[{"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-617":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},1205906,1561,"Chapter 617: Doomsday","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-617",617,"\u003Cp>\"Fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Fangliang's Left Battalion, two units of arquebusiers, two hundred warriors in the front rank, launched a volley at the government troops from the Xuanfu Branch Inspection North Circuit and Branch Inspection Central Circuit who were crossing the pontoon bridge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The warriors pulled their triggers, the muzzle flames seeming to merge into one sheet, each arquebus spewing billowing smoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the cold wind from time to time whipped up gusts of snow, the Donglu arquebuses in their hands had very few misfires. After one volley, a large swath of government troops in front collapsed to the ground, clutching their wounds, struggling desperately, shrieking hoarse, heart-rending screams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two hundred warriors launched another volley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gunpowder smoke spread like a white dragon, and more men ahead crashed to the ground, rolling everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many stared at their own spilling entrails, howling inhumanly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another deafening volley of musketry rang out. The troops from the Branch Inspection North Circuit and Branch Inspection Central Circuit who had crossed the bridge collapsed and fled back wailing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dense mass of troops on the opposite bank likewise scattered...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was already the twenty-eighth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the afternoon of the twenty-sixth, after Wen Fangliang's Left Battalion warriors routed the army Lai Tianlu had pressed forward from the Right Guard direction, they swiftly returned to the southern outskirts of Zhangjiakou Fort. With several salvos of artillery, they again routed another army pressing from the Left Guard direction, led by his eldest son, Lai Diqing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lai family's generational naming sequence was precisely: Heaven, Earth, Conscience, Heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And by this morning, from the east of Zhangjiakou, another force pressed forward: the army of the Branch Inspection North Circuit, led by Lai Tianlu's younger brother Lai Tianmin, along with the army of the Branch Inspection Central Circuit, led by Yang Tianfu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Branch Defense West Circuit Assistant Regional Commander, Li Jian'e, also rushed over at speed with his own relief battalion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Jian'e and Yang Tianfu were both considered Lai Tianlu's brothers-in-law; one had married his eldest sister, the other his eighth sister.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From this, one could see how these military gentry strongmen were bound by shared interests, their influence immense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, regarding their secret collusion beyond the frontier, even officials who knew the inside story had to turn a blind eye. Even if a Viceroy or Provincial Governor wished to deal with them, they had to weigh the matter carefully, lest they provoke incidents, or even mutiny.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that truly happened, the unlucky ones would still be themselves. Faced with such mass military riots and disturbances, few could avoid dismissal from office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For several centuries of the Great Ming, military men had always lived quite comfortably, especially the military men of the guard battalions. Compared to civil officials, who easily got into trouble and faced difficult promotions, many of them were born into high-ranking posts. They rarely stirred up any incidents and could basically enjoy their wealth and honor in peace, passing it down hereditarily generation after generation, forming local strongmen one after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even in the era when civil officials were esteemed and military men debased, it was merely a matter of bowing and scraping before others, kowtowing a few times. Their actual wealth and privilege remained intact — what they called losing a little face to gain a great advantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Encroaching on military farmland and secretly colluding beyond the frontier had originally been started by these military men. It was only when they encountered the Jingbian Army, which possessed even greater power, was even more overbearing, and did not play by the usual rules, that tragedy befell them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The wicked must be ground down by the wicked...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Left Battalion warriors formed their ranks outside the east gate, some gentry and merchants watching the battle from the walls of Zhangjiakou could not help but utter such sighs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's about it. Except for Li Jian'e, we've fought everyone connected to Lai Tianlu. The Zhangjiakou matter can be brought to a close.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the Branch Inspection North Circuit and Central Circuit troops howling and fleeing on the opposite bank, Wen Fangliang nodded with satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the military gentry strongmen who had rushed over had many troops and horses, their combat strength was weak, and moreover they could not form a unified command, allowing him to swiftly defeat them one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the Branch Inspection North Circuit and Branch Inspection Central Circuit troops before him, because word of the ice-breaking incident had spread, they dared not cross over the ice and had to come via the pontoon bridge. These government troops, who originally only dared to swagger before commoners, had no chance of victory against the Jingbian Army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, being struck mid-crossing, the Left Battalion warriors had only fired a few volleys of musketry before they collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing their disgraceful state, Wen Fangliang could not even muster the thought of pursuit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, in the afternoon, at the hour of Wei, Wen Fangliang received a report from his mounted scouts and could not help but furrow his brow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scouts reported that the Branch Inspection North Circuit and Central Circuit troops who had fled that morning had crossed the Qingshui River downstream and joined forces with Li Jian'e's Branch Defense West Circuit troops. Among them were also some men who had fled on the twenty-sixth from Lai Tianlu and Lai Diqing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In particular, among their troops and horses were many military households from various cities, especially a large number of women, children, and the elderly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Villains!