraw, we will attack immediately!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Duonan and the others were still shouting when Wang Dou’s expression changed. He drew his heavy sword, pointed it forward, and bellowed: “Form up! Advance!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a long serpent snapping to attention, the pace drums sounded, and the three-rank battle formation, which had halted, immediately began moving again. The shield-bearers pressed forward like a moving wall; the remaining long-spearmen and arquebusiers rested their weapons against their shoulders and advanced in formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Jingbian Fort soldiers began to move, the three forts’ military households on the other side shuddered in unison, rippling backward like a wave. Every face was ashen. With every step the Jingbian Fort soldiers advanced, they retreated one step. As the Jingbian Fort soldiers pressed closer step by step, the three forts’ military households seemed on the verge of collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>※※※\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old White Ox:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We’ve hit the featured promotion. My thanks to the esteemed editors for their favor, and my thanks to all the readers for your support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another update at midnight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>。\u003C\u002Fp>",2171,"2026-06-03T14:05:19.908Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","0109cceffec0b5b9a707c6272d7f41d1f2d7023c7a586b3b5c1ae08c59d69dca","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-59","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-57",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]