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Fangliang roared in fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fellow countrymen and elders! These Donglu bandits want to seize our food and clothing, to leave us with no way to live! We absolutely refuse!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Refuse!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Refuse!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Refuse...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From afar, a tide-like flow of people surged along the west bank of the Qingshui River toward the south gate of Zhangjiakou Fort, submerging the official road, submerging the hills, submerging the fields, submerging scattered woods and houses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the very front were the ragged military households from various cities, old and young alike, each clutching broken and battered swords, spears, clubs, and staves. And walking before the men were the women, some with cleavers and wooden clubs, many bare-handed, some even carrying children in their arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the government troops from the various circuits, they cowered and shrank, hiding behind these women, children, and elderly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet as they marched, they loudly stirred up the crowd from time to time. This human tide was seething with mass fury, especially the military households of the Branch Inspection Central Circuit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This circuit had jurisdiction over eleven forts and strongholds, with two Garrison Commanders, six Defense Commanders, and three Guard Commanders. The Assistant Regional Commander was stationed at Geyu Fort. These places had many mountains and little arable land, the soil was barren, so trade, smuggling, and collecting bribes were vital means of livelihood for them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For these military households and women, generation after generation, they had been the tenant farmers of those military officers and guard battalion officials. To them, their superiors were heaven itself, the very earth. Fear and deference had been ingrained into their very marrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They believed without the slightest doubt whatever the military officers above them said. With the slightest incitement, they were instantly filled with righteous indignation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It somewhat resembled the later-era American Civil War: when the great conflict first erupted, the first to be enraged were precisely those black slaves on the plantation fields.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not far ahead from the south gate, Wen Fangliang's Left Battalion had already deployed its battle formation, yet the dense, dark mass of people still strode forward in great strides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Donglu bandits, aim right here at this old lady! We can't go on living anyway, might as well die right here!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"All your military merits come from killing women and children, don't they?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the human tide, many military household women, striding along on their big unbound feet, shrieked toward the front lines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the central command position of the Left Battalion, many battalion officers were furious: \"These foolish men and foolish women!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Barren mountains and foul waters breed unruly folk — the ancients did not deceive me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Despicable Lai Tianlu, despicable Li Jian'e, daring only to drive women and children before them. Such conduct, how is it any different from the Tatar slaves?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the human tide draw nearer, the battalion central command looked toward Wen Fangliang: \"What is to be done? We await the General's instructions.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Fangliang gazed ahead, his refined face utterly solemn, long devoid of its usual irreverent cynicism. He spoke thoughtfully: \"This general recalls that our Jingbian Army military code does not forbid taking action against women and children, does it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jingbian Army's disciplinary officers had been deeply influenced by Chi Dacheng; most wore a deadpan expression, and the Left Battalion's disciplinary officer was no exception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stated rigidly: \"According to our Jingbian Army military code, so long as an opponent holds a weapon and commits an act of aggression, or does not hold a weapon but still commits an act of aggression, regardless of whether they are man, woman, or child, regardless of whether they are Han, barbarian, or foreigner, regardless of whether they are Chinese or foreign nationals — all are deemed enemies and may be executed!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He continued: \"The Grand General has stated: The safety of our officers and soldiers is always the first priority. If one cannot even protect oneself, how can one speak of protecting the common people?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked toward Wen Fangliang: \"I have said all I have to say. What to do next, I ask Assistant Regional Commander Wen to decide. However, as for the specific details, afterward I will compile a report and submit it, acting impartially and according to the facts.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Fangliang slowly exhaled and said decisively: \"Prepare for battle!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At once the order spread through the ranks: \"Prepare for battle!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Arquebusiers, ready!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Spearmen, ready!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Artillery, ready!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Fangliang issued the order: \"First give warning. If they do not withdraw, bombard the enemy's center and rear formations with artillery, and have the arquebusiers fire upon the enemy's front formation!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vast, surging crowd on the opposite side still pressed toward the military formation. Watching that formation, some helmeted and armored men at the very rear smiled at one another. They had deployed women and children, that ultimate weapon — would the other side dare to act?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So it had always been with the Han imperial dynasties. Through every era, if an official or general dared to act against commoners, especially against women and children, it would invariably stir a massive uproar. For military men it was slightly better, but if a civil official did so, a cloud of impeachments would descend, and the outcome was a hundred percent certain: dismissal from office, perhaps even imprisonment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So they were very confident. The various officers and soldiers behind the great mass of women, children, and elderly were also very confident. As they advanced, they urged on their own wives, old mothers, elder sisters, younger sisters, and all manner of aunts and female relations in front of them, forming a chaotic and enormous human tide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Final warning! Women and children, disperse at once! If you continue forward, you bear the consequences yourselves!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some night scouts went forward to deliver the warning, only to draw curses from the crowd on that side. Stones and clods of earth were hurled at them, accompanied by waves of jeering laughter: \"Eastern-road bandits, scared now, are you? Scramble back to your home territory!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We old women aren't afraid.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let Wang Dou eat shit!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The night scouts' eyes turned cold. They left behind one icy sentence: \"In that case, you are enemies of our army. You have brought this upon yourselves!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bombard!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the thunderous roar of the great guns, several Hongyi cannons belched vast quantities of thick smoke and flame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the blaze of fire, cannonballs shrieked forth, hurtling toward the enemy's center and rear formations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wails of terror and despair rose. The high-velocity cannonballs slammed down, plowing bloody furrows through the human tide ahead!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The searing solid iron spheres rammed through unchecked; wherever they passed, flesh and blood flew in all directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the screaming, the opposing human tide fell into chaos. At the front of the flow, some military households, along with the women, children, and elderly, also halted. The sound of the cannons terrified them, and the possibility that the men of their families might be dead or wounded filled them with dread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet although the cannons made a terrifying noise, there were only a few of them. The cannonballs that fell were still minuscule compared to the vast human tide. Many people still urged them on, and some women shouted in grief and fury: \"Sisters, the Eastern-road bandits have killed our men! Fight them to the death!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fight them to the death!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those women shrieked and charged desperately toward the military formation ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind them, the military households and officers and soldiers also roared, brandishing their weapons, seizing the chance to quicken their pace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The human tide surged forward like floodwaters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ready!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Take aim…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soldiers of the Left Battalion lowered their firearms in dense ranks, aiming at the screaming, charging crowd ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some soldiers showed a trace of reluctance on their faces, but their hands gripping the arquebuses did not waver in the slightest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By military law, all before them were enemies. And toward enemies, there was absolutely no mercy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Billowing white smoke erupted, and the crack of arquebuses burst out like popping beans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some women who were struck screamed and collapsed, falling onto the icy ground. Blood flowed from their bodies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second rank of soldiers fired another volley. Another swath of women and elderly toppled, rolling on the ground, emitting heart-rending howls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fire!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Again the deafening crash of volley fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blood of those who fell beside them splattered onto their own bodies, their faces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching them writhe all over the ground, crying out in agony and helplessness, those around them finally jolted awake. They had miscalculated. The Eastern-road bandits opposite them did not grant them any special treatment just because they were women. They killed when it was time to kill, cut down when it was time to cut down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The heart-rending shrieks all around terrified them even more. No one knew who started retreating first, but it swept through the entire human tide, and they fled desperately toward the rear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The men who had been using them as cover were dumbstruck. Helpless, they had no choice but to flee with the human current.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the human flow of over ten thousand ahead scattering in wild, frantic flight, Wen Fangliang gazed for a moment, then spurred his horse and rode to the front of the formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, corpses and wounded lay strewn in disorder. The air was thick with the heavy stench of blood. Some patches of the cold, hard ground, having absorbed great quantities of blood, had thawed, the soil soaked a dark, blackish red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snowflakes, large and small, drifted down from time to time. Amid the rising and falling groans, Wen Fangliang suddenly heard the sound of an infant. He dismounted from his warhorse, followed the sound, and saw, in the swaddling clothes of a dead woman, an infant wailing loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Fangliang picked the child up and soothed: \"Oh, oh, oh, little one, don't cry, don't cry.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After soothing for a moment, he handed the child to a medic beside him: \"Take him to the orphan camp.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gave the order: \"The wounded no longer pose a threat. Order the medics to rescue and treat them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then his face sank like water, and he bellowed: \"Driving women and children to charge a formation is a great sin! Those officers who instigated this must absolutely not be let off. We must capture every one of them alive, and after trial, execute them with the harshest penalty!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the seventh day of the twelfth month, aside from Han Chao, who remained to guard Taiyuan with a portion of the troops, Li Guangheng, Gao Shiyin, Li Yunshu, and others divided their forces and headed to Yuci, Taigu, Pingyao, Jiexiu, Pingyang, and other places, arresting treacherous merchants one by one and confiscating their family properties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the tenth day, in Jiexiu, at the Fan residence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sprawling compound with its multiple courtyards was magnificent and splendid. In the past, it had been bustling with activity, but now a somber atmosphere hung over every part of the estate. Every member of the Fan family and every servant in sight wore expressions of anxious unease; everyone felt that a great calamity was imminent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the study, Fan Yongdou sat in dejection. He had already been aged beyond his years, and now he seemed to have aged another ten. His beard and hair had all turned white, the furrows on his face were deeper, and his every movement was a trembling display of senility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These past few days, Fan Yongdou had become even more sensitive to the cold. Neither the heated hollow walls of the study nor the several exquisite copper braziers of charcoal seemed able to drive away his chill. With every step he took, he had to wrap his fur-lined coat tighter around himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These past few days, he had kept himself shut in the study, and outsiders could hardly catch a glimpse of him. Over and over, he pondered a single question: Why had it come to this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The course of events had exceeded his expectations — Taiyuan had fallen, Datong had fallen. The residences, shops, and warehouses he owned in those places had all become Wang Dou's spoils of war, hadn't they? And many of his stewards and clansmen had all been arrested too, hadn't they?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were the blood and sweat of generations, of ancestors and descendants alike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Word had come that his son, Fan Sanba, had also been captured, his fate unknown. Would he himself be next, and his family after him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fan Yongdou smiled bitterly. Just yesterday, the Jingbian Army had already reached outside the city — the vanguard was said to be something called the Vermilion Bird Camp. Now panic reigned within the walls. If even Taiyuan had fallen, could Jiexiu hold?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiexiu was originally his ancestral land, cultivated generation after generation, deeply rooted in the locality. But the upheaval was too great, and cracks had begun to appear even in what had seemed an ironclad city. The Fan family's power was vast, yet there were families within the city that could rival them — perhaps one alone could not, but several united could.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, they had been forced by his family's power to feign compliance while harboring defiance, but now their true colors were all laid bare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All sorts of talk had begun to spread through Jiexiu. Many people bitterly denounced his family as treacherous merchants who brought calamity to the nation and the people, saying every man had the right to put them to death — speaking as though they themselves had never smuggled or colluded with the enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slowly sipped a mouthful of hot tea. Had he known it would come to this, he would never have opposed Wang Dou. But there was no medicine for regret in this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing Wang Dou's condemnation of him as a traitorous merchant who harmed the nation, he felt wronged in his heart. Wasn't it a matter of heavenly principle that merchants pursue profit? Besides, among the civil officials, military officers, powerful magnates, and merchants of Xuan-Da, how many families were truly clean?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I must still go up to the walls and see. If we can hold the city firmly for a month or two, the situation may yet turn.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fan Yongdou had just risen when he suddenly heard chaos erupt outside, and people shouting: \"Someone has surrendered the city!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Fan Yongdou heard, even more distinctly, a faint roar approaching: \"Ten thousand victories!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The teacup in his hand fell to the floor and shattered without his knowing. His whole body trembled, shivering like a lone sparrow in a cold wind. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian () to cast recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)\u003C\u002Fp>",3387,"2026-06-03T14:06:10.567Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","7f7ee39fb5535b0dc54c498a115c33ff233079b723bd782c7adc02d3b32e2e57","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-618","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-616",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]